Ephesians 4:12

The purpose of all these gifted leaders is to prepare the rest of the saints to minister and so build up the body of Christ, the church. "Equipping" (Gr. katartismon) means preparing, mending, or restoring people to their proper use (Galatians 6:1; cf. Matthew 4:21; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Hebrews 13:21). The role of these leaders is to minister the Word to the saints in the church so the saints can minister the Word in the world (cf. 1 Timothy 3:15). All the saints should participate in service, not just the leaders. One writer cautioned against viewing only the leaders as doing equipping ministry. [Note: T. David Gordon, "’Equipping’ Ministry in Ephesians 4," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 37:1 (March 1994):69-78.] Every Christian has a gift or gifts with which he or she can and should serve (Ephesians 4:7; 1 Peter 4:10).