Oversight is a basic framework by which the Lord provides care and governance of His Church. In essence, it is a posture whereby anyone who is responsible for an area of service, oversees that area of service. In turn, the same person can look to another outside of his/her sphere of responsibility to receive oversight.
In short, each one who is responsible for something and someone is also responsible to someone. Consequently, there can be mutual regard and respect for oversight in all spheres of responsibility in a congregation or ministry.
Oversight relationships typically reflect the anointing and grace of the persons serving as overseers. For example, a person with pastoral gifting will provide that kind of care and support to the person(s) they oversee. A prophet will oversee accordingly and so on.
Therefore, it is wise and helpful that the primary internal oversight (Elders or Leadership Team) consists of several persons in order to engage a range of anointing from Christ. Similarly, external oversight for the organization is best comprised of a team comprised of a range of the five-fold anointing of Christ.
External overseers will be invested in laying, testing, strengthening, and correcting, if necessary, the foundation upon which the congregation or ministry is built. Particularly, an external oversight team should include those with proven apostolic and prophetic anointing. The church is built upon the foundation of Christ as embodied and imparted by the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). They are jealous for the foundation to be Christ in all of His glory, purity, and purpose.
For oversight to be apostolic, the team members must be anointed and share such passion for foundations to be built upon Christ.
Apostolic oversight goes beyond personal care and administration. Regardless of the various mix of anointing on the team (two or more), the net effect of the function of the team must be to mobilize the congregation or ministry toward its specific Spirit-imparted mission and vision.
Additionally, apostolic oversight will foster the acknowledgement and engagement of the apostolic and prophetic ministries within the local congregation among the eldership and the equipping ministries. Such oversight is also verifiably related to oversight that it honors. It is relational, objective, and assertive in the face of complex issues.
