Youth leaders or parents - watch the video "Find Your Fit: The Results are In" to see an example of how you can explore the results of the Spiritual Gifts inventory with your youth!

Shea James and CCYM co-chairs Katie Howard and Caroline Nichols have fun exploring their gifts together via zoom!

As a leader, you might want to take the assessment first so that you can reassure students that:

there are no right or wrong answers.
they can take their time.
they don’t need to overthink it.
it’s okay if they guess. But encourage them to be authentic to who they are right now. Remember that God made each of us unique so that we could serve out of our giftedness.

For an excellent resource regarding Spiritual Gifts, check out the book “Equipped for Every good work- Building a Gifts based church” by Dan R Dick and Barbara A. Dick. You can purchase a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Equipped-Every-Good-Work-Gifts-Based/dp/1610972406

Below is a sample lesson plan for your youth group gathering.

Opening Prayer

Gracious God, you sent Jesus for our sake and are generous with us. We give you thanks for making us all unique. As we learn about spiritual gifts, please give us the confidence to explore them honestly and be open to your movement in our lives. Amen.

A brief explanation of Spiritual Gifts

(this section adapted from Serving From the Heart For Youth: Finding Your Gifts And Talents For Service.)

Start by reading Ephesians 4:1-7; 11-16

Ask your students:

-According to verse seven, who receives spiritual gifts?

-What gifts do you find listed in verse eleven?

-This passage contains two clues about spiritual gifts. Look at verses 12 and 16. What do you find about the purpose of spiritual gifts?

-What happens when we use our spiritual gifts?

Spiritual gifts are special abilities given to every Christian, by the grace of God and through the Holy Spirit, to be used to serve and strengthen one another and to glorify God.

In a nutshell, spiritual gifts are:

            Abilities given by God (not something you’ve learned)

            Given to every Christian (yes, even YOU!)

            Given through the grace of God (not something you’ve earned)

            Given by the Holy Spirit (who chooses what gifts you receive)

            Used to strengthen one another (to build up one another, not yourself)

            Used to glorify God (for God’s purposes, to God’s glory)

Share this link for your youth to take the Spiritual Gifts Inventory.  https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/spiritual-gifts-inventory/en

When everyone is done with the inventory, they will each receive their top six spiritual gifts. Results will not be saved - so screenshot, print, or write them down.

The students’ top three spiritual gifts will include a description. To see a description of all twenty spiritual gifts, you can visit:

https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/gbod-assets/generic/spiritual_gifts_inventory_key.pdf

(We recommend having access to this list so you can read the meaning of your students’ gifts when they share during discussion time.)

How do you know if a spiritual gift is right?

(this section adapted from Serving From the Heart For Youth: Finding Your Gifts And Talents For Service.)

How can you be sure that you have the spiritual gifts identified in your spiritual gifts inventory?

-You will be drawn to use your spiritual gifts because you are drawn to what God has equipped you to do.

            -Others will recognize that gift in you (others benefit from it)

-You will be comfortable serving in your areas of spiritual giftedness (but you may still feel a bit anxious or unsure because it is new!)

Discussion questions after completing the spiritual gifts inventory

Have students share their top three (or six) gifts with your group. Ask them the following questions:

-Does anything on your spiritual gifts inventory surprise you? If so, what? If not, why?

-Can you think of an example of when you’ve used a spiritual gift? What was it like? How did it feel?

-Your small groups will help you learn more about your spiritual gifts; who else can you talk with about your spiritual gifts? Please encourage students to make a list of people with whom they can share their gifts, such as their pastor, parents, trustworthy friends, and adults in their lives. This list should be of people who can affirm and give examples of their gifts.

*Take a moment to affirm each student’s spiritual gifts. Please take note of their spiritual gifts so you can check in with them over the next few months as they meet in their small groups.

Register for small groups

Once students have completed the inventory, it’s time to register to join a small group!

When your youth register, they will be asked to provide their:

• contact info – including an email,
• cell phone (if they can receive texts)
• local church name and town,
• district (if you don’t know, ask your pastor)
• school,
• age,
• favorite pizza topping,
• t-shirt size,
• top SIX spiritual gifts (PLEASE list all six of them!)

We’ll place students in small groups with others who share their gifts, and they’ll have a chance to explore their gift inventory and what those gifts mean. Small groups will meet online via Zoom. Our goal is that each small group stays in touch through text, Discord, or social media between meetings.

This is a great time to affirm your unique gifts and who God made you to be!

Collect a few stories or examples and get ready to share with your small group!

***Please note - registration will end on January 10^th.

Closing Prayer

Loving God, you have given us different gifts to serve you. As we grow into our gifts, may we learn more about serving one another and your Kingdom. Help us start honest conversations about our gifts with our friends and families so that we can continue to learn about being part of your work in this world. Amen.