clcgh.org Building The Capacity Of Christian Leaders, Equipping The Saints For The Work Of Ministry, Redirecting Straying Christians To The Sound Knowledge Of Christ
Some ministers of the gospel think that ministry gifts such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are independent of one another.
Others suppose that some of the offices are higher in rank than others. For instance, they are of the view that apostles are positioned higher, considering the fact that Paul listed apostles first in Ephesians 4:11.
It is for this assumption that many pastors arrange with ordaining organisations or individuals to organise special ordination programmes to consecrate them as apostles. And they call this elevation of their status and rank.
However, a student of the Bible will concur that Paul never listed the ministry gifts according to their order of prominence, Prophet Kenneth E. Hagin argued that “…the office of the apostle was not listed first because it is the most important office…the apostolic office was the first ministry that initially was evident in the early Church.”
One thing Christians must understand is that the fivefold ministry gifts or offices were not created to be ministerially independent, but to be ministerially interdependent for the general good of the body of Christ.
This means that no one ministry gift is supposed to operate in isolation. In other words, one ministry gift is not complete without the help of others. Thus, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers need the support and encouragement from one another for a holistic and harmonious ministry to the body of Christ.
And no one ministry gift is better or higher in rank than the others. Although each one is different in core function, they are all at the same level. But ministers functioning in one particular ministry office may stand in either deep, deeper or deepest dimensions of anointing, knowledge and grace.
As one prophet said “the main thing about ministry is not what ministers do, but the relationship they maintain with God. A minister’s depth of anointing, knowledge and grace largely depends upon the depth of his relationship with God.
Now, it is arguably stated that apostles govern, prophets guide, evangelists grow, pastors guard and teachers ground.
But each is uniquely designed and carefully set in the Church for the divine purpose of playing a common facilitating role of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.
Thus, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers have a responsibility to train, develop and prepare Christians to become the servants of Christ they were called to be to participate in the ministry of Jesus Christ.
By James Quansah
