In this chapter we are seeking to answer a very specific question: “How can I know I’m called by God to equip followers of Christ for the work of ministry?” Now, so far we’ve laid an important foundation for answering this question by understanding two types of calling from God:

The Primary Calling and the Secondary Calling.

In this chapter we’re looking at a very unique group people whom I describe earlier, that God gives a very specific secondary calling to equip God’s people to do the work of the ministry. Now, let’s take a look again, a little bit more closely, at Ephesians 4:12-13 our primary text for this chapter. 

“And he (Christ) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (pastors) and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”

In our last chapter we learned how most people think that clergy are the only ones called to do the work of ministry and lay people are called to support them in that work. And we reinforced the biblical concept that lay people are the ones called to do the work of ministry and clergy are called to equip and support them.

Note here again now these five titles, or roles, or offices that God has given for those whom receive this calling. Notice:

1)     the apostles,

2)     the prophets,

3)     the evangelists,

4)     the shepherds (pastors) and

5)     teachers. 

Now we don’t have the time here to discuss the common debates regarding whether or not all these callings or offices are still given today. Some would say the apostles and prophets should be understood as temporary offices through which we received the now completed revelation of God in the Scriptural canon. And since the Scripture is complete, so are these offices.

There are others, who share the same view of God’s completed revelation in Scripture, or called the canon of Scripture, but they believe the callings and the offices of the apostles and the prophets continue today, but do so in a way that does not bring us direct revelation from God. Instead the calling of Apostle is seen more like a missionary, one who is someone called to be a “Sent One.” And the Prophet as one uniquely called to the proclamation of God’s completed revelation.

One other common debates are over whether there are 4 or 5 offices here. Some would argue that because of the lack of definite article and conjunction for the Greek word translated teachers, that is actually there for all the other offices, that this would mean that somehow there should be just four offices and the fourth office would be a combination pastor/teacher or shepherd/teacher. But there is very little debate that there are still people called as evangelists, pastors (shepherds), and teachers.

But there are also some other key words used in the New Testament to describe those whom God calls to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. One of the most common is 1 Timothy 3:1, where Paul writes to his son in the faith, Timothy, “Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.” Now Paul uses the Greek word here Episcopos from which we get the word “Bishop” and “Episcopalian.”

In Titus 1:5-6, we learn that Paul wrote to another one of his sons in the faith, Titus, and he referred to these same church leaders as elders using the Greek word “Presbyter” where Presbyterianism, the name, comes from.

And it’s also interesting in Hebrews 13:17, the writer of the book of Hebrews refers to these same people as simply a word translated as “Leaders” to whom followers of Christ in the church are to obey and be in submission to because they “keep watch over you as those who must give an account.”

Now one of the reasons it’s believed that these should be seen as different terms, the overseer and the elder, but for the same person is because of how Paul uses the Greek word for elder and overseer to describe the same leaders. An example would be Acts 20.

In Acts 20:17 we read that “He called the elders of the church to come to him.” And just in ten or so verse later, Paul says to them, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to care for the church of God…” (Acts 20:28).

And so, for the sake of clarity, in this chapter we’re using the word “Leader” as found in Hebrews 13:17 as an overarching word that includes leaders who may also be called “Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, Overseers, Elders—titles today that might expand beyond that would be--Church Planters or Missionaries.”

These are different names we find in Scripture for those followers of Christ whom God calls to fulfill their Primary Calling by giving their lives to equip the saints, to equip lay people, to equip followers of Christ to fulfill the work of the ministry.