What’s Your Spiritual Connection Style?

Discover how you best connect with God.

Seeking to hear God’s voice is a continual journey. The longer we walk with God, the more we discover different ways of connecting with Him. Since we are all created with diverse personalities and giftings, our expressions of how we best connect with God will vary. When we realize our connection style, we can set ourselves up to hear His voice more clearly in our lives. Have you identified what your spiritual connection style is yet?

Score the following statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being not true at all and 5 being very true. Grab a journal and record your responses, or print this page and tally your results in the space provided.

Type A:

___I talk to God throughout the day.
___I pray for the needs and challenges of other people.
___When I pray, I feel that I am communicating personally with God.
___I have established patterns of prayer throughout my day/week.
___I talk to God anywhere and everywhere, not just in formal situations.

___Total

Type B:

___I silently contemplate God’s love and truth.
___I am able to focus on God’s presence more when I am alone.
___The words silence, solitude, and reflection are appealing to me.
___I feel closest to God when it is quiet, and there is nothing to distract me.
___I enjoy journaling about Scriptures, prayers, and gratitude.

___Total

Type C:

___I meet with people who help me stay accountable for my life.
___I thrive when I’m supporting a friend going through a hard time.
___I feel enriched when I’m around other believers.
___The words community, connection, accountability, and fellowship are appealing to me.
___I’ve seen the most spiritual growth in my life in a small group setting.

___Total

Type D:

___I consistently read the Bible and ask for God’s help understanding it.
___I love finding extra resources that help me grow in my knowledge of the Bible.
___I enjoy thinking and talking about theology.
___My mind needs to be stimulated. It’s important to me that I know exactly what I believe.
___The words truth, knowledge, and understanding are appealing to me.

___Total

Type E:

___I have a worship playlist I listen to regularly.
___I find reasons to celebrate God in small things around me.
___I stop and think things like, “Wow, God is amazing” or “Thank you for making that, God!”
___I participate in and enjoy church worship services.
___I sing, play an instrument, or enjoy music more than most people.

___Total

Type F:

___I frequently pause in the midst of creation and thank God.
___I appreciate God’s beauty and the wonders of his creation
___I feel closest to God when surrounded by what He has made — the mountains, the forests, or the ocean.
___The words nature, outdoors, and creation are appealing to me.
___My best prayer times have been outside on a walk, hike, or at the beach.

___Total

Type G:

___The words compassion, justice, and service feel important to me.
___I thrive when I’m helping a sick neighbor, providing food for the hungry, or ministering to the elderly, abused, or imprisoned.
___I am fulfilled when I contribute to a cause that cares for those less fortunate than me.
___I join with others to defend the cause of the poor and needy.
___I love caring for someone who is hurting.

___Total

The highest number of points possible in each section is 25. The higher your score, the stronger this spiritual connection style is in your life. It’s normal to have more than one dominant connection style. Read the descriptions below to discover more about your connection style and how to enhance it.

Type A: Prayer

Talking directly to God comes naturally to you. You speak with Him like a friend and never hesitate to bring Him your burdens. For you, hearing from God might come in the form of feeling prompted to pray specifically for someone or something.

Ways to enhance your connection: Fasting, prayer gatherings, keeping a prayer journal, praying the Scriptures out loud, or allotting a portion of your prayer time to quiet listening.

Type B: Solitude & Reflection

You need time alone to recharge—time alone with God is even better. You connect with God best when you are in a peaceful environment, without distractions. For you, hearing from God might come in the form of clarity about a decision or peace about a situation.

Ways to enhance your connection: Journaling, Scripture memorization and meditation, instrumental worship music, protecting your quiet times, and weekly Sabbath.

Type C: Community

We all need community, but for you, nothing makes you feel more connected to God than being energized by other believers. Your best light-bulb moments come through conversations about God with others. For you, hearing from God might come in the form of a resonating truth that surfaced in a conversation.

Ways to enhance your connection: Join a small group, seek out a Christian mentor or accountability partner, disciple someone, join a ministry team, or initiate a couple’s devotional with your spouse if you're married.

Type D: Bible Study

God wired you as an intellectual, and you thrive when you’re growing in your knowledge of your Creator. You enjoy finding connections and truth in God’s Word and tackling difficult concepts head-on. For you, hearing from God might come in the form of an illuminated verse, a new understanding of a passage of Scripture, or a clearer grasp on a theological concept.

Ways to enhance your connection: Join a Bible study group, enroll in a Bible course, ask your pastor for a recommendation of a good commentary, theology, or apologetics book.

Type E: Worship & Thanksgiving

You don’t have to be on a worship team to have a worshiper's heart. You naturally express gratitude to God, sometimes through worship and sometimes through a simple “Thank you, God.” For you, hearing from God might come in the form of noticing the beauty around you and pausing to recognize it, or engaging in a worship song.

Ways to enhance your connection: Add a worship playlist to your phone, keep a gratitude journal to God, learn a new instrument, try out for the worship team, or memorize and pray Psalms that express thanks to God (such as Psalm 34:1-2, Psalm 111, Psalm 95:1-9, Psalms 92:1-6).

Type F: Nature

You feel a little stir-crazy when you’re indoors too long, and your mind and soul feel most unburdened when you’re out in nature. Depending on if you also have a strong Type B or C connection style, you may want to consider if you best connect with God in nature alone or perhaps with another believer. For you, hearing from God might come in the form of clarity about a situation, peace, or a sense of overwhelming awe of God’s greatness.

Ways to enhance your connection: Start an outdoor small group, go on prayer walks, take your Bible with you to the beach, or set up an outdoor space to meet with God.

Type G: Caregiving & Serving

You are in touch with God’s heart of compassion for others. You experience God’s presence when you are a part of helping the hurting. Seeing injustice fuels passion in you. For you, hearing from God might come in the form of being deeply impacted by a testimony, a stirring to act, or an unshakable prompting to pray for someone or something specific.

Ways to enhance your connection: Participate in 4th Saturday Serve, join the Dream Team and find your place to serve, make a prayer list of those you know who are hurting, read inspiring Christian biographies, or memorize Isaiah 48:6-11.

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