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Some people explain things and the lightbulb just turns on — because they have a charism (spiritual gift) of teaching that forms students far beyond the lesson.
Every charism makes some aspect of God present in the world. Teaching makes His desire to form and raise up His children present — the same heart behind Jesus' entire public ministry, where crowds sat for hours because no one had ever taught like this man.
Notice the end of the definition: personal and spiritual formation. This charism is never just information transfer. When someone with this gift teaches — whether the subject is the Trinity, long division, or how to change a tire — the student walks away formed, not just informed.
This charism shows up in classroom teachers, professors, catechists, corporate trainers, mentors, and homeschooling parents. But like every charism, it needs no job title — some of the best teachers in any parish have never stood at a whiteboard.
Here's something we've observed again and again: being an excellent educator and having a teaching charism are not the same thing — and knowing the difference is empowering, not limiting.
In our experience, the likelihood that a classroom teacher has a formal teaching charism goes down the younger the students. Preschool and early elementary are much less about teaching concepts in an academic sense and much more about human formation, socialization, and being loved and encouraged — which often flow from other charisms entirely. Teaching charisms tend to show up more among educators working with middle school and older.
So if you teach kindergarten and your gift turns out to be encouragement rather than teaching, that makes you no less a teacher. It tells you what to lead with when you walk into your classroom. The teacher with a teaching charism hopes to hear "I really learned in her class." The teacher with an encouragement charism hopes to hear "I was so encouraged in her class." Both classrooms are gifts to the Church — they're just different gifts.
St. Paul lists teachers third in his ordering of gifts to the Church: "first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers" (1 Corinthians 12:28), and includes the gift again in Romans 12:7 and Ephesians 4:11–14. The Great Commission itself is a teaching commission: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19–20). Apollos, "an eloquent speaker" who "spoke and taught accurately about Jesus" (Acts 18:24–26), is one of Scripture's clearest portraits of the gift.
Other key passages include Acts 20:20–21, 1 Timothy 3:2, 4:13–14, and 5:17. If you're exploring this charism, read one passage a day and notice which ones feel like a description of you.
If you answered yes to any of these, that is a decent indicator that teaching might be one of your charisms. Discernment still takes prayer, feedback, and testing — but it's a strong starting point.
Having the charism of teaching does not mean everyone excels in every class you teach, or that every learner will learn supernaturally well from you. People can have their own walls up against learning for a million reasons, and a teaching charism doesn't automatically supersede them — though sometimes it does.
This is where teachers learn to trust that God is taking care of every individual in the context of their whole story, of which we only ever see a part. There will be seeds planted in your classroom that might not be watered for years. That's why those with this gift teach in humility and docility to what the Holy Spirit is doing in each person — and leave the harvest schedule to Him.
The charism assessment gives you an objective, outside read on where the Holy Spirit is most likely at work in you — winnowing the list of 24 possible charisms down to your most likely few in about 20 minutes.
It's the charism that empowers a person to communicate ideas, skills, and information in a way that's effective and empowering — for the student's personal and spiritual formation, not just their knowledge. It is one of the 24 charisms most consistently recognized in Scripture and the life of the Church (1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:7).
Absolutely. Plenty of excellent educators lead with other gifts — encouragement, pastoring, helps — and their classrooms are better for it. Knowing which charisms you have tells you what to lead with, not whether you belong in education.
No. The gift applies to communicating anything — academics, trades, life skills — because its fruit is the formation of the person, not the subject matter. That said, people with this charism often find special joy passing on the faith.
Start with the charism assessment for an objective read on your most likely charisms, then confirm through prayer, feedback from people who know you well, and testing. The Catechism says this discernment is always necessary (CCC 801).
Ep. 42 — The Charism of Teaching. Why this gift is about formation rather than information — and how to know if you have it.
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The Essential Handbook on Living Your Charisms has a full chapter on teaching — including beginner-to-advanced ways to test the gift, a daily charism prayer, and what to do when your teaching doesn't seem to be received. Educators may also want to explore Charisms for Catholic Schools.