We need both these gifts for advancing the cause. Where are they?
In writing to the Ephesian saints, Paul sketched out for them the progression of workers needed to establish the Church. This list is quite different to the ones given in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. Notice the following:
……………………………Rom. 12/1 Cor. 12 Eph. 4
The Giver The Spirit Christ
The gift supernatural abilities gifted men
Beneficiaries your local church the Body
There seems to be a specific order in that list: “And [Christ] gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12). The apostles came first, trained by the Lord. Then the prophets gave us “the apostles’ doctrine” in written form, as moved by the Holy Spirit. So that today, while we do not have these men among us, we have their teaching—really Christ’s teaching through them—in the Word of God. This is our “apostolic authority.”
These first two were foundation gifts (Eph. 2:20) while the others are maturation gifts. And the first maturation gift was the evangelist. It should be noted that, while there are local evangelists working in the context of a particular local church, the men spoken of in Ephesians 4 have a ministry wider than any local assembly. These evangelists went into uncharted territory.
Paul loved to take the evangel to regions where Christ was unknown: “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation” (Rom. 15:20). But it seems today (I say this in kindness) that many men gifted in the gospel and commended to evangelism have gone “into all the assemblies to preach the gospel” or else ended up on the conference circuit. I can think of at least twenty good men in this category. If we asked them what new areas of the continent they have plowed up during the last decade, what would they say? The answer is, virtually nothing.
Why is this? For one thing, pioneer evangelists are the forgotten men. If they went to a foreign land, they would be remembered. But here—I’ve heard it said—why don’t they get a job? And of course for some of them it is the will of God that they have a tent-making arrangement. But that should not always be the case. “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14). In plain terms that means we should be caring financially for these pioneers. But do we? My judgment is: not very well. Many of us would hardly know their names. That needs to be rectified, and in a hurry.
What happens as a result? A traffic jam in this Ephesians 4 process! When the evangelists don’t thrust out into new areas (see the article on the leading of the Spirit), there are no new gatherings of believers. Then what do those gifted as pastors do? Because very few new works are being started, men with pastoral gift end up becoming resident in existing assemblies, where their “job description” is identical to that of the elders. A gift intended for helping a group of new believers ends up duplicating the work supposed to be done by the elders in a mature assembly.
True evangelists find it hard to answer the endless questions of new believers; they want to get on with the gospel. But someone needs to care for these lambs. That’s why Paul had men like Timothy and Titus along—true pastors—to stay after the initial gospel thrust to care for the converts and see a proper assembly established. Their intention, as pro tem elders, was to work themselves out of a job as soon as a group of spiritual shepherds were raised up by the Lord. These pastors then moved on to do the same thing again somewhere else.
Is this the pattern we are following today? I’m afraid not. In many places the lines between gifts are blurred; we ask the same speaker to preach “gospel in the morning and ministry at night.” A spirit of competition has developed: resident pastors vs. itinerant evangelists and teachers. This ought not to be. All are needed, but each in the proper sphere. God help us in this. We need to see this three-step approach again: evangelists, pastors, teachers.