What is the apostolic ministry. Traditionally speaking it is the ministry passed down from the apostles. Some say that this ministry is by a succession of ordination, each succeeding bishop ordaining their successors from the apostles down to the present. Others argue that the apostolic ministry is determined by faithfulness to the teaching of the apostles in the New Testament.

An apostle is one who is “sent” (in Greek “apostello” means “to send”). In the New Testament there is not an adjective “apostolic”(apostolikos), but in the English Standard Version translation of the Bible there is one verse where the translators used the word “apostolic”. It is in Galatians 2:8. In this verse the apostle Paul is comparing his ministry among the Gentiles to that of Peter among the Jews. He is speaking about how God worked through both ministries. He refers to these ministries as “apostleships” (apostolh), but the ESV translates that word as “apostolic ministry”. This sheds light on how we use the word “apostolic”