Gifted Leaders

Prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists normally disagree with each other about how to invest the resources of time, information, money and practical human labor.

The groups of people each gifting sees as the target beneficiaries of their leadership differs based on how each views human needs and human resources.

Teachers generally consider themselves to be stewards of information. Pastors generally consider themselves stewards of flocks who need comfort and protection. Prophets generally consider themselves to be responsible for policing the spiritual health and behavior of others. Evangelists generally are unconscious of the needs of congregations of believers, and are focused on unbelievers. These differences regarding what leaders are moved by the Holy Spirit to see as burdens for which they have received yokes for work with can be serious points of contention in an environment like the western church, which was birthed from Anglican-ism or Anabapt-ism or Presbyter-ism or Luther-ism, which were birthed from the church of Rome.

The western design is derived from a leadership model that is headed by either “the” priest, or “the” pastor, or “the” minister, or “the” elders who control “the” leader of whatever sort. A comparative image could be a car with no motor or no wheels or no transmission. A church led by a prophet without pastor or teacher or evangelist will look very different from one led by a pastor with no teacher or prophet or evangelist, and so forth…

The human-designed church is a miserable failure, ranging in errors from the Holy Roman Empire to the “hands off” lack of any effects on the culture around it in the United States.

Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the Messiah’s gift. For it says:

When He ascended on high, He took prisoners into captivity;
He gave gifts to people.

But what does “He ascended” mean except that He descended to the lower parts of the earth? The One who descended is the same as the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
(Ephesians 4:7-16 HCSB ©®)