God has a method for bringing us to maturity in Him. His plan is that we would be transfigured by the renewing of our minds. For this process, He has given gifts of the Spirit to the members of the Body of Christ, so that there is none that has preeminence. All are necessary. His method is that every member have one or more gifts and that those gifts be the manifestation of God in the earth. Those gifts grow into ministries as they are used. They are used to minister outside the church, but they are the means by which every member ministers to every other member. It is a body ministry.

Ephesians 4:15-16 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him [Christ] in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom [Christ] the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love.

In plain English, the Church is built up into the fullness of Christ by a living, functioning body of Christ that is ministering (serving). Every member has a ministry and is a ministry.  They are joined together in unity. Every joint--the place between two members--supplies what is needed. The Holy Spirit is working effectively in each member, each ministry, to make this take place. In this way, the body makes increase of itself by speaking the truth in love. It builds itself up into a holy temple to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.  This is a progressive experience that goes from glory to glory and from faith to faith.

No person will come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.  The Church will come to that stature.  It will be Christ's body.  It already is Christ's body, but has not walked into the fullness of the experience.

Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

It is by that which every joint supplies.  The joint is the place between the members.  As the members speak the Truth in Love, they are built up into the fullness of the Church.  They are assembled together.  The parts of the Body would do little good if they were never assembled together, and the assembly of the Body is a progressive process.  When the Body is totally assembled, we will all come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. 

Keep in mind that Jesus is the Truth, and God is Love, and Jesus is God.  This is the flow of the Spirit of God from member to member as the Church meets together according to the pattern of 1 Corinthians 14.  And each member is a ministry and has a ministry.  That ministry has nothing to do with the flesh.  The ministry is Christ in us the hope of glory. 

Only Christ can do any edifying.  Only Christ can minister.  In understanding Ephesians 4:12-16, you must go back to the main verb, edoken, in verse 11.  Christ gave the gifts.  He gave the office of apostle.  He gave the four ministries.  Those gifts are not the persons but the Christ in those persons, as another passage says, "Christ in us, the hope of glory."  The text cannot be read any other way than to understand that these gifts are performing all of this work as the gifts proceed from Christ.  Grace means, literally, free gift.  This is grace, and we know from Scripture that it is grace that does any work that is done.  In fact, God could give no greater gift, so He gave us of Himself.  He chooses to do it through apostles, ones sent.  He chooses to not use those who send themselves or who are sent by men.  It is plain from the Greek that it is not gifted people who do any of this work, but rather the Gift Himself does the work through the members.  This is true whether it is the apostle who is totally equipping and completing the member or the member who is now also moving in the power and authority of the same gift.  When any member comes into submission to the apostle, that person carries the same anointing and authority of the apostle just as long and to the extent that they are in submission.  They are not submitting to a man but to Christ Himself.  If you can discern the Body of Christ, you will see this.  If you see this, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but your Father in Heaven has revealed it.

You can go many places on the internet, on Christian radio, or in the religious world where you will find people twisting this Scripture.  They will twist "apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" into "teacher/pastors", or "pastor/teacher", or "evangelists, pastors, teachers", or some other misquote.  It is evil to twist the traveling elders and deacons, the apostles, into locally abiding pastors.  Nowhere in the Bible does it talk about locally abiding pastors.  There are locally abiding elders who pastor (care for the church as a shepherd does sheep) the members, and those men receive no money for what they do.  They receive a double measure of honor.  The Bible says what it says.  The Scripture cannot be broken.  Satan hates the Bible and he hates God's church and the orders of God's church.  If you see someone doing this, run, do not walk, away.