Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Understanding APEST”
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.
Building on the article from the previous week, this post continues to explore the use of language in solving issues in the organization, particularly those in the Body of Christ. What change is possible when we begin to move APEST from an idea, or information, into actual application in the Church? When we look through the 5Q lenses, how does that change the way we see ourselves as ministers? How does it help us diagnose problems and reach solutions that move us toward actual forward progress? Read on to find out!
In a chapter in Organization at the Limit, a book dedicated to analyzing the organizational dynamics that contributed to the Columbia space shuttle disaster, William Ocasio discusses the unique connection between language and organizational activity. Applying an analysis of the language used and how it points to deficiencies in thinking, Ocasio points to the subtle yet powerful capacity of language to focus our attention as well as to blind us to seeing problems when they occur. The language we commonly use can greatly influence what gets noticed and what gets ignored.
Today’s post is from one of our favorite authors, Jon Ritner, pastor of Ecclesia Hollywood. In his new article, Jon shares how he is integrating APEST into his year long preaching calendar. If you have been asking the question, “How do I preach this stuff?”, we believe this is going to help you! Bring 5Q to your congregation every week by adjusting the way you think about calendaring the Scriptures to include a three dimensional grid where Sections of Scripture, Major Discipleship Themes and APEST intersect. We look forward to your comments and contributions on this!
