SHAPE Ministry Inventory
Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experience: a simple way to consider how God has equipped you to serve His church.
Every believer is gifted to serve
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was given to all believers (Acts 2:3-4), and the Spirit continues to be given to every person who believes in Jesus (Acts 2:38; Romans 8:9). At the same time, that is, at conversion, God gives at least one spiritual gift to every believer (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11; Ephesians 4:4-7).
No believer has every spiritual gift, and no single gift is given to everyone (1 Corinthians 12:27-31). Our different sets of spiritual gifts complement each other to accomplish God’s purposes through the church (Romans 12:4-6; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, 12:4-7).
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.1 Peter 4:10
What SHAPE stands for
The gifts the Holy Spirit gives to every believer for the building up of the church.
The desires and burdens God has placed in you for His people and His work.
The natural talents and skills God has given you.
The way God made you, which shapes how you use your gifts.
What God has brought you through, and what it has taught you.
Three good tests
These gifts can be, and often are, strongly related to our pre-conversion talents and abilities, but they don’t have to be. Three good tests for the presence of a spiritual gift are:
- you will enjoy using this ability;
- you will be effective in using this ability; and
- other people will confirm that God is using you in this way.
Love above all
While knowing your spiritual gifts is helpful, this is not as important as making sure that your life is a blessing to others. Love is the most important factor in spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13; Matthew 22:39-40), and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives turns our-lives-as-a-whole into gifts!
Ask for a copy
The printable SHAPE survey is available from the church office. Complete it and return it, and we would be glad to talk with you about where you might serve.