What Is It?
I believe that the five fold ministry must be a team ministry, not individual ministries trying to make up a team. It is five different points of view, five different passions, five different people (apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, evangelist) who are to work together to equip the saints for the works of “service” in Christ-like unity. It cannot be five different individuals with five different agendas, for the results of this relationship will surely bring disaster and hurt to the Body of Christ. I truly believe that this paradigm may be the wave of the future for the Church, a totally different mind set, but there are several things that must occur in order for this team to ever be united or effective. I will mention them here, but go into more detail on these points in future blogs.
In order to teach, develop, and establish the principle of “service” rather than control, each of the five fold must learn to “serve” one another as well as being “served” by the others. This will develop a system of accountability never seen before by the Church. Because of their different passions and points of view, they can bring accountability to one who may stray from their own passion and minister to them through love and service to free them in Christ.
Each member of the five fold team will have to face a different mind set of the cross. John 3:16 defines their personal relationship vertically with the Godhead while I John 3:16 defines their personal relationships horizontally with one another. Jesus laid his life down for us (John 3:16); are we willing to lay down our life for our brethren (I John 3:16). What does it actually mean to “lay down our life for our brethren”? We will look at this key principle in more depth in future blogs too.
Each member individually as well as the team will have to always seek “the heart of the Father” in all matters, listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and be obedient to what they have seen and heard. This modeled by Jesus himself produced effective ministry. That model must again be instilled in the Church. This will be the process of how the team will lead through service. They will have to teach and exhibit forgiveness in its purest form, which will take away the blame game and divisiveness and division that currently exists in the Body of Christ.
Can there be actually unity in the Body of Christ? Yes! But, I believe, it will take a radical different mind set towards ministry based on the priesthood of believers, the freeing, equipping, and releasing of each believer in Jesus Christ, not just the professional leadership as been the history of the Church over the last century. The Groom, Jesus Christ, is getting ready to return for His Bride, the Church, that is to be without “spot or wrinkle”. I believe that this five fold model may be an instrument to bring unity, maturity, and Christ-likeness back into the Church.