If I asked you where you could find references to the five fold ministry in the Bible, I’m sure you’d refer me to Ephesians 4:11-12. Perhaps you’d point out scriptures showing Jesus or his followers functioning in those roles. And you’d be correct. But what if I told you that the fivefold ministry actually has its roots in the opening story of the scriptures?
Right at the beginning of Genesis, in the very act of Creation, we are told in Genesis 1:26-27 that humanity was made ‘in the image of God’. Genesis 1–3 shows us what this God is like, providing insight into his heart, character, and ways. Among the many insights into the nature of God we get, I want to focus on five for now.
The Five Fold Is Seen In Eden
The first aspect I notice is that after God creates the Earth, he plants a garden on it that is intended to be where He will walk with his children – His domain, if you like. This garden seems different to the rest of the Earth, so you have the Earth with Eden and other parts of it ‘Not-Eden’. God commands humanity to reproduce, and to rule the earth and all that is within it. A big-picture strategy is given to humanity – directions for life and action. So we see God as one who catalyses and guides others into action.
The second aspect I notice is that God speaks things in line with His desires and will. The divine word brings forth the sun, and the sea, and life, and all manner of things – in fact, everything. And God says it is good. So what He has spoken out and called forth is in line with his will. He brings things into their proper place as it pleases Him. We see God as a God who aligns things into divine order.
The third aspect is that God doesn’t hide Himself from the man and the woman, but he reveals Himself. He wants them to know who He is. He wants them to know He is their creator, their sustainer, their king, the one who walks in the garden with them…. But more than that, He wants them to know that He is good. We see God as one who persuades humanity through action and speech of who He truly is.
The fourth aspect is that God provides for every living thing, especially the man and woman. Scripture tells us in Genesis 1:29 that God gives them food – every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth, and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. God cared for His creation because He is God as one who nurtures and provides for his family.
The fifth and final aspect I want to draw our attention to is straightforward. God instructed the man and the woman. He told them where to go, and where not to go. What to do, and what not do. Eat this, don’t eat that. He gave them roles and tasks. Instructing them in all they should do, to see them grow healthily. He shares the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ but also the ‘why’. We can see that God is a God who teaches and develops others. Let’s look over those five fold ministry aspects we see in the Bible again:
There is an interesting parallel here. Notice the five functions, and how they contrast with the five fold ministry in the Bible. God is the God who catalyses… which is the essence of the apostolic function. He aligns things with his will, which is the function of the prophetic. Persuading others who He truly is, we can say that the evangelistic function. The pastoral function is shown by God being one who nurtures, and His developing showcases the teaching function:
Five Fold Ministry Is In The Bible, Not Just The New Testament
Each of the fivefold functions is inherent in the nature of God, even in Genesis. The concepts behind the fivefold ministry are not something that originated in New Testament thinking, even if the clearest articulation of them are located in places like Ephesians 4. They are rooted in the character of God. And as we consider God throughout the divine story of scripture, we see many occasions when He catalyses and sends… when He speaks and aligns… when He reveals and persuades… when He nurtures and cares… and when He teaches and guides.
All good theology is rooted in the first three chapters of Genesis 3. Which means that these five expressions being demonstrated in the heart and character of God in Genesis has significant implications for us. The five fold ministry in the Bible isn’t just a New Testament or Pauline idea. It’s a Bible idea.
This idea of the fivefold should not only shape how we see God, but how see ourselves and each others. Because we are made in His image. Those five functions are five functions all humanity has hardwired into their DNA.
Imagine the revolution that could happen in our churches if people understood what that meant for their own ministries, workplaces, and relationships.
I’ve developed a FREE FiveFold Flow Assessment designed to help people discover their primary and secondary fivefold expressions. You can find out more HERE.
