Description
In our study so far we have been defining the fivefold ministry and looking at the context of Ephesians 4:11-12. Last time we saw that Paul used the analogy of our physical body to illustrate the Body of Christ, this new community. We want to now look at this concept of headship in the Body and why this is so important in how we apply the fivefold gifts within the Body of Christ. Is Paul setting up a new hierarchy with the equipping gifts at the top?
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Video Script
Episode 2: The Body
In our study so far we have been defining the fivefold ministry and looking at the context of Ephesians 4:11-12. Last time we saw that Paul used the analogy of our physical body to illustrate the Body of Christ, this new community. We want to now look at this concept of headship in the Body and why this is so important in how we apply the fivefold gifts within the Body of Christ. Is Paul setting up a new hierarchy with the equipping gifts at the top?
Headship in the Body
If you are following along, we are now on pages 7-9 of the workbook. In our last episode we were looking at Paul’s illustration of the body as we see in 1 Corinthians 12. Central to this metaphor of the body, and Christ as the “head of that Body,” is determining the meaning of “head” within this context. Our understanding of this has important implications as to how we understand biblical leadership and how this delegated authority is to be manifested in the Body through the fivefold ministry functions. I don’t want to get too deep into the weeds here, but I think it is important enough that I am going to risk it, okay so here we go.
The Greek term for “head” that is used here, is kephalē. As it is associated with Christ, it usually has a meaning imposed upon it that comes from the meaning in our contemporary languages, rather than the original Greek meaning. In our common usage today the word “head” usually means, “top person,” “chief,” “boss,” or “CEO.” It most often is used to signify positional authority. So the logical conclusion from this meaning is that all those in the Body “under” Christ should also be ranked into some position in this new hierarchical kingdom, with Christ on top. And by extension, since these fivefold ministry functions are listed as gifts from Christ, the head, it would seem they would be at the top of the pyramid.
However, and this is a rather significant “however, Paul uses a very specific term in his original language, classical Greek. As with all passages, and particularly this one, we have to be careful not to read back into the original language a meaning that was never there originally. We have to be careful to not superimpose a contemporary meaning on an original one. As we know, in many languages, the word “head” has come to mean chief, boss, CEO, and so on, however, the term used here by Paul, as he is referring to Christ, has a different meaning. Instead of “boss” or “chief” it has more of a meaning of “source” or “nurturer” as in helping someone grow. Kind of like in English we would use the word “headwater” to describe the source of a river. So Paul is saying that believers are to grow up in every way in him who is the “head,” – the One who provides all that is necessary for the knitting together of the Body. The function of the “head” in this context is to provide life, cohesion, and growth.
Now it’s easy to see how in Paul’s analogy of the body we would think of the head as “top,” after all it sits on top of our shoulders. We will look at this in greater detail in a coming episode, but at this point I just want us to be aware of the fact that to infuse kephalē with the meaning of rulership or position from our languages, is not the correct interpretation of this word here. Paul’s analogy of the body indicates that there is a direct correlation between the connection to Christ and maturity and fullness. However, this was to be accomplished through his ministry to the Body described through the fivefold ministry functions, not a top-down structure as we typically see in our fallen world.
Consequently, if the Body is missing one of these parts it will result in lack of maturity, allowing it to be “tossed about” as he mentions in verse 14 of Eph. 4. This essentially means that the result of lack of connection will be that the Body (his Church) will not be able to fulfill its ultimate purpose. As with the physical body, all parts of Christ’s Body are interrelated and affect the others and cannot operate in isolation. My point is that we cannot superimpose an hierarchical leadership structure on the fivefold functions and expect a healthy Body, that has the same balanced ministry as we witnessed with Jesus. The results of the Body “equipped and doing works of service” can only happen as all five of the equipping functions are functioning in mutual submission as servant leaders. This is a theme Paul explains in Eph. 5, and which we will explore in an upcoming episode.
How do you think the meaning of “head” as nurturer and provider rather than authority position affect the meaning of the fivefold gifts?
Model of Ministry
Welcome back. Okay before the break we were looking at the meaning of the Greek word used for “head” and how misreading this can lead us to faulty conclusions as to how ministry should function within the Body of Christ. Obviously, Jesus has authority over all of Creation and so this also includes his church. Let me clearly state, this is not in dispute. The problem is with using some of the “headship” passages to mean something that the original language does not allow, something we will look at in our next episodes.
I am sure we all agree with Jesus’ teaching that relationships in the Body are to be completely different than the world around us. We are not “to be like the Gentiles who lord position over others,” as Jesus taught in Matthew. The fact is that we all have been influenced by the fallen culture and values around us, which is why Jesus had to emphasize this to his own disciples over and over again. They eventually got it, but the checkered history of the Church over the last two thousand years seems to illustrate that this has been a rather ongoing challenge both then and now.
This misplaced practise of placing too much emphasis on position and power has not only corrupted individuals, but has also resulted in the Church not being as effective as it could be. Over the centuries, this has then impacted our understanding of the fivefold gifts to varying degrees. At times we have only emphasized two or three of these equipping functions – typically pastors and teachers – and this has limited the Church from fulfilling its mission. This is why we need to renew the wineskin in order for us to see ministry today function the way it did in the first century Church.
You may remember Patrick Johnstone from the prayer guide, “Operation World.” He wrote a lesser known book, The Church is Bigger than you Think. As you can see in his diagram he points out how this flawed leadership model has negatively affected the mission of the Church over the centuries. He believes that this flaw can be traced back to a pyramid model of the equipping functions with the Apostles on top, then Prophets, and so on down the line. Johnstone provides another model which seems more aligned to biblical thought. He lays the “pyramid” on its side with the Apostles on the left, and then moving to the other gifts. In this model, the gifts are based upon the order that the functions are needed in the lifecycle of a church or movement, rather than on position, title, or power. We will look at this historic progression through his “Three Structures of Ministry” model in a later episode. I also explain it in my Mentoring thru Intentional Relationships, Guide 2, pp. 209-212 and our Mentoring podcast.
Functions not Position
The functions of the apostles and prophets listed in 1 Cor. 12:28-29 and in Eph. 2:20, reflect their foundational nature, rather than a new form or system of leadership hierarchy in the early church. We know this must be the case, for to teach otherwise would be to disregard Jesus’ teaching on the issue, as well as that of every other New Testament writer. Instead of positional leadership, these functions were to be foundational, meaning that the other gifts build upon their foundation. They create the correct atmosphere for the functioning of all the other gifts.
This means that the apostolic function creates the climate or culture for the prophetic function to operate and the prophetic function creates the climate for the evangelistic function, and that in turn creates the environment necessary for the pastoral function, and that for the teaching function.“Creating a climate or culture” could also be described as creating the right condition to increase the capacity to equip the saints so that they can build up the Body through their gifts.
In Eph. 4:12, the Greek word for “equip” or “build up” is from the Greek katartizō which has a rich meaning. Allan Hirsch point out that the use of this particular Greek word means that each of the equipping functions have been given to “equip, perfect, mend, perfectly join together, put in order, ethically strengthen, complete, fulfill, and heal” the saints for the work of the ( or their) ministry. Now, that is quite a mouthful! It not only underscores the importance of the equipping functions, but also the need for them to work together for the health of the Body. If they are reduced to primarily pastoral and teaching ones, as has unfortunately happened at times during Church history, then it becomes virtually impossible to fulfil the mission of the Church through all the saints, who are to be equipped through all of the fivefold ministries. This bring us back to Peter’s theme of the “priesthood of all believers.”
Of course it is natural and common for leaders to emphasize their own particular gifting, or at least feel most comfortable around those with similar giftings. I think if we are honest, we all tend to do this with our gifts. However, if there is not a balance of these giftings in the Body, the end result is an emphasis on only some of the fivefold functions. This not only has occurred historically, but also within certain denominations or segments of Christendom. As Johnstone points out, this has been the unfortunate case of the western Christian Church for much of its history – resulting in limiting its ability to fulfill the mission of Jesus on this earth.
So let’s take a quick look back at where we have come from in the last couple episodes. We have looked briefly at the key passage in Ephesians 4:11-12 where Paul writes that Christ gave to his Church five foundational gifts for the purpose of equipping his people for works of service. I made the point that these functions were never intended to be hierarchical positions, something I will discuss in greater detail in the next episode. We also affirmed that Jesus clearly taught than leadership in His Body was to look completely different than the society around us, more like that of a servant than a CEO. Of course we can only pull this off through his Spirit who lives within us.
How does viewing the fivefold functions in order of need rather than importance change how we would implement these within the Body of Christ?
As we serve others with our gifts, our influence may very well increase, which is another way of saying that our gifts will afford us a certain measure of authority. But if leadership is not about position, how should this authority be expressed in the Body? What would that actually look like? That is exactly what we are going to discuss next time.