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The Claims of Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy  /  Apostolic Succession – Part 1  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 6
The lesson highlights Acts 13 where prophets and teachers—not the Twelve—lay hands on Paul and Barnabas; what does that suggest about how God authorizes mission and leadership, and how would your church life change if you treated that pattern as normal rather than exceptional?
Another way to ask: In Acts 13, prophets and teachers—not the Twelve—lay hands on Paul and Barnabas. What does this suggest about how God sends and approves leaders, and what would change in your church if this was treated as the normal pattern?

Direct Answer The transcript suggests God can authorize mission through the Holy Spirit working in local communities, using prophets and teachers rather than a centralized apostolic chain. Treating Acts 13 as normal would shift emphasis from lineage to Spirit-led recognition and sending.

Support from Transcript:

  • Acts 13 describes leaders at Antioch as “prophets and teachers,” and “the Holy Spirit said, ‘Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul.’”
  • They “fasted and prayed and laid hands on them” and “sent them away”—a commissioning rooted in the Spirit’s call.
  • Bercot asks: “Who did the appointing…? Was it the 12 apostles? No. It was prophets and teachers.”
  • He argues this means appointments “are not tied to any succession… because prophets… don’t have lines of succession. Their appointment comes directly from the Holy Spirit.”
  • He then notes Paul and Barnabas (without a stated chain back to the Twelve) “appointed elders in every church” (Acts 14:23).
Discussion Follow-ups If your church treated Spirit-led sending as central, what role would remain for denominational credentials, and how would you test a claimed “calling”?

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