The church has been endowed with different ministries by Jesus. “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his 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 (Ephesians 4:11-13). The purpose of the different ministries as seen above is to equip or prepare the church for service and build up the church to attain unity and knowledge of Christ. These processes are ultimately to raise up a church that is mature and Christlike. 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 (Ephesians 4:13). Thus, the reason we have different ministries in the church is for Christlikeness. The apostle plants or establishes the church. The prophet gives the mind of God to the church. The evangelist preaches the message that wins souls for the church. The pastor shepherds the church by leading the way. The teacher teaches the truth of God’s word to the church. In most churches, it is possible to find a minister who demonstrates all these ministries. Important to note is that different churches use different names for the ministries. Most importantly, every child of God has a ministry. You don’t need a position to be fully operational in your ministry. From your home, you can be the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor or the teacher. You don’t need a pulpit to operate. Imagine if every Christian home provides the nurturing environment for Christlikeness, the world would be a better place. If Christians outnumber the members of other religious groups, why then can’t we influence the world positively? As Paul stated, these ministries are to equip the church for works of service. This begins at the homes. Your home is your first ministry ground. No wonder Paul noted that an overseer/bishop/elder/church leader etc. “must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church? (1 Timothy 3:4-5). Remember, the reason for the ministries in the church is not to buy better properties, or make the church popular. The ministries are to work together to equip the church into Christlikeness. If we want to spend eternity with Jesus Christ, then we must learn to be like Him now!
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