Five-fold ministry is not new; in fact it goes back to the inception of the Church. When Jesus ascended he gave gifts to men (Eph 4:8), and those gifts (or ministries as the root word implies) were the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher (Eph 4:11); also known as the five-fold ministry.
For all my life I have heard people speak of five-fold ministry in the context of ministry position; as titles bestowed on individuals. Men, and women, are known as Pastor so and so, Evangelist what's his name, Prophetess this and that, Apostle whoever, Teacher whatever, as if that is the only role they play in ministry. I have even heard ministers make statements like, "I could never be a pastor; I don't have the heart for it". Or they say things like, "I'm not a preacher; I'm more of a teacher". It is as if we have compartmentalized ministry; viewing ourselves as an Evangelist, Prophet, Pastor, Teacher or Apostle, rather than a "MINISTER".
God never intended for us to separate the ministry responsibilities. They are five-fold. That means that ministry itself is composed of all five areas. The purpose of a minister is to make disciples. The Great Commission is a command from God to go out find the lost and develop them into mature Christians. To do this requires the minsiter to function in all five areas of ministry. It requires us to be an Evangelist to share the gospel with the Non-Christian and get them saved. it requires us to function as a Prophet to the Carnal (immature) Christian and points them to the Word of God in order to bring them into obedience to God. The Pastor must nourish, nurtur and protect the growing Christian while they mature. As a teacher we teach the maturing Christian how to minister to others. And in the role of Apostle we bless the ready Christian to perform ministry. If any of these five areas of ministry are neglected then the individual cannot progress to their fullness, and we cannot fulfill the Great Commission.
It is because of this compartmentalized view of ministry that people jump from church to church. They get saved in a church where the minister sees himself as an Evangelist, but is overcome by the emptiness of their relationship with God. This causes them to seek out another leader who functions as a prophet, pointing people to the word and telling them what God expects from them. But again they grow discouraged because while they know what they should be doing, but their spirit is so weak that they can't do what they know to do. If they don't give up, they again are driven to seek out another minister. This time it is a pastor who will feed them and care for them and protect them. Here they will find relief and satisfaction in sitting and eating each week, but still they can't fulfill God's plan in their life. They require someone who will challenge them, stretch them; they need a teacher. The teacher recognizes the potential in the person and begins to draw it out and develop it. However if the training is ongoing, and opportunity is never presented the person will grow disillusioned by the lack of fulfillment. This requires the ministry of the Apostle.
As ministers we must begin to see ourselves functioning in all five areas of ministry, and not just the area for which we wear a title. To do so is to neglect 4/5 of the people God has placed in my life. If I am a pastor only, then only the growing Christians will benefit from my ministry. The others will never progress beyond where they are; the non-Christian will never get saved, the immature will never grow; the mature will never learn, and the ready will never fulfill their ministry. It is ineffective to have to schedule other ministers to come and minister in the areas we cannot, or will not. We must begin to see ourselves as five-fold ministers (one minister responsible for five areas of ministry).
