Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 3 Teachers

St Paul speaks of the place of church teachers within the context of different ministries’ or positions of service within the church community. From the outset this needs to be seen, that the position of teachers is one at the service of the community for the building up of the church and the affirmation of the belief of the faithful in Christ. In Romans 12:6-8 this is clearly shown, teaching is spoken of as one of a variety of church ministries:

We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

The different ministries are described as gifts, charismata, grace-gifts given to the church by God. According to John Ziesler 'all Christian life is the result of divine grace and thus charismatic, but it must be seen within the mutuality and discipline of the whole body, the church' (Paul’s Letter to the Romans SCM Press London 1989).

How does Paul see the role of teaching as distinct, say, from prophecy? Probably in that teaching, unlike prophecy, does not claim a special divine inspiration. It is a faithful transmission of the tradition found in the Old Testament, in what was known about the life and teaching of Jesus, and in Christian catechetical material. Its purpose is the building up of the church. In 1 Corinthians 12:28 Paul writes:

God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.

In this section of 1 Corinthians Paul claims that such gifts do come from God and are therefore to be respected and accepted as such. They are given for the benefit of the church. In Ephesians 4:11 he writes:

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

Here Paul tells us that all such gifts are for the benefit of the church, and its mission, the building up of Christ’s Body. Teaching is a necessary ministry in the church, especially now when basic knowledge of the faith is on the decline. It is a ministry that is open to anyone within the church and indeed all the faithful have a responsibility for teaching and faithfully passing on the faith.