DEFINING FIVE-FOLD
MINISTRIES
By Apostle Richard
Wright
“So then you are no longer strangers and
aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's
household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the
whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in
the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of
God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)
For quite some time now I have been asking,
“where are the true five-fold evangelists today? Where are the true
pastors and teachers since we have been told that they were restored
to the Church years ago?” Our contemporary understanding of the
dispensations of the five-fold ministry offices has been:
• The 1950s: The office of evangelist was
restored
• The 1960s: The office of pastor was restored
• The 1970s: The office of teacher was restored
• The 1980s: The office of prophet was restored
• The 1990s: The office of apostle was restored
The Church (those who believe that five-fold
ministries are scriptural) appears to have a better understanding of
the prophet and apostle than they do the other three. We have more
definitions of apostle and prophet than all the others. This could be
due to the fact that they have been around so long that we thought we
had all the answers in defining the pastor, the teacher and the
evangelist.
As more and more time goes by and as the
apostolic ministry is becoming more clearly defined in the Church, it
is becoming more evident that we need new definitions of the others. I
offer the following thoughts on this matter:
Since we are told in Ephesians 2 that the
foundations of God’s household are apostles and prophets, we can
begin to see that there could not be a clear definition of evangelist,
pastor and teacher until the apostles and prophets were fully
restored. Many times we tend to say we believe something simply
because we see it in scripture, but it takes more understanding of the
ways of God than merely reading and implementing something in the
Bible.
I have been around people who for years now
have boldly stated that they believed that the five ministries of
Ephesians 4:11 have been restored. After listening to them for some
time, I began to look for the evidences of this, finding that it was
just all talk and no practice. I now realize that was not their fault,
but that it was before the time God had in mind.
1 Corinthians 12:28 says, “And God has
appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third
teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps,
administration, various kinds of tongues.” I have always heard
the explanation of this scripture as meaning “... the first shall be
last, etc.” and Matthew 20:16 was quoted. If you will go back and
reexamine Matthew 20:16, I believe that you will agree with me that
this verse is not speaking of the full restoration of the five
ministries of Ephesians 4:11.
I believe that what has happened is that
there was an awareness of the evangelist in the 50s; an awareness of
the pastor in the 60s; an awareness of the teacher in the 70s, etc. We
cannot have a full reformation of the three that we have come to
recognize so well until the two who must lay the foundation are fully
restored. In other words, if the building has not had proper
foundations, we must tear it down and rebuild (reformation) from the
foundation up!
When the true definitions of the five-fold
offices come, they will come from the governmental office of the
apostle. These definitions will not come from the religion of man, nor
from the mind of man, but from the very Spirit of God through
revelation. These definitions will surprise many and many will reject
them because of an unwillingness to change.
What will we do with the people that the
evangelist brings in if there’s no one to father and mother them?
What will the teachers have to build on if there have been no
foundations laid first? How will the pastor keep his sheep stable and
grounded if governmental authority has not yet been established?
All you have to do is look at the universal
Church and see what I am speaking about. Read all the new publications
that are being printed about the five-fold offices and ask yourself if
God is a God of confusion. There must be fathers and mothers first
before there can be the birthing of sons and daughters. We need all
five ministries in the Church, but we need them functioning as Jesus
ordained them to function. All five ministries must be apostolic in
the governing of their anointings and in their presentation of the
gospel of the Kingdom.
What a day it will be soon, when the five
ministries given by Jesus to His Church will be walking together as
the team they were designed to be...each functioning in their
anointing and all working together to bring the saints into unity and
maturity. A Church in all its glory is a Church that looks just like
Jesus!
In His Covenant Love,
Apostle Richard
