The material which was originally found on this page has become the seed of one chapter of a soon-to-be-released book:
Stephens, Lauston and Ian Johnson, Our Oneness in Christ (PublishAmerica, 2007).
NOTICE: Our Oneness in Christ is now in its first printing, as of December 26, 2006, and is scheduled for formal release on February 26, 2007. Click on the image below for a summary of the book and publication details!
Summary of the material once found on this page (now in the book):In the text which originally appeared on this page, Mr. Johnson demonstrated that the five "offices" listed in Ephesians 4:11-13 are not intended to define roles of authority in the Church, nor to limit the "real" work of the Church to the holders of these "offices." Instead, this passage was intended to name five broad classes of people Christ Himself gives to the Church to equip the rest of us to do the real work of the Church.
Mr. Johnson then attempted, using numerous scriptures, to generally define the functions associated with each of these gifts: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Apostles have a special role in establishing order and organization in the Church, and in pioneering missions in new areas. Prophets speak for God, applying His Word and His perspective to the world and particularly to the situation of the Church and other Christians. Evangelists are primarily trainers in evangelism, though they may also preach to crowds. Pastors are shepherds of the flock. Teachers systematize, explain and model the Word.
Since the primary functions associated with each of these roles must still be performed for the church to function, God must still be giving people to the Church to perform them (even if we hesitate, for historical reasons, to apply some of these descriptions to people in the church today). The Church unnecessarily limits its own effectiveness by eliminating or marginalizing all of these roles except that of pastor to keep the other four from interfering with the pastor's authority.
Next Page: Power for Evangelism
The purpose of the spiritual gifts, on another site.
© 2003 Ian B. Johnson
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