So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)

 

According to the Apostle Paul, a healthy church requires a healthy fivefold ministry that works in oneness and unity. Each of the fivefold ministry gifts is inherent to the present ministry of Christ. As our perfect apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher, Jesus continues His ministry through the fivefold ministry, equipping and nurturing believers to maturity and ultimately leading to the stature of His fullness.

While there are variances in functions among the fivefold ministry gifts, none are better or inferior to the others. However, we often make the mistake of overemphasizing and exaggerating certain aspects of the fivefold ministry, forgetting to understand its role and purpose for the greater expression of faith. As a result, believers and churches tend to undervalue the fivefold gifts of Christ.

A church with a strong teaching focus but a weak evangelistic emphasis produces biblically sound believers but not new ones. A church with a strong evangelistic focus but inadequate pastoral and teaching emphasis result in spiritual babies without strong and resilient sons and daughters of God. A church with a strong pastoral focus but a weak prophetic presence leads to ineffective presence in the community.

If we do not have a healthy fivefold ministry functioning in the body of believers, we will remain spiritually anaemic and vulnerable to many spiritual problems. In other words, we all missed out on what Christ has intended for us when His fivefold ministry is not completely expressed and nurtured.