Thoughts on the Fivefold Ministry
What is the Fivefold Ministry? The Fivefold Ministry can be found in Ephesians 4, where the author of Ephesians discusses the “gifts” that the ascended Jesus gives to the church for their maturity and training for the work of ministry: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers—collectively known as APEST.
Apostle. Represented by the thumb for its ability to help the hand “grip” and its ability to touch the pads of every other finger on the hand. The apostle serves as the foundation layer and chief cultural architect of the church. (In secular culture, apostles are most often seen or work as entrepreneurs or corporate revolutionaries.) Apostles are primarily concerned with how to translate and contextualize the DNA of the gospel into new territories or cities. They serve as missionaries or church planters; always seeking to build and lay a strong foundation for the church to build upon, discipling leaders, and creating a theological and cultural framework for the church to learn and grow into. Apostles are also often accompanied by signs and wonders to validate their work from the Lord (Apostle Paul mentions this in 2 Corinthians 12) and have the ability to ‘shift’ or adjust into the four other roles of the Fivefold Ministry at a moment’s notice: they can prophesy, evangelize, shepherd, and teach the congregation, depending on the nutritional deficiency of the congregation at the time. However, their primary task has to do with structure, culture, and foundation.
When an apostle “monopolizes” the ministry, what can result are instances of spiritual abuse, feelings of being used at the expense of the ministry’s expansion, and disillusionment with the cause of Christ.
Prophet. Represented by the index finger to “point” in the direction where the church needs to go. Prophets are primarily concerned with the relationship of the covenant community with God and will seek to remind the people about where they are headed as the people of God, as well as what is expected of them. True prophets will be validated by the gift of prophecy and the addition of one or two other revelation gifts (discernment, word of knowledge, or word of wisdom). Prophets are concerned with matters of biblical justice, are committed to a lifestyle of deep worship and prayer, and can often sense shifts or movements of God. Moreover, if they are placed in a position where they lead worship, they will begin to facilitate a deep, intimate atmosphere with the Holy Spirit. The prophet’s primary desire is for intimacy, hence their talent for worship—unfortunately, when not properly anchored in God, that desire can lead them to go wayward. (King David was most likely a prophet, as he was gifted in art of leading worship, to the point where he could drive out demons from King Saul when he played and possessed a heart after God’s, but that desire for intimacy ultimately led him to his greatest sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah the Hittite.) Signs and wonders may also accompany the prophet.
When a prophet “monopolizes” the ministry, what can result are feelings of shame and overt black and white perspectives of the world. The finger that has been used to “point” people to God and to where the church is headed next can becoming a finger of condemnation that accuses others of not doing enough for the cause of Christ.
Evangelist. Represented by the middle finger as having the longest reach outside of the body. Evangelists have an undying desire to see the lost and broken outside of the church enter into the body and become disciples of Jesus. Wherever evangelists go, there will be astronomical numerical growth and the preaching of the gospel in all settings, whether at a supermarket or at a gym. Evangelists have the ability to meaningfully connect and convince others to seek a church; some of the largest seeker-friendly movements have been championed by Evangelists. However, Evangelists may end up overwhelming their churches, particularly if there is no structure set up for intentional discipleship or shepherding, which in turn can leave the lost and broken just as lost and broken as before.
When an evangelist “monopolizes” a ministry, churches can be flooded with newcomers and yet be unable to properly disciple and train them in the ways of God. Churches may end up feeling frustrated and burnt out, while those who were brought to the church may feel overlooked, forgotten, or just as lost as when they first arrived.
Shepherd. Represented by the ring finger; shepherds are “married” to the tribe/flock to symbolize their long-term commitment to the body. Shepherds desire to see the body flourish in health and unity. Where shepherds are in operation, people feel cared for, heard, and loved. Shepherds are primarily concerned with cultivating maturity of relationships within the body and ensuring that the process of discipleship remains strong. However, shepherds can also focus too much on the health of the body at the expense of its apostolic mission; while people may grow in security and health under the care of the shepherd, they may be paralyzed by the lack of momentum and fail to minister outside the boundaries of the body.
When a shepherd “monopolizes” a ministry, the ministry’s momentum can stop to a standstill and become non-missional in its focus—concentrating only on the health of the community without any desire to change the city or area it is located in. Co-dependency can also form between the pastor and the community, to the extent where there is an enmeshment of duties and identity.
Teacher. Represented by the pinky finger, teachers help provide balance to the tribe through the careful study and teaching of the Word to cultivate maturity and deeper understanding amongst the members. At their best, teachers are primarily concerned with gaining a depth and breadth of biblical knowledge and understanding how the Bible shapes and impacts their day-to-day living. Teachers are able to study and synthesize the teachings of Scripture in such a way that it becomes understandable, digestible, and implementable in their daily living, thus bringing forth a deep maturity in the body that is profoundly shaped by Scripture. When a teacher has been given the room and space to help shape the teachings of the house, people come away with a more nuanced view of who God is and who they are meant to be as the People of God.
When a teacher monopolizes the ministry, what can result is the overemphasis of knowledge and intellectualism. Without the balance of the other four ministries, what you know will ultimately overpower the other essential aspects of Christian discipleship (praxis, community, mission) and thus be ripe ground for the formation of Phariseeism.
Reactions to Monopolization
Something I’ve observed over the years is that when one particular function of the fivefold monopolizes the church, the leadership of the church instinctively goes to another functional extreme as a way of compensating for the hurt and frustration they experienced. For instance, hyper-apostolic organizations, after a season of monopolization and overworking, often swing in the other direction to become hyper-shepherding, but in doing so they lose the apostolic momentum that powered the continued growth and strengthening of what was formerly a vibrant movement. Or those who are hyper-prophetic, cautious of the many movements of the Spirit or an over-emphasis on the signs and wonders may choose instead to double their efforts on becoming a hyper-teaching church. Most of the time, an overemphasis on the APE will inevitably lead to an overemphasis of the ST.
The key for the healthy development of a church is not to indulge reactionary measures—it is instead to seek balance amongst all five functions of the APEST. So rather than exiting a season of the monopolized apostolic figure by veering towards the perceived “safety” of the shepherd, what a church should do is instead invite the voices of the other four ministries to discern what was valuable and worth keeping from the apostolic voice of the church while also lending space to the other four ministries to contribute their gifts and help the body mature.
Stages of Growth for the Maturing Church
While not every church has to begin with an apostolic figure, the churches that do begin with an apostolic figure, if they progress and mature in a healthy manner, will generally follow the progression outlined by the author of Ephesians—they begin with a small group that concentrates heavily on discipling the initial members. The apostolic figure will spend most of their time creating structures, disciplines, rhythms, and practices for the group to begin implementing. (In the beginning, the apostolic figure will play all five roles as needed until the appropriate representatives of the other four ministries arise or are developed.) As the church matures, the prophetic office will open up—emphases on prayer, worship, justice, and intercession will begin to take place, the people will learn how to cultivate a strong worship culture, and stories will begin to come of miracles, healings, or dreams.
As the church solidifies its identity and people begin experiencing transformation on the foundation built by the Apostle & Prophet ministries, the church will experiences signs of “magnetism”—people will naturally invite their friends, or will unconsciously exhibit signs of Christ maturity in their lives, leading others to question and wonder why this person is changing so much. (By now at least the foundation of the church’s culture and practices will be solidified and can be understood as a distinct entity with its own mission and values.) The function of the evangelistic ministries will then grow and the church may experience an increase of attendees and those interested in what the church has done.
As the church grows, so grows the need for strong discipleship and shepherding, and so shepherds will rise up and begin taking ownership over the new people in the church (as Jesus once grieved that there were sheep without shepherds). Such shepherds may volunteer for or be the best suited for small groups or discipleship courses, with regular gatherings of less than 5-12 people. From here, the apostolic figure will adjust their need to play all five roles and concentrate primarily on the apostolic and teaching roles—apostolic to continue propelling the church towards its mission and refining its design, and teaching to continue embedding the DNA of the gospel and its expression into the nomenclature, language, and practices into the people. The mistake here would be to expect the apostolic figure to continue playing all five roles as he or she has done in the beginning; Scripture is very clear that the foundation is built by the apostles and prophets—to ask an apostolic figure to continue exhibiting shepherding or evangelistic functions (when others in the body should have risen up to take responsibility over it) would hobble the apostolic function of this figure and slow the church’s momentum down, as well as prevent the healthy development of shepherds from fulfilling the work of ministry, as outlined in Ephesians 4.
Lastly, the church will enter its final phase of maturity in teaching—it is only when disciples have graduated from the basics of the Christian faith that they are able to take on “solid food” (1 Corinthians 3), and so a sign that the church is on the road to maturity is when they no longer question who they’re supposed to be, what they’re supposed to do, or whether God is real—it is when they ask, “How then, as the people of God, shall we live?” It is when they take on the task of carrying the gospel message and embodying the Presence of God in their respective spheres out in the world while maintaining and valuing the weekly corporate gatherings as the ekklesia (called out ones) in koinonia (intimate communion) with one another and God. And from there, the church’s metric for success should not be defined by numbers, finances, or buildings—it should be defined by missional outreaches to the world, the discipleship of newcomers to strong disciples of Jesus, the unity of the body through the power of the Spirit, and the church’s unique expression of the gospel message for their particular context.