Bible ministries listed in the New Testament include:
- Apostles (1 Corinthians 12.28, Ephesians 4.11)
- Prophets (1 Corinthians 12.28, Ephesians 4.11)
- Teachers (1 Corinthians 12.28, Ephesians 4.11)
- Evangelists (Ephesians 4.11)
- Pastors (Ephesians 4.11)
- Workers of miracles and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration and various tongues (1 Corinthians 12.28)
The Bible doesn’t rank those ministries in terms of importance. It also doesn’t tell us how many of each ministry we should expect in our local churches. Many churches today get by with only one pastor and nothing else. It’s easy to see why that is with so many tiny rural congregations. But how many of those rural pastors are qualified to fill all of those other roles by himself?
The list of gift ministries above probably isn’t meant to be complete. For example, in the Old Testament Bezalel was specifically chosen to construct the sanctuary because of his craftsmanship skills. Also, technological progress after the Bible was completed has made new areas of Bible ministry important today. Music composers became important as musical instruments evolved through the centuries. Authors emerged after the printing press was invented. In recent years, Christians gifted with technology and especially electronic communication skills have become very important in today’s churches.
Miracle Ministries
New Christians will eventually encounter the question of whether or not the “gifts of healing” and other miracle ministries are still valid today. True born-again Christians can go either way on that. Unfortunately, the church is divided because of it. Jesus prayed in John 17.21 that the body of the church “…may all be as one“. Division is the opposite of that. The enemy has used controversial issues like these ministries to bring great harm to the work of the Kingdom over time. It’s important to distinguish between diversity and division. True born-again Christians who are otherwise abiding in Christ, should be able to live and work together without strife and division.