# GiftWell vs SHAPE

> SHAPE is a framework, not a single test: Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences, from Saddleback Church, taught in a 2006 book and run by churches in many versions, from a 20-minute class handout to online tests of 30 to 60 minutes with 72 gift statements that report a "Top 3 Spiritual Gifts". GiftWell measures nine gifts in about 60 behaviour statements and ten minutes on a phone, written against the published research, shows bands with the margin drawn, and reaches the church's follow-up list with the person's words and consent, next to the serving teams that need those gifts, with Planning Center both ways on every plan and an AI assistant for the team. It imports SHAPE results on the Growing plan. Pick SHAPE to teach a whole-person framework in a class; pick GiftWell to measure gifts quickly and honestly and follow up. Many churches do both.

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

## At a glance

As of 20 October 2026. SHAPE figures vary by version; the ones here are from one church's guide and one online test.

| | SHAPE | GiftWell |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | a five-part framework (gifts, heart, abilities, personality, experiences), taught in a class | a spiritual gifts test with a follow-up list |
| Cost | free handouts to paid online versions | free to take; a church's first 50 people free, then $100/yr for 150 |
| Length | about 20 minutes in one church's class; 30 to 60 minutes in one online version with 72 gift statements | about 60 statements, about 10 minutes, no account |
| Gifts | varies by version | 9: Romans 12 plus administration and hospitality |
| How a result is shown | one online version reports a "Top 3 Spiritual Gifts" | bands with a ±2 margin drawn, Romans 12 order, never ranked |
| Research | varies by version | each design choice and the papers behind it published |
| The other four letters | heart, abilities, personality, experiences | the person's own words and quick picks on the result, and two friends' confirmations; no personality test |
| For the church | depends on the version; often a class conversation | follow-up list with words and consent; serving teams; placements with a 90-day check; weekly digest; signals and insights |
| Planning Center | depends on the version | every plan, both ways: band names out; teams and scheduling in |
| AI | depends on the version | an assistant that works your list; reads your website; a bookshelf from a photo; never scores anyone |
| Importing | | SHAPE results import on the Growing plan |

## What SHAPE is

SHAPE comes from Saddleback Church and Rick Warren's teaching, written up in Erik Rees's 2006 book. It is a way of looking at a whole person, and most churches run it as a class: a gifts inventory, then conversation about heart, abilities, personality and experiences. Because it is a framework, there is no single SHAPE test; question counts, gift lists and result formats differ from church to church and from one online version to another. ServeWire sells a full SHAPE online.

## What GiftWell is

GiftWell is a gifts test and a follow-up list. The test is about 60 statements about what has happened in the past year, across nine gifts, in about ten minutes on a phone with no account, app or email. Each statement was written against the research on self-report, on gift inventories and on short scales, published on [why we ask what we ask](/why-we-ask-what-we-ask). The result shows bands with the margin drawn: 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 gifts sit in Romans 12 order. The person adds their own words and quick picks, which is where heart and experience come in, can send the bands to two friends who know them, and the result reaches the church's follow-up list with consent. There is no personality section.

## How they fit together

A church that teaches SHAPE and wants to keep the class can run GiftWell as the gifts inventory inside it: the ten-minute test before the class, the bands on the screen during it, the follow-up list after it. Earlier SHAPE results import on the Growing plan so they sit in the same list as the new ones. A leader logs the conversation from the class, places the person, and gets a 90-day check on whether it took; band names go to Planning Center and the teams come back; an AI assistant connected over the Model Context Protocol can work the list for the team. The heart, abilities, personality and experience conversation stays the church's.

## Who should choose SHAPE on its own

- A church that wants a whole-person framework taught in a class, with personality included.
- A church that already has the materials and the teachers, and years of results.
- A church that wants a gifts list longer than nine.

## Who should choose GiftWell

- A church that wants a gifts result in ten minutes on a phone, with no class required and the research published.
- A church that wants bands with the margin drawn rather than a "Top 3".
- A church that wants the result in a leader's hands the same day, with consent and serving teams, and a 90-day check.
- A church that wants Planning Center both ways and an AI assistant for the team.
- A church that teaches SHAPE and wants a better gifts inventory inside it.

## Switching

Keep the class. Create your church (free, no card), give GiftWell your website so it offers your colours and ministries, connect Planning Center, and hand out the new link or QR code before the next class. Import the SHAPE results you already hold on the Growing plan so nobody has to take anything twice. GiftWell writes to Planning Center fields you choose, so fields another tool filled are left alone.

## Questions people ask

### Is GiftWell a SHAPE test?

No. GiftWell measures spiritual gifts, the S in SHAPE, and gives a first look at Ephesians 4 leanings. It has no personality section. A church can use it as the gifts inventory inside its SHAPE class and import earlier SHAPE results on the Growing plan.

### Can we import our SHAPE results into GiftWell?

Yes, on the Growing plan. Imported results sit in the same follow-up list as new GiftWell results, so a church does not lose years of work by changing the inventory.

### How long does a SHAPE assessment take compared with GiftWell?

It depends on the version. One church's class guide says about 20 minutes; one online SHAPE test says 30 to 60 minutes with 72 gift statements. GiftWell takes about ten minutes, with no account to create.

### Does GiftWell rank gifts like the "Top 3" in some SHAPE tests?

No. A score from five statements is honest to about two points either way, so GiftWell shows every gift within three points of the highest as a lead band and never prints an order.

### What does GiftWell add to a SHAPE class?

A follow-up list that holds what happened after the class, with consent and a 90-day check; band names in Planning Center and teams back from it; signals and insights across the church; and an AI assistant that works the list for the team and never scores anyone. As of October 2026.