And he gave some to be apostles, and some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-13 KJV).
The purpose of fivefold ministry is to “equip God’s people for works of service…” Thy Kingdom Come Ministries believes that the only way to equip someone for something is to be a living example of it. You cannot equip a person to serve unless you yourself are a better servant than they are. The roles within the five-fold ministry are distinctive however I am of the belief as a “Five-fold Pastoress who equips and edifies the church,” that one can also be ordained by God to operate under all five-fold ministries.
The office of the five-fold ministry includes the;
- Prophet - A prophet is someone who has been gifted with divine inspiration from God; they share prophetic words with the body of Christ. (Example – Silas, Acts 15:32);
- Apostle - An apostle is someone who carries the Lord’s message or teaching across geographical regions. Building up the body of Christ. ( Example – Apostle Paul);
- Teacher - A teacher helps Christians grow more deeply into their faith through teaching the Bible lessons, answering questions on doctrine, or offering guidance when people find themselves struggling. (Example – Barnabas, Acts 13:1);
- Evangelist - An evangelist spreads the word of salvation by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to unbelievers. (Example – Philip, Acts 21:8) and the
- Pastor - A pastor is someone who leads and cares for a congregation through preaching, teaching, prayer, and administration. (Example – Acts 14:23).
As we function in the office of the five-fold ministry, our church has a discernible and operative gift. We have the ability to identify that gift in others. We have the ability to activate that gift in the individuals. We have the heart to nurture the gift in and individual’s life to help bring it to maturity and we have the ability to release others into ministry. If apostles, prophets, evangelists and teachers start taking their rightful places, having been proven and tested as humble servants, we will see the body brought into maturity.