The Evangel Dean School - Developing Wisdom

102 • T he e vangel d ean s Chool : d evelopIng W Isdom , C onvICTIon , and p erspeCTIve In C hurCh p lanT T eams

The Heartbeat of a Church Planter: Discerning an Apostolic/Pastoral Identity , continued

used in this broad sense in the post-apostolic writings of the Didache . In his writings Paul also refers to some of his associates as his “co-workers” or his “fellow workers.” Under his pen, this terms seems to have become a technical label to designate people who identified closely with him in his church-planting efforts as frontline, pioneer missionaries. Interestingly, the same people whom Paul calls “apostles” are also referred to as his “co-workers”– Barnabas (1 Cor. 9.5-6, cf. Acts 14.14; Col. 4.10-11), Epaphroditus (Phil. 2.25), Timothy (Rom. 16.21). In 2 Corinthians 8.23, Titus is a co-worker and his lesser companions are apostles. We can therefore deduce that there exists some interchangeability between the terms apostles and co-workers. ~ Gilbert Bilezikian. Beyond Sex Roles: What the Bible says about a Woman’s Place in Church and Family. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1986. pp 197-98.

B. Misconceptions about the Apostolic (i.e., Missionary) Pastor.

1. He must be a he.

a. Biblical rebuttal: Phil. 4.2-3 (ESV) – I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. b. The truth of the matter: God has called, anointed, and used both to be missionary pastors on the mission field as he has directed.

2. S/he must be endowed with all the gifts that the biblical apostles possessed in order to be competent to lead the effort.

a. Biblical rebuttal: 2 Cor. 3.4-6 (ESV) – Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.