Chapter 1: The Call to Serve — Understanding the Ministry of Helps
"And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues." — 1 Corinthians 12:28 (NKJV)
I want you to notice something in that verse. The ministry of helps is listed right alongside apostles, prophets, teachers, and miracles. It is not a secondary or lesser ministry. It is listed among the divine appointments that God has set in the church. And if God appointed it, then it carries His authority, His anointing, and His importance.
Yet among all the ministries in the body of Christ, the ministry of helps is perhaps the most underappreciated. People fight to stand behind the pulpit. They compete for the worship platform. But who fights for the privilege of helping? Who contends for the opportunity to serve behind the scenes? Those individuals — when they understand what they are actually doing — are among the most anointed people in any local church.
What Is the Ministry of Helps?
The ministry of helps refers to the Spirit-empowered gifting to assist, support, and sustain the work of God through practical, behind-the-scenes service. It encompasses a vast range of functions — administration, logistics, technical support, hospitality, finances, intercession, and much more. It is the ministry that makes every other ministry possible.
Consider a Sunday service at Harvesters Global Church. The pastor preaches — and God anoints the message. But before that sermon is preached, someone set up the chairs. Someone organised the parking. Someone prepared the sound system. Someone arranged the ushers. Someone coordinated the children's programme. Someone prepared the communion elements. Without every one of those helpers, the service would not function. The preacher can preach the greatest sermon ever delivered — but if there is chaos around the service, people will not receive the Word effectively.
The ministry of helps is the infrastructure of everything else. And infrastructures must be built. They must be maintained. And they must be staffed by people who understand that what they are doing is as holy as standing at the altar.
Who Does the Ministry of Helps?
In 1 Corinthians 12:28, the Greek word translated "helps" is antilepseis — it literally means "a laying hold of" or "assistance." It describes someone who takes hold of a burden and lifts it together with someone else. This is beautiful imagery. The person in ministry of helps does not stand back and watch someone else carry the load — they come alongside and lift with them.
This is what Aaron and Hur did for Moses in Exodus 17:12. Moses was interceding for Israel in battle, and his arms became heavy. Aaron and Hur "supported his hands, one on one side and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun." Because of their support, Joshua defeated Amalek. The victory was credited to Joshua in the field and to Moses in prayer — but it would not have happened without Aaron and Hur. That is the ministry of helps: holding up the arms of those God has appointed to lead, so that greater victories can be won.
A Ministry With Eternal Value
Matthew 10:41 says: "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward." When you support and help a man or woman of God in their assignment, you share in the reward of that assignment. This means the helper is not excluded from the eternal fruit of the ministry they serve. They are co-labourers in the harvest, and they will receive co-labourer's wages from God.
Never despise the role of the helper. Never allow anyone to make you feel that you are less important because you serve behind the scenes. God sees everything done in secret (Matthew 6:6), and He rewards faithfully. The seat you occupy in the prayer room, the service you render in the children's ministry, the offering you make of your time and skills — nothing is hidden from His eyes. Everything counts.