The Five-Fold Office Assessment: Helping Your Leaders Find Their Place on the Path

Pastor, one of the most important things we do is help the people God has placed in our care discover what He's called them to. And when it comes to the leaders in our churches, few passages shape that conversation more than Ephesians 4:

"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature." (Ephesians 4:11–13)

Over the years I've had countless conversations with emerging leaders asking, "Which one am I?" So we built a simple, free tool to help start that conversation: the Five-Fold Office Assessment. It's 50 statements, takes about 8 minutes, and shows which one or two of the five roles someone leans toward right now.

An Important Distinction: Gifts vs. Offices

Before handing this to your team, I want to make a distinction I make in my book Preaching with Authority. Every believer is given spiritual gifts, as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12. Every follower of Jesus can share their faith, encourage others, and speak truth.

But not everyone is called to step into one of the five leadership roles in Ephesians 4. There's a difference between the office of the evangelist and someone who shares their faith, or between the office of the pastor and someone who offers spiritual wisdom. When I use the word "office," I'm talking about someone operating in one of those five primary leadership and visionary roles in the church.

That's why we built two separate tools. The Spiritual Gifts Assessment is for everyone in your church. The Five-Fold Office Assessment is best suited for your staff, elders, ministry leaders, and the emerging leaders you're developing.

The Five Offices and the Path

Many have tried to clarify the functions of the five ministry gifts. When I was drilling into them to understand my own calling, the picture that helped me most was the visual of the Path. If these five roles are designed to lead and mature the church along the Path, here's how I see each of their primary functions:

• The Apostle clears and reveals the Path. These are the pioneers and builders who lay foundations and keep the church moving on mission (1 Corinthians 3:10).
• The Prophet calls people back to the Path. They carry God's heart for His people and call the church back to intimacy, holiness, and obedience (Jeremiah 6:16).
• The Evangelist brings new people onto the Path. They carry the heart of Jesus, who came "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10), and they stir up the whole church to reach people.
• The Pastor walks with people on the Path. They shepherd God's flock over the long haul, notice who's drifting, and go after them (1 Peter 5:2).
• The Teacher shows people how to walk on the Path. They ground believers in God's Word so they aren't tossed back and forth by every wind of teaching (Ephesians 4:14).

Each result in the assessment includes a biblical description of the office, its key functions, and next steps to grow in it.

Calling Is Confirmed in Community

Here's what I'd want every leader on your team to understand before they take it. We all operate in each of these gifts at some level, but we'll lean more heavily toward one or two. And before anyone claims one of these five, they should allow confirmation from the Holy Spirit and the trusted pastors and ministry leaders around them.

In my own story, my initial call was to the evangelist. It was 15 years before I really operated in that office. Then the Holy Spirit began to speak to me and to others about a shift toward the prophet, and later a highlighting of the teaching role. Each new season my wife and I stepped into came through the prophetic release of the pastors and the authority God had positioned us under. Don't step beyond His hand!

That's why the results page reminds people that calling is delegated by the Holy Spirit, affirmed in community, and confirmed or released by those who already serve in these offices. An assessment can start the conversation. It can't replace your voice in their life.

How to Use This With Your Team

Here's a simple way to put it to work:

1. Take it yourself first. You'll understand the questions and the results before you hand it to anyone else.
2. Have your leadership team take it. Ask everyone to take it before your next team meeting or retreat.
3. Talk through the results together. Ask, "Does this match what we see in you?" You'll often find that the team sees things in each other that the individual can't see in themselves.
4. Pair results with next steps. Someone leaning toward the evangelist might help lead your outreach. A teacher might help build your discipleship pathway. A pastor might lead a small group.
5. Revisit it in a year. People can retake it anytime, and their latest results replace the old ones. It's a great way to see how God is growing and clarifying calling over time.

Everyone can email their results to themselves from the results page, which makes it easy for them to forward them to you before you meet.

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Take the free Five-Fold Office Assessment: followingjesus.com/five-fold-office-assessment

For your whole church: The free Spiritual Gifts Assessment helps every member discover how God has gifted them to serve.

Go deeper: My book Preaching with Authority walks through calling, confirmation, and how God matures the five-fold gifts over a lifetime of ministry.

Equip your people: Browse discipleship resources for your church at followingjesusbook.com.