This series of sermons will explore each office setup to maintain, mature, and grow the kingdom of God.
The five administrative offices, gifts, or as some call them, “The Five-Fold Ministry” is found in Ephesians 4:11-13:
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 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 fulness of Christ… (Ephesians 4:1-13).
Order of importance
While there is no hierarchy in the five-fold ministry, there seems to be some order of importance. 1 Corinthians 12:28 suggest this:
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28).
Duties of each office
Here’s a brief overview of what each office performs. In later sermons, we’ll talk in detail about each:
- Apostles
Lays the foundation for the church and appoints pastors, prophets, teachers, etc. Monitors the growth of the assembly and repeats the process elsewhere. - Prophets
Keeps the local assembly on track with God’s vision. Helps other prophets be better prophets. Exposes false prophets and removes them. - Teachers
Makes sure the people understand the correct doctrine. Helps other teachers be better teachers. Exposes false doctrine and corrects errors. - Pastors
Makes sure the “sheep” are spiritually cared for. A pastor provides counseling, coaching, and teaching. Protects the people from “wolves.” - Evangelists
Grows the kingdom of God by “marketing the gospel.” Evangelists do more preaching instead of teaching. Helps the saints be better evangelists.
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