In this article I will explore the relationship between local church government and the prophetic ministry. These two broad categories of responsibility and serving sometimes come into unnecessary conflict due to a lack of understanding of how they should properly relate. The body of Christ functions best when each part works in harmony with the Head, Jesus Christ. God created mankind to experience a wonderful dependence upon him and an interdependence with one another. In the local church, the proper cooperation between government and the prophetic ministry is an example of this.

When government and the prophetic properly work together, great power and authority will be released.

And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8 (NET1)

An Overview of Biblical Government

Another word for church government is the episcopate, which basically means those who oversee.

Peter used this word in speaking about eldership:

Give a shepherd’s care to God’s flock among you, exercising oversight not merely as a duty but willingly under God’s direction, not for shameful profit but eagerly. 3 And do not lord it over those entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:2-3 (NET1)

One purpose of the episcopate is to help people grow to maturity in faith and their relationship with the Lord.

Overseers should see their people in a similar way as a father would a son or daughter. The hope and expectation is for the child to grow to maturity and have less and less need for the father in day to day affairs. The relationship will remain intact, but its nature changes dramatically over time as the child grows to maturity and gains greater responsibility and latitude to operate.

I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm. 2 Corinthians 1:24 (NET1)

Our Lord vests responsibility and authority in the episcopate, which includes such leadership ministries as pastor and elder in the local church setting. The writer of Hebrews mentions both aspects of government, leadership and oversight, in the following scripture:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. Let them do this with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you. Hebrews 13:17 (NET1)

In this article, by “government” I mean those who have oversight and leadership responsibilities in the local assembly.

This would include persons with “five-fold ministry” gifts, such as the pastor, as well as the governing elders. It could also include other leadership people, such as small group leaders, youth leaders, etc., but I will limit this discussion to pastor and elders.

Those in government have been given the overall responsibility to oversee, nurture, and protect the flock. As such, their main gifts likely will be faith, leadership, wisdom, strategy, discerning of spirits, and administration. There should also be a strong teaching component to this ministry of feeding or nurturing the flock. Those in government who are also part of the “five-fold” ministry will also have gifts to build up the body and equip it for ministry through pastoring, teaching, and prophecy, as well as through the apostolic and evangelistic impartation of Christ. Since these five-fold ministers have both a governmental anointing and a ministerial gifting, we will include them with government in this discussion.

Leadership is the ability and grace God gives to a person that enables him (or her) to effectively lead others in the direction God wants them to go.

When a person endowed with leadership vision and gifting comes under the Lordship of Christ, God will give him the responsibility and the authority needed to lead. God’s command to the leader is to be diligent, eager, earnest, and zealous. The great need of the leader is vision, courage, and wisdom.

… if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence… Romans 12:8 (NET1)

Some Generalities about Ministry

“Ministry” includes those people in the church whom God gifts to serve in any capacity, besides governmental oversight.

Another word for these people is the “diaconate.” Ministry is a very broad category, and, for this reason, in this discussion, I will narrow my focus to the prophetic-intercessory ministry. The general principles that apply to it in the governmental-ministerial relationship will be true for every other ministry person, as he or she relates to the oversight team in the church.

Prophetic people have the ability and skill to operate in the gift of prophecy and some other gifts of the Spirit such as the word of knowledge. (Here I am not including “five-fold” ministry “prophets,” which I have made part of governmental oversight. This is not a hard and fast rule, but simply how I have divided things. In this article, I identify the “prophetic” ministry with those who simply are able to operate in the gift of prophecy.)

The prophetic ministry is comprised of those people in the church who have the ability to “hear” God in a special way and pass that along to God’s people for exhortation, edification, and comfort. (1 Cor. 14:3)

The prophetic ministry relates chiefly to the ability to “see” and “hear” and “know,” especially in the spiritual realm.

In the Old Testament, prophets originally were called “seers.” Prophecy requires those who operate in it to receive revelation from God in the form of visions, dreams, thoughts, and words, which they pass along to God’s people, as is appropriate, timely, and edifying. It goes without saying that any such revelation is subject to God’s truth as revealed in the Scriptures.

The LORD said, “Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known to him in a vision; I will speak with him in a dream. Numbers 12:6 (NET1)

Intercessory prayer people, who have a prophetic gift, can use this spiritual ability to assist them in praying; therefore, the prophetic ministry can include those who operate in intercessory prayer ministry, worship leadership, counseling, and anyone else who believes he or she is hearing from God for the church corporately or for individuals. Prophetic intercessors seem to have a valid ability to gain understanding from God concerning how to pray for individuals and ministries. In the local church, they seem to have insight into what God is doing or going to do or what the enemy may be up to. For this reason they are included in the same group as the prophetic ministry, who may use their gift for personal ministry to individuals and leaders or to speak messages to the entire church during an assembly.

God’s command to the prophetic person is to stay within the limitations of his or her own faith.

And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. Romans 12:6 (NET1)

If we are prophetic, we should never let anyone or a desire to look good lead us to go beyond our faith when prophesying.

The great need for the prophetic person is to be under authority and properly related to the government of the church.

If we are prophetic, we must remember that our ministry is partially to assist the oversight team in their responsibility to lead and oversee as God desires, not to usurp their authority. If we believe we have heard God regarding things that are properly under the purview of the governmental ministry, we should share those things in such a way that leadership will not feel as if we are putting pressure on them. We should always strive to be “under authority” when speaking as representatives of God to the oversight ministry.

The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him. John 7:18 (NET1)

How Government and Ministry Relate

The lead elder or “pastor” in a congregation is normally a person who is gifted in both government and ministry gifts. This person is part of the “five-fold” ministry mentioned in Ephesians 4:11, whose purpose is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. A lead elder’s ministry gift may not be in the realm of the prophetic, but may rather be teaching, pastoring, evangelizing, or that which pertains to the apostolic.

All those whom God calls and appoints to function in church government will have a leadership gift and grace to be able to oversee the church by making judgments and decisions based on the wisdom and understanding God gives.

A person with governmental responsibility and authority from God may or may not have extraordinary pulpit ministry gifts. For example, an elder may not have a strong ministry gifting, such as teaching or preaching, but will have a strong governmental gifting and be able to teach, as needed.

The authority connected with the prophetic or other non-governmental ministry is different from the authority vested in governmental leaders.

Those who prophesy and give revelations from the Lord, unless they are five-fold prophets, generally only have the authority of the message itself; whereas, those in government carry authority in themselves, as delegated representatives of Christ’s authority and as part of their appointment to govern.

(However, this does not mean that leaders are infallible or that I am in any way espousing a domineering authoritarian type of rule in the church. Government has its own checks and balances, which I am not addressing in this article.)

In other words, God asks those in the prophetic diaconate to submit their word or revelation for others to judge with reference to how it agrees with the written Word of God and whether there is a sense that the Spirit is indeed speaking through them. The responsibility to judge prophecy falls especially on those who are prophetically gifted and who have governmental responsibility. The prophetic word or revelation will then stand or fall on its own merits.

The foundation for an effective teamwork between the governmental and prophetic begins with understanding the nature of the authority vested in each and working within those limitations.

Those who have a strong governmental anointing have an ability to discern, interpret, judge wisely, and make sound decisions. The gift of leadership carries with it an ability to discern God’s plan and timing. A leader does receive revelation from God; although, it is not always in exactly the same way as the prophetic person. The leader has vision given by God for what could and should be regarding God’s overall plan. He also has intuition and insight concerning where God is going and when it is time to move forward or wait. This is part of the basis for his or her leadership.

The prophetic person, on the other hand, often sees things and understands God’s plan and purpose long before the time for it to be fulfilled, in order that he or she may pray and prophesy it into being, as opposed to being the actual leader or activator of the event.

Take the example of Samuel and David. Samuel had the prophetic picture and anointed David to be the next king but did not personally have the calling or gifting to be the king. Neither Samuel nor David knew exactly when or how God would bring David’s kingship to pass, however.

The prophetic person may see a revelation painted in broad brush strokes, but lack the governmental wisdom to know how and when the purpose of God will come to pass, or even when the revelation should be made known to others.

The governmental person may not “see” all aspects of the prophetic picture right away, but he or she knows enough about where God is going to discern how the prophetic insight does or does not fit into the overall scheme of things, at least for the moment.

To put it another way, the governmental person often does not see all that the prophetic person sees. The prophetic person often does not understand what the governmental person knows through wisdom and governmental intuition. (When we operate in our God-given gift, we are intuitive, knowing things beyond what we can explain.) This can create a tension that may lead to big problems if a proper teamwork relationship is not established and maintained. Both parties must develop a relationship of trust based on proven faithfulness, which takes time.

How to Build Trust and a Working Relationship

In order to function well in a teamwork relationship, the prophetic person needs to know that the governmental person takes his or her prophetic gifting and ministry seriously, even though what he or she shares may not always be acted upon or even received as a word from God that must be obeyed. The prophetic person also needs to know that the governmental person will seek God about any supposed revelation that is shared.

Conversely, a governmental person needs to know that a prophetic person is willing to follow his or her leadership, even if it does not line up with the prophetic person’s understanding. The governmental ministry needs to know that the prophetic ministry is willing to have its revelations judged by those in the governmental ministry, and the prophetic ministry needs to have confidence in the wisdom and discernment of the governmental ministry to properly judge prophetic revelations. Ultimately, this means prophetic people believe that God is able to direct those in government as he wishes.

Leaders should refrain from speaking in a negative way about those in the intercessory/prophetic ministry, and those who are prophetic must learn to uphold their leaders in prayer and with their words and actions.

When the government and prophetic really respect and appreciate one another, a deep bond can develop and the ministry will thrive. One way or another, however, these relationships will be tested. You can count on that.

The Four-legged Table

For a four-legged table to firmly stand, each leg must be in place. The four legs of wise governmental decisions are listed below.

• The right thing. We must discern what God wants to do. E.g. David discerned that it was good to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 13:5)
• The right way. We must discern how God wants His will to be done. E.g. David at first failed to understand that the Ark must be carried on the shoulders of the Levites. Instead he placed it on an ox cart. God disciplined Israel for using the wrong method, but later blessed them when the Levites were used to transport the Ark God’s appointed way. (1 Chronicles 13:12; 15:2)
• The right person. David was correct in wanting to build a proper temple to honor the Lord, but he was not the right person to carry it out. The prophetic ministry revealed that God had selected Solomon instead. David made all the preparations and shared with his son the plans God had revealed to him, making it easier for Solomon to succeed in the enterprise. David was humble enough to accept God’s choice of the right person. So must we be.
• The right timing. Abraham had a promise from God that he would have a son, but he jumped the gun in his impatience and begot Ishmael. If we get ahead of (or behind) God’s timing, all sorts of problems may result.

So Jesus replied, “My time has not yet arrived, but you are ready at any opportunity! John 7:6 (NET1)

Tension between government and the prophetic is possible at each point. Will God reveal the thing, the way, the person, and the timing through the leader or a prophetic person? We never know in advance and must remain open. God’s timing is perhaps our greatest challenge.

For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter… Ecclesiastes 8:6 (NET1)

How often have we rushed into doing something that we knew was God’s will, only to fall on our faces because it was not God’s timing? The prophetic and government must seek God together to discern God’s proper timing.

Timing is everything in the Kingdom of God, and carelessness here can be very detrimental and presumptuous. Prophets and leaders must learn to control their impatience in this area.

Sometimes God might withhold revelation of what to do from a leader because it is not yet time to do anything. The prophetic person may see the revelation long before the leader and need to prayerfully wait until the leader sees it, too, when it is God’s time to act upon it. All this is tied to God’s timing. Both the prophetic and government are tested on this one.

The prophetic person can pray and believe while God waits to reveal the plan to the governmental leader. This requires the prophetic person to have confidence that God will speak effectively to his leaders at the appointed time.

It’s more a trust issue concerning God than regarding the leader; but it may not be perceived that way. The prophetic person may mistrust the leader and think that God is actually speaking but the leader is not hearing. Prophetic ministries may be tempted to judge the leadership at this point and might perhaps launch out on their own, creating a division in the church or team.

Another problem is when the leader may be tempted to do something he is unsure of just because of the influence of the prophetic person. The prophetic person may seem so confident that it can be intimidating to an inexperienced leader, who has not become convinced that God will tell him everything he or she needs to know. Conversely, a leader may become defensive or negative toward a prophetic person and cease being open to their input. The leader must learn to trust in his God-given leadership gift and be open and thankful for input.

Keys to Effective Teamwork

1. Mutual appreciation and trust
   • It is the leader’s responsibility to cultivate that atmosphere in the church by taking the lead in affirming other ministries and explaining how team ministry happens under God’s authority.
   • It is the prophetic person’s job to earn that trust by properly submitting to authority and returning appreciation to the leader.
2. Permission
   • The primary responsibility for the welfare of the sheep falls upon the lead elder of the church.
   • If he is wise, he will employ as many people as possible in the task of pastoring, taking advantage of the various pastoral gifts in the church.
   • All those people who co-shepherd with him are doing so “with permission” since they derive their responsibility and authority from the lead elder, who gets his from Christ. We should not be engaged in our own self-directed independent ministry.
   • Delegated authority and ministry must make it their job to make the lead elder successful in his responsibility of shepherding the church.
3. Deference
   • Those who are assisting the lead elder in ministry and oversight should honor those who are in authority over them.
   • Practically speaking, this involves deferring to them in matters that require higher-level pastoral involvement, such as when there are marital problems or any situation that requires counseling or decision making on a deeper level.
   • In other words, if a delegated ministry or authority has any question at all about how to properly handle a situation, he should defer to the one in authority over him.
   • He or she should follow all guidelines given him by the one in authority.
4. Freedom
   • The one in authority must clearly define and communicate what are the guidelines he expects those under authority to follow.
   • As a working relationship is developed over time, more and more freedom can be given to the one under authority as they prove themselves faithful.
   • The goal is to produce a ministry team that thoroughly understands its individual roles, and within those roles, has great freedom to operate and initiate. Those under authority will be given authority. The goal is to produce mature ministers who know how to hear God and make decisions without having to be micro-managed.

Conclusion

If we fail to work together, the church will be hurt, the work slowed, and individuals will be held back from ministerial and leadership maturity. The prophetic can never reach its potential unless it works under and alongside church government. The government has the authority that can more fully release the prophetic. In addition, the government will never be able to discern all it needs to without the prophetic. The prophetic has the insight and revelation to help make the government a success.

Tips for Going Forward

• The governmental ministry should take initiative to teach these principles to the church and especially to those in the prophetic-intercessory ministry. It is good to review these principles with all new members.
• The governmental ministry should discuss these principles with the governmental and prophetic ministries in the church.
• Guidelines for ministry should be set up and communicated.
• The governmental ministry should regularly show their respect for the prophetic ministry in front of the church.
• People in the prophetic ministry should communicate their desire to be under authority privately and publicly to the church.
• When governmental leaders override the input of the prophetic ministry, it should be done in the fear of the Lord and with humility.
• When prophetic ministers think they see or understand something before the governmental ministry does, they must be careful to maintain proper respect for the leadership and not undermine their authority before other people or in their own hearts, giving them space to hear God for themselves.
• When leaders finally act upon input from the prophetic ministry, the latter should not be surprised that it will appear to be the leader’s own idea. This is part of the humility required of the prophetic ministry.