Who Does the Work of the Ministry and What Exactly Is It?

1. Who does the work of the ministry?

Ephesians 4:11 – “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God …”

• These are called the five-fold ministry gifts – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.
• Most people in any congregation mistakenly assume those called into these positions (pastors, lay leaders, selected missionaries, etc.) are the ones who do the work of the ministry – even some of those in these “offices” appear to think this is true.
• BUT their primary job is to prepare the saints (that’s all the rest of us!) to do the work of the ministry.

2. What exactly Is the Work of the Ministry?

• Is it children’s church or youth or young adult programs?

• Is it feeding or clothing programs or family or marriage counseling?

• ALL of these are good and important functions of a church organization, but they are all secondary to what should be the main or central purpose for the Church of Jesus Christ.

The primary work of the ministry is to complete the Great Commission – lead the lost to the Lord and make disciples!