Ministry
Jesus asked who was greater, the diner at the restaurant table or the waiter? The answer is, of course, the diner. The waiter is there to serve or minister.
A true minister of God is called to prepare and deliver a spiritual meal to the congregation each service. This is for the spiritual growth and health of God’s people. The congregation are the diners.
But there are different ministries and they operate in different ways. The Bible lists five; Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist and Teacher.
An apostle is a missionary, one who goes where the Christian message is unknown, converts people, and starts new churches.
A prophet speaks God’s Word. Occasionally he is a major prophet like a Moses or Elijah, but mostly he is a spirit filled preacher, able to inspire people by revealing God’s Word for today.
Pastors are the head of the local church. They are the shepherd, or bishop, of the local flock. While other ministries will often be away from their home church working for God’s kingdom, the Pastor stays at his church nearly all the time. He ensures that the local part of God’s kingdom is spiritually fed, healthy, and maturing. There is no higher office in the local church. There is also no Biblical authority for any management level above the local church or local pastor.
An evangelist will shake your faith and confidence. His calling is to correct and convict with the aim of eradicating error and revealing faults. This brings the congregation back to the cross and up to a closer relationship with Christ. He is like a strong wind shaking a tree, loosening the roots a little so they will go deeper and become stronger.
And the final ministry is the teacher. He explains things. He focuses on building up and encouraging God’s people by adding spiritual understanding of the Bible.
A final word on ministers: they must be called of God. If a man is called to be a Pastor then God will provide the congregation, if a teacher then God will provide the students. There is no need of any overarching management structure. A minister must be called and led by the spirit of God, and he must preach the Word of God from the Bible. Then the people of God will respond.