# Evangelists today?



## Need 4 Creed (Jan 15, 2015)

Reformed church tend to be clear on the issue of pastor/teacher (they are for today) and apostle/prophet (these gifts/functions/offices have ceased). 

What about evangelists? 

(I know this discussion was attempted before, but it died off before getting anywhere). http://www.puritanboard.com/f45/ephesians-4-11-a-52375/

Do evangelists exist today? 

What do they do? 

If they do exist, should they become ordained pastors, or should their gifting be carried out in a different way?


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## earl40 (Jan 15, 2015)

If we think how Our Lord works through the church "ordinarily" no matter how we lable what an evangelist is (if this office has passed or not) we should understand the job of preaching The Gospel has been given to ordained men.


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## Zork (Jan 15, 2015)

Isn't evangelists and missionaries the same thing?
Isn't missionaries ordained teacher/preachers?


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## Contra_Mundum (Jan 15, 2015)

Various churches have different ways of doing/implementing.

In the OPC, "evangelist" is viewed as a _function,_ a specially empowered (by the Presbytery) function of the ordinary ministerial office.

The office of Minister in our church encompasses the regular pastorate, the Teacher, and the Evangelist.

Most of us are called to a congregation and pulpit ministry, although some churches call pastors to other specified roles, such as private counselor, age-related service, or the like.

Teacher is a designation for ordained service in a church, seminary, college, or other setting which the call excludes most of the regular functions of the office, other than theological instruction.

Evangelist is a designation for someone in our church--a "missionary" (which is a more elastic term we also apply to the wife of an ordained man)--appointed to extend the church of Christ to a place that needs a church. We do not believe in the work of evangelism that does not include "organization" of those evangelized into a church (if not incorporated into an existing church).

Because an Evangelist typically works in a place where, by definition, there is no prior church-institute, he needs some unique authorization (in Presbyterian opinion). He needs permission/delegation of the power of the whole church to do alone (by himself) what is under ordinary, organized conditions the duty of the whole church together. It is an act of general consent--symbolized by the laying on of hands by all the Presbytery (1Tim.4:14)--that elders and ministers are ordained.

To put it in perspective ask the question: what right (that other men should inherently recognize) does a self-appointed man have to instantiate a church? Such an unaccountable man is perfectly aligned with the pope, with a bishop (in the hierarchical sense). He thinks he's an apostle. But, when we send out a missionary, we may perhaps be asking one man to do something that looks very much like what I just described pejoratively.

There is a difference, however. The evangelist is under authorization and entrusted with the power of the whole to extend the whole. He is a man under authority, accountable to his brethren. He is acting self-consciously for the many, and is no hierarchical bishop. He is not ordaining subordinates, but raising peers (in a sense); and he's doing so with the full approbation of all them who commissioned him. What he does in their name, they are prepared to acknowledge. So that, what is organized is not one whit less the church than the church that sought the new organization.

The key, according to this understanding of the function of the Evangelist, is that we do not simply "make disciples" or mere "followers-of-Jesus," and run off to a new place of endeavor, with no concern for the ongoing care of the sheep. Nor do we endorse the idea that now the sheep should find a fold for themselves. Neither can we in good conscience join up with the kind of modern "evangelistic crusade," where various "supporting churches" divvy up the follow up on decisions brought about by the traveling charismatic "evangelist."

Joining a convert to the visible church is part-and-parcel of the work of the Evangelist.

And that's my  worth.


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## Need 4 Creed (Jan 16, 2015)

Thanks Bruce for the OPC perspective, very helpful, and exactly what I was looking for. 

It would be good to get some other practices, from other presbyterian bodies represented here. 

Copile of questions, 1) evangelists, in your mind, can function as ordained ministers? 2) Must evangelists be "ordained" or is commisioning enough? If only commisioned, I'm guessing they are limited in what they can do -- i.e they cannot do weddings or sacraments??


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Jan 16, 2015)

See also:
http://www.puritanboard.com/f116/evangelism-church-office-75841/

http://www.puritanboard.com/f116/office-evangelist-there-back-again-85023/

http://www.puritanboard.com/f121/what-does-reformed-evangelism-look-like-78450/


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## Edward (Jan 16, 2015)

PCA BCO:

1-6.
The ordination of officers is ordinarily by a court, except in the case
of ordination by a presbytery's evangelist (see BCO 8-6).

5-3.
The mission church, because of its transitional condition, requires a
temporary system of government. Depending on the circumstances and at its
own discretion, Presbytery may provide for such government in one of
several ways:
a. Appoint an evangelist as prescribed in with BCO 8-6.

...


8-5.
When a man is called to labor as a teaching elder, it belongs to his
order, in addition to those functions he shares with all other elders, to feed
the flock by reading, expounding and preaching the Word of God and to
administer the Sacraments. As he is sent to declare the will of God to
sinners, and to beseech them to be reconciled to God through Christ, he is
termed ambassador. As he bears glad tidings of salvation to the ignorant and
perishing, he is termed evangelist. As he stands to proclaim the Gospel, he is
termed preacher. As he dispenses the manifold grace of God, and the
ordinances instituted by Christ, he is termed steward
of the mysteries of God.

8-6.
When a teaching elder is appointed to the work of an evangelist, he
is commissioned to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments in
foreign countries or the destitute parts of the Church. The Presbytery may by
separate acts from that by which it commissioned him, entrust to the
evangelist for a period of twelve months the power to organize churches,
and, until there is a Session in the church so organized, to instruct, examine,
ordain, and install ruling elders and deacons therein, and to receive or
dismiss members.

8-7.
A Presbytery may, at its discretion, approve the call of a teaching
elder to work with an organization outside the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian
Church in America, provided that he be engaged in preaching and teaching
the Word, that the Presbytery be assured he will have full freedom to
maintain and teach the doctrine of our Church, and that he report at least
annually on his work. As far as possible, such a teaching elder shall be a
member of the Presbytery within whose bounds he labors. (See BCO 20-1.)

There is also a slight change in the ordination vows.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Jan 16, 2015)

What he ↑ said.


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## Jack K (Jan 16, 2015)

JJ,

Around the time of the 1980s, the Christian Reformed Church added to the offices of Minister, Elder, and Deacon the office of Evangelist. This was largely in response to a perceived need on the mission field. Many men who'd never been ordained as ministers were working as missionaries, often in remote locations. They were licensed to preach by their Classis but were hampered in their work by not being authorized to administer the sacraments. The CRC's action allowed these men to be examined by Classis and ordained as Evangelists, allowed to both preach and administer sacraments, yet not ordained as Ministers so as to keep the standards for that office high (in most cases these men had not been to seminary).

My father was one of those missionaries ordained, for a time, as an Evangelist. It seemed right to us. Certainly, it had not really been sensible for him to be allowed to perform every other function of a Minister, essentially running a not-yet-particularized church by himself out in the boonies, but not allowed to baptize or administer the Supper. How can you have a church without the sacraments? If you want to establish churches, you either have to require missionaries to be ordained Ministers or you have to authorize non-Ministers to perform those functions. That was the need and the CRC's solution.

The use of the Evangelist office quickly morphed. Rather than being just for missionaries, it became a handy way to bypass seminary training for churches that wanted to expand the duties of their non-Minister staff. About that time, the CRC was also beginning to deal with calls to allow women in office, and some saw Evangelist as a way to get around the fact that getting a woman ordained as a Minister looked to be (at the time) an impossible hurdle. Before long the office of Evangelist was scrapped and replaced with a description and moniker less missionary-oriented.

The issue with missionaries still exists, though, in many good denominations. One either has to (1) only appoint those who've completed seminary training and been ordained as Ministers when sending church-planting missionaries, (2) lower the expected standards in special cases so that those without seminary training can be ordained as Ministers, or (3) authorize non-Ministers (perhaps ordained Evangelists) to do duties normallly reserved for Ministers only.


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## Romans922 (Jan 16, 2015)

The office of Evangelist like Apostle and Prophet have ceased with the close of the Canon.


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## Edward (Jan 16, 2015)

Romans922 said:


> The office of Evangelist like Apostle and Prophet have ceased with the close of the Canon.



So you've taken exception to those sections of the Book of Church Order?


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## Romans922 (Jan 16, 2015)

One is not able to take exceptions to the BCO. When even talking about the standards, only a presbytery can grant exception. An individual only has differences. But there are no differences or exceptions to the BCO.


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## Need 4 Creed (Jan 17, 2015)

Very helpful and insightful Jack. 

Yes, I can see how these issues would surround the contemporary function of evangelists.


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