It is Christ who chooses His apostles, equips and tests them, and finally will commission them. This is never to be a glib matter for the laying on of hands. John Alley

No apostle can appoint another person to be an apostle – or appoint a prophet, for that matter. This is not an authority given to mankind. Only Christ appoints an apostle or a prophet (and in reality, this principle applies to the whole of the five-fold ministry). John Alley

But spiritual covering, whilst it certainly includes all the above, is much more. It is a power anointing – an impartation of grace. It is the power and presence of the Lord Jesus brought home in a corporate way that provides both protection and blessing for God’s people. John Alley

But nothing is just automatic. It requires faith to use authority, and authority has to be exercised, or things remain lawless. John Alley

Apostles are given specific measures of authority because their calling into the service of Christ will bring confrontation with high-level beings in the spirit realm. John Alley

Apostles always will feel the burden to lead the five-fold ministers of Christ into relationships of deep love and harmony and always appeal to believers everywhere regarding their hearts toward each other. John Alley

Here Paul provides more detail: Christ is the chief cornerstone for the foundation of an eternal temple that God is building, and apostles and prophets also are part of this foundation. John Alley

Apostles especially are called to teach five-fold ministers to love each other. Only then can a unified, in-love, under-authority, five-fold ministry become a properly constituted headship government for the Body of Christ. John Alley