Thank you for the Biblical question, “What is the difference between a pastor, a apostle, and an evangelist?”
As one thinks about this question, one may want to consider differentiating between the offices of pastor, apostle, and evangelist and the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher, apostle, and evangelist.
The key passages for one to consider and study on the topic of spiritual gifts and or office are Ephesians 4, I Peter 4, I Corinthians 12–14, and Romans 12.
Here is my understanding of the Biblical text. The view expressed are my own and does not represent any denomination, church, or other Christians. Christians do have varying views on the subject of spiritual gifts and or the offices so I want to be considerate that other Christians’ interpretation of the the text. This is for one’s consideration.
I. The Office of Pastor, Apostle, and Evangelist.
Within the Christian denominations and churches, most churches recognizes the office of Pastor, Evangelist, while a small group of churches have Apostles. The office and qualification of Pastor is usually based on I Timothy 3 and I Titus 1 as the Apostle Paul states the qualification of an elder in the church
A. The Office of Pastor.
Generally speaking the Office of Pastor is a person whom God has called to shepherd his people but the location of his office/ministry is based on the calling by a church in search of a pastoral staff. The By-Law of a church states the various pastoral staff positions as to the qualifications, responsibilities and reporting to, term of office, and removal from office. The office of pastor or lead Elder oversees the church in caring and feeding the sheep under his care and overseeing the organizational structure of a local church. It’s the people and the program that the pastor oversees.
B. The Office of Apostle.
The Office of Apostle is a disputed position as many Christians believe the office of Apostleship ended during the first century as there are no more living witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:21–22).
For those Christians or churches who uphold the Office of Apostle is usually designated as the “Founding Father” of that church or of a large organization. That designation of Apostle may be referred to as “Bishop” of the denomination. The term, bishop, and elder may be viewed as interchangeable, but with a large organization the designation of Apostle is the singular leader of that organization. Protestants may used the term, Apostle, while the Catholic Church uses the term, Pope or Cardinals. The person who holds this office usually have sway or authority over the doctrine and practice of that denomination or church.
C. The Office of Evangelist.
The Office of Evangelist is a person called by God to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ within the local church and to the community. The evangelist helps organize and encourages the believers in the local church or a group of churches to share the salvation message of Jesus through friendship evangelism or through personal invitation to a public meeting. The Office of Evangelist is a created pastoral staff position within a church.
In a smaller local church, quite often the pastor serves as both shepherd and evangelist since he leads and speaks before the people. He does the work of an evangelist in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
II. The Spiritual Gift of Pastor, Apostle, and Evangelist.
Spiritual gifts are special endowment and enablement of a believer by the Holy Spirit to be effective in building up the believers. Every believer has at least one spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul says this in I Corinthians 12, “4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines” (A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages). Bible citations are from the New International Versions.
Additionally, the Apostle Paul cites in Ephesian 4 of the purpose of the spiritual gifts or offices depending on one’s interpretation of the text. The text says this, “11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (NIV).
A. The Spiritual Gift of Pastor-Teacher.
The spiritual gift of pastor-teacher is a special enablement by the Holy Spirit to effective oversee and minister effective in maturing the believers through an effective organizational structure. Not all pastors have the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher although one can do the work of a pastor-teacher. In mega churches, the primary function of the Senior Pastor is preaching and leading the Pastoral Staff and Elders. The caring is usually designated to an Associate Pastor. A pastor may be an effective communicator of the Word of God but he may be less effective as a caring pastor. Thus a church needs to understand whether they are looking for a pastor-teacher or a teacher of the Word. Not all pastors are good administrators, thus Associate pastors or Elders may fill that role for the Senior Pastor.
B. The Gift of Apostle.
The Gift of Apostle in my opinion has the special enablement to oversee the forming and or maintenance of a large organization or a large church. This gift may be given to a person who serves in a third world country or an unevangelized area. I often wonder whether Hudson Taylor may have had the gift of apostleship as he founded a missionary organization and helped found many churches in China. Would this gift be equivalent to the gift of Administration? The Gift of Apostle would entail being effective in communicating the Word, organizing the believers and founding new churches.
C. The Gift of Evangelist.
The Gift of Evangelist is the special ability of sharing the Gospel whereby the hearer is convicted of his/her need of Jesus Christ as one’s personal Savior and Lord. Every believer is to share the Gospel but not everyone is effective in convincing that person of his or her need of Jesus. Rev. Billy Graham is an example of an evangelist who is able to proclaim the Gospel whereby hundreds would come to faith in Jesus Christ.
A person may have the spiritual gift of pastor, apostle or evangelist but may not occupy a pastoral staff position in a church. Equally, a person who occupies a pastoral office may not have that specific spiritual gift. It is ideal for a person who has those gifts to serve in those church positions.
The office of pastor, apostle or evangelist is a sacred calling from God and a sacred trust by the church to that person to fulfill that person’s calling in his/her life. Ministry experiences are invaluable but the calling and spiritual gift by the Holy Spirit is fundamental in any effective ministry.
SUMMARY: The person who is called by the Lord and is endowed with the spiritual gift ought to consider serving the Lord in a full time ministry.
For more perspectives:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-pastor-a-apostle-and-an-evangelist