Question:
Is it biblical to have ecclesiastical offices in church? In the Pentecostal and church of God denominations they have Prophets/Prophetess, Apostle, Evangelist and so on and so forth.
Answer:
All the various denominations have their own system of ecclesiastical offices/officers. The Bible refers to four: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastor-Teachers (Ephesians 4:11). The Bible also refers to Elders and Deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13).
The Apostles (or “sent ones”) were twelve men who were personally sent out by the Lord Jesus Himself to proclaim the Gospel and found His Church (Ephesians 2:20). Of the twelve men originally called by the Lord, one of them betrayed Him (Judas Iscariot). Judas was replaced by popular vote with a man named Matthias (Acts 1:15-26); but the Lord chose a man named Saul of Tarsus (eventually known as Paul) to replace him and complete the twelve (1 Timothy 1:1, 12-16; 2:7; cp. Revelation 21:14). After the last Apostle died (John), the office of Apostle formally ended. There are many who like to call themselves by that title today, but the Bible does not support that notion.
The Prophets (one who speaks a message in behalf of another) were those who were given “extrabiblical revelation” from God (information from God not contained in the Bible) and proclaimed it to whomever He had sent them. There were many of these individuals in the Old Testament days as well as the days of the Early Church; and like the Apostles, their primary task was to help found the Church (Ephesians 2:20). When the revelation of God was completed (the Bible), the need for these individuals ceased, and so did their office/gift (1 Corinthians 13:8-12). There are many today who claim to have this office/gift, but again that notion is not supported in the Scriptures.
The Evangelists (those who focused on proclaiming the “good news” of Jesus Christ, the Gospel – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4) were men who had just that focus in life. The Lord would enable and send them to various local church fellowships to lead them in evangelistic efforts. I like to think of this office as a synonym for “Missionary.” That task/need remains today, so these men remain vital today.
The “Pastors and Teachers” (put together, those terms are often thought of as “Pastor-Teachers,” referring to single individuals). Their task from the Lord is to shepherd the local fellowships of the Church to which they have been sent; they do this by teaching the Word of God (2 Timothy 4:1-4) as well as providing other types of related “pastoral” care. As with the Evangelists, this task remains vital today.
The Elders are men who essentially assist the Evangelists and/or Pastor-Teachers in shepherding a local Church fellowship (cp. Acts 20:17-28). The Deacons essentially assist the Elders in caring for the practical needs of the local Church fellowship – they do not provide leadership, but rather service (the term literally translates as “table-waiter” – cp. Acts 6:1-7).
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