Sacred Pathways Quiz

Rate each statement on a scale of 1 to 5.
1 = Least true for me     5 = Most true for me

1. I feel closest to God when I’m surrounded by what he has made – the mountains, the forests, or the sea.

   1 2 3 4 5

2. I enjoy attending a “high church” service with incense and formal Communion or Eucharist.

   1 2 3 4 5

3. The words tradition and history are very appealing to me.

   1 2 3 4 5

4. Taking an overnight retreat by myself at a monastery where I could spend large amounts of time alone in a small room, or praying to God and studying his Word, are activities I would enjoy.

   1 2 3 4 5

5. I would like to awaken the church from its apathy.

   1 2 3 4 5

6. I feel closest to God when I see him in the needy, the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned. I feel God’s presence most strongly when I am sitting quietly beside the bed of someone who is lonely or ill or taking a meal to someone in need. You can count on me to offer a ride or volunteer for helping activities.

   1 2 3 4 5

7. God is an exciting God, and we should be excited about worshiping him. I don’t understand how some Christians can say they love God, and then act like they’re going to a funeral whenever they walk into church.

   1 2 3 4 5

8. The words lover, intimacy, and heart are very appealing to me.

   1 2 3 4 5

9. I feel close to God when I participate in several hours of uninterrupted study time – reading God’s Word or good Christian books and then perhaps having an opportunity to teach (or participate in a discussion with) a small group.

   1 2 3 4 5

10. I feel cut off if I have to spend too much time indoors just listening to speakers or singing songs. Nothing helps me connect with God better than being outside.

    1 2 3 4 5

11. I’d have a difficult time worshiping in a church building that is plain and lacks a sense of awe or majesty. I have a difficult time worshiping through second-rate Christian art or music.

    1 2 3 4 5

12. Participating in a formal liturgy or prayer-book service, developing symbols that I could place in my car, home, or office, and developing a Christian calendar for our family to follow are activities that I would enjoy.

    1 2 3 4 5

13. I would really enjoy spending time on a night watch, taking a short vow of silence, simplifying my life.

    1 2 3 4 5

14. I connect with God best when I’m cooperating with him in standing up for his justice: writing letters to government officials and newspaper editors, picketing at an abortion clinic, urging people to vote, or becoming familiar with current issues.

    1 2 3 4 5

15. I grow weary of Christians who spend their time singing songs while a sick neighbor goes without a hot meal or a family in need doesn’t get help fixing their car.

    1 2 3 4 5

16. The words celebration and joy are very appealing to me.

    1 2 3 4 5

17. I really enjoy having thirty minutes of uninterrupted time a day to sit in quiet prayer and enjoying his presence.

    1 2 3 4 5

18. I spend more money on books than music.

    1 2 3 4 5

19. I would prefer to worship God by spending an hour beside a small brook than by participating in a group service.

    1 2 3 4 5

20. The words “sensuous,” “colorful,” and “aromatic” are very appealing to me.

    1 2 3 4 5

21. I would really enjoy developing a personal rule (or ritual) of prayer.

    1 2 3 4 5

22. I feel closest to God when I am alone and there is nothing to distract me from focusing on his presence.

    1 2 3 4 5

23. I get very frustrated if I see apathetic Christians who don’t become active. I want to drop everything else I’m doing and help the church overcome its apathy.

    1 2 3 4 5

24. The words “service” and “compassion” are very appealing to me.

    1 2 3 4 5

25. I would enjoy attending a workshop on learning to worship through dance or attending several worship sessions with contemporary music. I expect that God is going to move in some unexpected way.

    1 2 3 4 5

26. When I think of God, I think of love, friendship, and adoration more than anything else.

    1 2 3 4 5

27. I connect with God best when I learn something new about him that I didn’t understand before. My mind needs to be stimulated. It’s very important to me that I know exactly what I believe.

    1 2 3 4 5

28. If I could escape to a garden to pray on a cold day, walk through a park on a warm day, and take a trip by myself to the mountains on another day, I would be very happy.

    1 2 3 4 5

29. I would really enjoy using drawing exercise or art to improve my prayer life.

    1 2 3 4 5

30. I feel closest to God when I’m participating in a familiar form of worship that has memories dating back to my childhood. Rituals and traditions move me more than anything else.

    1 2 3 4 5

31. I would describe my faith as more “internal” than “external.”

    1 2 3 4 5

32. The words “courageous,” “confrontation” and “social activism” are very appealing to me.

    1 2 3 4 5

33. I sense God’s power when I am counseling a friend who has lost a job, preparing meals for or fixing the car of a family in need, or spending a week at an orphanage in Mexico.

    1 2 3 4 5

34. I spend more money on worship music than books.

    1 2 3 4 5

35. I would rather be alone with God, contemplating who he is, than participating in a formal liturgy or being distracted by a walk outside.

    1 2 3 4 5

36. I get frustrated when the church focuses too much on feelings and spiritual experience. Of far more importance is the need to understand the Christian faith and have proper doctrine.

    1 2 3 4 5

37. Seeing God’s beauty in nature is more moving to me than understanding new concepts, participating in a formal religious service, or participating in social causes.

    1 2 3 4 5

38. I feel closest to God when I’m in an environment that allows my senses to come alive – when I can see, smell, hear, and almost taste his majesty.

    1 2 3 4 5

39. Individualism within the church is a real danger. Christianity is a corporate faith, and most of our worship should have a corporate expression.

    1 2 3 4 5

40. The words “silence,” “solitude,” and “discipline” are very appealing to me.

    1 2 3 4 5

41. Activities like confronting a social evil, attending a meeting to challenge the new curriculum before the local school board, and volunteering on a political campaign are important to me.

    1 2 3 4 5

42. I would rather nurse someone to health or help someone repair their house than teach an adult Sunday school class, go on a prayer and fasting retreat, or take a lonely walk in the woods.

    1 2 3 4 5

43. I connect with God best when my heart is sent soaring and I feel like I want to burst, worship God all day long, and shout out his Name. Celebrating God and his love is my favorite form of worship.

    1 2 3 4 5

44. The most difficult times in my faith are when I can’t feel God’s presence within me.

    1 2 3 4 5

45. The words “concepts” and “truth” are very appealing to me.

    1 2 3 4 5