Who does the work of ministry?

[SRoper]

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"

--Eph. 4:12,13 (KJV)

Did Christ give the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers "for the work of ministry" or "for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry"?

 

[Contra_Mundum]

I take the former of the two options presented as the accurate rendering (that is, the KJV has it right). Christ has ascended and lavished his gifts upon every believer, according to his dispensation. More important than any individual gift are the supreme gifts in common that are shared in by all (as well as that each individual's gift(s) exist for the edification of all in the context of the church where they are put on display.)

The common gifts of Christ unto the church include preeminently her teachers of the Word, which is the primary instrument of the Spirit in his work. Christ's gifts (of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers)
1. equip the saints (for the Christian life),
2. fill the ministry (when you think of 'ministers' here, think of a king and his 'ministers', his proxies by whom he administers his reign),
3. edify (build up, construct, expand) Christ's body, the church, his kingdom.

In other words, Paul is elaborating here in series, not enunciating a single thought.