One of the distinctive features of the global movement that we are aligned with is the affirmation that the five fold ministry gifts that Paul lists in Ephesians 4:11 reflect God's intention for the Church today. Together with the offices of Bishop, Elder, and Deacon identified in Scripture are the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher. These five "ascension gifts" may best be regarded as "government gifts" in the church.
Over the centuries of ecclesiastical hierarchy there has emerged in the Church a variation of forms and titles. The original intent, as it appears in Ephesians, seems to have been largely lost until the global resurgence of Apostles and Prophets in the last 20 years or so. The offices of Pastor, Teacher, and Evangelist have continued more or less the same, but the Apostle and Prophet faded in official recognition. The result has been an uncertainty in the Church of who Apostles and Prophets are and what they are supposed to do. The answers are being sorted out more and more simply by watching what the Holy Spirit is doing and how the diversity of their anointings interact in the Church and in the world. The hesitancy regarding authenticity often expressed by ceasationists can be addressed by identifying in the individual the essential virtue of humility. Those who clamor for title recognition may lack the humility factor that lends to the credibility essential for effective leadership.
One of the important issues for today's Church is to recognize first, that gifts and offices of Apostle and Prophet do exist and are resident within people all around us. Secondly, to foster the expression of these gifts, providing opportunities to understand and grow in them. Thirdly, to facilitate their alignment in the context of the Church. Five-fold ministry training should be a part of every church. Our vision is to make this a deliberate process that raises up, and sends those out who have discovered their unique calling in the five-fold ministries.
Understanding your giftings brings direction and peace in ministry. A personal example from my own experience may be instructive. For many years as a pastor I was frustrated by certain tendencies in my approach to pastoring that seemed deficient compared to many of my colleagues and with what I considered to be the way it should be done. During the years when I was studying among many Apostles and Prophets at the Wagner Leadership Institute, they began to identify within me an apostolic anointing. As I learned about some of the typical features characteristic in the ministry of the Apostle, a "light came on". I came to understand that what I perceived as weakness as a pastor were apostolic tendencies expressed in my approach to ministry. This revelation gave me great freedom to minister in new dimensions.
My heart is to facilitate similar revelations in others and to nurture their expression so that the Body of Christ can be built up. (Ephesians 4:12)
