Knowing Your Calling

As Presiding Bishop, it is my desire and aim to make sure that potential members understand the role and functions of those called to serve within the Body of Christ. Below you will find the functions, not titles of the Ministry Offices. Understand that those who are called by God have no doubt about what God has called them to do for Him. Even-though it may take some time to mature in your calling. 

 

No man or woman can call or place you into ministry, only God can do that. We simply want you to better understand the different anointing that is placed upon those called of God and know how to utilize their gifts best, so that everyone can function in their assigned roles. We do not address ministers of the gospel with titles such as "reverend" or "doctor". "Reverend" is a name that is ascribed to God alone. Psalms 111:9 (KVJ) and He is the only one worthy of such a title or honor. As for "doctor", there is absolutely no scriptural basis for the use of this term, as it relates to those who serve in the ministry. In fact if you look at the root of the word it simply means: "teacher."

 

Although it is not necessary for you to be what is called "licensed" or "ordained" by an organization to serve in the Body of Christ, we do license and ordain ministers to ensure that they meet minimum standards as far as training, experience, ethics and accountability goes. You don't have to buy any special garments or a degree to be a member. You simply must be called, equipped and sent by God. We want to emphasize that no ministry gift or office is more or less important than another. God has distributed the gifts as He has seen fit and according to each person's ability.

 

All gifts are equally important, but some obviously assume more responsibility than others. Just as in the secular or corporate world; supervisors, presidents and managers assume more responsibility over people, places and goals than other employees, so it is in the Body of Christ

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In His Service,

Lyndon B. Hutcherson

 

Presiding Bishop

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BISHOPS

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Those who serve in this capacity generally oversee the administration of a group of ministries or supervise a group of ministers in carrying out assigned responsibilities within a local, regional, national or international jurisdiction. These are not positions that God calls someone into, those who serve as Bishops are appointed and recognized by those who they have direct supervision over. The Greek word episkopos occurs five times in the New Testament (Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 2:25). The word is translated “bishop” in the King James Version, but “overseer” in most modern versions.  The word means an overseer or superintendent. The term is used in reference to Jesus Christ in 1 Peter 2:25 where he is described as the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.  The early Christian churches seemed to have several “bishops” in each major town. They are also called elders. The bishops/elders took on leadership in the early church.

 

• they must possess servant leadership skills

• they must be effective administrators

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APOSTLES

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An Apostle is one who is "sent", of course to a certain degree we are all sent, but what makes the Apostle different is that they are usually sent to different places in order to establish people in the faith and pioneering new works . And yet, apostleship is the most misunderstood of all of them. How can that be? Over the centuries, the term “apostle” disappeared from word usage, until a recent new awakening of interest over the past two decades. That does not mean that apostles did not exist – they were often called “missionaries” or “pastors” – yet the dispensational belief that the Holy Spirit had stopped moving with the end of the apostolic age, also meant that all apostles had to have disappeared. Today, many are trying to get a biblical understanding of what an apostle is supposed to look like in our day, in the course of their pursuit to restore the church to the normative of the first century. Unfortunately the result has often been an unhealthy elevation of the office of an “apostle” which is feeding into people’s need for power and recognition, and an abuse that seems to justify dispensational concerns of apostleship being unscriptural today. However, their theological concern results from a lack of distinction between the first twelve apostles and the office of an apostle. They overlook the many other apostles listed in the book of Acts as well as the Epistles. And those in favor of apostleship yet abusing it seem to have overlooked that Paul calls himself a servant and a father, and that he paid a price none of them would be willing to pay:

Some define an apostle as “one called and sent by Christ to have the spiritual authority, character, gifts and abilities to reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and order, especially through founding and overseeing local churches.” An apostle has “a burden to build something that didn’t exist before” (Kim Terrell 2002:17). They lay the foundation of new local churches and see to it that they come into full maturity. That is the church that person will be the apostle to – which means he/she will not have any authority as an apostle in other churches, which is what many today claim. Paul himself wrote to the Corinthians, Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord (1.Corinthians 9:2).

Apostles have a burden to ground their church in solid biblical teaching, an example of which we can see in Acts 11, when Paul and Barnabas spent two years at Antioch, teaching and equipping them. Apostles have the desire to train and raise up church leaders who will come into full maturity in the church, to release them, and then move on to plant another church. Making themselves “redundant” is their greatest reward, as they father their spiritual children into adulthood. Let us remove the mysticism from the term “apostle”, seeing it for what it really is. It isn’t just a title, it’s work, W-O-R-K.”
 

• they help establish and maintain congregations on proper foundations. This may involve the raising up of new works already in existence,         pioneering new congregations and establishing people in the faith.

 

• they are particularly concerned about doctrinal correctness or sound doctrine.

 

• they may be involved in Church discipline at times, particularly in relationship to churches they have founded. 

 

• they are involved in the ordination of ministers they are involved in the feeding and training of other ministries. At times choosing workers and sending them to other congregations and giving special assignments.

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• they are involved with the caring for or overseeing of the congregations they have begun.

 

• they are not dictators, nor a lord over the sheep, but as a father they are to help the members of the Body of Christ come to maturity.

 

PROPHETS

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A Prophet's ministry will vary from prophet to prophet, because not all of them will hear the same word from God, but each of their messages will be consistent with the entirety of God's written Word. Their primarily role is preaching or giving divinely inspired messages. Prophets reveal God's heart to His people, giving guidance to individuals and the body, giving revelation, as well as often interpretation, application and timing. We see several examples in the book of Acts, e.g. Philip’s daughters and Agabus. In Acts 21, Agabus is a good example of where prophecy can be rightly interpreted, yet applied wrongly, as Paul was urged not to go to Jerusalem, escaping the predictive prophecy of his fate. In this case, we see prophecy as fore-telling, yet it is also forth-telling which is often neglected by those who run after prophetic words.

With the new acceptance and recognition of the office of a prophet over the past twenty years, believers turning them to them as fortune-tellers has become a real problem that has driven many to the total rejection of prophets. God has established prophets in His church, and we will not be complete if we reject their ministry out of fear. Many pastors live in fear of prophets, feeling threatened by what they might say to the church or to himself, and at times rightly so since too many prophetic people exalt themselves and the words they speak instead of being humble servants to the body, allowing leadership to weigh their words and judge them as commanded by Scripture. 
 

• their ministry will involve revelation to help point out certain areas of the people's lives, their sins and problems in order to speak to them by the Word of God.

 

• their ministry will involve exhortation that causes the people of God to complete or persevere in obedience to God's Word.

 

• their ministry will involve warning so that God's people will be aware ahead of time of what will transpire.

 

• their ministry will involve the impartation of vision to the people of God. 

 

• they often minister with like ministries, sometimes working as a team. This allows their spirit to be subject to other prophets which undoubtedly gives some checks and balances to a somewhat subjective ministry.

 

EVANGELISTS

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Evangelize literally means "to announce good news", those in this office bring the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as a preacher or messenger.  An evangelist carries a great burden for those who are not a part of the kingdom of God yet, and an anointing to preach the gospel to them that comes with great conviction and draws them to the Lord. They will often have signs and wonders following them to confirm their message. The prime example of an evangelist in the New Testament is Philip. He was one of the men chosen to serve the widows in Acts 6, and he is the only one specifically called an evangelist (Acts 21:8). In Acts 8 he obeys the Holy Spirit and brings the Ethiopian eunuch to a believing knowledge of Christ.

“Evangelists create converts, while apostles create disciples” (Kim Terrell 2002:22). Their foremost desire is to see people come into the kingdom, then leaving the discipling to others. They love teaching others how to win people, and never feel like they are actually doing enough and accomplishing their task. While they are grieved to see believers’ indifference regarding the lost, they do have an anointing to impart God's broken heart to the body. Evangelists are absolutely crucial for numeric growth in the local church and the kingdom of God. 

 

• they travel to un-evangelized areas, working as a kind of ground breaker to prepare the way for other following ministries.

 

• they help to perfect the people of God, by helping to equip them to evangelize and helping to make them what they ought to be in God.

 

• their main function within the Body is that of equipping and building up the saints to do the work of the ministry and celebrating with the people of God in worship.

 

PASTORS

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A Pastor is one who is responsible for leading or shepherding a local congregation or group of believers. They are always reaching out, seeking those who have drifted away from the faith. The pastor is the heart of the local church. He/She is a shepherd who deeply cares for his sheep, ready to lie down everything for them. He wants them to be fed, to grow, to be equipped, to develop their gifting and step into the calling of God for them. In the local church they are the bridge between the different offices and functions, listening to all sides and restoring calm and order where necessary. Jesus, the supreme Shepherd, taught a lot about shepherding and the sheep, giving us a great example of what a pastor should look like. 

The pastor’s greatest concern is always the well-being of his sheep and his body, not only bringing training, but correction and protection where necessary. The office of the pastor is the one most recognized today of all five. Because of a lack of understanding of the other four, those called by God to these other offices have often had to become pastors, therefore filling shoes that were not theirs, and creating tension in their churches because they could not meet their sheep’s need. It is time for the church to allow evangelists, teachers, apostles and prophets to be what they are called to be and take their rightful place in the church.
 

• they must be able to feed the flock and provide pasture, to strengthen and build up the people of God.

 

• the true shepherd or pastor is one who places the well being of the sheep above his own life and ministry.

 

• they are always looking out for things that could cause damage to the people of God. This involves looking out for any problems that might arise and checking on those who are hurting.

 

• they are always caring for those in need, this may involve visiting the sick, making sure physical needs are being taken care of, assisting in financial planning, teaching principles by which to live, giving comfort and consolation in times of grief.

 

• they are committed to correcting those who walk in a way contrary to the gospel.

 

TEACHERS

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A Teacher is one who gives themselves to the exposition or explaining of the Word of God to instill in people a love and respect for the Word and to bring them to a place of maturity in the faith. Teachers teach and edify the church, imparting divine life and anointing to their listeners who become more hungry for the Word of God, as the teacher illumines Scripture and brings forth truth never seen by their listeners before. While prophets reveal the heart of God, teachers reveal His mind. Prophets and teachers balance each other in the church, which can also create a tension.

Prophets have revelation of hidden things in the future, while teachers of the hidden things in the Word. Teachers reveal the specifics of the revealed truth, while prophets reveal the spectrum. While prophets possess foresight, teachers have insight. While prophets are risk takers, teachers move by understanding and are planners. And the list could go on. Teachers are very essential in the body of Christ, to give the sheep a good foundation of the word of God – something many charismatic churches seem to lack today. How come there are so many excellent teachers in non-charismatic churches, yet too many charismatic churches focus so much on the Spirit that they neglect the Scriptures?

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• they continually seek to be taught and are open to teaching, because there is always something to learn. 

 

• they should desire to see others come up to their level and even surpass them in understanding.

 

• they must know the Word of God, their job is to lead others in understanding, being able to answer people's difficult questions.

 

• they must be able to teach by example and live what they teach.

 

• they must be very aware of their words, because words are the avenue by which they are going to communicate divine truth.

 

MINISTERS

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Those who fall into this category have a special calling to offer support, aid to care for the sick, poor and elderly. Ministers are those who work with or assists members of the five-fold ministry in carrying carry out or assist them in their God assigned duties. One who serves, as distinguished from the Five-Fold Ministry/Elders. They must have the gift of showing mercy and helps. They must be apt to teach.Those who fall into the area commonly serve as: 

 

• Preachers

• Youth Workers

• Teachers

• Small Group Facilitators

• Helps

• Outreach

• Child Care

• Elderly

• Etc...

 

IN CONCLUSION

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The most important thing to remember is that we can do nothing without Christ who strengthens us. Each operates office functions as a member of One Body regardless of location and adds a dimension and emphasis that is not present in any one office alone. To prepare the saints for works of service, in order to build up the Body of Christ, so that we all come to maturity and unity of the faith, attaining to the full measure of Christ.

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• Bishops are needed to Govern

• Apostles are needed to Pioneer

• Prophets are needed to Guide

• Evangelists are needed to Gather

• Pastors are needed to Guard

• Teachers are needed to Ground

• Ministers are needed to Serve

 

"But the Greatest Among You, Will Be the Servant of All."

(Matthew 23:11)

 

Spiritual Gifts Analysis

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"ESTABLISHING & EXPANDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD" 

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