So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. – Ephesians 4:11-13

We can try to define this list of five types of leaders in worldly terms:

• Apostle = visionary, entrepreneur, type-A leader, networker
• Prophet = truth-teller, challenging, frustrated, eccentric
• Evangelist = bold, personable, sales-oriented, passionate
• Pastor = caring, warm, patient, compassionate, protecting
• Teacher = logical, analytical, process-oriented, clear

But the Bible describes all five of these as spiritual:

• Apostle = signs, wonders and miracles – 2 Corinthians 12:12
• Prophet = messages from the Holy Spirit – Acts 21:10-11
• Evangelist = preaching the gospel – Greek definition
• Pastor = appointed by the Holy Spirit – Acts 20:28
• Teacher = understands spiritual truths – John 3:5-10

If they’re not operating in the Holy Spirit, they’re called “false”:

• False Apostle = gifted, but a different spirit – 2 Corinthians 11:4-15
• False Prophet = believable, but spirit is not from God – 1 John 4:1
• False Evangelist = attractive, but different spirit, different gospel – 2 Corinthians 11:4
• False Pastor = flattering, but natural instincts, do not have the Spirit – Jude 1:12-19
• False Teacher = ambitious, but stir up controversy instead of faith – 1 Timothy 1:3-7

Let’s lead in the power of the Holy Spirit, not reducing the role down to something we can manage in our own strength.