Were There People in the New Testament Who Did Not Have a Formal Church Ordination, Yet Preached the Gospel?
Yes. The New Testament shows many who preached by the call and anointing of the Holy Ghost without a formal church ordination.
Scriptural Explanation
- The man casting out devils in Jesus’ Name who didn’t follow the apostles (Mark 9:38–40; Luke 9:49–50). Jesus said, “Forbid him not.”
- The seventy were sent by the Lord Himself, not by a council (Luke 10:1, 9).
- The delivered man of Gadara was told, “Go home…and tell,” and he published Christ in Decapolis (Mark 5:19–20).
- Persecuted believers “went everywhere preaching the word,” not just ordained officers (Acts 8:1, 4).
- Philip, originally chosen as a deacon, preached Christ in Samaria with signs following (Acts 6:5; 8:5–8, 12).
- Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, preached with wisdom and power (Acts 6:8–10; ch. 7).
- Apollos preached Christ powerfully before any recorded formal ordination; Aquila and Priscilla instructed him more perfectly (Acts 18:24–28).
- Saul/Paul preached Christ “straightway” after his conversion, before consulting men (Acts 9:20; Galatians 1:15–17, 23).
- Men of Cyprus and Cyrene preached the Lord Jesus at Antioch, and “a great number believed” (Acts 11:19–21).
- The promise is broad: “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17–18). The Great Commission is to all believers (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19–20).
Simple Clarifying Logic
Now notice, the Bible shows a clear pattern: God calls and fills; the Church recognizes and sends. Laying on of hands in Acts 13:2–3 confirmed those whom the Holy Ghost had already separated. Authority to preach the gospel comes from the Word and the Spirit, not from human papers. If God vindicates the message with Scripture and the fruit, that is Heaven’s endorsement.
Final Word
So yes—there were many who preached without formal ordination. The New Testament puts the emphasis on the Holy Ghost calling and the Scriptures being proclaimed.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
The Called-out
58-0109 §13
Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." And when this is done, then the end time shall be. When the Gospel has reached the world, our blessed Saviour said, "Then the end shall be." Now, He never said when you've passed tracts over the world, or when you've sent Bibles over the world, or when you have sent missionaries over the world, but when this Gospel has been preached. What is the Gospel then? Paul said, "The Gospel came to us not in word only, but through the power and...
The Great Commission
58-0301B §6
Back in the early days when they used to meet, they broke bread, took the communion, every time they met. And I like that, too. Course, we're out of that practice. But I like to read just a portion of His Word, where if we don't get nothing else but this, this will be fine. It's found the last commission of our Lord. And a man's last will should be the one that's sufficient. And here's what He said to His church, the last words as He left the world. Found in Mark the 16th chapter, 14th verse beginning: After he app...
Earnestly contending for the faith
54-0404M §6
And so, I hope and trust to God, that pretty soon... Since last night, I've had it on my heart, I have in my possession, or where I can get it at any time, a tent that'll seat fifteen thousand people, with all the seats and everything. I'd like to set that up, either just outskirts of Louisville, between Jeff and New Albany, and stay there for about two months, sometime, just in a good old-fashioned meeting. Have healing services every Wednesday and Sunday, or something like that, through the week. Just preach the...
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 7:E-15
Now Martin Luther, himself, was a sensitive Spirit-filled Christian. He was definitely a man of the Word for he not only had a profound passion to study it but to make it available to all in order that all might live by it. He translated the New Testament and gave it to the people. This laborious work he did himself, correcting a passage as much as twenty times. He gathered around him a group of Hebrew scholars amongst whom were Jews and translated the Old Testament.
Earnestly contending for the faith once delivered
53-0614A §20
Yes, sir. We still need every step ladder, every stepping stone. We need everything. Just exactly. The building is still in making, and when it's completed---this Gospel is preached to every kindred, tongue, and nation---then Jesus will return. That's right. Now, we've had plenty of passing out tracts and theology, around the world. But the Gospel is not the Bible altogether. The Bible ... Paul said, "The Gospel came to us not in word only, but through power and demonstrations of the Holy Ghost." Then when Jesus sa...