What are the fivefold ministries? When we hear that term, I’m sure many things spring to mind. If you are sceptical, horror stories, caricatures, questionable theology and practice may spring to mind. I understand why people have been burned over the years by immoral TV evangelists, apostles who make millions and millions, and prophets speaking out prophecies that clearly fail to pass. But I want to plead with you to not let some high-profile bad examples dictate your viewpoint. Instead, I want to use scripture and sense to show why the fivefold ministries matters to you.
A good place to check-in with is my article HERE which explains the purpose of fivefold ministries. It also links to other articles looking at each of the ‘offices’ – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher – unpacking what they do and how they serve the church. Or what they should do!
In short, as Ephesians 4:11-12 says, Jesus gave these five roles to the church not to be celebrity Christians, but to be the servants of all, equipping and preparing the church to do what it is meant to do.
This means that each fivefold office should help us do what they do in the places God has placed us. So apostles help us be apostolic. Prophets help us be prophetic. Evangelists help us be evangelistic. And so on. So it’s essential we have an understanding of what each office does, and how that shapes what we do.
That doesn’t mean that we are all apostles, prophets, and so on. Being apostolic doesn’t make you an apostle in the same way that filling your car up with fuel doesn’t make you a mechanic. The following chart may help how I see this:
Fivefold Ministries, Expressions, Gifts, and Offices
God created us in His own image, according to Genesis. We see in the Creation story that God makes things happen (apostolic), declares His will (prophetic), tells humanity who He truly is (evangelistic), nurtures the man and woman (pastoral) and instructs them (teaching). So each of the fivefold is inherent in the nature of God, and as we are in His image, they are all in us as well in a kernel form. We will have ones we are stronger or more natural in, but we have capacity for all five. This is what I call the expression. Those with strong expressions could be said to have gifts – prophecy, or teaching, for example. Those with gifts who have learned how to develop and harness them consistently, and are recognised by others can be said to have a fivefold ministry. Finally, those who have fivefold ministries that are a blessing a church and discipling and equipping others could be said to have an fivefold office. Some people with offices may be impacting a church, or a region, or a nation, or even the whole world. Billy Graham, for example, was clearly an Evangelist with a global influence.
So what are the five? Let’s use a human hand to clarify the roles.
Fivefold Ministries: Apostolic – the thumb
The thumb helps us grip and grasp objects. It also touches all the other fingers. In that sense, the apostolic makes things happen. It touches the other roles with a direction and catalysing impact on them, spurring them into action. It is an expression of pioneering, reforming, and innovating.
The Prophetic: the index finger
The index finger points the way, which is the same as the prophetic. The prophetic reveals the heart and mind of God and calls people to line up with that, whether that is through encouragement and bringing of hope and comfort, or using challenge and provocation to see repentance and change. Sometimes the may bring foresight of the future, or insight and discernment into the spiritual reality of the present. But the prophetic is actually less about knowing the future, and more about seeing people see and step into the will of God.
Fivefold Ministries: Evangelistic – the middle finger
Of course, there is the possibility of many jokes here! But the third finger is the longest and extends the furthest, demonstrating the reach of the evangelistic. This expression seeks to reach those who don’t know Christ and make him known, whether thats by proclamation (speaking words) or incarnation (living a lifestyle that attracts others).
The Pastoral: the ring finger
The Romans believed that the ring finger had a vein that ran directly through it straight to the heart – the seat of love – which is why wedding rings traditionally were placed on this finger. Although we now know this isn’t true and no such vein exists, the picture of the pastoral fits. Love, commitment, protection, compassion – these are the hallmarks of the pastoral, which is dedicated to seeing others live healthy and whole in every way. The pastoral guides, guards, provides and nurtures others.
Fivefold Ministries: Teaching – the little finger
The little finger is taken for granted, but is critical to function. Scientists have worked out that if someone loses their little finger, the power of their grip is reduced by 33%! So the little finger brings stability, which is the same as teaching. Developing others with knowledge and training to see them grow, the teaching expression does a lot of unseen work. Much like the little finger, it seems!
So you see, each of us has these five expressions. For some of us, we may even have gifts, ministries, or even offices. The fivefold ministries are just part of our Divine Design. I developed the FiveFold Flow Assessment to help people discover their primary and secondary expression, and how those blend together and shape us. Ultimately, fivefold ministries matters because they gives us an idea of what God may want us to partner with Him in for the advancing of His Kingdom.
You can take the FiveFold Flow Assessment by clicking HERE.
