Together We Thrive

 Gifts to Build the Body

By Melina Hutchins, Blacksburg, VA, USA

Scripture Reading:

Ephesians 4:11-13. 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, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

When I consider the idea of “together we thrive,” I think about this passage! It would seem that the plan for unity, maturity and being formed more and more into Christ involves a diversity of gifts and talents all working towards building up God’s church. Seeing a group of believers that each have their role within a church is such a wonderful thing to observe. It is like experiencing heaven on earth, which is what Jesus calls us to pray for in Matthew 6:10. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.” For Jesus, this is a crucial part of our prayer life — asking for heaven to fill our reality! Jesus is inviting us to participate in God’s work of bringing heaven to earth! God longs to partner with us, in our unique places and in our unique spaces to do this.

Verse 11, lists 5 roles, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors/shepherds and teachers. Depending on which church tradition you grew up in, you may or may not be familiar with these roles. I grew up in this family of churches and I really only knew of evangelists in church (maybe an elder every once in a while). So when I would read this passage, I didn’t think there was anything applicable to me. However, I believe that we all have strengths that can lean into these roles. In fact, these gifts begin to reveal themselves even as children. I think we can more easily see certain types of careers for our children, I remember being eight years old taking a career prediction test and I loved it! I loved having a vision for my future and it helped me lean into developing the skills I needed for my future job in “healthcare” (turned out to be spiritual healthcare).

I don’t think it’s wrong to imagine success for our future, our children’s future, our siblings’ future or our friends’ future - but what would happen if we channelled that excitement and vision into how all those people (ourselves, our kids, siblings & friends) could bring life to the church and find their very important place in building up the kingdom of God in this world?

During one of our midweeks, we decided to focus on this scripture and then we took some time to take an APEST (apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds/pastors, and teachers) test which is basically a test that asks you a bunch of questions based on your preferences and values to see which spiritual gifting you most align with. Once we had our answers we broke up into our “groups” and we were tasked with coming up with ideas on how we can use our gifts to build up the church. It was really fun to see people come alive and see themselves with more of a vision for how they could have ownership within the church. Personally, I felt convicted seeing some people I viewed as “disruptive” as a prophet. I realized in that moment, that although I lean more naturally to Shepherd and Teacher, it doesn’t mean that those who speak out are wrong. I realized that I am timid and I would rather have quiet and emotional conversations because of the fear of conflict. It made me view those “disruptors” in a completely new and grateful light.

Here is a basic definition of each role and a wonderful example of each type of person in my life:

Apostle - “sent one” the initiator. Builds relationships in new communities and is good at converting others via building friendships. My mom: Rosario Cruz, my mother can corral people and fit right into any community she finds herself in. She serves and laughs with people as if they have known each other for their whole lives. As a teen, I did not enjoy waiting in the car for my mom after church as me and my siblings withered away due to hunger, anxiously awaiting our post-church meal. As an adult, I see how her time at church was used to minister to so many, even if my teenage self rolled my eyes at everything she did.

Prophet - “the one who speaks up” sensitive to the righteousness and needs of the community My mother-in-law: Jennifer Hutchins can easily empathize with all people and considers everyone’s unique situation. Like Jesus, she is quick to speak truth to power in her fight for justice. There is never a question in her mind when it comes standing up for others and being a voice for the voiceless regardless of how it may disrupt the comfortable way. Truly her courage is admirable.

Evangelist - “the bringer of others” adds to the church by introducing friends to the gospel My father-in-law: Paul Hutchins is the first to give you a hug, a smile, connect you with someone else who can give you a job, invite you into his home, or find you a great deal on a used car. Literally anything to do with connecting people is what he is good at. You will often find Paul…. actually you won’t find him because he is off somewhere meeting the new neighbor or new person at church.

Shepherd - “the nurturer” strengthens the spiritual and emotional development of the church My dad: German Cruz, who all of my siblings and I can attest to the most life changing conversations as teens, being with my dad. He is a fantastic listener, knows how to create a place of safety, asks great questions and then he hits you with a line or two of deep wisdom that has a way of somehow changing the trajectory of our lives. My dad was the first one who knew my first period was coming… and then he always knew when it was coming!

Teacher - “the philosopher” mediates wisdom and understanding in the church

My husband: Benjamin Hutchins. Being married to someone who is a teacher means that you are going to be learning a lot. I have learned so much from my husband and I admire his desire for knowledge. He always has a book in hand and is ready to have a discussion with anyone who may have opposing thoughts, not to fight but to learn! My husband doesn’t gain knowledge to build himself up. He genuinely wants people to learn as much as they can about God. He meets people where they are at. It is amazing to see people benefit from his gifts.

Reflection Questions:

1. What about you? What are your gifts? Are you withholding your gifts out of fear or insecurity?

2. Take some time to pray that God can reveal your spiritual gifts to you, then put it in to practice!

3. Take an APEST test yourself to give you some direction (there are many online options). Ask others what they see in you!

4. Knowing our gifts can make us wonderful servants in God’s church so that we can all attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

About the Author

Melina Hutchins currently leads the New River Valley Church in Blacksburg, VA in the US alongside her husband Benjamin Hutchins. She grew up in Toronto, Canada and moved to Virginia when she married her husband in 2018. She has two children, her first child Sofia passed away due to stillbirth and her little brother Judah is 1. She and her husband love to travel, enjoy the outdoors and they have a passion for the teaching ministry