The habits of institution that we have inherited through the European formulas are coded according to a different template than the fivefold one. Christendom churches have generally followed the Bishop-Priest-Deacons model, or the more generic Shepherd-Teacher model (the so-called two orders of ministry), or the Preacher-Elder model of the Reformed tradition. Most of these, as we have seen, have managed to assiduously script a full APEST typology out of the tradition. The net result is that we don’t know how to even talk about APEST dynamics, let alone implement APEST.

This week we wrap up a three week series (post 1, post 2) that addresses learning and innovation in liminal context; how the factors in last week’s post can be applied to leading and learning in the community of faith. We want you to sit with the articles and filter them through your 5Q understanding, specifically. We hope that you will find this series thought provoking and challenging, providing you with new tools for thinking and conversation to help you on your 5Q journey.

In the post last week, we took an inspired look at risk – which is central to the task of moving a team or an organization toward a holistic 5Q approach to being the Body of Christ. Moving forward in The Faith of Leap (which you should read today, btw), we are going to continue to reflect on risk, specifically, the role expeditionary learning has in mission and innovation. What systems are already in place that will help learning become the transformative act of creation that it is meant to be?

Today’s post is about both the encouragement and challenge surrounding risk. This excerpt comes from the next book on your reading list, The Faith of Leap, by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch. Is this a 5Q article? Absolutely. The whole approach, the whole genetic re-engineering of the original intelligence and capacity of the Church, depends upon our willingness to engage risk; to become stakeholders in a new venture that is simply a return to what we were created to be like, look like, exist as. 

Each week, we provide a glimpse of the work and purpose of 5Q in and for the Church. It’s always critical to return to the source: Jesus. 5Q is a gift of grace that Christ has given to His Church, so today we focus especially on the giver. If you haven’t seen Alan’s Verge Video on “Jesus as Lord,” then you get to do that today. It’s a ready made sermon illustration, so if you are preaching on Sunday, you’re welcome. It’s also just true and glorifying of our God! The post itself is an excerpt from Untamed, a phenomenal book by Alan and Deb. It will get you thinking, for sure; thinking about the nature of one who has made us in His image.

Sometimes, as we drive down the super highway of church leadership, we begin to feel speed wobbles, an imbalance of influences and gifts that make the road bumpy. 5Q is a tool for re-alignment, a discipline that transforms as awareness grows and application follows. In this post, we look at the dynamics of organizational speed bumps and the tool available to help you and your team find the kind of balance that is sustainable and richly rewarding.

Today, we look at an excerpt from The Forgotten Ways and examine new expressions of church as a movement, a move away from Christendom ideal of monument and toward nothing short of the survival of the Christian Church in the West. The Forgotten Ways is a work that successfully attempts to remind the Church of its Movemental DNA and how we can re-harness the power and promise of Christ that has always been central to the passing on of the faith through the Body of Christ.

Discipleship and Leadership don’t have to overwhelm you, they don’t have to kill the momentum of your organization! We don’t need a super powered program in order to disciple. The simple form and function of discipleship is embedded in the DNA of APEST. The key is helping others see what they are already doing and align it to the work of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd and Teacher.

Discipling 101 requires that we remain patient, be observant and get creative; we watch for words and actions that align to APEST and then suggest creative ways to help disciples live into their Jesus-shaped calling.

Last week, we posted an excerpt from the 5Q book that focused on God as the Primal archetype of the APEST gifts. If you didn’t read it last week, go back and get caught up because today, we are giving you a look at the exercise from the accompanying workbook, Activating 5Q: A User’s Guide. Not only will you get a glimpse of some of the equipping resource in the workbook, but you will have access to an exercise that you can bring to your team and use immediately.

In today’s post, we explore APEST as it is expressed in the imago Dei (image of God) through an excerpt from Alan’s new book, 5Q: Reactivating The Original Intelligence and Capacity of the Body of Christ. If we are to grow in our awareness of 5Q and then move toward application that is powerful and transformative, then we need a strong understanding of the primal ordering of the APEST gifts. We need to see how they issue from the very person of God. If you haven’t read the book, this post is a great first step in the conversation, and if you have, then it is a timely reminder. The importance of theology can not be overstated. Who has given the gifts will always be more important than the gifts themselves.