Five-fold ministry
Encyclopedia
Fivefold Ministry is a Christian
belief that the five offices of Apostle
(ἀπόστολος / apostolos), Prophet
(προφήτης / prophētēs), Evangelist
(εὐαγγελιστής / euaggelistēs), Pastor
(ποιμήν / poimēn) and Teacher (διδάσκαλος / didaskalos) referred to in remain active and valid offices in the contemporary Christian church.
Adherents of this ecclesiology also commonly affirm the continuation
of the charismatic
gifts in the modern church, while opponents commonly hold to cessationist
beliefs.
4:11 refers to fives offices in the church: apostles
(ἀπόστολος / apostolos), prophet
s (προφήτης / prophētēs), evangelists
(εὐαγγελιστής / euaggelistēs), pastors (ποιμήν / poimēn) and Teachers (διδάσκαλος / didaskalos). Other passages also refer to these things as spiritual gifts. , for example, includes teaching and prophesying as spiritual gifts, and lists apostles, prophets and teachers in the context of spiritual gifts. provides instructions on the proper use of prophecy in church meetings.
The qualifications of pastors are listed in and . These are mainly moral, with the additional qualification of being "able to teach".
Apostles: The Twelve , Matthias
, Paul , Barnabas
, Andronicus
and Junia
Prophets: The company from Jerusalem , Agabus
, Barnabas
, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene
, Manaen and Saul , Judas
and Silas
, the daughters of Philip
Teachers: Apollos
, Paul
Evangelists: Philip
In addition to this, lists some "prophets and teachers" in Antioch
.
, Christian writers still referred to the existence of prophets. For example, Irenaeus
, wrote of second century believers with the gift of prophecy, while Tertullian
, writing of the church meetings of the Montanists
(to whom he belonged), described in detail the practice of prophecy in the second century church. It is, however, the teaching of Edward Irving
and advent of the Catholic Apostolic Church
in 1832 that marks the earliest known movement of what could be properly labeled as fivefold ministry. The church ordained twelve apostles and had specific understandings of the roles of prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
This trend picked up steam in 1948 with the Latter Rain Movement giving renewed emphasis to fivefold ministry, and soon after with the Charismatic Movement
and Third Wave
movements, led by figures such as John Wimber
and C. Peter Wagner
. Wagner is now the leading figure in what is known as the New Apostolic Reformation
, which emphasizes the specific need for apostolic leadership in the Church, among the other fivefold anointings.
Along with Wagner, Alan Hirsch
(a considerably more mainstream evangelical missiologist
who coined the acronym APEST to refer to Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds and Teachers), Bill Johnson
(a Charismatic pastor) and Wayne Grudem
(a theologian) remain some of the most influential advocates for the continued practice of fivefold ministry in the Church today.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
belief that the five offices of Apostle
Apostle (Christian)
The term apostle is derived from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος , meaning one who is sent away, from στέλλω + από . The literal meaning in English is therefore an "emissary", from the Latin mitto + ex...
(ἀπόστολος / apostolos), Prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
(προφήτης / prophētēs), Evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
(εὐαγγελιστής / euaggelistēs), Pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
(ποιμήν / poimēn) and Teacher (διδάσκαλος / didaskalos) referred to in remain active and valid offices in the contemporary Christian church.
Adherents of this ecclesiology also commonly affirm the continuation
Continuationism
Continuationism is a Christian theological belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have continued to this present age, specifically the sign gifts such as tongues and prophecy...
of the charismatic
Charismatic Christianity
Charismatic Christianity is a Christian doctrine that maintains that modern-day believers experience miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and other spiritual gifts as described in of the Bible...
gifts in the modern church, while opponents commonly hold to cessationist
Cessationism
In Christian theology, Cessationism is the view that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as tongues, prophecy and healing, ceased being practiced early on in Church history. The opposite of Cessationism is Continuationism...
beliefs.
Five offices in the New Testament
EphesiansEpistle to the Ephesians
The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, often shortened to Ephesians, is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been credited to Paul, but it is considered by some scholars to be "deutero-Pauline," that is, written in Paul's name by a later author strongly influenced by...
4:11 refers to fives offices in the church: apostles
Apostle (Christian)
The term apostle is derived from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος , meaning one who is sent away, from στέλλω + από . The literal meaning in English is therefore an "emissary", from the Latin mitto + ex...
(ἀπόστολος / apostolos), prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s (προφήτης / prophētēs), evangelists
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
(εὐαγγελιστής / euaggelistēs), pastors (ποιμήν / poimēn) and Teachers (διδάσκαλος / didaskalos). Other passages also refer to these things as spiritual gifts. , for example, includes teaching and prophesying as spiritual gifts, and lists apostles, prophets and teachers in the context of spiritual gifts. provides instructions on the proper use of prophecy in church meetings.
Qualifications
Paul refers to the "signs" of an apostle in , and notes that he performed these "with signs and wonders and mighty works" (NIV). Some argue that in , Paul suggests that having seen Jesus is a qualification of being an apostle while opponents to this belief argue that he is merely defending his authority to make the statements from the previous chapter regarding sin and grace. Paul also notes in that the Corinthians are the "seal" of his apostleship.The qualifications of pastors are listed in and . These are mainly moral, with the additional qualification of being "able to teach".
New Testament people
A number of people in the New Testament are said to hold one or more of these offices:Apostles: The Twelve , Matthias
Saint Matthias
Matthias , according to the Acts of the Apostles, was the apostle chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas' betrayal of Jesus and his suicide.-Biography:...
, Paul , Barnabas
Barnabas
Barnabas , born Joseph, was an Early Christian, one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem. In terms of culture and background, he was a Hellenised Jew, specifically a Levite. Named an apostle in , he and Saint Paul undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts...
, Andronicus
Andronicus of Pannonia
Andronicus of Pannonia was a 1st century Christian mentioned by the Apostle Paul: According to that verse, Andronicus was a kinsman of Paul and a fellow prisoner at some time, particularly well-known among the apostles, and had become a follower of Jesus Christ before Paul's Damascus road conversion...
and Junia
Junia
Junia or Junias was a 1st century Christian highly regarded and complimented by the apostle Paul: Paul describes Junia as kinsmen, fellow prisoners, and as being "in Christ" before Paul's dramatic Damascus road conversion...
Prophets: The company from Jerusalem , Agabus
Agabus
Saint Agabus or Saint Agabo was an early follower of Christianity mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as a prophet. He is traditionally remembered as one of the Seventy Disciples described in Luke ....
, Barnabas
Barnabas
Barnabas , born Joseph, was an Early Christian, one of the earliest Christian disciples in Jerusalem. In terms of culture and background, he was a Hellenised Jew, specifically a Levite. Named an apostle in , he and Saint Paul undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts...
, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene
Lucius of Cyrene
Lucius of Cyrene was, according to the Book of Acts, one of the founders of the Christian Church in Antioch, then part of Roman Syria. He is mentioned by name as a member of the church there, after King Herod's Death:...
, Manaen and Saul , Judas
Judas Barsabbas
Judas Barsabbas is a minor character in the New Testament. He is mentioned in Acts 15:22, where he and Silas are described as a "leaders among the believers" . Judas and Silas are delegated the task of accompanying Paul and Barnabas to Antioch and delivering the letter from the Council of Jerusalem...
and Silas
Silas
Saint Silas or Saint Silvanus was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who later accompanied Paul in some of his missionary journeys....
, the daughters of Philip
Philip the Evangelist
Saint Philip the Evangelist appears several times in the Acts of the Apostles. He was one of the Seven Deacons chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem . He preached and performed miracles in Samaria, converted Simon Magus, and met and baptised an Ethiopian man, an...
Teachers: Apollos
Apollos
Saint Apollos is an apostle who is also a 1st century Alexandrian Jewish Christian mentioned several times in the New Testament...
, Paul
Evangelists: Philip
Philip the Evangelist
Saint Philip the Evangelist appears several times in the Acts of the Apostles. He was one of the Seven Deacons chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem . He preached and performed miracles in Samaria, converted Simon Magus, and met and baptised an Ethiopian man, an...
In addition to this, lists some "prophets and teachers" in Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
.
History
After the close of the Apostolic AgeApostolic Age
The Apostolic Age of the history of Christianity is traditionally the period of the Twelve Apostles, dating from the Crucifixion of Jesus and the Great Commission in Jerusalem until the death of John the Apostle in Anatolia...
, Christian writers still referred to the existence of prophets. For example, Irenaeus
Irenaeus
Saint Irenaeus , was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
, wrote of second century believers with the gift of prophecy, while Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
, writing of the church meetings of the Montanists
Montanism
Montanism was an early Christian movement of the late 2nd century, later referred to by the name of its founder, Montanus, but originally known by its adherents as the New Prophecy...
(to whom he belonged), described in detail the practice of prophecy in the second century church. It is, however, the teaching of Edward Irving
Edward Irving
*For Edward Irving, the Canadian geologist, see Edward A. Irving.Edward Irving was a Scottish clergyman, generally regarded as the main figure behind the foundation of the Catholic Apostolic Church.-Youth:...
and advent of the Catholic Apostolic Church
Catholic Apostolic Church
The Catholic Apostolic Church was a religious movement which originated in England around 1831 and later spread to Germany and the United States. While often referred to as Irvingism, it was neither actually founded nor anticipated by Edward Irving. The Catholic Apostolic Church was organised in...
in 1832 that marks the earliest known movement of what could be properly labeled as fivefold ministry. The church ordained twelve apostles and had specific understandings of the roles of prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
This trend picked up steam in 1948 with the Latter Rain Movement giving renewed emphasis to fivefold ministry, and soon after with the Charismatic Movement
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
and Third Wave
Third Wave of the Holy Spirit
The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit is a Christian theological theory first introduced by C. Peter Wagner to describe what he believed to be three historical periods of the activity of the Holy Spirit in the 20th century and beyond...
movements, led by figures such as John Wimber
John Wimber
John Richard Wimber was a musician, charismatic pastor and one of the founding leaders of the Vineyard Movement, a neocharismatic Evangelical Christian denomination which began in the USA and has now spread to many countries world-wide.-Life and ministry:John Richard Wimber was the son of Basil...
and C. Peter Wagner
C. Peter Wagner
Charles Peter Wagner Christian missionary, writer, teacher, and church growth specialist, notable for his controversial spiritual warfare practices and beliefs...
. Wagner is now the leading figure in what is known as the New Apostolic Reformation
New Apostolic Reformation
The New Apostolic Reformation is a movement in Protestant Christianity largely associated with the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. The basic thesis asserts that God is restoring the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of Prophet and Apostle.-Beliefs:The New Apostolic...
, which emphasizes the specific need for apostolic leadership in the Church, among the other fivefold anointings.
Along with Wagner, Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsch is a South African-born missiologist and a leading voice in the missional movement of the Christian West. He is an internationally recognized author of five books on missional living. Additionally, Hirsch founded one and co-founded two organizations devoted to equipping people for...
(a considerably more mainstream evangelical missiologist
Missiology
Missiology is the area of practical theology that investigates the mandate, message, and mission of the Christian church, especially the nature of missionary work...
who coined the acronym APEST to refer to Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds and Teachers), Bill Johnson
Bill Johnson (pastor)
Bill Johnson and his wife Brenda Johnson are the Senior Pastors of Bethel Church in Redding, California. Johnson is a fifth generation pastor.- Personal background :...
(a Charismatic pastor) and Wayne Grudem
Wayne Grudem
Wayne A. Grudem is a Protestant theologian and author. He was born in 1948 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and married Margaret White on June 6, 1969 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin...
(a theologian) remain some of the most influential advocates for the continued practice of fivefold ministry in the Church today.