If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, you're a witness. You have firsthand knowledge of who Jesus is and what he's done in your life--in other words, you have experienced Jesus.
The Nine Witness Styles
Because God has made you a unique person, you are predisposed to naturally convey your experience of Jesus in at least one of the following witness styles*:
- Prophetic
- Proclamation
- Intellectually
- Storyteller
- Testimonial
- Interactive
- Invitational
- Service
- Power encounter
You can read more about each style now or after you take the quiz.
Jesus Used Each Witness Style, You Can Too
Via nature, nurture, and spiritual gifting, you'll have strengths for sharing your faith in one or more of these styles. You can be yourself and let God work through the natural styles he has given you.
But, in certain circumstances and with certain individuals, you may be required to operate outside your strengths as well.
In his earthly ministry, Jesus regularly related to people in ways that met the present challenge or need:
- Prophetic: Matthew 15
- Proclamation: Luke 4
- Intellectual: Matthew 22
- Storyteller: Luke 15, Matthew 12-13
- Testimonial: John 14-15
- Interactive: John 4
- Invitational: Mark 1
- Service: John 13
- Power encounter: John 4
Understand Your Witness Style Strengths and Weaknesses
Joining Jesus in his work of seeking to save the lost will require this kind of versatility of you, so it's important to understand your strengths and weaknesses. One place to start is taking the Discover Your Witness Style Quiz (Excel doc).
Interpret and Apply Your Witness Styles
When you get your results at the bottom of the quiz, you can review each of the styles.
Pay particular attention to the three styles you scored highest on. Make notes on those styles' strengths and weaknesses.
Likewise, for the three styles you scored lowest on, ask yourself when, where and with whom you might need to operate within those styles. Make notes about how you might develop the strengths of those styles to your character over time.
TAKE THE QUIZ: The Excel quiz calculates your scores for you. The PDF quiz requires you to calculate your scores by hand, but is useful for printing and using in a group setting.
*The quiz and style descriptions are from Discovering Your Witness Style (IVCF). The styles here are not so much styles of evangelism as they are natural or default ways of relating to people, which then serves effective evangelism.
Why do you think God designed each believer to be strong in certain witness styles? Leave your comment below.
