APEST and Elders

I would subscribe to the multiple elder view of local church government. Books have been written arguing this point of view by multiple leading theologians (One example would be the plural elder view espoused in the book Four Views on Church Government). Therefore, I do not feel the compulsion to explain that view in my ideas. Many have taught and wrote about the so-called “five-fold” leadership gifts as listed in Ephesians 4:11. Moreover, I want to think biblically about the manner in which “five- fold” ministry fits into the plural eldership. Another assumption that I have in this essay is the continuationist or third wave view of the spiritual gifts; thus I believe in that the gift of apostle and prophet are still in operation for the church today. As with the subject of multiple elder-led churches, many theologians have written about the subject of the gifts advocating the contiuationist view-point. I will not lay those foundations again.

One of the reasons that I want to address this issue is because I believe that those who attempt to enact the five-fold model create an unhealthy hierarchy that could lead to spiritual abuse and a dangerous spiritual position for the leaders because of the lack of accountability. The multiple eldership model is the model that the apostles advocated and modeled in the times of the New Testament. I believe there are many practical reasons that God instituted this model for the church. This provides multiple views of wisdom for the church as well as accountability for sin in the elders’ lives. I believe that the Word of God is infallible and does not contradict itself. It seems clear that the local church was governed by elders. So the question is: How does the five-fold ministry fit into the multiple-elder led church paradigm?

         One of the beautiful things about Scripture is not only the didactic material of the text but also the examples given in the text. As I describe the various “five-fold” ministry gifting I will appeal to the examples given in the Scripture of those with these various giftings, Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, Agabus, Phillip etc. There is one qualification that will be given. Paul and the Eleven Apostles are unique in the history of the church. They had apostolic gifting but also had the special responsibility to speak for the Lord regarding the New Covenant. I will distinguish between the authority given to Paul and the Eleven and the authority of one with the gifting of Apostle. No authority can come before or above the Holy Scripture. Even Paul put himself under the revelation given to Him (Galatians 1:8). The authority of a church leader does not supersede the final authority of the Scripture.

Apostle            

The gift that I will describe first will be the most difficult and most controversial of the five-fold ministry giftings: apostle. I will reiterate that there are scholars who have already argued for the Scriptural continuation of the gift of apostle, most notable among them are Sam Storms and Adrain Warnock. The assumption is that this gift is available for the building up of the church until the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

            The most obvious function an apostle is that of planting churches, with a special focus on areas that do not have churches. The Apostle Paul founded churches all throughout the Roman Empire. God had given Paul the ability to go to an area that had no or little witness to the Gospel and establish churches. He was able to win converts and gather them into local communities as well as ordain elders. When Apostle Paul left an area on his own will he left a local church that would spiritual support and multiple itself.

            Another function of the gift of apostle is the ability to strengthen and build up other local churches. Apostle Paul spent time going throughout the areas in which he planted churches to strengthen them and make sure that they were continuing in the Gospel. Peter and John strengthened the new believing Samaritans that came to Christ through the ministry of Phillip. Apollos strengthened the Corinthian church through teaching them the Scriptures. Paul sent his delegates, Timothy and Titus, to strengthen the churches in Ephesus and the island of Crete respectively. Most of the epistles of Paul were letters that addressed specific issues in the churches that he guided. In conjunction with the role of strengthening the churches, they also have the gift of pasturing other leaders, prime examples = Timothy, Titus, and the Ephesian elders in Acts 20.

            Before I continue with the function of the apostolic gifting, I want to address the nature of the authority that the apostle has for disciplining churches and their leaders. Many in our current day falsely teach that those with the apostolic gifting must be obeyed without question as if they are some sort of authoritative king. There is only one King, King Jesus. Even Paul, who was extremely used by God did not demand obedience. He appealed to the churches as a servant. He appealed to the evidence of God’s grace through his ministry to them. His commands came from Scripture and final apostolic revelation (i.e. the New Testament canon). However, he did not demand obedience, but he appealed to the churches’ regenerated consciences through the teaching about Christ. Authority is granted not demanded.

            All of the other functions of the apostolic gift flow from the authority given to the apostle by God and the churches who accept his leadership. As a mentor of sorts to churches and church leaders, they have the responsibility to coordinate with the churches to fulfill biblical functions on a large scale. Examples include, partnering for mission, helping financially with other churches, and coordinating prayer for the church at large.

            The Lord has not called any one to be a renegade leader without any authority. The apostolic examples given in the Scriptures indicate the apostles were part of the leadership in a local church. Paul was numbered with the prophets and teachers in Antioch and continually returned. Peter was part of the leadership team in Jerusalem and according to church history, later Rome. Paul rebuked Peter when he was wrong. Paul even put himself under a curse if he was to preach another Gospel (Gal. 1:8). Apollos was instructed by Priscilla and Aquila. These men were not above correction or the authority of the local and global church. This should be a lesson to all those who falsely assume that they stand at the top of some church leadership flow-chart.

Prophet

            The next five-fold ministry gift that I will address is that of Prophet. Prophecy has unfortunately been a pet gift of those who use the God to get rich or to gain power. Much work has been done to take the gift of prophecy from the hands of those how use it for ill-gain and give it back to the church. I would direct you to scholars such as Sam Storms, Wayne Grudem, and John Piper for convincing arguments for the continuation of the gift of prophecy.

In a nutshell, prophecy is a revelation by God given to a Christian that strengthens, rebukes or gives direction to a person or group of people that is evaluated by the written Word of God. Prophecy does not equal infallible inspiration. The Bible teaches this explicitly: Paul told the churches to test prophecies, Paul disobeyed a prophecy by Agabus and was not accused of sin, etc. However, the Lord used prophets and prophecy in New Testament Scriptures to strengthen and direct the churches. Agabus prophesied that a famine would come to Jerusalem so that the churches could prepare a monetary offering, A prophetic word gave Paul and Barnabas the direction to begin missionary journeys. God uses prophecy to build his church.

Prophets are men who has a high measure of the gift of prophecy as affirmed by the Church. He regularly receives revelation from the Lord concerning the direction for the church and encouraging words for the members. Just as an apostle, a prophet must remain under the authority of a local church in the elder team. He has a gift to be able to teach others about prophecy as well.

Evangelist 

One who has the gift of evangelism has the God-given gift to lead unbelievers into relationship with Jesus Christ. By grace, they have more fruit than others in making converts. Evangelists are fueled by a passion to see more people come to Christ. Phillip, one of the seven deacons listed in Acts 6, is a biblical example of one with the gift of evangelist.

In Ephesians 4:11, the last two gifts are Pastors and Teachers. In the Greek, this appears as a conjunctive word. There is debate as to whether these are two distinct gifts or some sort of mix. Most of the literature about the five-fold assumes that pastor and teacher are two distinct gifts, so I will follow suit for the sake of continuing the article.

Pastor

The word, pastor, comes from the word shepherd. This indicates the function of the gift. A pastor loves God’s people and cares for them. He bears with them carrying burdens and encouraging them. An example of a pastoral relationship is one between Paul and Timothy, a parent to a child.

Teacher

A teacher is one who is zealous for true doctrine. He loves the Word of God and wants the church to know and love the Word as well. The teacher is zealous for biblical preaching. Usually these are men dedicated to scholarship. They equip the church with curriculum and teaching material.

Putting the Pieces Together

Many would assume that these roles are cut and dry. However, the bible teaches differently. The Apostle Paul was an effective evangelist and teacher. The prophet Silas taught the churches with the Paul. Someone who has the gift of Prophet may have the ability to teach well and vice-versa. The church identifies these gifts in men and encourages them to exercise them. However, the identification is not meant to put a leader into a un-pliable mold. The Sovereign Lord give different gifts to His servants in accordance with His good pleasure.

How does all of this fit into the plural elder structure? I propose that all the elders have one or more of these leadership giftings for the building up of the church. All of these gifts working together make a well rounded leadership team and hopefully a well rounded church. I am not advocating some sort of structure that has five elders who each have one of these gifts. But, I do think that it would be a good goal to have them various gifts represented in the eldership team or a group of elders in multiple local churches in the same area. This will ensure that the church is focused on the mission of planting and supporting other churches, has a practice of hearing revelation from the Lord, has a passion to reach unbelievers, cares for their members well, and teach right doctrine.

One final word, Ephesians 4 teaches that these leadership gifts exist to equip the church for ministry. Apostles teach others to plant and care for the global church. Prophets teach others how to prophecy and seek direction from the Lord. Evangelists teach others how to reach the lost. Pastors teach others how to care for people. Teachers teach other how to study and apply the Word of God. In this way the eldership team is truly well-rounded in equipping the saints for the work of ministry.

I know that this is certainly not exhaustive, but I would like feedback.