Evangelists
Evangelists are people specially gifted or appointed to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, the term can refer both to a recognized ministry role and to believers who carry out gospel witness more generally.
At a Glance
Evangelists are people specially gifted or appointed to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, the term can refer both to a recognized ministry role and to believers who carry out gospel witness more generally.
Description
Evangelists are proclaimers of the gospel, especially those whom God equips in a distinctive way to announce the good news of Jesus Christ and aid the church’s mission. The New Testament uses the term directly for Philip (Acts 21:8), instructs Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5), and includes evangelists among the ministry gifts Christ gives his church (Eph. 4:11). Scripture clearly presents evangelistic ministry as important for the spread of the gospel and the strengthening of the church, but interpreters do not all agree on whether “evangelist” names a continuing office, a spiritual gift, or a broader ministry function that may appear in different forms. The safest conclusion is that evangelists are those who are especially engaged in gospel proclamation, whether in a recognized ministry role or through a distinct gifting for that work.