APOSTOLIC FATHERING

Relationship is the key to apostolic authority.

When we hear or see the word “Apostle”, a number of words may come to mind, such as “authority”, “leadership”, “foundations”, “church oversight”. But one of the true “ear marks” of apostolic ministry is relationship. In fact, nowhere in the Bible will you see the word apostle used in a context other than servant relationships with others.

Jesus gained many disciples, and then “He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.” (Mark 3:14, NIV). Although they were “sent out” by Jesus, which is what “apostle” means, we often miss the fact that they first had to “be with Jesus”; meaning their apostolic authority came out of their relationship with “Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.” (Hebrews 3:1, NIV).

Apostolic authority requires relationship. If there is no relationship, and no agreed upon boundaries to that relationship, there is no authority.

The apostle Paul said, “Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 9:2, NIV). A royal seal was a mark which confirmed the authenticity of a document. Paul was saying that the Corinthians who he was in relationship with, confirmed the authenticity of his apostleship. A person is not an apostle because of position, he is an apostle because he has a spiritual fathering relationship with others. To some churches and people, Paul was only a Christian worker, not an apostle. To those with whom he was an apostle, it was either because he had planted their church (and therefore were in relationship with the elders who were presently there), or because he had developed a personal relationship with them as a spiritual father.

When Paul wrote to Timothy or Titus, he was very pointed and direct (and almost demanding), because Timothy and Titus were both his “true son(s) in the faith.” (1 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:14, NIV). Yet when he wrote a letter to Philemon, who was not a spiritual son, but only a “dear friend and fellow worker” (Philemon 1:1, NIV), requesting a release of his slave Onesimus, he had no apostolic authority to demand, since he wasn’t in the same type of relationship. Therefore, he had an entirely different approach, one of appeal. “Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul – an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus – I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.” (Philemon 1:8-10, NIV). “In Christ” he had authority, but on the basis of relationship, he realized that he could only appeal.

It is true that Paul and Barnabas used their apostolic authority and “… appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust” (Acts 14:23, NIV), but that’s because it was Paul and Barnabas who had first won the people to the Lord, and established those churches, and so were the spiritual fathers to the elders who were being raised up in those churches.

What is the practical authority and relationship of an apostle to a local church?

When an apostle plants a church, he is free to appoint the elders in that church, and use his

authority to oversee the vision and ministry of that local church. This is not because of his position as the senior elder, but because he has raised up spiritual sons and daughters under him, who have become loyal, accountable, and submitted to him (and who know that he love them and has their best interests at heart), and so he is in the best place to determine who the new elders should be. After saying this, though, a wise apostle will ask for the advice and input of the other elders on the team, before selecting a new elder.

When an apostle leaves a local church, and hands it over to the elders of that church that he himself raised up, then unless he maintains an agreed upon ministry role of what we call a “trans-local elder”, then he gives up all authority over that church. This is much the same as when we allow our natural sons to leave home and get married and become the head of a new household, and at that point we release our authority over them as a father, and instead, can only appeal to them as a friend, a peer, and an advisor.

If an apostle does not have a relationship with the leaders of a local church, then he has no authority in that local church, even though he may be recognized as an apostle to others. Said another way, he may be Pastor Bob’s apostle, and Pastor Joe’s apostle, but that does not make him “my” apostle, unless I have entered into a spiritual father-son relationship with him. In the same way, I may be Thomas’ father (my natural son), as well as Kristen’s and Kaylea’s and Elissa’s father (my natural daughters), but this does not make me your father, unless I go through a process of adoption with you.

If an apostle does have a relationship with the leaders of a local church, his authority is still limited to the authority that the local church eldership gives him. He comes as a servant, to serve the leadership. He may be their spiritual father, but remember that he is fathering adults and not children, and so he should respect them as such. At no time does an apostle have the final authority over any local church. Paul wrote to “… all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers [elders] and deacons” (Philippians 1:1, NIV), because the elders and deacons were the ministry leaders, and the elders were the final authority over the local church. If Paul had direct authority over the local church, he would not need to recognize the elders of the church.

What role can an apostle play when selecting a new elder?

An apostle who is not also an elder of a local church should not be used as a “hireling” to choose new elders. An apostle should only be invited into provide guidance to the present church elders, as they go through the process of choosing a new elder. In doing so, they can help in the following ways.

First, an apostle may be asked to prophesy over the new elder, to give some impartation and blessing to what God is doing. “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” (1 Timothy 4:14, NIV).

Second, an apostle who is a spiritual father to the present elders may be asked to come along side of the elders, to encourage them, and show the church that he supports their decision of who the new elder is. To make another comparison, at my wedding, my father did not choose my wife for me, but he came to the wedding to bless me, and to publicly make a statement that he agreed with my decision, and would support me in my decision of who my wife would be.

Therefore, no apostolic ministry has the Biblical mandate, or the Biblical authority, to “place an elder” into eldership, unless they planted the church, and the person being placed into eldership is one of their spiritual sons, and the present eldership is in agreement. Even with delegated authority, no apostle has the Biblical mandate to recognize and release elders. At the most, the apostle can oversee the induction service, but the recognition and placement of the elders must be done by the senior elder and elder-board who presently function within that local church.

Who ordains new elders?

Rather than searching for an apostle who can perform an ordination service, we should be looking for an apostolic spiritual father with whom we can develop a relationship with, and who just wants to bless us, love us, and father us. Then, he or she can provide us with relational support, guidance, encouragement, and council for the decisions that we need to make. As a local church eldership, we must seek God, consider the spiritual sons that we have been raising up, and then ask God to show us which ones of our spiritual sons should be released as elders. It is my conviction that the only person who truly has the right, and the wisdom to ordain a person into Christian ministry, is that person’s spiritual father.

God calls each one of us to a specific ministry. But God also wants each one of us to raise up “sons” in the faith, who we can pour our lives into, and guide them into ministry. One of the responsibilities of a spiritual father is to recognize and encourage the calling on a person’s life, and then “release” them into that calling when they are ready. Therefore one of the primary responsibilities of a senior elder or apostle is to ensure that his other present under-elders are spiritual sons, and then raise up other new spiritual sons, who can eventually become elders. Then, at the right time, he, with his other spiritual sons, can release the rising sons into eldership.

What if you don’t have an apostle leading your church?

Just as the pastor or shepherd is the “spiritual father” over the local flock of God (ie. the local church), the apostle is the “spiritual father” over the five-fold ministry leaders (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers). So what would be best, is if every local church had a plurality of elders (which is the Biblical governmental order), and that the “chief” elder be an apostle. However, if this is not the case, since not every church may be led by an elder who is an in-house apostle, then the church eldership should seek out an apostle, enter into a spiritual father-son relationship with him, and make him a “trans-local” elder, which means that he is part of the eldership team, but has his home church somewhere else.

Even in a church where the senior elder is an apostle, that apostle should seek out another apostle (or apostles) to be his spiritual father. We all need spiritual fathers.

What is the difference between apostolic authority, and traditional denominational authority?

In most cases (but not all), denominational authority is positional authority, whereas apostolic authority is relational authority. When a denominational authority moves on, and a new person is put into a position of authority, the people under him must submit to him because of his (or her) positional authority, whether they know him or not, or like him or not. But because apostolic authority is relational authority, submission is willingly given, and the relationship maintained, no matter where the apostle moves to, and no matter where his spiritual sons move to. The relationship can last for a life-time, rather than for just a two or four year term.

In our own local church, I am the senior apostolic elder. We have invited an apostolic council of five couples outside of our church who function apostolically and prophetically, whom we are in relationship with. But to us they are first and foremost not apostles or prophets, but instead spiritual fathers and mothers who provide support, council, encouragement and guidance to us. Although they are all five-fold ministers, it is best not to look at them as five-fold ministers, because then we can be tempted to value their anointing above of their relationship with us. As I said, the key to apostolic authority is relationship, not anointing.

David Hibbert – February 2004