Divinely Ordained Ministries
The New Testament tells us about a number of divinely ordained ministries that God placed within the New Testament church. It was not left undefined; we have a clear outline for church organization and how ministries are to be structured and function:“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).
The foundation: apostles and prophets
Jesus Christ is the head of the church (1 Timothy 6:15), and beneath him are a number of human ministries ordained by God, the first of which are the apostles and prophets. Ephesians 2:20 says the “household of God” is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”
Apostles and prophets were not local teachers; they were “catholic (or universal) ministers.” They ministered everywhere they went. An apostle at Thessalonica was an apostle at Corinth; their ministry was not limited to one congregation. Wherever they were, they had the spiritual authority to teach and preach.
The apostles and prophets were first century ministries, and not meant to continue forever. Jesus appointed the apostles, and no more were chosen afterwards. And the gift of prophecy was only given by the apostles laying of hands; once the apostles died and could no longer transmit spiritual gifts, there were no more prophets. But their ministry persists through their teachings and writings—the New Testament.
The proclaimers: evangelists
An evangelist is a proclaimer of the good news or one who proclaims the Gospel, a preacher. In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul wrote, “But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” Evangelists, unlike apostles and prophets, were not revealers. They did not receive revelations from God. Instead, they preached what had already been revealed; in 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul charges Timothy to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” To reprove is to explain something, to show truth. To rebuke is to call out sin and wrongdoing. And to exhort is to encourage. We’ve all heard preachers and evangelists get caught up in rebuking, so all we hear from them is negativity. They don’t explain the Gospel, and they certainly don’t encourage us on our Christian journey. But a balanced ministry should be all three of those things.
In the New Testament and first century church, the evangelist also wasn’t a local ministry. Like the apostles and prophets, evangelists were universal ministers. Even so, many evangelists spent months or years with one congregation or in one area; Paul spent a year and a half at Corinth, three years at Ephesus, and twenty years at Caesarea.
The shepherds: elders
The apostles ordained elders to guide local congregations of churches. “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:23). The terms bishop, overseer, teacher, and pastor are also used; from these we can see that elders are meant to oversee and watch over the church, to teach the Gospel, and to shepherd over the flock.
Elders were appointed by virtue of their qualifications as teachers. All Christians should strive for these same qualities, but elders, as leaders, should be especially exemplary. “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
The servants: deacons
The Greek diaconos, from which we get the word deacon, simply means a servant or minister, one who serves. A deacon is someone who has accepted a particular area of work or service. Like elders, deacons are to be chosen from exemplary men: “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives* likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 3:8-10).
The main difference between elders and deacons is that elders are teachers. Deacons are not specifically called to teaching. In the early church, deacons were often placed in charge of day-to-day activities of the church, like feeding widows (Acts 6:3). It is a position of service, not authority.
*Translations are divided on this word. The original Greek word, gynaikos, can mean either women or wives, depending on the context. The list of qualifications for elders does not mention wives. Possibly, Paul is referring to widows supported by the church’s charity and working in the church.
The body of Christ: the Church
The New Testament defines the ministries the church ought to be engaged in. We no longer have apostles and prophets, but we have their words and teachings. We have evangelists to preach the Gospel, whose job is to reprove, rebuke, and exhort. We have elders to shepherd and deacons to serve. Ephesians 4:16: “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
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