The purpose of church leadership
From meeting in homes or coffee shops, to tiny 10-seater buildings, even to auditoriums that seat thousands…church congregations come in all shapes and sizes. Despite the size or location, God has desired both order and direction in the local gathering of believers.
Throughout his letter to the believers in Ephesus, Paul unpacks God’s design and purpose for the church. Paul begins the letter by talking about the church “corporately” as the body of Christ, discussing the blessings we have as the group of people unified in Christ. He ends the letter discussing how God defines and helps us obtain success within the individual relationships we have in the church body. The part I want to look at is in the middle, when Paul mentions a few church leadership positions and their role within the body:
Ephesians 4:11-12
And [Jesus] Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, equipping the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,
Apostles and prophets were foundational, first-century gifts; whereas, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are gifts that have persisted since the founding of the first churches. However, all of these church-body leadership roles had the same aim – equipping the saints for the work of ministry and to build up the body of Christ.
The Greek word translated as equipping (katartismos) was used in several different ways in the ancient world. Firstly, it was used to describe the action of preparing a ship for a journey. You won’t find a Walmart floating around in the Mediterranean Sea, so whatever you pack is all you have. They would equip the ship with everything they needed to survive the journey. Another common use of katartismos was to describe fishermen who were repairing their nets. During a day’s work, their nets would become ripped, torn, and develop holes from repeatedly bringing in fish and being dragged across the bottom of the lake. The fishermen would end their days mending these issues. In doing so, they were said to be equipping the nets, preparing them for use the next day. For a Biblical example of the word being used this way, refer to Matthew 4:21. Thirdly, katartismos was used as a medical term. When a doctor would reset a patient’s broken bone, he would put the two parts back together and bind the wound. He was equipping the bone to promote healing.
Because of these common uses for katartismos, I absolutely love Paul’s use of the word in Ephesians 4:12. Each use shines a light on what church leaders should do:
While ships go on journeys with what they have, at some point they need to restock supplies. People should be leaving church gatherings equipped for their journey into the world, but also be able to come back and be re-supplied.
Let’s be honest, the world can beat us up. Just day-to-day life can leave us feeling ripped/torn/frayed when we’re doing what we need to do…but especially when life drags us across the rocks. We need our church leadership to help mend us, so we’re equipped to go back out again.
Sometimes, life just breaks us. There are situations that are too much for one person to bear alone. When that happens, we need help to be reset. We need a place where we are equipped to promote healing.
After Paul gives the Ephesian believers (and us!) such a rich metaphor, he goes on to tell them what the end goal is for those who lead. They are to build up the body of Christ…
Ephesians 4:13
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
The aim for a church family is to be unified and growing into maturity – which sounds great, but note that it’s not just in a general sense, the way we often hear the world talk about both subjects. Both our unity and maturity are based upon and measured against Jesus and the example He has set. It is the responsibility of church leaders that these are constantly in focus, from the way they treat others to the messages they teach.
And if you’re not in a leadership position, that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. As you are being equipped, it’s now your turn to go out into the world and fulfill the work of ministry God has given you.
Keep Pressing,
Ken