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.
Life Story
54-0314 §28
He never ordained us to build any church. He never ordained us to make a hospital, to make a school, or have a seminary. He never one time commissioned us to do that. All them things are good, but yet He did commission us to preach the Gospel to all the world. And we've built schools and seminaries, and taught theology; and one third of the world is all that's heard about Jesus yet. But after all, passing tracts is not preaching the Gospel. "The Gospel came not in word only," said Paul, "but through power and demon...
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 8:E-50
He never told them to go into all the world and establish Bible colleges; nor did He tell them to pass out literature. Now those things are fine, but what Jesus told them to do was to PREACH THE GOSPEL--stick with the WORD--and then the signs would follow. The very first introduction we have in the way the Kingdom of God was to be preached was when He sent out the twelve. In Matthew 10:1-8, He commissioned and instructed them on this wise, "And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power ag...
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 7:E-27
Paul was the first messenger and he said in Galatians 1:8 that if any angel, any messenger, any vicar, no matter who he was--if he preached any other gospel than what Paul preached, let him be accursed. Paul knew that after he was gone grievous wolves would come in. He knew that Satan, himself, could appear as an angel of light so how much more his ministers. So he warns that this Gospel would always be the same. Now Paul had baptized in Jesus Name and rebaptized where people had not been so immersed. He set the ch...
What went ye out to see?
59-1001 §41
It's placed into your hand, church. Now, take the anointing and use it right. He could have been... Oh, children, a lot of children's been born in a stables. A lot of children may have been born in mangers. But it's the way ... what you do with it. Many people has heard the Gospel preached. Graham's got brothers that heard Gospel preached. I got brothers that heard Gospel preached. He's got brothers and others is got brothers. But it's what you do with it. Do it; that's you're... We sit around and argue our denomin...
Has the Lord spoken only to Moses?
53-1130 §5
Jesus said, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every nation." Now, listen to see whether that's right or not. Preach the Gospel to every nation. That's the United States and to all the world, and "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned; and these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they'll cast out devils, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, drink deadly things, or lay their hands on the sick, it shall not harm them." Now, in or...