hen we think of Paul and his work, what mostly comes to mind is the word "apostle". In the greetings that begin his letters, this
is the way he mostly introduces himself (Rom 1:11; 1 Cor 1:1; 2 Cor 1:1; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1). He was one among many who were designated
this way but, because he had persecuted believers for so long and was the last to whom Jesus appeared, he regarded himself as "the least" among
them (1 Cor 15:9). Despite this, there can be no doubt that Paul was the
most enterprising and versatile of the group commissioned by Christ to
spread his message and draw together those who responded into communities that met in his name. It is worth asking, however, whether
the meaning of this word is exhausted by the activities of itinerant
evangelism and church planting.
It is Paul who lists various ministries initiated by God to help believers grow together into maturity. In Ephesians, he lists "apostles,
evangelists, prophets, pastors and teachers" (4:11).1 These have
sometimes been regarded as ministries that can or should appear in every
church. However, there is evidence to suggest that, like apostleship, they were largely itinerant, examples of whom are the evangelist Timothy (2 Tim 4:5), the prophet Agabus (Acts 11:28), and the teacher Apollos (Acts
18:24). They have also generally been regarded as different ways of serving God. Yet there is much to suggest that this is not in all cases
accurate. Until recently, little attention was paid to these categories by biblical
scholars. There have been occasional studies of evangelism, prophecy, pastoring, and teaching themselves but not in connection with particular figures involved in these activities. And though Paul infers or mentions
in his letters that he engaged in several of them, the significance of this has not been fully investigated.
