In this article, I want to look at the offices and grace gifts in the church and the type of authority attached to them. The word ‘office’ can sound very formal, but it is simply a term used to describe different leadership roles of those who serve God’s people. Just as a family needs to understand the roles of fathers and mothers, so the church family needs to understand how leadership operates in the form of offices.
When we speak about a Christian as functioning in an office, we are referring to an appointed role or position in the church. While we all have “gifts that differ according to the grace given to us” (Romans 12:6, ESV) and are encouraged to use them, not all of us are appointed as leaders in the body of Christ. We can all love, serve and be free to use our spiritual gifts, but leadership is given to those who must first meet certain qualifications. They are to be people of character and have a track record of faithfulness (1 Timothy 3). Because God entrusts men to take care of his holy house, they need to have their own house in order first! So, an office speaks of a leadership role given by the church, while grace gifting, as we will unpack later, is given by God. An office is given to some, while gifting is given to everyone.
What Are the Offices of the Church?
Firstly, we have local church offices: the elders and deacons. The New Testament explains to us how elders are responsible for the affairs of the local church (1 Timothy 5:17). Along with the deacons, they must meet certain qualifications as laid out in 1 Timothy 3 in order to be set apart in their roles. Since these leaders serve from within the congregation, the local church is able to affirm both their calling and their character. They are then ordained by the apostles (or their delegated team) as they take hands with the local elders (Acts 6:3, Acts 14:23, and Titus 1:5). Because of the responsibility given to the elders to care for God’s people, they are given authority to lead, teach doctrine, and practice discipline.
Secondly, we have translocal offices made up of what we call the ‘five-fold’ gifts from Ephesians 4:11, because there are five types of people listed in this Scripture. It’s worth observing that this text teaches that Jesus Himself (Ephesians 4:8,11) has given these gifted individuals to His church to minister, train, and help her grow. They are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Because of their God-given abilities, they tend to minister and take on responsibilities beyond the bounds of their local church – this is why we use the term translocal. Some individuals are leaders within their local church while also travelling itinerantly. We see examples such as Peter, who calls himself “a fellow elder” (1 Peter 5:1), yet he is “an apostle” (1 Peter 1:1), or Philip, who is a deacon (Acts 6:5) and also an evangelist (Acts 21:8).
We also refer to these individuals as ‘grace-gifts’. It is not merely that they have a gift, but they themselves are the gift to the church (Ephesians 2:7-8). What then are their qualifications, and what type of authority do they carry?
The Qualifications of Translocal Offices
Interestingly, the New Testament offers no detailed list of qualifications for these five-fold gifts, like it does for elders and deacons in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. With local leaders, the church selects, ordains, and gives the office, but translocal offices work differently. Two aspects are at play here: the sovereign and the church witness.
Firstly, there is a sovereign aspect. We see that Jesus Himself selects and gives these translocal gifts to the church: “He gave some…” (Ephesians 4:11). Jack Deere insightfully says, “Elders, deacons, and apostles existed side by side in the New Testament church. The church needed rules governing the selection of elders and deacons, because Jesus had left their selection to his church. On the other hand, the church never chose its apostles. Jesus Himself did that personally.” To unpack this further, church history is filled with examples of individuals, like the Judges in the Old Testament, who are raised up by God and are commissioned by Him with great power, and for a specific purpose; to bring reformation to the church or advance the gospel into unreached areas, etc. We see this play out with the Apostle Paul. Paul consistently identifies himself as an apostle (e.g., Romans 1:1, 1 Corinthians 9:1–2) and he claims that his apostleship is directly from Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:1), not through any human agency or ordination. However, anyone can claim to be called by Jesus. This is why the next point is so important.
Secondly, there is the church witness aspect. Let’s reference Paul again. While God sovereignly raises him up, he is also set apart by men. While serving in Antioch, the prophets and teachers in the church, being led by the Holy Spirit, laid hands and set apart Barnabas and Paul for “the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). They weren’t ordained in the sense like elders or deacons were ordained to care for the local congregation, but they were set apart to begin their apostolic ministry as to preach, to plant churches and later, to care for the churches under their influence (2 Corinthians 10:13). These men then did not appoint themselves. They were sent by the church. God raised them up while others, in the Spirit, endorsed them. In Acts 13:1 the text also describes those who are named as “prophets and teachers” in the church (see also Acts 11:27, 13:1, 15:2). Or Philip who is called “the evangelist” in Acts 21:8. We never read about their ordination as we do with elders, but there must have been some recognition given from the church for them to be acknowledged as carrying these gifts.
To restate the earlier point, anyone can claim to be gifted to be an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, or a teacher. This is where the witness of leaders and the church come together. Regarding apostles, we see Christ Himself commends the church in Ephesus for testing those “who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false” (Revelation 2:2). Thus, it is the local church (elders) that both guards against self-proclaimed and self-appointed apostles and tests those whose claims are false.
If someone has been called to be a prophet, for example, there will be evidence of that gifting that is shown over time. We can all prophesy, but someone called to be a prophet will have a measure of accuracy and anointing different from ordinary saints. Over time, as that person grows in anointing, in character, and learns to work in team with others, only then, when there is a sense of agreement in the Spirit by the leaders (like in Acts 13:1-3), is that person recognised into the office, and so we would endorse their ministry in a public sense. We recognise individuals as graced by God, and we publicly acknowledge them as being tested and trustworthy and to be received in their specific gift. The church then confers the office, while God has conferred the gift.
What is the Authority of Translocal Offices?
With the interplay between the local and translocal offices, we see how five-fold gifts come to not usurp the authority of local elders, but to serve alongside them. Andrew Selley writes that, “The primary calling of apostles is to enlarge the Kingdom, not to micro-manage it. It could therefore be said that apostles enlarge the Kingdom and keep it healthy, while the local church elders are entrusted with the day-to-day leadership of it. Apostles come as servants to the church, not as masters of it!” [1]
When it comes to the authority of translocal gifts, much of it is based on how their gift is received into local churches. For example, some recognised Paul to be an apostle and they acknowledged his authority (See 1 Corinthians 9:2). With the Corinthians particularly, because he had relationship with them, he was able to be more direct since his was a relational authority, like a father to his children. It is not a positional authority exercised or forced upon others through a title or a position merely, but leadership born out of love and deep concern for others. We would understand translocal gifts, operating with apostles, as having authority, as they have been sent to help lay biblical foundations into churches, ordain leaders, and give input into eldership teams.
Ultimately, the offices of the church and gifts of the church reflect the Lord Jesus. Elders and deacons reflect Jesus, who is the Great Shepherd and faithful servant. The five-fold ministry reflects Jesus, who is called the apostle (Hebrews 3:1), the prophet (Luke 24:19), the evangelist (Matthew 9:35), the pastor (1 Peter 5:2-4), and the teacher (John 3:2). He is the only one to whom all things point, and the only one in whom reside all the gifts!
In closing, the danger of having offices in the church, these positions of authority, means we run the risk of becoming a position- or title-based ministry. Our aim is to exercise authority from humility and genuine love for people, not from title or position. We don’t address leaders using titles (Pastor John, Prophet Sue, etc.) and we never want to lord it over others. Instead, leadership authority works itself out relationally – as loving fathers and mothers in God’s house. Leadership is also never a right or an automatic position for life. While there are different positions and authority structures in the church, we understand real influence comes about because of the hand of God over those who have passed the hidden tests of God and continue to do so.
References:
[1] Andrew Selley, The Role & Ministry of the Apostle, p.49: https://four12global.com/resources/books/the-ministry-and-role-of-the-apostle/
