How should we understand how 5 fold ministry gifts of Ephesians 4:11 work? Well, have you ever thought about voices? Scientists have realised that fingerprints are not the only unique thing about a person – voices are, as well.
There are number of factors that contribute towards this. The size of your voice box, thickness of your vocal chords, length and width of your throat, size and shape of your mouth, size, shape and positioning of your tongue, and even your sinus passages, all play a role in how your voice sounds. And because all of that is different for everyone, all our voices are different.
Each of these tiny changes (and more!) are going to create a little bit of variance in the sounds that we make. And when you put that together with the fact that we speak many different languages that all have certain sounds, inflections, accents, and emphases, there are an uncountable amount of possible combinations that give each of us a unique voice.
If this is the case in the physical realm, then why wouldn’t it be the case in the spiritual realm with 5 fold ministry gifts?
It’s over-simplistic to say there are just five voices – an apostolic voice, a prophetic voice, and so on. The reality is that there are many different types of apostolic voice, prophetic voice, evangelistic voice….. etc. Many things affect our ‘spiritual’ voice – primary expression, secondary expression, personality, giftedness, strengths, passions, preferences, priorities, level of authority, audience, background, education – both formal and informal, personal history…. and so on. But there are some common traits I’ve observed with the fivefold voices that I want to list, with the understanding that there are further nuances to them and no two apostolic voices, for example, will sound exactly the same. Yes, there may be similarities. But they won’t be identical.
So what does each voice ‘sound’ like at its base? These are the traits you can use to work out what 5 fold ministry gift or expression someone may be strongest in.
The voice of the apostolic 5 fold ministry gift looks to CATALYSE others into action
- Visionary
- Strategic
- Results and goal-orientated
- Problem-solving
- Future-orientated
- At its best, looks to pioneer and reform
- At its worst, can be domineering and driven
The prophetic voice looks to ALIGN others with the big picture
- Questions and challenges
- Champions integrity
- Single-minded
- Insightful
- Future orientated
- At its best, looks to encourage and challenge
- At its worst, can be critical and judgemental
The voice of the evangelistic 5 fold ministry gift looks to PERSUADE others to join the cause
- Builds connections
- Attracts others
- Inspiring
- Passionate about their cause
- Future orientated
- At its best, looks to present and proclaim
- At its worst, can be insincere and superficial
The pastoral voice looks to NURTURE others to health and wholeness
- People orientated
- Wants unity and harmony
- Empathic and sensitive
- Wants authentic and deep relationship
- Present orientated
- At its best, looks to guide and guard
- At its worst, can be passive-aggressive and conflict-averse
The voice of the teaching 5 fold ministry gift looks to DEVELOP others into understanding
- Truth orientated
- Logical and questioning
- Values data and evidence
- Seeks order and routine
- Present orientated
- At its best, looks to inform and educate
- At its worst, can be blinkered and risk-averse
As you can see, each voice brings something different so each is valuable. All 5 fold ministry gifts have their positives and negatives. When you consider the nuances of the individuals concerned, and the diversity that comes with them, you can see that the fivefold voices around are plentiful and enough for any situation!
This post is part of a series looking at 5 fold ministry and APEST. You can discover your own 5 fold voice by clicking HERE, and read the other series parts here:
- What Is The 5 Fold Ministry?
- Understanding 5 Fold Ministry Gifts
- What Is APEST?
- APEST Assessment: Discover Your Unique Ministry Style
