We’re not meant to do this alone
At ELS2025, Mark Pugh challenged leaders to rediscover shared calling and embrace the power of team-shaped ministry.
Mark Pugh’s opening message at ELS2025 explored what it means to rediscover a shared calling and move forward as one Church
It’s easy to assume that ministry is something a few people do while the rest of us support from the sidelines. But from the very beginning, God designed the Church to work differently — not as a crowd watching from a distance, but as a body where every part matters.
That’s the reminder Mark Pugh brought as this year’s Elim Leaders Summit began. Drawing from Ephesians 4, he spoke about the need for every believer to recognise their place in the body — not just pastors and preachers, but all of us. Ministry isn’t meant to rest on the shoulders of one or two people. It’s meant to be shared.
The Bible talks about five key ministry graces — apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, shepherding and teaching. These are not just titles or leadership styles; they’re ways that God equips His people to serve, build up the Church, and reach the world. Each of us will lean more naturally into one or two of these graces, but we’re all invited to grow in them — and to make space for the gifts in others.
That can stretch us. We won’t always see things the same way. But the vision in Ephesians 4 is of a Church united not by similarity, but by a shared commitment to follow Jesus together — each of us playing our part.
This message was a call to return to that vision — where Church isn’t just something we attend, but something we are. A place where everyone is equipped, where every gift matters, and where no one carries the load alone.
It’s not about chasing roles or recognition. It’s about recognising the grace that God has placed in your life — and in the lives of those around you — and letting it grow. When we move together like that, we begin to reflect the fullness of Christ to the world.
Did you miss Mark speaking in our livestream? Or want to hear it again? Watch it back here.