Spiritual Gifts Summary
Click on one of the gifts listed below to find out more
information about that gift:
Administration
Description:
The gift of Administration is the divine enablement to understand what makes an organization function, and the special ability to plan and execute procedures that accomplish the goals of the ministry.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Develop strategies or plans to reach identified goals
- Assist ministries to become more effective and efficient
- Create order out of organizational chaos
- Manage or coordinate a variety of responsibilities to accomplish a task
- Organize people, tasks, or events
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Apostleship
Description:
The gift of Apostleship is the divine ability to start and oversee the development of new churches or ministry structures.
NOTE: While the "office" of apostle that the original disciples of Christ held is unique and no longer exists, the "role" of apostle continues today and functions through the spiritual gift of Apostleship.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Pioneer and establish new ministries or churches
- Adapt to different surroundings by being culturally sensitive and aware Desire to minister to unreached people in other communities or countries
- Have responsibilities to oversee ministries or groups of churches
- Demonstrate authority and vision for the mission of the church
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Counselling
Description:
The gift of Counseling is the divine enablement to effectively listen and assist someone in his or her quest for psychological and relational wholeness.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Have good listening skills
- Enjoy the opportunity to help those in crisis situations
- Are often sought out by others for their advice
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Craftsmanship
Description:
The gift of Craftsmanship is the divine enablement to creatively design and/or construct items to be used for ministry.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Work with wood, cloth, paints, metal, glass and other raw materials Make things that increase the effectiveness of others' ministries
- Enjoy serving with their hands to meet tangible needs
- Design and build tangible items and resources for ministry use
- Work with different kinds of tools and are skilled with their hands
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Creative Communication
Description:
The gift of Creative Communication is the divine enablement to communicate God's truth through a variety of art forms.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Use the arts to communicate God's truth
- Develop and use artistic skills such as drama, writing, art, music, etc.
- Use variety and creativity to captivate people and cause them to consider Christ's message
- Challenge people's perspective of God through various forms of the arts
- Demonstrate fresh ways to express the Lord's ministry and message
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Discernment
Description:
The gift of Discernment is the divine enablement to distinguish between truth and error. It is able to discern the spirits, differentiating between good and evil, right and wrong.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Distinguish truth from error, right from wrong, pure motives from impure
- Identify deception in others with accuracy and appropriateness
- Determine whether a word attributed to God is authentic
- Recognize inconsistencies in a teaching, prophetic message or interpretation
- Are able to sense the presence of evil
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Encouragement
Description:
The gift of Encouragement is the divine enablement to present truth so as to strengthen, comfort, or urge to action those who are discouraged or wavering in their faith.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Come to the side of those who are discouraged to strengthen and reassure them
- Challenge, comfort, or confront others to trust and hope in the promises of God
- Urge others to action by applying biblical truth
- Motivate others to grow
- Emphasize God's promises and to have confidence in his will
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Evangelism
Description:
The gift of Evangelism is the divine enablement to convey the gospel of Jesus Christ in a clean, concise and relevant way to an individual or group.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Communicate the message of Christ with clarity and conviction
- Seek out opportunities to talk to unbelievers about spiritual matters Challenge unbelievers to faith and to become fully devoted followers of Christ
- Adapt their presentation of the gospel to connect with the individual's needs
- Seek opportunities to build relationships with unbelievers
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Faith
Description:
The gift of Faith is the divine enablement to act on God's promises with confidence and unwavering belief in God's ability to fulfill his purposes.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Believe the promises of God and inspire others to do the same
- Act in complete confidence of God's ability to overcome obstacles
- Demonstrate an attitude of trust in God's will and his promises
- Advance the cause of Christ because they go forward when others will not
- Ask God for what is needed and trust him for his provision
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Giving
Description:
The gift of Giving is the divine enablement to contribute money and resources to the work of the Lord with cheerfulness and liberality. People with this gift do not ask, "How much money do I need to give to God?" but, "How much money do I need to live on?"
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Manage their finances and limit their lifestyle in order to give as much of their resources as possible
- Support the work of ministry with sacrificial gifts to advance the Kingdom
- Meet tangible needs that enable spiritual growth to occur
- Provide resources, generously and cheerfully, trusting God for his provision
- May have a special ability to make money so that they may use it to further God's work
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Healing
Description:
The gift of Healing is the divine enablement to be God's means for restoring people to wholeness.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Demonstrate the power of God
- Bring restoration to the sick and diseased
- Authenticate a message from God through healing
- Use it as an opportunity to communicate a biblical truth and to see God glorified
- Pray, touch, or speak words that miraculously bring healing to one's body
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Helps
Description:
The gift of Helps is the divine enablement to accomplish practical and necessary tasks that free up, support, and meet the needs of others.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Serve behind the scenes wherever needed to support the gifts and ministries of others
- See the tangible and practical things to be done and enjoy doing them
- Sense God's purpose and pleasure in meeting everyday responsibilities
- Attach spiritual value to practical service
- Enjoy knowing that they are freeing up others to do what God has called them to do
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Hospitality
Description:
The gift of hospitality is the divine enablement to care for people by providing fellowship, food and shelter.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Provide an environment where people feel valued and cared for
- Meet new people and help them to feel welcomed
- Create a safe and comfortable setting where relationships can develop
- Seek ways to connect people together into meaningful relationships
- Set people at ease in unfamiliar surroundings
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Interpretation
Description:
The gift of Interpretation is the divine enablement to make known to the body of Christ the message of one who is speaking in tongues.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Respond to a message spoken in tongues by giving an interpretation
- Glorify God and demonstrate his power through this miraculous manifestation
- Edify the body by interpreting a timely message from God
- Understand an unlearned language and communicate that message to the body of Christ
- Are sometimes prophetic when exercising an interpretation of tongues for the church
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Knowledge
Description:
The gift of Knowledge is the divine enab!ement to bring truth to the body through a revelation or biblical insight.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Receive truth, which enables them to better serve the body
- Search Scripture for insight, understanding, and truth
- Have an unusual insight or understanding that serves the church
- Organize information for teaching and practical use
- Gain knowledge which was not attained by natural observation or means
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Leadership
Description:
The gift of Leadership is the divine enablement to cast vision, motivate, and direct people to harmoniously accomplish the purposes of God.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Provide direction for God's people or ministry
- Motivate others to perform to the best of their abilities
- Present the "big picture" for others to see
- Model the values of the ministry
- Take responsibility and establish goals
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Mercy
Description:
The gift of Mercy is the divine enablement to cheerfully and practically hetp those who are suffering or are in need. Compassion moved to action.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Focus upon alleviating the sources of pain or discomfort in suffering people
- Address the needs of the lonely and forgotten
- Express love, grace, and dignity to those facing hardships and crisis
- Serve in difficult or unsightly circumstances and do so cheerfully
- Concern themselves with individual or social issues that oppress people
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Miracles
Description:
The gift of Miracles is the divine enablement to authenticate the ministry and message of God through supernatural interventions which glorify him.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Speak God's truth and have it authenticated by an accompanying miracle
- Express confidence in God's faithfulness and ability to manifest his presence
- Bring the ministry and message of Jesus Christ with power
- Claim God to be the source of the miracle and glorify him
- Represent Christ and through the gift point people to a relationship with Christ
- Need to guard against the temptation to call on the Lord's presence and power for selfish purposes
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Prayer
Description:
The gift of Intercession is the divine enablement to consistently pray on behalf of and for others, seeing frequent and specific results.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Feel compelled to earnestly pray on behalf of someone or some cause
- Have a daily awareness of the spiritual battles being waged and pray
- Are convinced God moves in direct response to prayer
- Pray in response to the leading of the spirit, whether they understand it or not
- Exercise authority and power for the protection of others and the equipping of them to serve
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Prophecy
Description:
The gift of Prophecy is the divine enablement to reveal truth and proclaim it in a timely and relevant manner for understanding, correction, repentance, or edification. There may be immediate or future implications.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Expose sin or deception in others for the purpose of reconciliation
- Speak a timely word from God causing conviction, repentance, and edification
- See truth that others often fail to see and challenge them to respond
- Warn of God's immediate or future judgment if there is no repentance
- Understand God's heart and mind through experiences he takes them through
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Shepherding
Description:
The gift of Shepherding is the divine enablement to nurture, care for, and guide people toward on-going spiritual maturity and becoming like Christ.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Take responsibility to nurture the whole person in his walk with God
- Provide guidance and oversight to a group of God's people
- Model with their knife what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus
- Establish trust and confidence through long-term relationships
- Lead and protect those within their span of care
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Teaching
Description:
The gift of Teaching is the divine enablement to understand, clearly explain, and apply the word of God, causing greater Christ-likeness in the lives of listeners
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Communicate biblical truth that inspires greater obedience to the word
- Challenge listeners simply and practically with the truths of Scripture
- Present the whole counsel of God for maximum life change
- Give attention to detail and accuracy
- Prepare through extended times of study and reflection
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Tongues
Description:
The gift of Tongues is the divine enablement to speak, worship, or pray in a language unknown to the speaker. People with the gift may receive a spontaneous message from God which is made known to his body through the gift of Interpretation.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Express with an interpretation a word by the Spirit that edifies the body
- Communicate a message given by God for the church
- Speak in a language they have never learned and do not understand
- Worship the Lord with unknown words too deep for the mind to comprehend
- Experience an intimacy with God which inspires them to serve and edify others
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Wisdom
Description:
The gift of Wisdom is the divine enablement to apply spiritual truth effectively to meet a need in a specific situation.
Distinctives:
People with this gift:
- Focus on the unseen consequences in determining the next steps to take
- Receive an understanding of what is necessary to meet the needs of the body
- Provide divinely given solutions in the midst of conflict and confusion
- Hear the Spirit provide direction for God's best in a given situation
- Apply spiritual truth in specific and practical ways
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