Anyone who uses the internet has probably seen an ad or link with some silly or serious query meant to make you pause and maybe click. Questions like these can be hard to resist:
- In which Hogwarts house would you live in the Harry Potter universe?
- What 7 things make you different?
- Which breed of cat / dog are you?
From The Five Love Languages to the more recent popularity of the Enneagram, we long to find knowledge to better understand ourselves and the people around us.
How might we know more about ourselves as practicing Christians? A Spiritual Type Test, and the accompanying Discussion Guide, are offered by the Living Prayer Center, a ministry of the United Methodist Upper Room.
According to Beth Richardson, an editor and writer for The Upper Room, the spiritual type test is a mixture of Corinne Ware's Spiritual Type Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The Spiritual Type test is composed of 15 questions, with four possible results:
- Sage - characterized by a thinking or head spirituality
- Lover - a feeling type, whose spirituality comes primarily from the heart / emotions
- Prophet - a crusader with a kingdom spirituality
- Mystic - known for imaginative, intuitive spirituality
These results illustrate how we see God, what we value, our type of spirituality, and how we interact with the rest of the world.
There are many ways to use and apply the results of the Spiritual Type Test, especially in our prayer and faith lives. When discussing the ways we can use the test and its results, Richardson notes that it would be a helpful resource for learning about trying new spiritual or prayer practices — and finding one that 'fits' our personalities.
These spiritual type tests and online assessments will also spur discussions in small group sessions. When group members share their individual test results, it deepens our understanding of others in the group. We each have different gifts we bring to the table; knowing these gifts and strengths help us to work better together for the kingdom of God.
UMC.org also has an online spiritual gifts assessment that helps people understand the nature of spiritual gifts and ways to enhance the effectiveness of their gifts by connecting with others.
There is no test (personality, spiritual, or otherwise) that can encompass all our Creator made us to be. These test results, however, give us a glimpse into the person and personality God created in us. Spiritual assessments can be stepping stones to show how we can best interact and know God in our lives.
If you would like to learn more about the Spiritual Type Test and how to use it in a group setting, please visit the Upper Room store and purchase a copy of the MethodX Spiritual Types Study Guide. It includes details on how to give this test to a group of people and provides a more in-depth look at the test, the results, and what the results look like in your life.
*Jordan Taylor is a freelance writer and blogger based in Nashville, Tenn. Media contact is Joe Iovino.
This story was first published on December 20, 2017.
