Five Fold Ministry Gifts (Callings)
Ephesians 4:8-12
“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”
Each office of the Five Fold Ministry; Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher, carries its own distinct anointing and has its own individual work. For these offices to work together, and accomplish the building up of the body of Christ; they must recognize their differences and be yielded and submitted to one another. Each of these offices are directly responsible to the Lord Jesus Christ and are directed by the Holy Spirit, to the work of service.
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Ministry Office |
Description |
| Apostle | An Apostle is the first ministry gift and means “one sent”. The Apostle (sometimes called Missionary) is one who establishes churches all over the world. One sent forth and were given the responsibility to equip saints for ministry within the church as well as minister to their surrounding community. (Heb. 3:1, Matt. 28:19-20, Eph. 2:20, 4:11-12, 1 Cor. 15:9, 2 Cor. 12:12, 2 Tim. 1:11) |
| Prophet | The spiritual ability to speak forth the mind and counsel of God. The Old Testament Prophet was also called a seer and a watchman. They can point to the past and future, and tie them together with the present. They were also used by God to speak to Israel about current and future events. Prophets usually operates heavily in “Word of Knowledge” and “Word of Wisdom” gifts. (Deut. 1:8-18, Acts 2:17-18, 22-23, 11:27-28, 21:9-11, Eph. 4:11-12, 1 Cor. 14:3, 23-25) |
| Evangelist | The spiritual ability to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ’s redemptive story to a dying world lost in their sin and shame. Evangelist are soul winners, that is the mark of their calling. The office of an Evangelist, has an anointing that draws people. (Rom. 3:23, 10:9-10, John 3:16, Eph. 4:11-12, Acts 8:4-13, 21:8) |
| Pastor | The spiritual ability to shepherd the flock of God (guarding, guiding, encouraging, warning, etc.), feed them the Word of God, and equip them to find their gifts so that they, too, can do the work of the ministry. The pastor feeds, train and corrects the flock, he will have to give an account to God for them; the pastor ministry is to look after and spiritually nourish God’s children; he must reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. (Eph, 4:11-12, John 21:15-17, 1 Peter 5:1-15) |
| Teacher | The spiritual ability to take the truth from the Word of God and explain it clearly so that the flock of God can understand it and apply those spiritual truths effectively to their daily lives. The teaching ministry is to bring balance into the Body of Christ; likes to teach foundational principles for people to live by; presenting of truth in systematic sequence. (Acts 18:24-28, 2 Tim. 1:11) |