Functions of the 5Fold Ministries in the Body of Christ: –

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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. (Ephe 4:11-13)

The 5 Fold Pastoral Ministries of the Body of Christ –

Looking at different ways God placed different Ministries all over the world, also looking at the scriptures, different churches and also the Global Body of Christ, we could say that the 5 fold Ministries could be placed in different ways in a local church, ministries and the Global Body of Christ. The Bible said that “so that the Body of Christ”, The Body of Christ could be local church, team, ministries, believers in a village and cities, in nation and the whole Global Body of Christ, we all are one in Christ, the Body of Christ.

Even the word ‘Church’ is used in the same way, some use the Word ‘Church’ to speak of a local church, other used them to speak the Body of Christ in a region, city or the Global Church, which also means the Global Body of Christ. And one of the truth is, “Christ died for all people, and all those who believe in Jesus Christ are children of God, we are one Big family, the family of God, and we all are Christ’s Body parts”.
Even the functions of the 5 fold Ministries in the Body of Christ differ in the Body of Christ, some in local churches, some as a city, some other as a region and others to nation or nations.

For example: The way one teacher function and teaches could be different from another function of teachers. The way one Pastor functions could be different from another Pastor, but with the same pastoral grace.

Some main purposes of the 5 Fold Ministries we find from Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul wrote them really in general and not in details regarding these 5 fold Ministries –

To prepare God’s people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

The 5 Fold Ministries are Called by God, appointed by God, and are sent by God, and those are the Grace of God upon each one of them, they carry that Grace upon their lives –

Let us look at some examples –

Looking at different ministries and international ministries, local ministries that is present today all over the world – Wonderful Teacher of the Word Joyce Meyer Ministries, Reinhard Bonnke Evangelical, Pastor Rick Warren, Senior Prophet of America Bob Jones, Prophet and Apostle Cindy Jacobs, Prophet and Apostle Bill Hamon, Apostle Dr. C. Peter Wagner, Billy Graham Evangelistic Ministries, many local ministries in India, many other ministries around South Asia, America, Africa and other parts of the world. Present Ministries and also churches the Lord is using today all over the world. And also looking at different scriptures in the Bible, and different experiences.

The writings below may not define everything, but these are some clue for how different kinds of functions can be there just in one callings of the 5 fold Ministries, and also according to their different mixtures of callings, motivational gifts, talents, spiritual gifts, and other gifts as we have written in other writings –

The 5Fold Apostles in the Body of Christ –

Apostles are pioneers in a region, city, state, province, nation or nations. According to their different mixtures of callings, talents and gifts, they also might be different, some are called to region for a purpose, some to people group for a purpose, some to plant churches with a vision, discipleships, some to deep villages, some to nation, nations and cities. They push the boundaries of the church, ministries and the Body of Christ to the edge to advance the Kingdom of God as we saw in the early church. They moved with Kingdom Authority and faith being the Ambassadors for Christ, sometimes demonstrations of the Kingdom comes along with this Kingdom Authority (regarding ‘demonstrations’ read our other writings on the categories of “The Apostles” in this same blog) even though they might not have the Spiritual gifts. They are servants of the Most High God, they do not mind to live on the edge advancing the Kingdom of God. In their characters and natures, most apostles i have seen are people of perseverance and trusting God for something impossible to human efforts in the spheres, region or nation God placed them.
According to Ephesians 3:3-5 – the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
So, God used His Holy Apostles and Prophets to make known the mysteries of Christ which were not made known in other generations.

1. Apostles in the local Church with a vision to transform her city or town
2. Apostles in villages working as a Missionary to bring transformation to the areas, village, town or city, to people group or tribe He is sent
3. Apostles in Church Planting, or Church Planting Movement, though not all who plant churches are Apostles, even pastors, evangelist or any other could be the one who plant a church and that is okay. But, Apostles are experts or graced in laying the foundations
4. Apostles Pioneering new Present Truths or Revelations to people group, region, town, city, state or province, or even to a nation or nations. Penetrating, preaching, and teaching with Kingdom Authority and Servant-hood. We find these, Apostles bringing Present Truths all over the world.
5. Apostles Pioneering New Ministries for the Kingdom of God in an area, town, city, region, state, province, nation or even nations which did not exist in those areas before.
6. There could be many other ways new initiatives could be taken, sent by God to be pioneer and to be the Kingdom Ambassador for Him.

The 5Fold Prophets in the Body of Christ:

There are also many types of Prophets, they differ from one to another, but also have some common functions. They have a deep relationship with God, and they desire to see the Body of Christ hearing the voice of God, those are some main general points. They also have the grace to be persistent becaus

According to Ephesians 3:3-5 – the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
So, God used His Holy Apostles and Prophets to make known the mysteries of Christ which were not made known in other generations.

1. Local church Prophets
2. Prophets to the City, nation or nations
3. Prophetic team
4. Prophetic Ministries
5. Prophets in Music, Arts and so on
6. Prophets who trained people in the prophetic
7. Prophets to the Government and Churches
8. Prophets whose main works are to train the Body of Christ in Hearing the Voice of God and Prophecies
9. There could be more then these, these are just some examples

The 5Fold Evangelists in the Body of Christ:

Their main heart is to reach out to the lost souls; they are consumed after the lost. They have the Grace to draw the lost people to Christ. Many evangelist has the grace to gather the lost and bring them to the Kingdom of God.

1. Local church Evangelist
2. Evangelist Missionaries
3. Traveling Evangelists, they can be in a region, nation or nations
4. Evangelistic team
5. Evangelistic Ministries
6. Television Evangelist
7. Media Evangelist
8. Evangelists in Work place with the main purpose of Evangelism, sometimes evangelism are not always possible, so people went to work just for the purpose to make rooms for evangelism.
9. Healing Evangelists
10. There can be many more creative ways
11. And others..

The 5 fold Pastors in the Body of Christ:

They love and care for their sheep, knows them intimately, they are relational, they are good for building relationships with one another. They care for families and family relationships, they give counseling to families and to people, and they are friendly and easily relatable. Those are some of the main Grace we can write from a Pastoral Ministries functions.

1. Pastor of a local Church
2. Looking at the functions of a Pastoral Ministries and the needs just in one church, there could be needs for many pastors in one church, especially in Big Churches, some churches have youth pastors, and different other pastors who worked in full time.
3. City Pastors, who have a pastoral ministries inside the city, eg. Centers for Counseling and dealing with the wounds of people in the city.
4. People who have or worked in a rehabilitation centers, who love and cares for the people they served, knows them intimately and have a good relationship with them, who listens and give good counseling to them, help to heal the inner wounds of people, many people especially around the NE India who stayed in the rehabilitation centers are already born again in some parts of their lives, it could also be in many parts of the world, especially in the lands of Christians, but they need a pastoral care and counseling, they didn’t receive a good pastoral care and counseling. We can call these people Pastors, because many of their works described pastoral ministries. For some people it might be hard to call them pastors, because in many places the way we knows pastor is someone who stands on the pulpit and preach, or someone who look after a church. But, these people who worked in a rehabilitation centers and give counseling to them, cares for them, knows them intimately, served them, love them as a good Shepherd, they did a good pastoral works, from their works we could also call them Pastors because of many cases, or Pastoral Evangelist, or Evangelist Pastor. Though Callings among the drug addicts and prostitutes does not mean a pastoral ministries, but they knows them intimately, care for them, have good relationship and friendship with them, gives counsels to them, served them, those are parts of the Pastoral Ministries.
5. People whose main works are to train others in family counseling, train couples and families, who taught about the importance of families and also counsel them, they teach and train others on relationships in a family and couples, kids and parents.

The 5 Fold Teachers in the Body of Christ:

They have the grace to study the Word of God in details and more systematic ways, they also have the Grace to receive revelations of the Words of God as they study the Word of God. They have the Grace to explain the word of God briefly in an understandable ways, and are patient to teach the Word of God.

1. Teachers in a local church
2. A teacher of the Word in a class room settings having students
3. A travelling teacher, whose main works are traveling to different training places to teach the words of God, or organizing different events in different places to teach the Words of God.
4. A teacher through television and media
5. A teacher through writing books for the Body of Christ, having their main works in studying the Word of God and writing books with their studies and revelations they received from God.
6. There could be some other ways of teaching the Words of God as well, for example – youtube, facebook and other things.

Conclusion: –

Everyone in the 5 fold Ministries are called to servant-hood. Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be Great among you must be servants of all”. So, one of the Greatness in the Kingdom is servant-hood, having a humble heart and a servant heart, sometimes servant-hood is about transparency, other times humbleness and not false humility, but a heart to serve others with the graces given.

The 5 fold Ministries carry the Grace given to them wherever they go in the whole world. A teacher always have that grace to teach anywhere he goes, an evangelist always have the Grace to reach the lost wherever he goes, so is with the Prophets, Apostles and Pastors. ‘Grace’ here is the ability given by God to do what is impossible only with human efforts, but with the Supernatural.

A Teacher of the Word might be teaching in their classroom, land or country, but it may not be wise to just teach everywhere unless he is invited by others, or a door is opened for him by God directly in some other ways. But, the Graces and authority upon them itself is always upon them wherever they go in this world, as long as they are with God. So, is with the Apostles and Prophets, they always carry their authority everywhere, and the graces upon them is always there everywhere, even for emergencies, situations and circumstances, and for different other things, and it will also be part of their lifestyle. It is somehow similar with a driver who drives a car, just as a driver can always drive cars everywhere he goes, but he will need to borrow a car or rent a friend’s car to drive in other countries or places. So, similarly, it may not always be wise to use those graces and authority placed upon them everywhere, unless there is an opportunity opened for him or her, and will required servant-hood, some wisdom and discernment from God as well. Wisdom and Servant-hood are one part that will be important here in serving one another and working with one another.
And on the other hand, we must also be prepared and ready to minister and be a blessings wherever we are, for Christ and His Kingdom.

Last of all, everyone can pioneer or advance the Kingdom of God, and everyone are to be part of advancing the Kingdom of God. Everyone can prophesy, see visions and dreams, can get deeper into the things of God, can do prophetic actions, and are to have a good relationship with God, and everyone can do evangelism, and can see lost souls saved, and bring the lost souls into the Kingdom of God. Everyone can care for the sick, build good families, build good friends and help others in counseling other people who are in wounds. Everyone can study and also teach the word of God with revelations from the Bible. But, there are also graces given to different people in the Body of Christ, because God created us to help and serve one another in the Body of Christ.

– David Chawngthu