The Error of Titles and Offices
The Error of Titles and Offices
(A very insightful article by a Christian author and conference speaker.)
The idea that apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd/teachers are ministry titles is a post-Biblical invention. It is also an anti-Biblical invention! It is sad yet prevalent today to hear men and women wielding these Biblical words as personal titles. “Apostle Tommy and Prophet Wilma,” “Bishop Jaquanza,” “Pastor Rotunda,” and “Evangelist Billy-Bob” all run against the grain of our Lord’s aversion for titles and position which was a mark of the Jewish mindset of His day. Consider His words:
But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, AND YOU ARE ALL BROTHERS. And DO NOT CALL ANYONE ON EARTH YOUR FATHER: for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And DO NOT BE CALLED LEADERS; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. (Matt. 23:8-12, NASB)
Gathering up the content of Christ’s teaching here, we may glean the following:
In the religious climate of the Jews there exists a class system made up of religious specialists and non-specialists. In the kingdom, all are brethren in the same family.
In the Jewish world, religious leaders are accorded with honorific titles. (Examples: Apostle, Prophet, Father, Reverend, Pastor, Bishop, Priest, Minister, etc.) In the kingdom, there are no distinctions of protocol. Such titles obscure the unique honor of Jesus Christ and blur the New Testament revelation that envisions all Christians as ministers and priests.
In the Jewish world, leaders are exalted into positions of prominence and glamorous display. In the kingdom, leaders find their work in the lowly towel of servitude and in the unassuming basin of humility.
In the Jewish world, leadership is rooted in status, title, and position. In the kingdom, leadership is rooted in inward life and character. (In this vein, the current fad of bestowing honorary “doctorates” before the names of countless clergy is one example of how the modern church mirrors those leadership values that run contrary to God’s kingdom.)
At this point, someone may retort by asking: “Didn’t Paul use the word “apostle” as an official title when speaking about himself?”
Contrary to common thinking, most of Paul’s correspondence contains a subtext that affirms that he is not an offici-apostle. Granted, Paul regularly makes known his special function in the salutation of his letters (a la “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ”). But he never once identifies himself as “the Apostle Paul.”
This is a meaningful distinction. The former is a description of a special function based on Divine commission. The latter is an official title.
In fact, nowhere in the New Testament do we find any ministry or function in the Body deployed as a title before the names of God’s servants. Christians who are “title-happy” need to reflect seriously on this!
Similarly, the New Testament never envisions apostles, prophets, evangelists, or shepherd/teachers as offices possessing official authority. Such was a mark of Gentile thinking in our Lord’s day.
Recall that after James and John implored Jesus to grant them the glorified power-seats beside His throne, the Lord replied saying,
. . . You know that the rulers of the Gentiles LORD IT OVER THEM, and their great men EXERCISE AUTHORITY OVER THEM. IT IS NOT SO AMONG YOU, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Matt. 20:25-28, NASB)
And again,
. . . The kings of the Gentiles LORD IT OVER THEM; and those who HAVE AUTHORITY OVER THEM are called ‘Benefactors.’ BUT NOT SO WITH YOU, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.(Luke 22:25-26, NASB)
The Greek word for “exercise authority” in Matthew is katexousiazo. Katexousiazo is a combination of two Greek words. Kata, which means down upon or over. And exousiazo, which means to exercise authority. The Lord also uses the Greek word katakurieuo in this passage, which means to “lord it over” others.
What Jesus is condemning in these passages is not oppressive leaders as such. Instead, He is condemning the hierarchical form of leadership that dominates the Gentile world!
That bears repeating.
Jesus was not just condemning tyrannical leaders. He was condemning the hierarchical form of leadership itself!
What is the hierarchical form of leadership? It is the leadership style that is rooted in the benighted idea that power and authority flow from the top down. Essentially, it is built on a chain-of-command social structure.
Hierarchical leadership is based on a worldly concept of power. This explains why it is endemic to all traditional bureaucracies. It is present in the vicious forms of liege-lord feudalism and master/slave relationships. It is also seen in the highly stylized spheres of military and corporate America.
While often bloodless, the hierarchical leadership style is harmful to God’s people. For it reduces human relationships into command-styled relationships. By that I mean relationships that are ordered along the lines of a military chain-of-command structure. Such relationships are foreign to New Testament thinking and practice.
Hierarchical leadership is employed everywhere in pagan culture. Regrettably, however, it has been adopted into most Christian churches today.
Summing up our Lord’s teaching on this style of leadership, the following contrasts come into sharp focus:
In the Gentile world, leaders operate on the basis of a political, chain-of-command social structure—a hierarchy. In the kingdom of God, leadership flows out of childlike meekness and sacrificial service.
In the Gentile world, authority is based on position and rank. In the kingdom of God, authority is based on godly character. Note Christ’s description of leaders: “let him be a servant,” and “let him be as the younger.” In our Lord’s eyes, being precedes doing. And doing flows from being. Put differently, function follows character. Those who serve do so because they are servants.
In the Gentile world, greatness is measured by prominence, external power, and political influence. In the kingdom of God, greatness is measured by inner humility and outward servitude.
In the Gentile world, leaders exploit their positions to rule over others. In the kingdom of God, leaders deplore special reverence. They regard themselves “as the younger.”
In brief, hierarchical leadership structures characterize the spirit of the Gentiles. Therefore, the implanting of these structures into the church is at odds with New Testament Christianity. Our Lord did not mince words in declaring His implicit disdain for the Gentile notion of leadership. For He plainly said: “It is not so among you!”
All in all, there is no room in Christ’s teaching for the hierarchical leadership model that characterizes the modern church. The so-called “five-fold ministry” is not a group of titles or offices. This ego-massaging model of ministry is incompatible with the primitive simplicity of the church and the upside-down kingdom of Jesus Christ. It impedes the progress of God’s people. It suppresses the functionality of the believing priesthood. It ruptures the image of the church as family. And it places severe limitations on the Headship of Christ. For these reasons “it is not so among” those who bear the name of the Savior!
Equating the ascension gifts of Ephesians 4 with a sociological slot (an office) can only be done at substantial risk. We have to evacuate “shepherd” of its native meaning (one who tends sheep). We also have to evacuate “apostle” from its intended meaning (“one sent” to lay the foundation of a church). The same is true for the other gifts.
In short, Ephesians 4:9-16 does not envision a hired clergy, a professional ministry, nor a special priestcraft. It does not envision a special group of church “officials.” Neither are these people a special class of Christians. Like Paul’s catalog of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4 has in view special functions rather than formal positions. And these functions naturally and non-mechanically emerge out of the organic interplay of first-century styled church life.
Answering the Call
The burden on my heart is to see God’s people far less concerned with a “five-fold ministry” that’s supposed to be recovered someday. And instead, tend toward discovering what the church is supposed to be according to the mind of God. Upon making this discovery, the Lord’s dear people will be faced with a decision. To answer the call of meeting around Jesus Christ alone in the way that He has prescribed. Or to remain chained to the unmovable traditions of men.
If the former path is taken, which will involve considerable cost, all the giftings in Christ will eventually come forth in the way that He designed. And those gifts will never usurp or dilute the ministry of the entire Body, where every member participates in manifesting Christ in His church.
In addition . . .
Would to God that all men and women who feel they are called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds/teachers would soberly reexamine what these gifts and ministries were in the first century and in the thought of God. I believe that wherever this happens, many of them will be lead into brand new directions. Those directions will often lead them to meet a cross and to break with cherished traditions and popular concepts. Yet only by these elements will the house of God begin to be restored on a broad scale.
(Published 2006 by Frank Viola.)
(A very insightful article by a Christian author and conference speaker.)
The idea that apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd/teachers are ministry titles is a post-Biblical invention. It is also an anti-Biblical invention! It is sad yet prevalent today to hear men and women wielding these Biblical words as personal titles. “Apostle Tommy and Prophet Wilma,” “Bishop Jaquanza,” “Pastor Rotunda,” and “Evangelist Billy-Bob” all run against the grain of our Lord’s aversion for titles and position which was a mark of the Jewish mindset of His day. Consider His words:
But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, AND YOU ARE ALL BROTHERS. And DO NOT CALL ANYONE ON EARTH YOUR FATHER: for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And DO NOT BE CALLED LEADERS; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. (Matt. 23:8-12, NASB)
Gathering up the content of Christ’s teaching here, we may glean the following:
In the religious climate of the Jews there exists a class system made up of religious specialists and non-specialists. In the kingdom, all are brethren in the same family.
In the Jewish world, religious leaders are accorded with honorific titles. (Examples: Apostle, Prophet, Father, Reverend, Pastor, Bishop, Priest, Minister, etc.) In the kingdom, there are no distinctions of protocol. Such titles obscure the unique honor of Jesus Christ and blur the New Testament revelation that envisions all Christians as ministers and priests.
In the Jewish world, leaders are exalted into positions of prominence and glamorous display. In the kingdom, leaders find their work in the lowly towel of servitude and in the unassuming basin of humility.
In the Jewish world, leadership is rooted in status, title, and position. In the kingdom, leadership is rooted in inward life and character. (In this vein, the current fad of bestowing honorary “doctorates” before the names of countless clergy is one example of how the modern church mirrors those leadership values that run contrary to God’s kingdom.)
At this point, someone may retort by asking: “Didn’t Paul use the word “apostle” as an official title when speaking about himself?”
Contrary to common thinking, most of Paul’s correspondence contains a subtext that affirms that he is not an offici-apostle. Granted, Paul regularly makes known his special function in the salutation of his letters (a la “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ”). But he never once identifies himself as “the Apostle Paul.”
This is a meaningful distinction. The former is a description of a special function based on Divine commission. The latter is an official title.
In fact, nowhere in the New Testament do we find any ministry or function in the Body deployed as a title before the names of God’s servants. Christians who are “title-happy” need to reflect seriously on this!
Similarly, the New Testament never envisions apostles, prophets, evangelists, or shepherd/teachers as offices possessing official authority. Such was a mark of Gentile thinking in our Lord’s day.
Recall that after James and John implored Jesus to grant them the glorified power-seats beside His throne, the Lord replied saying,
. . . You know that the rulers of the Gentiles LORD IT OVER THEM, and their great men EXERCISE AUTHORITY OVER THEM. IT IS NOT SO AMONG YOU, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Matt. 20:25-28, NASB)
And again,
. . . The kings of the Gentiles LORD IT OVER THEM; and those who HAVE AUTHORITY OVER THEM are called ‘Benefactors.’ BUT NOT SO WITH YOU, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.(Luke 22:25-26, NASB)
The Greek word for “exercise authority” in Matthew is katexousiazo. Katexousiazo is a combination of two Greek words. Kata, which means down upon or over. And exousiazo, which means to exercise authority. The Lord also uses the Greek word katakurieuo in this passage, which means to “lord it over” others.
What Jesus is condemning in these passages is not oppressive leaders as such. Instead, He is condemning the hierarchical form of leadership that dominates the Gentile world!
That bears repeating.
Jesus was not just condemning tyrannical leaders. He was condemning the hierarchical form of leadership itself!
What is the hierarchical form of leadership? It is the leadership style that is rooted in the benighted idea that power and authority flow from the top down. Essentially, it is built on a chain-of-command social structure.
Hierarchical leadership is based on a worldly concept of power. This explains why it is endemic to all traditional bureaucracies. It is present in the vicious forms of liege-lord feudalism and master/slave relationships. It is also seen in the highly stylized spheres of military and corporate America.
While often bloodless, the hierarchical leadership style is harmful to God’s people. For it reduces human relationships into command-styled relationships. By that I mean relationships that are ordered along the lines of a military chain-of-command structure. Such relationships are foreign to New Testament thinking and practice.
Hierarchical leadership is employed everywhere in pagan culture. Regrettably, however, it has been adopted into most Christian churches today.
Summing up our Lord’s teaching on this style of leadership, the following contrasts come into sharp focus:
In the Gentile world, leaders operate on the basis of a political, chain-of-command social structure—a hierarchy. In the kingdom of God, leadership flows out of childlike meekness and sacrificial service.
In the Gentile world, authority is based on position and rank. In the kingdom of God, authority is based on godly character. Note Christ’s description of leaders: “let him be a servant,” and “let him be as the younger.” In our Lord’s eyes, being precedes doing. And doing flows from being. Put differently, function follows character. Those who serve do so because they are servants.
In the Gentile world, greatness is measured by prominence, external power, and political influence. In the kingdom of God, greatness is measured by inner humility and outward servitude.
In the Gentile world, leaders exploit their positions to rule over others. In the kingdom of God, leaders deplore special reverence. They regard themselves “as the younger.”
In brief, hierarchical leadership structures characterize the spirit of the Gentiles. Therefore, the implanting of these structures into the church is at odds with New Testament Christianity. Our Lord did not mince words in declaring His implicit disdain for the Gentile notion of leadership. For He plainly said: “It is not so among you!”
All in all, there is no room in Christ’s teaching for the hierarchical leadership model that characterizes the modern church. The so-called “five-fold ministry” is not a group of titles or offices. This ego-massaging model of ministry is incompatible with the primitive simplicity of the church and the upside-down kingdom of Jesus Christ. It impedes the progress of God’s people. It suppresses the functionality of the believing priesthood. It ruptures the image of the church as family. And it places severe limitations on the Headship of Christ. For these reasons “it is not so among” those who bear the name of the Savior!
Equating the ascension gifts of Ephesians 4 with a sociological slot (an office) can only be done at substantial risk. We have to evacuate “shepherd” of its native meaning (one who tends sheep). We also have to evacuate “apostle” from its intended meaning (“one sent” to lay the foundation of a church). The same is true for the other gifts.
In short, Ephesians 4:9-16 does not envision a hired clergy, a professional ministry, nor a special priestcraft. It does not envision a special group of church “officials.” Neither are these people a special class of Christians. Like Paul’s catalog of gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4 has in view special functions rather than formal positions. And these functions naturally and non-mechanically emerge out of the organic interplay of first-century styled church life.
Answering the Call
The burden on my heart is to see God’s people far less concerned with a “five-fold ministry” that’s supposed to be recovered someday. And instead, tend toward discovering what the church is supposed to be according to the mind of God. Upon making this discovery, the Lord’s dear people will be faced with a decision. To answer the call of meeting around Jesus Christ alone in the way that He has prescribed. Or to remain chained to the unmovable traditions of men.
If the former path is taken, which will involve considerable cost, all the giftings in Christ will eventually come forth in the way that He designed. And those gifts will never usurp or dilute the ministry of the entire Body, where every member participates in manifesting Christ in His church.
In addition . . .
Would to God that all men and women who feel they are called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds/teachers would soberly reexamine what these gifts and ministries were in the first century and in the thought of God. I believe that wherever this happens, many of them will be lead into brand new directions. Those directions will often lead them to meet a cross and to break with cherished traditions and popular concepts. Yet only by these elements will the house of God begin to be restored on a broad scale.
(Published 2006 by Frank Viola.)
Comment
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Comment by regi on April 4, 2009 at 8:52pm
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I didn't get to complete the comment, but I questioned what you thought about your insight ever reaching fruition? The old traditions have been ingrained for so long and seem to be growing faster than weeds. How or what do you think or hope will come of your blog? I'm curious, b/c I have such a time with the standard quo, and traditional church isn't doing it for me. I like the missions and the streets and the one on one. But I would love for the church to be that place of preparation as I believe it was meant to be.
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Anna, your writings are very thought provoking. I would imagine this particular blog will be one of many deemed controversial. I hope that others will respond. I'm very interested in what will surface, particularly with the way the church is fast becoming an entertainment business in many cases. I share in your burden that those in the ministry would become less concerned in the things that do not help in the advancement of the Kingdom. I wonder at times if it's not time to pull out of the buildings and programs and get to the heart of ministry. The titles and honoring of these titles have been in the church for as long as I've known. The Bishops and methods they have to go through to obtain the title of bishop, and the ordination itself. What is your
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Comment by Eric Hancock on April 4, 2009 at 1:17pm
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This is true
ANNA my question is one is called but deviated from there calling,,should they sit themselves down OR continue to operate in that office,,,since there prophet HOBO jones who will know?? and leading Yah's people to hell at the same time are they on assignment for themselves,the devil,or Yahweh?..I dont think that the creater of the Heavens and Earth need there help!! Then with that said they should stop using Gods/Yahweh's name while in sin
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