Correcting the Imbalance

An exploration of the roles of Ephesians 4:11-13

balance-lauraljstc-pixabay “So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Exploring giftings

Together with my church, I have recently been looking at this passage and how we bring together the gifts to the church under what is known by the acronym APEST: Apostles, Preachers, Evangelists, Shepherds/pastors, and Teachers. An organisation called 5Q Central has enabled individuals to identify our top two APEST giftings through tests which question our personality preferences so that we can explore how those qualities can be used to balance the work within our churches. Personally, I came out as teacher–apostle, which set me thinking about how I am received by others when talking about the Bible.

To function effectively, our churches need to be using all the APEST gifts. Jesus has a balance of all these qualities whereas we tend to demonstrate one or two.

How have the dominant numbers of teacher–shepherds affected our church today, and how does this need redressing by the other teacher types?

A skewed balance

5Q Central claim that most of our churches have been dominated for many years by individuals of teacher–shepherd type, and this influences how our churches are run.

The teacher (in the APEST sense) is clearly the person who has the desire to help others understand the Bible. Given that teachers in general have a prominent role in most churches, they inevitably have a strong influence. But not all teachers are the same. With our secondary gifting, most teachers show as teacher–shepherd; they want to create safe places for people to grow, not wishing to cause offence or upset in any situation. Contrary to this, the teacher–apostle seeks to preserve the vision, steward the mission and serve the church. Though small in numbers, we will also find teacher–prophets, driven to teach the truth, aligning the people with the word of God.

The question I have puzzled over is, how have the dominant numbers of teacher–shepherds affected our church today, and how does this need redressing by the other teacher types?

Over the years I have heard many teachers make statements that are at best ambiguous and often wrong, where the teacher has tried to make the Bible more palatable or acceptable to the shepherd characteristic. This, I am beginning to understand, has come about through the dominance of the teacher–shepherd type which has become unchecked. Equally, we must be careful when using the other gifts not to overload the believer to the point that too much of a change from where they currently stand in too short a period can drive them away.

We must disciple beyond ‘Jesus loves you’, to produce spiritual fruit and works as the process of sanctification takes place.

I realise that in the following statements we do not fall into two distinct camps, but each of us probably demonstrates a mixture of my examples. However I have heard all of these statements at sometime within our churches.

Example 1

Jesus loves you just as you are.
While the statement may be true, it is only the beginning, for Jesus wants to transform us into His likeness.

The teacher–apostle in contrast might say; Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, from which we gain knowledge and understanding of God. Without fear of the Lord, we have no wisdom.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Prov 9:10)

We must disciple beyond ‘Jesus loves you’, to produce spiritual fruit and works as the process of sanctification takes place.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10)

Our demonstration of love needs to be based upon knowledge gained through our Bible understanding and worked out in the way we live.

Example 2

God is love and we understand love therefore whatever we do in love is godly.
With this type of statement, we are in danger of producing a human based scripture driven by human love rather than godly love.

The teacher apostle might say; To understand godly love, we must have knowledge and other fruits given by God. Understanding godly love is accomplished through growth in all these attributes, leading to a change in our behaviour.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Pet 1:5-7)

In summary, our demonstration of love needs to be based upon knowledge gained through our Bible understanding and worked out in the way we live.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” (Luke 6:32-35)

We too must approach God with reverence, recognising that it is only through Jesus’ sacrifice we are able to stand.

Example 3

You have a daddy God; He is your buddy and He loves you.
The teacher-apostle rather, might highlight passages such as Revelation 4:10-11, noting that the elders do not run across the room and bounce on Daddy; they approach in reverence and awe:

“The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’”

It is in the balance of these two emphases that we grasp who the Father is. In the story of the prodigal son the father is overjoyed at the return of the lost son. We are all like the lost son and our heavenly Father will be full of joy when we find Christ. Yet He is also the One who created heaven and earth, and we need to also approach Him with awe. Just as the prodigal son returned to his father recognising his unworthiness, we too must approach God with reverence, recognising that it is only through Jesus’ sacrifice we are able to stand.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd

We know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but He is balanced in all aspects of APEST. In John 6 Jesus talks about not losing any that the Father has given Him and that He is the bread of life and those who eat His flesh and drink His blood will live forever. We then read that, “From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.” (John 6:65-66)

Understanding godly love has to be based on faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection – love encompasses all these things.

Jesus looks for the very last sheep, all that the Father has given Him. Jesus did not run after those who walked away telling them He would give them a helter skelter in the synagogue that they might continue to follow Him.

We must work in God’s love, not human love

If the church is to be where it should be, we must balance all these APEST gifts to the church. We cannot allow the shepherd grace or any other grace to run unconstrained.

A friend was part of synod during one of the most important votes of recent time. Other voters turned to him and said, “Does the Bible really say that?”

How are we in a position where those voting on the way forward for the church are appointed without basic Biblical knowledge, people who vote based on human understanding and emotionally driven convictions rather than the Word of God?

As said earlier, understanding godly love has to be based on faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection – love encompasses all these things. Godly love becomes part of us over time, while our churches are starting with human love and interpreting their scripture based on that human love.

We must leave our human preconceptions behind and seek godly love based on the Bible, not be driven by trying to force scripture into a mould compatible with human thinking.

To move forward we must leave our human preconceptions behind and seek godly love based on the Bible, not be driven by trying to force scripture into a mould compatible with human thinking.

In my early commitment to Christ, I chose to accept what the Bible says rather than interpret the Bible according to my understanding at that time. It is surprising how much more sense the Bible and the world make when the Word of God governs our thinking and understanding.

The following is probably the most frightening verse in scripture; we must work as if working for the Lord in all we do, with deed and heart in His will.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt 7:21-23)

We need to be changed by scripture, not adapt scripture to circumvent our shortfalls. This can be done by using the balanced graces of APEST, working with the Holy Spirit within us.

^{About the author. Brian Burgess was employed by Rolls-Royce before being transferred into EDS, then HP until retirement. He is married with two daughters and three grandchildren. He is author of ‘A Day is a Thousand Years’.}

^{Image by laurajstc on pixabay.com}

Brian Burgess, 11/09/2026

Feedback:

	John Shipton (Guest)	16/09/2026 23:33
Within the Word of Faith movement, it appears that their leading celebrities are called not only prophets, they can be called teachers and preachers, what ever claiming to be. One example is Paula White a spiritual advisor to Donald Trump who made a name for herself prophesying all sorts of things which never happened. Then there are Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Victoria Osteen and her husband Joel Osteen, and a number of well known names claiming to be teachers and preachers using the name of Jesus and predicting likewise as seen on Christian TV. They like to live luxury lifestyles and live off their thousands of followers. When challenged, one is talked over and considered an outsider, the danger becoming they are exclusive while portraying that they have been appointed by God using the said gifts of the Holy Spirit in their persuasion. The alarm bells have been sounding for some time. Playing the tune of fivefold ministries is something not new!
	(Guest)	16/09/2026 13:17
I'd better not detail my reservations concerning 5Q Central, suffice to say that there are many churches and organisations that have been putting into practice recognition of the "five-fold ministry", and despite writings such of those of Roland Allen going back around a century, and numerous mistakes along the way, we are still much "in development" as these ministries are being restored to the Church. (By necessity - please note the unfulfilled "until" in Eph 4:13, which tells me that such ministries didn't finish with the early Church). There are three sets of "gifts" listed by Paul in his letters to churches. Rom 12 lists seven "charisma" given by God, which are often termed "character" or "motivational" gifts. We all have, in varying measures, and it is for these (only) that ideas such as personality tests may prove helpful (usually to help people avoid trying to be what they are not!) As these include prophecy, it can be seen as a charism in that context, but more as an attribute of a person's character than as a specific outworking of the Holy Spirit (see below). Which brings us to the list of nine "gifts" of the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor 12 (not necessarily called "charismata"). Prophecy is one of the nine, available to all believers, and Paul gives a lengthy explanation of its use and function within the local church. The third list are the gifts of the ascended Christ, reflecting His position of authority. These are quite specific, received and understood by revelation, recognised by the Church and given to impart that particular service such that the whole body receives and grows in it: it is for the whole Church to be missional, a prophetic voice, evangelistic, caring and teaching for itself, its local and wider community. The "office" of the prophet then is different to "prophecy" in the other listings of gifts (though I would expect there to be an overlap) and different to that of Old Testament prophets (which is more expressed through the corporate Church, though with similarities to the earlier "schools of the prophets"). Finally, before getting too excited about recovery of the "five-fold", let us not be aware their restoration is likely to bring about an increase in the kind of external persecution that accompanied them in the early Church - as well as resistance from within "comfortable" fellowships - which is where I think this article is leading.
	Philp Morrow (Guest)	13/09/2026 09:29
I am curious as to why the role of Prophet was changed to that of preacher?
	John Shipton (Guest)	12/09/2026 00:48
So we have returned to the argument about high held positions that is a must for established churches operating in the religious world. Having bishops, prophets, apostles and other said important roles for our religious organisations, appears to be a must for the Body of Christ which Roman Catholicism argues and insists. We have seen enough of these roles which are being used for power and control. The way in which the Word of Faith teachers are behaving by using such titles, is to get rich quick by fleecing the flock, and behaving in such a manner to say that they have been anointed and appointed by God, is simply not true. Similar with the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church who like to be known as the untouchables. Now we are seeing the effects with those at the top running the Church of England. These said positions are questionable in worldly affairs, and while scripture declares various functions within the Body of Christ, these functions must be important for Christians to be able to grow in the Faith. The modern day bishops, prophets, and apostles are chosen by man compared with the leaders of New Testament times. Paul compares the church to a physical human body. He explains that a body has many different parts (eyes, ears, hands, feet), and every part is needed. No part can say it does not need the other (1 Corinthians 12 verses 12 to 27) In reading Romans 12 verses 4 to 5: These verses explains that just as our physical bodies have many members with different functions, believers form one body in Christ and belong to each other. However, Ephesians 4 verse 16 states that the whole body is held together by every supporting joint. When each individual part does its work properly, the body grows and builds itself up in love. When functioning concerning the diversity of Gifts, not every member has the same role or talent. About interdependence, every person is valuable and necessary for the whole group to function. While with mutual care: When one part hurts, everyone hurts; when one part is honoured, everyone rejoices. The primary function of the Body of Christ referring to the Church or community of believers is to work together as a unified organism to glorify the Lord God Almighty, build up believers in love, and continue the Lord Jesus Christ's mission on Earth. It is not by empire building; nor is it by controlling fellowships by implementing a fivefold ministry model which has nothing to do with Body of Christ mentioned in the New Testament. To argue against on what has been shared, is not Christ's intentions! Praise the Lord!
	Michael Petek	11/09/2026 12:00
I've been giving a lot of thought to the fivefold ministry model over the past several months and years. The conclusion I have come to is that this model has to be reconciled with the bishop-elder-deacon model which we also find in Scripture. "Apostle" is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew "shaliach", a legal agent enabled to act in the person of another. Within the Jewish community, the appointment of an agent is an everyday affair - a father must circumcise his baby son on the eighth day after birth, though for reasons of safety he will appoint a specialist as his agent to do it on his behalf. An agent can be appointed for any private or official purpose. In the Christian context it is the only legal instrument available to enable many men to exercise powers that belong to the offices of High Priest and King, offices which can be held by only one man at a time. "Prophet" needs no comment beyond that it isn't an office but a charism, therefore it can be exercised in a stable or occasional manner only at the will of the Holy Spirit. "Evangelist" may have indicated different roles at different times. The Apostles chose a replacement for Judas from among the men who had been with them the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among them, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up, in order to be a witness of his resurrection. Not because the man was to be an Apostle, but because he also had to be an evangelist. So an evangelist had to be an eye witness of Christ competent to speak of what he had seen and heard - but with the passage of time these died out, and the role of evangelist might have come to mean a man who would read within the church service from any written record of the Gospels or from what he had heard from first-hand evangelists. "Pastor" or "shepherd" translates the Hebrew "ra'ah" and the Greek "poimen" - these terms indicated men who had the care of the public affairs of the community, and must necessarily have included judges besides other officers. Members of the Sanhedrin would have been referred to as "shepherds" but also as elders or presbyters, this being the single most common use of the term in the NT outside the book of Revelation. To be a member of the Sanhedrin, you had to have been ordained in unbroken succession from Moses - thus we read in the NT that only the Apostles or their appointee (Timothy) made elders, and this by the laying on of hands. "Teacher" is self-explanatory, though every pastor was by definition a teacher - a public teacher. Any other teacher served in that role in a private capacity only.
	Lorraine (Guest)	11/09/2026 11:58
We don't need Christian psychiatry, but the "Holy Spirit", get filled with HIM and he will teach you and lead you into all truth and everything you NEED to know, please read, Deuteronomy 29: 29, and have a look at 1 Corinthians 4: 6-13, still want to be an Apostle, please dear saints, be very careful of these people. 5Q puffs up, and there is enough pride in the Church today.