Are Preachers Ministers?
by Terry Wane Benton
Yes! They are not the only ministers in the church, but they minister in a certain way; they serve in teaching and edifying the church's role. They minister the gospel to the lost and the saved. That is a certain way of ministering, but the average church member is a minister in other ways. So, while preachers are ministers, they are not the only ministers in the church. All minister or serve the Lord and His church in various ways. So, don’t think of preachers as the only ministers, but think of them as ministers in a certain capacity. They feed the souls they teach, and that serves or ministers to people in a certain way, but there are other ways to minister (Romans12:6-7). You can cut an elderly member’s grass, and that makes you a minister in that way. You can serve others, wash feet, or help others in various ways, and that means you are a minister. So, don’t think of preachers as the only ministers, but don’t overstate the case that preachers are not ministers.
Paul was a minister inasmuch as he served the souls of people by his preaching and teaching of the gospel. He has an apostle/preacher “ministry”.
"For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry" (Romans 11:13).
"Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart" (II Corinthians 4:1).
"Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation" (II Corinthians 5:18-19).
So, if you labor to get souls reconciled back to God, you are a minister serving in the effort. All teachers and preachers of the gospel are serving souls by trying to get people reconciled to God. Thus, all teachers and preachers of the gospel have a “ministry of reconciliation.”
"We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God" (II Corinthians 6:3-4).
"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry" (I Timothy 1:12).
Paul told Timothy that his service was his ministry as an evangelist. So, evangelism is ministry, and an evangelist is a minister.
"But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (II Timothy 4:5-6).
Every member serves and ministers in some capacity. Some have a more specialized area of ministry, and so we need to remember that and think of our various assortment of ministers in various ways.
