# GiftWell vs the Lifeway Spiritual Gifts Survey

> The Lifeway Spiritual Gifts Survey is a free printable PDF (© 2003, revised 2022) of 80 statements on a 1 to 5 scale across 16 gifts, five statements each, which a person scores by hand out of 25 and draws as a bar graph; the church gets nothing unless the person hands over the sheet. GiftWell is about 60 statements across nine gifts, about ten minutes on a phone with no account, scored the same way out of 25 but shown as bands with the margin drawn, written against the published research on self-report, and the result reaches the church's follow-up list with the person's consent, next to the serving teams that need those gifts, with Planning Center on every plan and an AI assistant for the team. Pick Lifeway for paper and 16 gifts; pick GiftWell for a phone, honest results and the conversation after.

Checked: 2026-10-20 (prices and features are from each vendor's own pages on that date)
Canonical: https://giftwell.app/compare/giftwell-vs-lifeway-spiritual-gifts-survey

## At a glance

As of 20 October 2026, from the Lifeway PDF and GiftWell's own pages.

| | Lifeway Spiritual Gifts Survey | GiftWell |
|---|---|---|
| Format | printable PDF, self-scored | phone or any browser; no account, app or email; progress saved on the device |
| Cost | free | free to take; a church's first 50 people free, then $100/yr for 150 |
| Length | 80 statements, 1 to 5 scale | about 60 statements, about 10 minutes |
| Gifts | 16, five statements each, scored out of 25 | 9, five statements each, scored out of 25 |
| How a result is shown | totals copied onto a sheet and drawn as a bar graph | bands with a ±2 margin drawn, Romans 12 order, never ranked |
| What the statements ask | a mix of "concrete actions, descriptive traits, and statements of belief" (its own instructions) | things that have happened, mostly in the past year; the research for that choice is published |
| For the church | the paper, if the person hands it in | follow-up list with the person's words and consent; two friends' confirmations; serving teams; placements with a 90-day check; weekly digest; signals and insights |
| Planning Center | | every plan, both ways: band names out; teams and scheduling in |
| AI | | an assistant that works your list; reads your website; a bookshelf from a photo; never scores anyone |
| Privacy | nothing stored anywhere | a published list of what GiftWell never does, with the switch for each |
| Dated | © 2003, revised 2022 | maintained; the why page carries the research |

## The test itself

The Lifeway survey and GiftWell share a design: five statements per gift, scored out of 25. Lifeway covers 16 gifts, so a person answers 80 statements; GiftWell covers nine, so about 60. Lifeway's 16 include the gifts of the Spirit from 1 Corinthians 12 and some Ephesians 4 roles; GiftWell scores the Romans 12 gifts plus administration and hospitality, gives a first look at Ephesians 4 in a short second part, and leaves the gifts of the Spirit to an optional third part a church can turn on, with its own consent.

Lifeway's own instructions say its statements are a mix of actions, traits and beliefs. GiftWell's are written as behaviour, because the research on self-report says people answer "I am patient" with the person they hope to be and "someone came to me with a hard thing this year" with what happened. That research, and the papers on gift inventories and on short scales, is on [why we ask what we ask](/why-we-ask-what-we-ask).

## How results are shown

Lifeway has the person add up each gift's five answers, copy the totals onto a sheet and draw a bar graph. GiftWell does the arithmetic and then draws the margin: every gift within three points of the highest is in the lead band, the next within two points is "at the edge", and inside a band the gifts sit in Romans 12 order. The same out-of-25 score is honest to about two points either way; Lifeway leaves the person to read the bars, and most people read the tallest as first and the next as second.

## What happens after

A Lifeway sheet ends in a folder or a drawer, unless the church collects them and types them up. GiftWell's result reaches the church's follow-up list the moment it is finished, with the person's own words and whether they consented to contact, next to the serving teams that need those gifts. A person can send their bands to two friends who say whether they ring true. A pastor logs the conversation, places the person, and checks 90 days later on whether it took. Band names and the date go to Planning Center fields you choose, your teams come in from Services and People, and a weekly digest lists who is waiting. An AI assistant, connected over the Model Context Protocol and scoped to a role, can work the list for the team; it never scores anyone and never contacts a member.

## Who should choose Lifeway

- A church that wants paper, in a room with no phones, or for people who prefer a pencil.
- A church that wants 16 gifts including the gifts of the Spirit on one scale.
- A church that wants nothing stored anywhere.
- A church with no budget at all and no wish to run a follow-up list.

## Who should choose GiftWell

- A church that wants people to finish on a phone, from a branded QR code in the bulletin.
- A church that wants statements written against the research, with the sources published.
- A church that wants the result shown as bands with the margin drawn.
- A church that wants the result in a leader's hands the same day, with consent, and a check on whether the placement took.
- A church that wants Planning Center to hold the band names and an AI assistant to work the list.
- A church that wants a free start for its first 50 people.

## Switching

A church with a drawer of Lifeway sheets can keep them. Create your church (free, no card), give GiftWell your website so it offers your colours and ministries, connect Planning Center, and put the new link and QR code in the bulletin. GiftWell's Growing plan imports homegrown and SHAPE results; Lifeway totals can be entered the same way. Most churches run GiftWell for new people and leave the sheets where they are.

## Questions people ask

### Is the Lifeway Spiritual Gifts Survey free?

Yes. It is a printable PDF (© 2003, revised 2022) that a person scores by hand. GiftWell is free to take as well, and a church's first 50 people are free with no card.

### Does GiftWell measure the same gifts as Lifeway?

Partly. Both score each gift from five statements out of 25. Lifeway covers 16 gifts including the gifts of the Spirit; GiftWell scores nine (Romans 12 plus administration and hospitality), gives a first look at Ephesians 4 leanings, and leaves the gifts of the Spirit to an optional part a church can turn on.

### Can we put the Lifeway survey online instead?

Lifeway publishes it as a PDF. Several paid tools, such as ServeWire, describe gift lists drawn from Lifeway resources. GiftWell has its own statements; on the Growing plan a church can add its own statements with the builder.

### Which is more accurate?

Neither has clinical-grade evidence, and the same is true of every gifts inventory. Both score a gift out of 25 from five statements, which is honest to about two points either way. GiftWell draws that margin on the result and publishes the research behind its statement wording; Lifeway leaves the person to read a bar graph.

### What does a church get from GiftWell that a paper survey cannot give?

The result in the team's hands the same day, with consent; a follow-up list with statuses and a 90-day check; band names in Planning Center; signals and insights across the church with small numbers hidden; and an AI assistant that works the list. As of October 2026.