ADMINISTRATION

The Spirit-given ability to design and execute a plan of action through which a number of believers are enabled to work effectively together to do the Lord’s work.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Able to organize ideas, tasks, people, and time to achieve an objective

· Able to make effective plans to achieve goals

· Able to delegate important tasks to the right people at the right time

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Help develop a family budget

· Chair a committee

· Organize a fund-raising campaign

CREATIVE ABILITY

The Spirit-given ability to communicate truth and advance God’s kingdom creatively through music, drama, visual arts and/or writing.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Use of a particular creative talent to benefit the body of Christ

· Able to communicate divine truth visually, graphically or vocally in interesting, imaginative and inspiring ways

· Through this person’s artistic efforts, people are spiritually stimulated and grow in their appreciation of God and his world

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Make music or other art for personal enjoyment

· Write music, poetry, litanies or prayers for use in worship

· Assist in a community arts festival

DISCERNMENT

The Spirit-given ability to know whether a statement, action or motive has its source in God, our sinful human nature or Satan.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Able to detect phony persons and false teachings

· Able to perceive people’s true spiritual motivation

· Able to tell when a person is controlled or influenced by an evil spirit

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Warn people about false teachings

· Help with interviewing people for ministry positions

· Counsel people who have been taken in by satanic influences

ENCOURAGEMENT

The Spirit-given ability to effectively encourage, comfort, challenge or rebuke others to help them live lives worthy of God.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Spurs people on “to love and good deeds” by means of counsel and encouragement, guided by the Holy Spirit

· Sees the potential in people and urges them to serve God to the best of their ability

· Regularly ministers to others by offering practical counsel and guidance for spiritual growth

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Serve as a spiritual mentor

· Visit and counsel inactive members

· Counsel at a crisis-pregnancy centre

EVANGELISM

The Spirit-given ability to present the gospel to unbelievers in clear and meaningful ways that bring a positive response.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Able, in the Spirit’s power, to clearly present the message of salvation to unbelievers

· Lead others, with the Spirit’s help, to believe in Christ as Saviour

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Witness to those that do not know Christ

· Participate in Outreach efforts

· Share the gospel with children and/or adults in a Bible school setting

GIVING

The Spirit-given ability to contribute significant personal and material resources to the Lord’s work freely, cheerfully and sacrificially.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Finds great joy in giving, looking for ways to meet people’s needs by giving of oneself as well as one’s material resources

· Gives freely and cheerfully, often above what is expected

· Takes a strong personal interest in causes and people who need support, and sees giving as a way to minister

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Practice giving of time and talents to serve others

· Contribute generously from material goods and one’s area of giftedness

· Support a charity organization with regular gifts

FAITH

The Spirit-given ability to know that God wills to do something, even when there is no concrete evidence to support that conviction.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Know with certainty that God has willed to do something

· Able to trust God to intervene in supernatural ways in spite of evidence to the contrary

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· May be used to bring healing through “the prayer of faith” (see James 5:13-18)

· Help keep up hope in a discouraging situation

· Know and trust God’s will toward developing a new ministry

HEALING

The Spirit-given ability to serve as an instrument through whom God brings physical, emotional and spiritual healing in both ordinary and extraordinary ways.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Faith that God can and does heal in both natural and supernatural ways

· Able to pray expectantly for persons who are physically, emotionally or spiritually ill

· Through this person’s artistic efforts, people are spiritually stimulated and grow in their appreciation of God and his world

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Make music or other art for personal enjoyment

· Write music, poetry, litanies, or prayers for use in worship

· Assist in a community arts festival

HOSPITALITY

The Spirit-given ability to welcome and graciously serve guests and strangers so that they feel at home.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Enjoy providing a haven for guests without feeling imposed upon

· Able to help strangers feel at ease in one’s home and at church

· Always willing to open one’s home and heart to people in need of hospitality

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Display gracious openness to strangers

· Make welcome visits to people who have moved into the church neighbourhood

· Be a greeter or usher

INTERCESSION

The Spirit-given ability to pray faithfully and effectively for others for extended periods and to see many specific answers to those prayers.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Considers the prayer requests of others seriously, and prays for them for extended periods

· Agonizes over and identifies with the people being prayed for

· Conscious of ministering to others while praying for them, releasing God’s poser and grace in their lives

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Faithfully intercede for friends, family and others

· Help develop a prayer ministry

· Pray for local and national governments

KNOWLEDGE

The Spirit-given ability to receive from God knowledge that is crucial to ministry and that could not have been obtained in other ways.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Has received from God a knowledge of things that would happen before they actually came to pass

· Has experienced God-given, supernatural insights while praying

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Counsel others who are making long-term decisions

· Preach or teach with effectiveness because the Lord has given you a special awareness of a need or of particular issues

· Serve as a volunteer with a counselling agency

LEADERSHIP

The Spirit-given ability to lead others by seeing and casting a ministry vision, setting and communicating goals and sinspiring and directing people to work together toward those goals.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Able to provide the overall vision for a task

· Used by God to Motivate others who willingly follow and work together in a kingdom project

· Serve effectively by setting clear goals and involving people in working toward those goals

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Manage your own family well

· Cast the vision for a new ministry and see that it meets its goals

· Serve in political office

MERCY

The Spirit-given ability to feel empathy and compassion for hurting people and to translate that feeling into cheerful acts of service.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Feels deeply for hurting people and is eager to give practical help

· Enjoys helping people who suffer physical, mental or emotional troubles

· Effective in ministering to hurting people

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Send cards to persons with special needs

· Visit persons who are homebound or in a nursing home

· Be a nursing home helper

PROPHECY

The Spirit-given ability to receive and communicate a message from God so that believers may be edified and encouraged and unbelievers convinced.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Used by God to plead the cause of God to the people of God

· Used by God to build up and encourage other Christians by speaking to them of spiritual things

· Used by God to proclaim timely and urgent messages or to give directions that have come through God’s Word and/or Spirit

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Give guidance received from the Holy Spirit to other believers

· Give direction that affects a congregation’s future

· Speak out publicly on important moral or social issues

SERVICE (HELPING)

The special Spirit-given ability to see and meet the needs of others by willingly helping them in practical ways.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Enjoys doing tasks that help others minister effectively

· Is not put off by menial tasks but does them willingly to help build up the body of Christ

· Finds practical ways of helping others, and enjoys doing so

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Assist someone who needs an extra hand with a difficult task

· Be involved in a refugee-resettlement program

· Remodel homes for disadvantaged families

SHEPHERDING (PASTORING)

The Spirit-given ability to watch over, care for and feed members of the body of Christ, guiding, admonishing and discipling them toward spiritual maturity.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Assumes responsibility for the spiritual well-being of others, guided by the Holy Spirit

· Enabled by the Spirit to provide ongoing care, spiritual nourishment and protection to other believers

· Used by God to watch over and guide other Christians and nurture them toward spiritual maturity

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Disciple a new convert

· Become a youth group counsellor

· Lead campus Bible studies or faith-nurture groups

TEACHING

The Spirit-given ability to clearly and effectively communicate biblical truths and information to help believers grow in faith, building up the body of Christ.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Able to explain the Bible or some aspect of Christian living in an instructional setting, guided by the Holy Spirit

· Able to Communicate truth clearly and effectively in such a way that others learn

· Able to hold the interest of people being taught

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Teach your own children Bible truths

· Serve as a church school teacher

· Lead lessons as part of a small group

WISDOM

The Spirit-given ability to see situations and issues from God’s perspective and to apply God-given insights to specific areas of need.

CHARACTERISTICS

· Gives practical insights to people that help to solve problems

· Receives insight from God in situations for which there was no previous knowledge

· Able to apply spiritual knowledge in practical ways

SOME WAYS TO USE THE GIFT

· Counsel friends who come for help with their problems

· Help guide the body of Christ through a troublesome time

· Serve as arbitrator/negotiator between sparring parties or groups