Should the fivefold ministry be restored?

What do you think about the fivefold ministry? Is it something to be restored, as some people are saying?

Ephesians 4:11 – And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.

My understanding of this verse, from reading people who are proficient in New Testament Greek, is that it actually describes four offices, not five. It describes the offices of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers as one unit. So, I get a little bit annoyed with anybody who uses the term fivefold ministry, because it’s an immediate tip off to me that you’re not doing your homework. Maybe you’re just repeating some propaganda, but you haven’t really looked through the issue carefully for yourself. Grammatically, this verse describes four offices, not five.

Secondly, I don’t think this verse is implying the idea that each individual congregation should have its own apostle, its own prophet, its own evangelist, and its own pastor/teacher. Instead, it tells us very straightforwardly that God gave these gifted offices to the Church for the maturing of the saints. The Bible tells us plainly in the same letter that the offices of apostles and prophets are given to the Church in a foundational sense (see Ephesians 2:20). The Church today does not have apostles or prophets in the first century New Testament sense. In that foundational New Testament sense, no prophet is going to come forth today, bringing forth Scripture for the entire Church. Now, maybe there would be a valid communication from God for a particular individual or particular congregation at a particular point. But there will not be something that’s universal like the word of God.

We already have a message from the apostles and prophets, and it is God’s word. The Bible is the message from the apostles and prophets. If you want a church that is founded on the apostles and prophets, you need to stick close to God’s Word. Doing so fulfills anything having to do with fivefold ministry.

My personal observation is that no one claims or receives the title of apostle or prophet without getting weird. It’s just inescapable. I believe if God was appointing apostles and prophets today, they would have the wisdom and discernment never to take that title upon themselves, because it’s inescapably weird. What does it do to our relationship if I introduce myself, “Hi, I’m David Guzik,” or even, “I’m Pastor David Guzik,” or “I’m apostle David Guzik,” or “I’m preacher David Guzik,” or “I’m prophet David Guzik”? It just makes things weird. I’m not big on the promotion of these offices today.