How the Journey with Jesus Makes Room for 5Q

Having recognized the hero’s journey in the sending, the descent, and the ascent of Jesus, we are now in a better position to understand exactly how Jesus redeems the archetypes and gifts them to the church. And here we are well-equipped by an ancient New Testament teaching on the meaning of Jesus’ incarnation, life, death, and resurrection, called anakephalaiosis (Greek) …

Finding The Ultimate Hero in Christ

Having identified and clarified the idea of creational archetypes of APEST, as well as the stages of the hero’s journey, we are now in a position to better grasp the meaning of what has been called the “ascension gifting” described by Paul in Ephesians 4:8–11. But to understand the ascension gifting properly, we need to grasp the cultural reference of …

Finding 5Q in the Hero’s Journey

Not surprisingly, an exploration of archetypes in human society is similar to the idea that myths are foundational to both personal and group identity. Joseph Campbell has aptly demonstrated the ongoing power of primary myths (defining narratives) throughout human history. For my purposes, I just want to highlight a particular aspect of myth and relate it to the role of …

REFRAMATION: The Great Reduction

Today, we have an exclusive look at Reframation: Seeing God, People and Mission Through Re-enchanted Frames, the new book by Alan Hirsch and Mark Nelson. This work…whoa! This new book takes a fresh, careful, studied and inspired at the Gospel. In the reading that follows, straight from Chapter One: Moving The Moon, you are going to find a word about …

When the Hand Doesn’t Understand the Purpose of the Foot

Recently I have had the opportunity of attending several of our denomination’s annual gatherings and immediately I recognize what our denominational leaders have long understood about our very congregational structure– there is not one Conference like another.  The culture, the ambiance, the spirit of the people assembled in each conference is distinct and… beautiful. Each conference is an expression of …

5Q In The Classroom

This year, I’ve upped my involvement in my kids’ schools. Lots of meetings, boards, PTAs and O’s, rehearsals, performances, car pools and class time. As a church planter, I think it’s been the best way to get grounded in the neighborhood and keep a finger on the pulse, not only of what is going on, but who people really are, what they are struggling through and what excites them.

It’s also presented a new paradigm for 5Q. Perhaps the best word for it is praxis. I’ve seen 5Q at work in new and inspiring ways through the students, especially the elementary kids. They haven’t fully developed the filters that keeps them from being 100% who they are. It’s so awesome to watch unhindered personalities at work and play.

5Q Like Jazz

Over my thirty years in ministry, the mention of APEST in the book of Ephesians has inspired so many thoughts and ideas. Putting these ideas into practice has built a lifetime of experience seeing these gifts bring renewed life into the expression of the Church. I came from a background where I was taught that the five-fold gifts are given …

5Q and a Missional Renaissance

Our culture is moving at the speed of busy. It’s like 5th gear, but extra: 6th gear. I can just hear our calendars expanding to fit the larger transmission (OK, no more mechanic metaphors). In most cases, 5Q is a new paradigm that we are trying to teach and in order to help the people in our spheres of leadership learn something new, we have get realistic about the challenges of the typical theological education paradigm or discover something new, a new strategy.

A Biblical Approach to Incarnational Evangelism, Part 3

“Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:13–14). So wrote Paul, though he was quick to point out that he was not feathering his own nest. He told the Corinthians that he personally was not after any remuneration, only that the church should financially support the work of evangelists generally.

A Biblical Approach to Incarnational Evangelism, Part 2

This is the third primary commitment of a missional-incarnational church’s infiltration of society. If the church is living an intriguing new lifestyle that is so marked by goodness that it makes the gospel attractive, then to truly be effective it follows that this lifestyle must be lived in close proximity to not-yet-Christians. Paul took this seriously in his mediation of the Corinthian factions that had split over the issue of eating food offered to idols (1 Cor. 10:27–11:1).

A Biblical Approach to Incarnational Evangelism

If the Christian church is to be incarnational and missional, as we believe the New Testament anticipates, and if it’s to abandon an us-and-them mentality, it will need to rediscover the biblical mode of impacting the world around it. The traditional-attractional church thinks about evangelism as sending out church members to share their faith with others and to bring them into the church. But the New Testament writers saw it much more organically.

Ed Stetzer in Conversation with Alan Hirsch

The following article is an excerpt from an interview between Ed Stetzer, Alan Hirsch and Tim Catchim that was first published on the CT site. The book that is referenced is “The Permanent Revolution,” which is officially unofficial required reading for the apostolic thinker. Why aren’t more theologians writing on the apostolic ministry of the church? Two things come to …

Women Leaders In The New Testament

Today’s article is a re-post from Marg Mowczko’s blog, margmowczko.com. Given the recent tweetstorm surrounding this article and Beth Moore’s reponse, it couldn’t be more timely – AND – it provides us with a richer, deeper lens to grow our 5Q awareness around the powerful call of women to lead the new testament church. For most of the Church’s history, …

Creative Ways To Hear God

Every Christian can learn to know and listen to God’s voice; the promise of Jesus is for all of us. But to grow in our ability to hear God requires active engagement and intentional pursuit. In a world full of competing voices and a myriad of distractions we have to take the time to create the space and to learn the disciplines that will help us tune in.

Why APEST?

When I planted a church many years ago, I realized pretty quickly that I did not fit the traditional “pastor” role. I worked hard at trying to be a better shepherd. As I began to engage APEST, I realized my calling, or vocation, was much more apostolic. For the first time, I understood how my gifting fit into the body of Christ.

APEST AT WORK AS CHURCH LEADERSHIP

In Alan’s book, The Forgotten Ways, he describes a moment in the life of a particular church where the leadership team formed itself around APEST. Each area of the organization was activated according to its 5Q – the gift that made most sense to lead it. This is a very practical look at the intersection of team leadership and the five fold gifts. You will be able to get a very good idea of the Ephesians 4 can provide structure for ministry teams. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts about it!

APEST and Church Planting

Most conversations on team development default to recruiting ministry positions such as a worship leader, children’s minister, youth pastor, etc. But, I believe planting a healthy, multiplying church that is effectively engaging its context must involve team dynamics that are informed by the five-fold typology of Ephesians 4; Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher (APEST).

What Does It Mean To Be A Prophetic Church?

As much as I love prophetic ministry and mentoring prophetic people, there is more to a holistic prophetic culture than just activity and experience: we need a broader paradigm than is currently found in many charismatic churches. If all we focus on is giving people prophecies, we miss out on the breadth and depth of prophetic spirituality. If all we focus on is prophets, we miss out on seeing the way the church itself can be prophetic in its very nature.

The All NEW 5QCast – Feeding Back

Today marks the beginning of something new in the 5QVerse – The ALL NEW 5QCAST!

This week, Jessie Cruikshank has the honor of launching the new 5QCast and, well, it’s like saving your best for first. I loved having this conversation and know that you will get a ton out of the next twenty five minutes. Jessie unlocks several things that weigh us down in our lives in ministry. It’s real. It’s honest. And it’s here.

Finding God In The Center of APEST

The first clue to the divine origin of 5Q can be found in the first few chapters of Genesis. It has continued to intrigue us in that it enables us to gain insight into the archetypal aspects of what it means to be human, to be made in God’s image, and to live in relation to God. Again, once we …

Is APEST the key to our Identity?

In many ways, this personality-linked aspect of APEST comes very close to being an identity issue and not just a matter of function and calling. It is quite conceivable that the fivefold could be used as a means to profiling personality and helping people live into their unique sense of identity as a follower of Christ.

Blessed and Borrowed: The Grace of God’s Gifts

Tim Catchim, co-author of A Permanent Revolution, commented in a recent conversation a truth so simple and plain that it’s easy to miss altogether: “The gifts of APEST are competencies that are all borrowed from Jesus. Since they are all his, all in him, we borrow them from Him.” It’s a refreshing perspective and one that we need to remember. …

What’s the Difference?

A Comparison and Contrast of the Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12 gifts. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the different spiritual gift passages in the Bible? How are they similar? How are they different? And especially relevant to 5Q, how do the Ephesians 4 APEST gifts “fit in” with the others?  You’re not alone. …

5QCAST: GO SLOW TO GO FAST W/ JESSIE CRUICKSHANK

In today’s podcast with Jessie Cruickshank, you will be lead through some of our times’ greatest classic theological training like:  Which animated film has the best philosophy for life? What does it mean to “Go Slow to Go smart, go smart to go fast”? How do you let your passion burn and not scorch everyone around you? How do apostles …