Ephesians 4:11 11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
This statement is built on the sovereign grace of Christ that Paul has just highlighted in the previous verses. This grace is the foundation for all the exhortations Paul gives in the second half of the letter. The underlying theme is the unity of the church and being worthy of the calling to live as transformed people in Christ. To help the church be unified by the sanctification of individuals within the church, Christ set aside people to train up the rest of the body with the goal of being complete and perfect in him.
Verse 11 begins with an emphatic he himself gave, referring back to Christ of v. 7. Paul lists five types of leaders in the church who will be instruments of the grace of Christ. There has been much debate and discussion on what these mean, especially for contemporary churches. We have to be careful that we are not anachronistic by reading older ideas back onto the situation of the early church.
Christ gave the church apostles. There are two ways to interpret the word apostolos. Broadly, the word is made of two parts, “send” and “out.” An apostle is someone sent out on a mission. In today’s terms, we might use the word “missionary.” Jesus commissioned a select group of disciples to be apostles whom he sent out a special mission. This mission included authority to use Jesus’ name to perform great deeds and miracles. The early church recognized these selected leaders as authorities to preserve orthodox teaching. Paul considered himself one of these more limited and focused “apostles.” Paul is not clear enough here about which of these meanings he intends; either one fits. Since he is writing in general terms about the “church,” a broader interpretation fits. God has given the church in general and local churches people who serve as missionaries who are sent out to proclaim the gospel. They take the authority of Jesus with them as long as they preach the true gospel.
Prophets are those who “speak forth” (prophētēs) the truth of the gospel. The popular way of interpreting this word is as a “fore telling” of future events. This may be part of it but in the early church, prophecy was clearly speaking the gospel so that people were confronted with a decision to accept Jesus as the Messiah and Savior. Paul helps define prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14. Prophets receive special revelation from God that they must tell to the church. This often involves a call to repentance and revival. This may include warnings and promises of hope, like in the Old Testament prophets (Jeremiah 1:10).
Evangelists are literally those who “speak forth the good news” (euangelistēs). Their ministry is especially focused on proclamation of the gospel. They share what Jesus as done for people and call them to decision. Their role is similar to prophets, but prophets would be more for God’s people and evangelists more for non-believers. In today’s understanding, evangelism is often understood as being on the front line of sharing the gospel.
Shepherds are those given the responsibility of the spiritual care of the people of God. A shepherd (poimēn) is translated today as a “pastor” (related to the English word “pasture”). A pastor has the responsibility to make sure that the flock of God, the people of the church, are safe, secure, and spiritually nourished. This may include preaching and teaching the gospel, visitation to make sure that all is well or to offer counseling in difficult times, and prayer in behalf of the people. Pastors may also be involved in some of the other areas which Paul lists here.
Teachers (didaskalos) explain the gospel in clear terms so that it can be applied to different situations of life. A teacher makes complexities simple to understand and finds applications of ancient truths for new situations. Teaching involves the three key areas of being (character transformation), knowing (development of understanding), and doing (skills development in real life). The best teachers are those who model what they teach.
Many of these words overlap in their meaning. The New Testament does not give many descriptions of any “office” or “job description” of these. This would caution us from distinguishing them too much or forcing people today into one of these areas. A person may be called and gifted in several of these areas. The main point that Paul is making is that the church has been equipped with everything necessary to grow into the united people of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
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