Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (NIV)

Were I to say that I’m God’s gift to the church, I might be accused of being full of myself. That might be right (I hope not), or I might just be reflecting Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:11. This passage is one of the most important about the selection, nature, and purpose of leaders in the church.

In my experience, most churches, when looking to appoint elders and/or deacons, look at 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and call it a day. Various means are used to appoint new leaders, except the one in those passages where the evangelist (Timothy or Titus), selects and ordains them. Instead, nominations are received and presented to the church, who may object or vote for the nominees.

What this modern Western approach largely misses is the LORD’s (Father, Son, and Spirit) role and purpose in providing leaders for His people. Leadership in the church is charismatic, that is, it is based on gifts and calling. Paul draws from Psalm 68. It is a Psalm of rejoicing in God’s victory and purpose in making His dwelling among His people in Mount Zion. Part of that Psalm says:

“18 When you ascended on high,

you took many captives;

you received gifts from people,

even from the rebellious—

that you, Lord God, might dwell there.” (NIV)

Paul changed “received” to “gave,” but didn’t change the basic meaning of the Psalm. Jesus the ascended Messiah, as with the LORD in the Exodus, conquered. He then gave the gifts of leaders in order to make His dwelling in His church.

His gifts were people, not offices that selected people fill. Those people-gifts were:

Apostles (Those sent out under the authority of the Sender. The term is often used to describe people beyond the 12 and Paul.)(1)
Prophets (Those who speak forth the Word, which may or may not include predictive elements)
Evangelists (Messengers of Good News)
Pastors and Teachers (These are grammatically tied together, and are likely the same folks with two related functions—Shepherds who Teach)

It has commonly been assumed that the first two groups were only for laying the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20) but were not enduring “offices.” First, Paul does not say that here. Instead, he speaks of all groups together, with no distinction between temporary and permanent. Second, he is speaking of people, not church offices. I think that such discussions miss Paul’s point.

That point is that our leaders are, in fact, God’s gifts to the church! What is needed is not some democratic process to appoint them, but spiritual discernment to recognize and ordain them.(2) In this, prayer, serious and expectant prayer, is needed by all. What is also crucially needed is deep gratitude for them. It is first a gratitude for Christ who gave them to us, and second gratitude expressed to such leaders for embracing this gifted calling.

Next week, I will discuss the vital purpose to which our gifted-leaders are called.

Tim Kelley

(1) lit., "one sent forth" (apo, "from," stello, "to send"). "The word is used of the Lord Jesus to describe His relation to God, Heb 3:1; see John 17:3. The twelve disciples chosen by the Lord for special training were so called, Luke 6:13; 9:10. Paul … was commissioned directly, by the Lord Himself, after His Ascension, to carry the gospel to the Gentiles.

"The word has also a wider reference. In Acts 14:4,14, it is used of Barnabas as well as of Paul; in Rom 16:7 of Andronicus and Junias [actually a woman’s name “Junia” TK]. In 2 Cor 8:23, two unnamed brethren are called 'apostles of the churches'; in Phil 2:25 Epaphroditus is referred to as 'your apostle.' It is used in 1 Thess 2:6 of Paul, Silas and Timothy, to define their relation to Christ."

(2) Although “appoint” and “ordain” are often interchangeable, “ordain,” in our common usage, more often carries with it the idea of God’s will over against a merely, human appointment.