HOW DO I KNOW MY

FIVEFOLD MINISTRY

ROLE?

By Bernie L. Wade

If you are like many others you may not know for certain your fivefold ministry role or

gifting. You are certainly not alone. I find that many ministers have not been helped in

this area. It may be that you are filling a role without really knowing if that is what God

called you to accomplish. I’ve noticed a lot of leaders fill, volunteer or be drafted for

positions because there was a need; not because it was how God designed or gifted

them. As a result, many are feeling tired, unfulfilled and empty.

Knowing for certain the role you are to fulfill in the fivefold ministry will remove doubt,

confusion, and indecision. Let’s see if we can help. For a moment, set aside the

particular role of ministry that God has called you to and let’s focus on purpose. We

have found that the best way to start is to understand your purpose. Most people know

what it is that God has called them to contribute. This is much more important in the

larger mission as Disciples of Christ.

If you already know what you are called to do then you are on your way to

understanding your fivefold role. The thing that God has given you to accomplish will

be your passion. It will be the thing that makes you want to get up in the morning. You

will think about it in some form or fashion nearly all the

time. In most cases it will be the primary thing in your

life even in work and hobbies. For example someone

who is called to the fivefold role of teacher will most

likely find that they are passionate about teaching in

general; not just in the body of Christ.

This person will desire or fill a teaching role in their

family, job and community. We oft times don’t see that

the gifting God has placed in us transcends beyond that

function in the Body of Christ. God gave you the gifting and it will function wherever

you are located.

In this example the purpose is to teach the Body of Christ. This helps us to understand

the fivefold role which is teacher. Now let’s turn our attention to the fivefold roles.

Ephesians 4:8, 11-13 speaks of five ministry gifts given to the Body of Christ by Christ

after he ascended. “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave

gifts unto men…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 ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the

faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the

stature of the fullness of Christ.” KJV

The first thing to notice is that these roles are

all presented in lower case. These fivefold

roles were not offices of the church; these

are gifts from God and He is the only thing

that really matters in the equation. These

gifts are also known as ascension gifts

because Christ gave them after he

descended to earth and ascended back to

heaven. (Ephesians 4:1-16, John 3:13, Psalm

68:18)

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with

which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing

with one another in love,3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of

peace.

The very first thing that all fivefold ministry needs to understand (and unfortunately this

is very lacking in the Body of Christ) is we are instructed to be worthy. Worthiness is

not measured in works but in spirit. We are first instructed to have genuine humility and

gentleness. This is to be followed by longsuffering and love. These are attributes of

the fruit of the spirit and while we should all have them; they are not manifested in most

of the lives of those claiming to represent God in some fivefold role. We cannot move

forward without true humility. We are inundated with loads of SELF. Most of those who

identify themselves with fivefold roles do so by making it an office, title and position

rather than as role where God has placed them. They are introduced as, The Very

Reverend, Dr. Bishop, His Eminence, Lord So and So or some similar designation.

Wow!

Do you read humble and gentle in that? I expect not. Rather, this is a manifestation of

pride. Those in pursuit of titles and position sign their business card and other related

items Pastor So and So. They have their name on their Church sign with similar

designation. Unfortunately, these are not manifestations of God or His ministry. These

are rather manifestations of man and man-made religious systems. In case you are

looking for the one guilty of these sins, let me make it easy for you. I am the man. I am

guilty of these things. I repent!

I know that many of us have fallen prey to these deceptions but the time to correct this

error is now. Claiming to be a love slave to Jesus Christ and then signing your name,

Prophet so and so, screams of false humility and pride whether we realize (or admit)

the error or not. You are not alone. Many of us

have been guilty of these errors. I am reminded of Jeremiah telling us to deal with our

sins of OMISSION.

Spurgeon reminded us of this regarding our sins of omission. “There must be worked

in us as a work of Divine Grace—a deep abhorrence of sin, an earnest clinging to

purity, a resolute pursuit of everything that is peaceful, and lovely, and of good

repute—or else let us prate (talk on and one) as we may, we shall have no

inheritance in the kingdom of God! I preach not salvation by works in any sense

or degree, or shape, or form, but salvation by Grace alone!”1

1 Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Volume 14 org 1 SINS OF OMISSION NO. 838. DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAY

MORNING, OCTOBER 25, 1868, BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

To these profound errors we must make

immediate correction. We are not the GIFT.

Jesus Christ is the Gift; we are merely vessels

He chooses to use. We need to understand

that the fivefold ministry given by Christ, are

roles within the Body of Christ for specific

purpose. These were not purposed, in any

way, to exalt men or make them seem or feel

superior. In fact, if anything is the case these

roles make the fivefold minister more of a

servant than the rest of the Body of Christ.

Yet, we are all servants of Jesus Christ.

To make these errors even more pronounced we have created a plethora of ministerial

groups most of which lift up, separate or esteem the ministers above the rest of the

Body of Christ. We then use these man-made systems to create division from our

brothers and sisters. This is SIN. This is a man-made system and is not in any way

associated with the New Testament Church or the Body of Christ. Of this we need to

repent.

The fivefold ministry is given to help the Body of Christ not to be superior to or lord over

them. Apostle Peter2 gave us this instruction: 1The elders which are among you I exhort,

who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory

that shall be revealed:2Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof,

not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3Neither as being lords

over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4And when the chief Shepherd shall

appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fades not away. (I Peter 5:1-4).

I have often said, “If there was no money connected to ministry most pulpits would

be empty on Sunday morning.” I would add to that, “Take away the esteem, the

pomp, the ceremony and the titles and there will be even fewer feeling the ‘call’ to

ministry.”

This is a clarion call to the people of God. We have to get back what we have lost. We

have inherited a church that is more interested in man-made religion than on being the

people of God; we have to repent. My friends, drop the titles! Your gift will make room

for you! Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater here. There are some

purposes for ministerial fellowships, but they are few. One good example is to provide

documents that help ministers gain access to restricted places such as jails, hospitals,

2 Note: the capital here is only to designate a proper noun.

etc. who want to know that qualified individuals are coming there to minister.

While I shall be trying to speak of your great omissions, perhaps conscience may

be at work, and the Holy Spirit may work through conscience so that you may be

led to repentance, and to faith, and through faith to salvation.3

Pause here and ask God to cleanse your heart. Ask Him to help you to learn to be

humble as His perfect example was to all of us. Ask Him to help you to walk in humility.

Ask Him to help us all to remember that not one of us is greater than the other, but we

are all made worthy because He redeemed us from our sins. Nothing else really

matters!

Remember that no man helped Jesus Christ

redeem us from our sins. This He did alone

and for us. Christ descended to earth to

redeem man; and ascended to heaven to

glorify us.4 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. I Cor. 12:28

3 Ibid. Spurgeon.

4 Robin Kegler. http://fivefoldministryanswers.wordpress.com/2007/10/06/tip-what-is-the-five-fold-ministry/

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE FIVEFOLD MINISTER, ELDERS, AND OTHERS

Character requirements of all fivefold

ministers (the goal is to have the best

example of mature, Holy Ghost filled, leaders

in these important roles in the Body of

Christ):

1. Spiritually mature (1 Tim 3:6) Positions of authority without spiritual maturity lead

to the trap of pride. When pride grows in a man, sin abounds.

2. Devoted to their spouse (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim 3:2).

3. Children must be in submission (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim 3:4-5).

4. Faithful Steward (Titus 1:7)

5. Humble - not arrogant (Titus 1:7)

6. Gentle - not quick-tempered (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3)

7. Sober - not a drunkard (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3). This is not just overindulgence in

alcohol but is idiomatic for any behavior that fuels addictive responses.

8. Peaceful - not violent (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3)

9. Must have financial integrity - not greedy for gain (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3; 1 Peter

5:3)

10. Hospitable (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2)

11. Lover of good (Titus 1:8)

12. Self-controlled (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2) Self-control is a characterization of every

area life: diet, time, mouth, exercise, relationships, sex, and money.

13. Upright (Titus 1:8). Integrity in his relationships and in the way they treat others.

14. Holy (Titus 1:8). A life devoted to Jesus externally and internally.

15. Respectable (1 Tim 3:7)

Since the writer said first apostles let’s begin our study with the apostle.

APOSTLE

apostolos = a delegate; ambassador, from the word delegate; specifically an

ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ ["apostle"] (with

miraculous powers):-apostle, messenger, he that is sent.

ambassador = A diplomat of the highest rank accredited as representative in residence

by one government to another

It is evident that as Christ manifested the true and birthed

His vision for His Kingdom that He expected His apostles

to fill the same role in molding the standards of His

Church, instructing and overseeing the general direction.

"Heaven's blueprint for the Church."5 The apostle brings

no will of his own but is merely the agent of heaven and his

King, Jesus Christ.

In New Testament times, in the Roman army, an apostle

was a military officer who enforced Roman cultural

standards and practices in cities where the Romans had recently conquered. In

applying this word, apostle, to the role of the ministry Jesus extends His authority to the

disciples. This authority and power is unprecedented and manifested throughout the

New Testament. The word "apostle", from the Greek apostello "to send forth", "to

dispatch", has etymologically a very general sense.

Apostolos (Apostle) means one who is sent forth, dispatched -- in other words, who is

entrusted with a mission, rather, a foreign mission. It has, however, a stronger sense

than the word messenger, and means as much as a delegate.6

The body of Christ is the continuation of His earthly ministry and is eternal. The apostle

is sent by God to establish the work of God. When God calls, He also equips. As we

see in Gal 1:21-24, While Apostle Paul was generally ignored by the Jerusalem Church

he was mentored in the things of Christ by his spiritual father Apostle Barnabas who

guided him into spiritual maturity. There is the misconception that you can only work for

the Lord if you are in full time ministry, (i.e. you are being paid a salary). This is not the

model of the New Testament Church as probably all of the Apostles had occupations

like Apostle Paul who made tents. If you have an occupation you can also be in

ministry.

For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself

was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.

5 The Next Wave. Restoration of the Charismata. Apostle. Page 31. Dr. Bernie L. Wade. 2010. Truth, Liberty and

Freedom Press (TLFP). 6 Wade. Apostle. Page 35.

Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be

burdensome to you: for I seek not yours but you: for the children ought not to lay

up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

Paul was not burdensome on the church of the Corinthians. We are sometimes taught

by other Christians that we will one day go into the full

time ministry if we obey God, serve them like Joshua

served Abraham, and if we attend church regularly, pay

tithes, which men abuse in attempts to persuade you to

submit to them. This abuse of the plan of God feeds

the man-made religious system. This is not the plan of

God for His people.

Our overall purpose in this article is to help determine

roles in the Body of Christ. We have developed a quick

list to help you see if your role is in this area. Each of

the fivefold ministry gifts has specific qualifications.

Here are 5 for the apostle:

QUICK LIST FOR ROLE OF APOSTLE

1. An apostle will have a servant spirit. Any position of fivefold ministry, especially

this one, requires a servant heart.

2. An apostle will have spiritual authority. It is understood authority from Jesus Christ,

not lording over others; or dictatorship. An apostle is also under someone else’s

authority answering to the rest of the Fivefold ministry in particular and the Body of

Christ in general.

3. An apostle will be a spiritual father (I Cor 4:15-21) although he will not be called

‘father.’

4. An apostle will be a visionary. This vision will make manifest in direction and

leadership others can follow. We can follow an apostle because first and foremost he

will follow Christ.

5. An apostle will have humility. This characteristic is coupled with servant hood.

Humility is a necessary attitude because of the calling of apostleship.

The apostle will have understanding of the other fivefold roles (prophet, pastor, teacher

and evangelist). In our diagram of the hand (above), the apostle is the thumb. Like the

thumb, the apostle can touch each of the other fingers. However, all five fingers are

needed for the hand to function properly. This does not make him all five as some

incorrectly understand but gives definition to his role as the apostle brings Gods

government to the body of Christ.

Being an apostle means being part of the five-fold ministry. Their purpose is to bring the

body of Christ to maturity so that the body can do the work God has purposed for them.

Being an apostle means that signs and wonders will be part of their ministry. Their job is

to represent the kingdom of God within the other kingdoms. The authority of the

apostles was modeled by the chief Apostle, the Lord Jesus Christ, who taught them that

“the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,” (Mark 10:45).

Demonstrating the type of authority he would place in His church through his apostles

Jesus, on occasion, acted sharply and decisively against certain sins, such as the

desecration of His Father’s house (Mark 11:15–17; John 2:13–16) and the exploitative

hypocrisy of the teachers of the Law and Pharisees (Matthew 23). He carefully avoided

the trappings of political and institutional power and modeled extraordinary humility and

patience for His apostles.

CRITERIA FOR AN APOSTLE

1. Called by God

2. Appointed to their role by someone of equal or higher spiritual authority (i.e.

someone in the Body of Christ).

3. Anointed by other members of the fivefold as in the example of the Antioch

Church and confirmed by the Body of Christ.

4. That they should have independent plenary knowledge of the gospel.

5. Should be willing to pay the price (make the necessary sacrifice) to be an

apostle.

6. Preach or be a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

7. Do the work of an evangelist

8. Organize and/or strengthen the body

9. Identify, appoint and train qualified

ministers to teach others thus continuing the

mission and the ministry of the fivefold and

the relationship of spiritual fathers to sons.

10. Signs and wonders.

Truly the signs of an apostle were

wrought among you in all patience, in

signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

PROPHET

nabiy' = a prophet (to speak by

"Eighty and six years have I served Him, and he

never did me any injury; how then can I

blaspheme my King and my Savior?"

~Polycarp

No exposition of the office of prophet would be

complete without a thorough examination of the

actual name "prophet" in the original language of

the Bible. The Hebrew word for Prophet is the word nabi from a root meaning "to

bubble forth, as from a fountain," hence "to utter". This Hebrew word is the first

and the most generally used for a prophet. 7

The purpose of the prophetic ministry is to guide the church. The prophets usually

exercise revelation gifts such as words of knowledge, words of wisdom and discerning

of the spirit in their prophecies. With the words of knowledge, they may foretell the

future in specific terms. With the words of wisdom, they provide wisdom in difficult

situations. Jesus displayed such gift of wisdom when He was faced with the condemned

adulteress (John 8:1-12) and also during the issue about to whom should the people

pay their taxes (Matthew 22:15-22). In having the gift of discernment, prophets are able

to discern whether certain people are speaking on behalf of God's Spirit, human spirits

or evil spirits.”

While the apostle brings the fivefold gift of casting vision or direction for the body, the

prophet confirms that the apostle is hearing from God and moving the body in the

proper direction or order. “The prophets speak on behalf of God and reveal His will.

They are important in today's church because all Christians need to know the heart of

God and learn how to work together for His glory.”i

Like the apostle we find the prophet in the New Testament as part of the gifts that God

gave to his bride. It is here in the true that we find the imprimatur for the prophet which

was the dominate role or office in the Old Testament. God continually revealed Himself

and His plan for the redemption of mankind to His prophets and through His prophets to

His people. The role of the prophet confirming the apostle is apparent in many places in

the bible. This shows the importance of the fivefold ministry working in harmony

providing protection and direction to the Body of Christ. It is evident in the life of

7 The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D.

Abraham, Moses and others. The prophet does not make stuff up to say or imagine the

will or plan of God.

The whole purpose of the bible is to redeem mankind from

his sin. The whole of Scripture is consumed with this theme

which would have its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The

Prophets of old did not predict in the sense of some extra

sensory perception. Rather (as God has spoken the end

from the beginning as the lamb slain before the foundation

of the world) the prophets were reporting on what God had

revealed to them concerning the events leading up to His

coming.

After the Advent of Christ we see numerous accounts of the

prophets continuing their role of being the ‘watchmen on the

wall’ such as the prophet Agabus prophesying to Apostle Paul. Like the rest of the

fivefold the prophet finds his true in the New Testament and is in the pattern of God in

the Old Testament and still today.

We have developed a quick list to help you see if your role is in this area. Each of the

fivefold ministry gifts has specific qualifications. Here are 5 for the prophet:

QUICK LIST FOR ROLE OF PROPHET

1. The prophets guides and/or confirms. hand in hand with the apostle

2. The prophets must speak not of their own accord or in their own name or any other,

but in the Name of the Lord only.

3. The prophecies must be consistent with prior revelation. The prophet does not

recreate God’s plan; the prophet confirm His plan.

4. A prophet speaks what the Lord tells them to speak. The prophet must not encourage

idolatry or any other sin. Deu 13:5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall

be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God,

which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of

bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to

walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

5. All prophecies must come true (the test of Moses for the true prophet). Deu

18:21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath

not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not,

nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet

hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

A very common misunderstanding about prophets is the difference between:

1. The role of the prophet and

2. The operation of the gift of

prophecy. The two are distinctly

diverse. There must be distinction

made between one who speaks out

under the unction of the gift of

prophecy and one who is a Prophet.

The Prophet is an office. The

individual in that office will almost

certainly operate in the gift of

Prophecy as well as other revelation

gifts (word of knowledge, word of

wisdom, discernment of spirits) but should not be limited to this. Elijah for

example operated in the gift of miracles.8

1. Not everyone is a prophet. For example, a boy may wear a Cubs baseball cap,

but that does not mean he plays professional baseball for the Chicago Cubs. You

may prophesy, but operating in the simple gift of prophecy does not qualify you

as prophet, much like wearing a Cubs hat does not qualify you to play baseball

for the Chicago Cubs - you must be gifted. A prophet must have a consistent

manifestation of at least two of the revelation gifts ( word of wisdom, word of

knowledge, or discerning of spirits) plus prophecy.9

2. The gift of prophecy edifies, exhorts, and comforts (I Corinthians 14:3); helps us

build up or strengthen; and should lead us to the Word of God. It is the ministry of

the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come (John

16:8-11).

It is interesting to note that little is depicted about the role of the role of the “New

testament prophet”. This can also be said of the other offices in the body of Christ. It

is therefore no stretch to assume that the role of the Prophet is essentially

unchanged from its function and duty in the Old Testament.10 It seems almost

impossible to eliminate from the popular mind the idea that "prophecy" means

"prediction." Yet this is a purely modern modification of its meaning. It rests upon a

false etymology: the pro in this word is not the pro which means beforehand (as in

prospectus), but the other pro which means in place of (as in pronoun): a prophet is

8 The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D.

9 The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D.

10 The Role of the Prophet in the New Testament Church by Rev. Mark J. Dibois, Ph.D.

one who speaks in place of another. When Moses had been shrinking from the

mission to Israel on the ground of his inefficiency as a speaker, and Aaron was

granted him as an assistant in this respect, the words were: `See, I have made thee

[Moses] a god unto Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet’ (Exod.

7:1)."

As Aaron is thus the mouthpiece of Moses, so regularly in Scripture the prophet

is the mouthpiece of God.11

Examples of Prophets

Abraham

Gen 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray

for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely

die, thou, and all that are thine.

Aaron

Exo 7:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and

Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

It is significant that as Moses emerges in an apostolic role (like his predecessor Joseph)

that God brings the role of the prophet into full form through Aaron. Where the apostolic

role brings government and direction the prophet provides guidance.

Miriam

Exo 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the

sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand;

and all the women went out after her with

timbrels and with dances.

Sometimes "prophets" try to hide the fact

that they are not really prophets. They do

this by saying that something did not

happen because you and I did not have sufficient faith for it to happen. Once God says

that something will happen, you no longer need faith - He said it will happen and

therefore it is as good as done and there is nothing you or I could do (or not do) to

prevent it from happening. This is called FAITH - God will honor His Word because He

cannot lie, make a mistake or be late because of unforeseen circumstances.

11

The Role of the Prophet Reprinted from THE HERALD of November, 1949

A faithful servant is better off than a prophet

The Lord has always been very strict on prophets (and other five-fold ministers). His

instructions are that we need to evaluate the information supplied by these prophets

and that we should not just accept anything they say. But we have to compare what

they are telling us to God's Word and if this is in line, we have to obey. But if these are

not in line, these prophets were put to death in the Old Testament:

DEU 18:20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I

have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even

that prophet shall die.

It is crucial that we know when a prophet is really talking by inspiration of the Holy Spirit

and not the inspiration of their flesh or other things.

Judging Prophets

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:

because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ

is come in the flesh is of God: 1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus

Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that

spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should

come; and even now already is it in the world.

In conclusion it may be revealed that the office of Prophet is very much a part of the New Testament Church. His or Her role is one of aiding the various members in hearing from God and placing them in the correct path of God’s will. There are some New Testament Prophets that use their gifts to predict the course of various members of Christ’s body as well as predicting the course of some individuals. Prophets operate primarily in the revelation gifts. They are maintainers of order in themselves and Body at large. The Prophet office is as essential today as it was in the days of Elijah or Jeremiah.12

12

copyright 2000 Rev. Mark J. Dibois Used by permission.

AM I A PASTOR?

STRONGS NT 1317: HEBREW: ra`ah = to tend a

flock; to rule; to associate as a friend

GREEK: poimen = a shepherd

The meaning of the word Pastor is linked to that

of a person who is responsible to tend to the flock

as a friend or caretaker.

διδακτικός, διδακτικη, (equivalent to διδασκαλικός in Greek writings), apt and skillful in

teaching: 1 Timothy 3:2; 2 Timothy 2:24. (διδακτικη ἀρετή, the virtue which renders one

teachable, docility, Philo).

The most generally acknowledged of the fivefold roles is that of pastor. There are

literally hundreds of thousands of pastors in the world. First of all, we need to

remember that God, in His wisdom, gave pastors to the Body of Christ. However, He

did not make them the head of the Church. He did not appoint pastors to rule over the

local congregation. Those who operate in such a manner have man-made religious

systems – not the plan of God.

The Scripture tells us that a pastor must be above reproach (Titus 1:6, 7; 1 Tim 3:2).

This is the overarching, summarizing characteristic that is applicable to all of the

fivefold. God never intended for the pastor to be somehow spiritually superior to the

rest of the fivefold ministry or the Body of Christ.

You will find similar (but not identical) lists in 1st Timothy and Titus. Living a life above

reproach is the first requirement in both lists and Titus repeats it. The other items on the

list explain what “above reproach” means. If we peruse the two lists, as well as First

Peter, we find 17 qualifications of an elder who is above reproach. This is a

qualification for all in ministry. Apostle Paul, in his apostolic role, was setting order in

the church. He was not creating positions, titles or hierarchy. In the modern application

the pastor has in some man-made systems become the supreme leader of the local

body (in various degrees) and in others he is merely an errand boy or a hireling to

officiate over the religious services. None of these are the God given role of pastors.

We have developed a quick list to help you see if your role is in this area. Each of the

fivefold ministry gifts has specific qualifications. Here are 5 for the pastor:

QUICK LIST FOR THE ROLE OF PASTOR

1. Ability requirement. A pastor must be able to teach (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim 3:2). All

of the other qualifications are character qualities. This is the only ability-based

requirement. A pastor must to be able to teach sound doctrine both by their own

example and in communicating to others. If you are not capable of teaching then you

are not a pastor as outlined by Scriptural standards.

2. A shepherd who watches out for the people of God.

3. The pastor-teacher. The Greek word translated as pastor is simply the word for

a shepherd. A shepherd is a person (man or woman) who cares for a flock of sheep.

He or She leads them to a place where they can

find food and water. He keeps the flock together,

so it is safe from attack. At the same time each

sheep receives individual attention. Those that

stray are brought back to the flock, and any sick

sheep is healed. Each one is known by name.

4. A nurturer, a friend. As a nurturer the

pastor will generally minister to a manageable

number of persons that are in their charge. In the

modern church many of those who wear the title

of pastor oversee a vast network of other

subservient pastors. Note: this is not the biblical

model but the model of men.

5. Teach knowledge and understanding. (Jer. 3:5).

NOT A TEACHER EQUALS NOT A PASTOR

It is interesting that many who wear the title ‘pastor’ see themselves as somehow

disconnected from the people rather than the biblical model which has them very ‘hands

on’ working daily with the people. The pastor is not an ascetic (living a life out of the

reach of others) person but one of the Body of Christ (a servant).

I am surprised that those who call themselves ‘pastor’ often admit that they are not

teachers. This does not mean that they are not a value to the Body of Christ; but it does

reflect that they are not pastors. Most have been assigned as a pastor as part of a

man-made religious order. Titus 2:15, Paul sums the pastoral role up in three words:

teach, encourage, rebuke. This is the work of the pastor and teacher.

JER 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you:

and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with

knowledge and understanding.

Eze 34:4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the

injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have

ruled them harshly and brutally.

The pastor is part of the five-fold ministry, fulfilling a vital role in the caring for the

children of God. They are not the head of the church; neither do the other ministries

have to submit to them. If you wanted to

contend that anybody has to submit to

anybody else, the pastors would have to

submit to Apostles. Remember the earmark

of the entire fivefold ministry is humility.

If the Lord anoints a pastor, He anoints

somebody who is according to His heart.

That will mean that they will be full of love.

God calls them because they are people

after God's heart. They do not qualify just

because they attended Bible School or have

some degrees behind their names. (Jer

3:15). Pastors are sensitive and reasonable (Jer 10:21) honest and truthful (Jer 23:14).

It often happens that people leave their secular job to start a church. Starting churches

is not the biblical role of a pastor.

JER 10:21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD:

therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.

JER 12:10-11 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my

portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.

They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole

land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.

One minister reflected this, “Many who wear the title of pastor force the people into

doing things by telling them that they do not love God if they do not do this or that. They

keep the people in such bondage that they are no longer allowed to have any friends

outside of the local congregation. They have taken the people, removed the call of God

on their lives through their lies and replaced it with the calling of men. Some even admit

that openly and declare boldly that if you serve other people long enough, you will

qualify for your own ministry!” People do not qualify for ministries; they are called by

God into them.”

JER 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my

pasture saith the LORD.

2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed

my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not

visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I

have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall

be fruitful and increase.

4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they

shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith

the LORD.

The Lord will restore His flock all on His own, without involving the church and the

pastors if need be. The children of God are not

really sheep (sheep and shepherds are an analogy)

– the people of God are temples of the Holy Ghost

and each one of them are lead differently. So a

pastor cannot throw the whole congregation into a

pot and try and control them all the same way. This

normally happens because the pastor is not properly

aligned with the fivefold ministry. In place of proper

alignment with fivefold ministry and the Body of

Christ these ‘pastors’ take the place of ‘sole

overseer’. These self appointed or man appointed

pastors then are generally too lazy to find out from

God what each member of the congregation has to do, or they just cannot hear from

God.

In order to understand this role better, it would be a good idea to investigate the life of

Jesus Christ. He kept on giving the people knowledge and understanding, showed them

the right ways, but never ever forced them to stay with Him or follow a certain calling.

He never once told them they were not allowed to go to other Christians and fellowship

with them. Being a Pastor is a great privilege and honor. It is also a great responsibility

- one that the pastor cannot carry alone. They need the assistance of all four the other

five-fold ministers in order to get their congregations to the point where they can

successfully flow into their own ministries.

TEACHER

JOH 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know

that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that

thou doest, except God be with him.

Translation - didaskalos = an instructor

The role of teacher is vital to the continuation

of the life and ministry of the Body. The

teacher instructs in the areas that the

apostles have directed and the prophets have

confirmed lifting truth from Scripture and

dedicating this to purpose. This is proper

doctrine and the teacher is the primary

instrument used by God to bring truth to His

Body. The concept of a fivefold minister is to

instruct and mentor others in the Body of

Christ.

The teacher must have a working knowledge of the Body of Christ to help nurture, train

and mature believers. The teacher teaches the students the basics as well as the

intricacies of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

The Preacher publishes the wonderful works

that God has done. Like the Bible says: We

have overcome Satan by the blood of the

Lamb and the word of our testimony".

Preaching proclaims what God has done

and stirs up our hopes. We become on fire

for God and have very high hopes for Jesus

to do miracles in our midst. A real teacher

does not care to prove himself or herself to

unbelieving people. They know they have

the truth and the fact that God moves with

them is proof enough for him or her. God

moves with them with signs and wonders.

We have developed a quick list to help you see if your role is in this area. Each of the

fivefold ministry gifts has specific qualifications. Here are 5 for the Teacher.

QUICK LIST FOR TEACHERS

1. Not just an instructor but committed to the outcome of those to who he or she

teaches.

2. Qualified and appointed by the authority of Jesus Christ to bring understanding

through the teaching of doctrine. Doctrine is truth lifted from Scripture and dedicated to

purpose.

3. He or she sometimes uncovers things from the Bible that other people just seem

to miss.

4. They teach doctrine. This becomes knowledge to the people of God. "My

people perish because of a lack of knowledge" The Teacher provides this knowledge.

5. Teaching rather than preaching.

ACT 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which

concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

EVANGELIST

euaggelistes = a preacher of the gospel

Evangelist is much more about function than office (as are all the fivefold gifts). We

have developed a quick list to help you see if your role is in this area. Each of the

fivefold ministry gifts has specific qualifications. Here are 5 for evangelist.

QUICKLIST FOR EVANGELISTS

1. A Preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Preach = kerusso, kay-roos-so which

means to herald (as a public crier), proclaim, publish as related to encouraging,

exhorting, the local church body.

2. Brings the Good News.

3. The evangelist in the fivefold

application brings encouragement to the

body of Christ. One man asked me to help

him understand what his role was in the

fivefold ministry. He was certain of his call to

ministry but confused about what role he

filled. Local pastors had told him he was a

music minister or music pastor. He was

further confounded because he could not find

‘music pastor’ in the bible. This man served

to lead worship in two congregations within

his local community. His role was evident as an evangelist to the local body of Christ.

He was confused about his role because the body of Christ is divided due to the politics

of man-made religion. However, God is not confused about how he set His body in

order. Christ is not divided. The fact that the body in that area was fragmented into

various congregations has not deterred the flow of the Spirit as it moves in His gifts.

4. The evangelists has a specific role of bringing encouragement to the body of

Christ and also to bring spiritual revival to the lukewarm. It will be good if the church

can identify those who have this gift from among their congregation and use their gifting.

As not all pastors are evangelists, it will be wise to spot some early. “For example, a

pastor of a small church, who did not have the gift of an evangelist, was constantly

frustrated for years when he preached at his own annual evangelistic meetings and

received little responses for salvation. Then on one occasion, he broke with his tradition

and invited a gifted evangelist to preach. The result was astounding. There were more

responses for salvation in one meeting than all the meetings that the pastor had ever

conducted. A Holy-Spirit empowered gift is something to be reckoned.”ii

5. The Lord also blesses evangelists with signs and wonders so as to confirm the

words that they preach. One of the purposes of the evangelist is to lead seekers to

Christ new. However, this is also part of the role of the entire body of Christ. Some of

the greatest men in the bible were called evangelists, Timothy and Phillip to name two.

Evangelists hold an important role in the five fold ministry. The evangelist is key to

encouraging the body of Christ and as such is an invaluable equal to the pastor and

apostle.

If we look at the Great Commission, are we

then all evangelists? Although we all

evangelize, only some people are called to

use this calling to train other people in

getting them ready for their ministries.

Remember the call of the five-fold ministers.

The evangelist is a special gift to the body to

encourage and uplift. Many people who

have been misnamed as pastors are

evangelists. Music ministers are generally evangelists, as are a plethora of other

gifting to the Body of Christ.

The work of the evangelist is:

To follow the pattern of sound words (2 Tim. 1:13)

To teach faithful men and women (2 Tim. 2:2)

To correct opponents of the truth (2 Tim. 2:25)

To preach the word of God (2 Tim. 4:1-4) - This is an obligation of every Christian

(Acts 8:4).

To “be watchful”

An evangelist is to proclaim the scriptures, for the reason that they alone are profitable

for the things necessary for one’s spiritual development (2 Tim. 3:16,17); an evangelist

is not to preach his opinion but “the whole body of revealed truth” (Acts 20:27).

To “be instant” - “To stand by, be present, be at

hand.” “Hold oneself in constant readiness to

proclaim the word” (Acts 13:13-16). “In season”

- literally, “well-season.” The word is translated

“conveniently” in Mark 14:11. The gospel was

“in season” in Acts 2:37.

To “reprove” - “To convict, confute, refute,

usually with the suggestion of putting the

convicted person to shame” (Acts 24:25). To

“rebuke” - “To charge one with wrong; implies a

sharp, severe rebuke, with a suggestion of

impending penalty” To “exhort” - “To

admonish...to urge, one to pursue some course of conduct” (Acts 2:37-40).

“With all longsuffering” - “Forbearance, patience.” “Patience with regard to antagonistic

persons.” “That quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily

retaliate or promptly punish…the opposite of anger…is associated with mercy” (Acts

14:19-22).

“With…doctrine” - “Sound and reasonable instruction in the truth” (2 Tim. 3:16,17).

WHAT AN EVANGELIST IS NOT

The evangelist is not an itinerant

preacher, who merely goes from place to

place preaching for what he can get in

special contributions.

The evangelist is not one who only holds

gospel meetings or “revivals.” [While an

evangelist may limit his work in such a

way, the Bible does not so restrict him.

He is not someone doing the evangelist

job while “looking for a church to pastor”.

The role of fivefold ministry is to fulfill the function described in Ephesians 4:12-13, " ... to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Leadership's function is to train and equip the body for the work of the ministry! The focus of good leadership is nothing short of aiming for the whole body to attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ! Some contend that everyone has a fivefold role and that the work of the fivefold is to train the rest of the Body so that they know and understand their purpose. I am not certain that everyone has a fivefold role but certainly everyone needs instruction. However, there is nothing wrong with everyone having a ministry role as this is the role of the Body of Christ. Everyone may be called to hold a fivefold role. Certainly, we are all called to do the work of an evangelist. I believe there is value in stressing the truth that there must be diversity of function in the body of Christ... a. This point is often overlooked when churches think about how they might involve every member b. Yet failure to appreciate this truth can hinder true growth, and at the same time be very frustrating for the members of the body of Christ Some congregations have been built around one particular kind of ministry or program. In those congregations, the only members who are really involved are those taking part in that one special program. But the church is a body. A body must have diversity if it is to survive. Evangelism, edification, benevolence, and worship are functions of every local congregation. This by no means concludes the lessons in related to the fivefold ministry. This is only the beginning. Enjoy your journey. I am available to help in any way I can. Blessings! Bernie L. Wade, Thd. 104001@icof.net http://www.icof.net i Reverend Albert Kang. ii Reverend Albert Kang