Discover your unique gifts. Remember that there are four prerequisites to discovering your gifts: You have to be a Christian, you have to believe in spiritual gifts, you have to be willing to do the work necessary to use your spiritual gifts, and you have to pray for God's guidance. Explore the possibilities by studying what the Bible says about spiritual gifts, learning your church's position on spiritual gifts and how to use them in ministry, read what Christian authors have to say on the subject, talk to people who are already using their spiritual gifts, and discuss with friends and family what you think your gifts might be. Then experiment with as many gifts as you can by looking for needs in your church and trying to meet them.
Through the process, take note of what gifts you seem to have - and those you seem not to have. Examine your feelings to see if the work you're trying out excites you or not (ministry that makes use of one of your spiritual gifts should excite you). Evaluate your effectiveness by seeing if your church gets positive results from your work. Know that when true gifts are in operation, whatever is supposed to happen through them will happen. Look for confirmation from other people in your congregation that you have (or don't have) particular spiritual gifts.
Help your church maximize the potential of its members' spiritual gifts. Encourage church leaders to develop a philosophy of ministry that details how members' spiritual gifts should be used in ministry. Initiate programs to help people put their gifts to use in specific ways within your church. Use members efficiently. Don't chain people's energies in activities for which they are not gifted. Instead, concentrate on people's strengths in order to give the Holy Spirit free reign. Have the pastor preach sermons on spiritual gifts and teach about the topic often. Provide opportunities for laypeople to study spiritual gifts in Bible studies, small groups, and Sunday School classes. Set goals for people to discover their spiritual gifts, expecting that emotionally mature adults should be able to discover their gifts within about four months to one year after becoming Christians. Hold people accountable to each other for discovering their gifts and using them. Make an emphasis on spiritual gifts part of your congregation's permanent lifestyle.
Understand the different types of spiritual gifts:
