Careers
We are currently hiring for five positions. All five have been open since approximately 30 AD and remain unfilled to the degree the church has historically preferred institutional titles to the actual functions the text describes.
Compensation is non-monetary. Hours are not fixed. The work continues until the job is done.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-12 KJV
Apostle
Function: Sent ones. The Greek apostolos means one who is sent with a specific commission and the full authority of the one who sends them. The apostle goes where the church does not yet exist, establishes it, and moves on. The commission defines the role; the authority belongs to the sender.
Requirements: A direct commission. A willingness to go. No fixed address preferred.
Benefits: See Revelation 21:14.
Read the full article on the apostolic function
Prophet
Function: Receivers tuned to the frequency of the eternal present. The prophet perceives what is already established from a reference frame where sequence does not apply and reports it inside time. The Hebrew nabi (prophet) means one who bubbles up, one through whom the word flows. The office is a specific tuning developed through sustained engagement with the source.
Requirements: Sustained engagement with the Word. Willingness to say what was received regardless of whether the audience is ready for it. Accuracy is non-negotiable (see Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
Benefits: You will not be popular in your own generation. See Matthew 23:37.
Read the full article on the prophetic office
Evangelist
Function: Carriers of the gospel to those who have not heard it. The Greek euangelistes means one who announces good news. Philip in Acts 8 is the clearest example in the New Testament. He goes where he is sent, delivers the message, and moves on. The evangelist does not build or govern. They announce and depart.
Requirements: A clear understanding of the gospel. Mobility. Comfort with strangers.
Benefits: See Luke 15:10.
Read the full article on the evangelistic function
Pastor
Function: Shepherds. The Greek poimen means shepherd and appears once in Ephesians 4:11 as a distinct office. Everywhere else in the New Testament it is used of Christ himself. The pastor knows the flock by name, feeds them, protects them, and goes after the one that wanders. The pastor is a shepherd of specific people in a specific place.
Requirements: Genuine care for specific people over long periods of time.
Benefits: See 1 Peter 5:4.
Read the full article on the pastoral function
Teacher
Function: Those who take what is in the text and make it transferable to others. The Greek didaskalos means one who causes another to learn. They build understanding the student can take away and apply independently. The goal of the teacher is to make themselves unnecessary.
Requirements: Mastery of the text in the original languages. The ability to explain without simplifying to the point of distortion. The patience to go as slowly as the student requires.
Benefits: See James 3:1 first. Then decide.
Read the full article on the teaching function
How to apply
There is no application form. The gifts are given, not acquired.
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1 Corinthians 12:11 KJV
If you are called to one of these functions you already know it. If you are not sure, keep reading the text. It tends to clarify things.