APEST—Prophets

Apostle. Prophet. Evangelist. Shepherd. And Teacher. God has given these amazing gifts to the Church (Ephesians 4:1-13). Far too often we try to sum up leadership in the Church under the catchall title “pastor”, but what if God has a bigger picture for the equipping of the Church? What could local expressions of the Body of Christ look like organized around the gifts God has given us?

This week our conversation focused in on Prophets.

Prophets are the heart revealers of the community. The truth tellers. The ones that expose and call us towards our true humanity as image bearers of God.

Prophets: Expose and Embody. Prophets expose false claims to authority and power, demonstrating how they are not able to keep their promises and uncovering the direction their claims will take us if there is no repentance. They also embody a counterculture community, calling people to live under God’s reign. They have a passion for social justice and seek to cultivate a liberating environment, liberating people from personal sins, speaking truth to power and social sins. We might call them “heart revealers” because they reveal the heart of God and the heart of the people. Prophets call the church to God’s new social order and help the congregation to stand with the poor and oppressed. 

Immaturity for the Prophet: Prophets in the adolescence stage, tend to be cynical, angry, judgmental, pretentious, self-righteous and arrogant. Have you ever encounter a prophet at this stage? Prophets in early developmental stages are great at deconstructing– everything. And because they see so clearly what “could be” and how “current realities” fall drastically short, living in this tension squeezes anger out of them. They can often be stubborn and argumentative in the face of unfamiliar information. A Prophet can be judgmental in sizing others up. Holds grudges against others. They often ta lk about their perspective as though it was simply “the truth” and feel they have to point out every inconsistency they see. It is likely that they have a hard time extending grace to people that irritate them or live in a way that offends them. They can attach to idealistic expectations about how things “should be” and get bitter when they don’t pan out. Prophets tend to isolate themselves when things are difficult. 

Formational Learning:

(Head)

• What benefits and drawbacks could come from activating Prophets within FōS?

(Heart)

• Do you see yourself in the gift of the Prophet? If yes in what ways and what about the gift resonated with you? If no do you know someone who fits the description either mature or immature?

(Hands)

• What practices could allow us to equip, empower, and facilitate Prophets in our community?

APEST—Apostles

Apostle. Prophet. Evangelist. Shepherd. And Teacher. God has given these amazing gifts to the Church (Ephesians 4:1-13). Far too often we try to sum up leadership in the Church under the catchall title “pastor”, but what if God has a bigger picture for the equipping of the Church? What could local expressions of the Body of Christ look like organized around the gifts God has given us?

This week the conversation focused in on Apostles.

Apostles are the dream-awakeners of the community. The catalytic-too-much-energy-to-not-start-now leaders, and they live for the potential of what could be. The Apostle isn’t satisfied with a finished project because they always see the needs within a community or system that can be broken apart to build more room. Their focus is the next stage of the community’s development.

Apostles: Catalyze and Co-mission. Apostles are catalysts who start new works, and they co-mission others to join God in the renewal of all things. They are pioneers, always moving into new territory. Apostle literally means, “sent one.” They help to cultivate a thriving environment in the congregation and love crossing boundaries. We might call them “dream awakeners” because they help people discover and live out their calling. They help cultivate a discipleship ethos in order to see the multiplication of disciples, ministries, churches and movements. Apostles help people and communities live out the answer to Jesus’ prayer, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10).

Immaturity for the Apostle: An immature apostle tends to be so goal oriented they run over people, or run people ragged. Too often as apostles, in our immaturity finds their value in achievement, often at the expense of people. I know this from experience and I have to repent repeatedly. Adolescent apostles can lack gentleness and patience, and tend to be insensitive, because too often mission comes before people, instead of mission being for people. They can lack tolerance when people don’t understand them. They often can’t “turn it off” (i.e., take a day off). They sometimes have trouble being part of a group they’re not leading. They can be insensitive to how change and risk feels for others. They may in speech, but not in action trust that God is working, when they’re not. When they experience resistance from others they tend to push harder rather than stepping back and evaluating. They have a hard time staying faithful to an idea; they get itchy and want to move onto the next exciting idea.

Formational Learning:

(Head)

• What benefits and drawbacks could come from activating Apostles within FōS?

(Heart)

• Do you see yourself in the gift of the Apostle? If yes in what ways and what about the gift resonated with you? If no do you know someone who fits the description either mature or immature?

(Hands)

• What practices could allow us to equip, empower, and facilitate Apostles in our community?

APEST & Polycentric Leadership

Apostle. Prophet. Evangelist. Shepherd. And Teacher. God has given these amazing gifts to the Church (Ephesians 4:1-13). Far too often we try to sum up leadership in the Church under the catchall title “pastor”, but what if God has a bigger picture for the equipping of the Church? What could local expressions of the Body of Christ look like organized around the gifts God has given us?

Luke 9:55-56 marks the last of three leadership lessons given while the disciples continue fighting over hierarchy. The fight began over who was the highest-ranked within their closed group of disciples; Jesus said, “no.” Their focus moved out towards other people, trying to draw a firm boundary between us and “those people;” Jesus said, “no.” Finally, a whole village said they wouldn’t extend hospitality to Jesus and his group. James and John, part of Jesus’ discipleship core, miss these lessons and react abruptly to defend Jesus’ honor by offering to call down fire from heaven to consume the village. Jesus expands their concept of leadership, “You do not know what manner of spirit you belong to….(I) do not come to destroy people, but to rescue them.” The disciples thought being leaders meant coercive power to control those under you, while Jesus pointed to a larger reality where leaders facilitated space for more people to join.

Poly-centric leadership is an attempt to embody this teaching. Rather than having a strict hierarchy, it moves from multiple (poly) centers of authority to ensure multiple voices guide the community’s growth. Following Paul in Ephesians, the different voices are understood as Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepard, and Teacher, or the fivefold leadership model.