Ephesians 4:11–12
Bible Verses. Also called Ephesians 4:11-12, Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, Fivefold ministry, Five-fold ministry, Equipping the saints, For the perfecting of the saints.
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
This passage states that Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. It is a basis for the doctrine of church offices and for lay ministry, and whether the offices of apostle and prophet continue today remains debated.
About this articleAI draft from a Korean source. No sources listed. Not yet reviewed by a person.
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Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
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Context
Ephesians 4 opens with the unity of the church: "There is one body, and one Spirit" (v. 4). In verse 7, Paul says that grace is given to every one according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Quoting Psalm 68, he states that Christ ascended on high and gave gifts unto men (v. 8). The offices listed in verse 11 are those gifts. Verses 12–16 explain their purpose: to build up the body of Christ until all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God and attain the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Interpretation
- As a basis for lay ministry: On this reading, verse 12 means that officeholders equip the saints (Greek katartismos, "equipping" or "making fit") so that the saints themselves carry out the work of ministry. The purpose of church office, then, is not for the pastor to minister alone but to prepare the saints for service. The discipleship training movement in Korean Protestant churches frequently appeals to this passage.
- As three parallel purposes: Another view, reflected in the King James Version ("For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ"), takes the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the body of Christ as three coordinate purposes, all of which belong to the officeholders. The question turns on where the commas are placed; most modern translations follow the first interpretation.
- "Pastors and teachers": In the original Greek these two terms are joined under a single article. Some interpreters therefore regard them as two functions of the same person, while others regard them as separate offices. Accordingly, interpreters differ on whether the offices number four or five.
Debates
Reformed denominations and others holding a cessationist position regard apostles and prophets as temporary offices of the early church that laid the "foundation" of the church (Ephesians 2:20). Many Pentecostal and charismatic churches affirm the continuation of the gift of prophecy while tending to limit the apostolic office to the early church. By contrast, the New Apostolic Reformation promotes the so-called "fivefold ministry" and claims that authoritative apostles and prophets are still being raised up today. Major denominations have criticized this teaching as a threat to the sufficiency of Scripture and to church order.
Related Passages
See also 6
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