The Gift of Pastors – Teachers and Evangelists
IN THE STUDY:
The remaining two Gifts of God among the leaders of the Church were those of evangelist and the pastor-teacher.
The EVANGELIST (Eph.4:11) was the major reason why the Church grew. The evangelist was the primary gift for church extension. Every Christian believer was to witness to his faith but some witnesses were especially equipped by the Holy Spirit for their work as an evangelist.
Surprisingly, very little is said in the New Testament about the office of an evangelist. Only one man in the New Testament was called an evangelist – Philip of Casarea. He is not to be confused with the Apostle Philip. Philip the evangelist was one of the seven original deacons (Acts 6: 1-7). He moved up and down the coastal area of Palestine proclaiming the Gospel. After the persecution in Jerusalem by Saul of Tarsus and others, he went to Samaria (Acts 
. Gaza and surrounding areas. Timothy (2 Tim. 4:5) was urged to do the work of an evangelist.
The PASTOR-TEACHERS needed to care for the flock of God and to build them up in their faith. The famous Old Testament example of the pastor is found in Ezekiel 34, where the faithful pastor is one who feeds, strengthens, heals, leads, directs and protects the flock of God.
In the New Testament Jesus is the chief shepherd (1 Peter 5:4, Heb. 13:20 and John 10:11-14). He lays down His life for His sheep. Under-pastors are to tend His flock on His behalf (1 Pet. 5:1 – 3). A significant task of the Elder within the church was to also pastor the flock (Acts 20:28 – 31). The Elder was to give oversight to the people of the congregation. His diligence and faithfulness were to be an example to all.
FROM THE PULPIT:
Our idea of an evangelist these days has been very largely coloured by the very successful international evangelists speaking to mass meetings like Billy Graham, following the world-wide tradition of D.L. Moody, or the successful television evangelist like Rex Humbard.
In the New Testament the evangelists had none of the benefits of rapid transportation and mass communication. The early evangelists like Philip, were itinerant, moving from city to city preaching the good news. They generally spoke to unbelievers about the Gospel rather than to teach. Their work was blessed with results in conversions.
When the evangelist was finished the work of the pastor-teacher began. He was the Minister of God settled in one area for some length of time, preaching mainly to believers to build them up in their faith and to teach them the whole counsel of God. The pastor-teacher encouraged the inner growth of believers.
Today the local Minister is often called to have the special gifts of both the evangelist and the pastor-teacher. Not every man can have every gift. These were special gifts given by the Holy Spirit and most of us Ministers may have one gift of God, and we seek to adequately equip ourselves in the other areas.
Where Churches have team ministries men with specialist gifts compliment each other, the special gifts of one compensate for the mere adequacy of another. In one-Minister churches the Elders should meet with the Minister and learn to complement his or her ministry by strengthening the area where he lacks the special gifts.
This is the real concept of “the body of Christ”, where each of us has a duty and a responsibility for supporting the other in building up the body of Christ.
AMONG THE PEOPLE:
The evangelist is to get churches going. The pastor-teachers are to keep them going! So often in our church work we have the evangelist preaching to the converted and the pastor-teacher working among the non-believers.
Too often Missions are directed to the converted rather than to those still outside the Gospel.
This is frustrating both for the evangelist and also for the pastor-teacher because their gifts are not being used as God has given them.
As an evangelist, I have spoken in most of the large city halls and public buildings across Australia. There have been many hundreds of converts through this ministry but the ministry of the evangelist is wasted unless it is immediately supported by the pastor-teacher who then welcomes each convert into the church and builds them up into the faith.
Every local church needs both the evangelist and the pastor-teacher, and if the local congregation cannot afford to pay two specialists, then the congregation as a whole must learn to use the gifts within its body.
