5 fold ministry is a phrase that has gained popularity over the past couple of decades. But what is it? And why is it important to growing the church in the 21st century? Every statistical study current today shows that in relation to population trends, the American church is shrinking at alarming rates. This model of church leadership has to be re-discovered for the Church in America to once again multiply. Meanwhile, the absence of the Biblical leadership structure cripples the church.
What is the 5 Fold Ministry?
The APEST, as we call it, is a model of church leadership where five specific functions are operating to multiply disciples, particularly in unreached people groups. It is based on the passage in Ephesians 4:11-16.
11 And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
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Greg Getz from Legacy Initiative Network says that God has given us the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, and Ephesians 4:11 may be His Great Strategy. The scripture makes clear the purpose of the five functions – for the building up of the church and spiritual maturity.These five functions must be activated in order for there to be a growth toward unity and maturity.
What are the function of the 5 Fold Ministry?
Here is an overview of the five functions listed in Ephesians 4:11. Notice we don’t call them roles. There is not a hierarchy of leadership. The functions are not titles given to New Testament leaders. They are descriptive terms identifying the strengths and gifts of leaders in the early church. It does appear that specific people fulfill these functions as Paul says that God “has given some as.” This indicates specific gifting to individual people to fulfill the goal of the maturity and unity of the Church.
The Apostle
Defintion [Grk. Apostolos] – . Someone, or something, sent. Derived from the verb “to send out.” In the New Testament, usually refers to someone sent as an authorized agent by Jesus or the Christian community (Matt 10:2; 2 Cor 8:23; Heb 3:1). [see the Lexham Bible Dictionary]
This term is often used both in teaching and in scripture to represent the original 11 plus Judas’ replacement, Matthias, who walked with Jesus. And even Peter, when qualifying a candidate for Judas’ replacement said that a chosen Apostle must have walked with the disciples and witnessed Christ’s resurrection (see Acts 1:21-22.) It is true that Jesus’ original Apostles are no longer accessible to the Church except through their writings.
However, the term was used more generally among Jews and even other cultures in the first century as meaning a representative sent with a message – a “delegate.” It’s not simply someone who HAS a message, but someone who was SENT by another to relay a message as a representative of the sender.
Therefore, the function of an apostle in the 5 fold ministry is to carry the message of the Gospel to an unreached people group. The apostle is the first on the ground to build a beachhead for a movement of the Kingdom of God among a people group who have not heard. The function of the Apostle is to launch a faith movement and plant churches for the Kingdom of God to multiply.
The Prophet
Definition [Grk. prophetes] – one who speaks forth or openly, a proclaimer of a divine message. [See Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Teastament Words.]
This term is also often confused with the specific role of an Old Testament Prophet who was appointed by God to be a spokesman for Him. The Hebrew word translated prophet is Nabi which means to “bubble forth, as from a fountain” [see Easton’s Bible Dictionary.] This role received specific messages from God to instruct the people of God in what was right.
This could be included in the New Testament function of a prophet. But more generally it is what I like to refer to as a sensitivity to the leading of God. This is a gifting to intuitively know right from wrong or when the church is veering off course from God’s will and plan.
The function of the prophet is important to the church and particularly to the apostle who can often compromise faithfulness to God’s plan for the sake of growth. The true prophet will feel the weight of their gifting and handle the leading of God with respect and stewardship. Also, the leadership and scripture should test the message of the prophetically gifted person.
The Evangelist
Definition [Grk. evangelistēs] One “announcing good news.” In a general sense this applies to anyone who proclaims the mercy and grace of God, especially as unfolded in the gospel. [see New Unger’s Bible Dictionary.]
The Evangelist of the 5 Fold Ministry is the proclaimer of the Good News that Jesus came to redeem humanity and that that redemption is available to all who can walk in faith. The Good News [Grk. Euangelion] was not a religious term in the age of the Greeks and Romans. Alexander the Great proclaimed his “euangelion” that if the people would submit to him, he would bring the best education, entertainment, healthcare, sporting events and technology. The evangelist proclaims the news of the goodness that will come with the Kingdom of God. This includes redemption, forgiveness and freedom.
The Shepherd
Definition [Grk. poimen] Shepherd. A helper of feeder of the sheep.
The shepherd or pastoral role of the 5 fold ministry is meant to be a healing role. You’ve heard the old adage, people don’t care what you know until they know that you care. That is a great principal regarding the shepherd in Ephesians 4:11. The Shepherds role is to serve as God’s hands and feet to provide care for the Church. As hearts are restored, heads are prepared to hear the truth of scripture. The shepherd will be characterized by the desire to give oneself away for the sake of others in the Body of Christ.
The Teacher
Definition: [Grk. didaskalos] One who instructs others in the truth of scripture.
A teacher in a discipleship multiplication is one who can accurately handle the word of truth [see 2 Timothy 2:15.] The teacher can break down the fundamental truths of the Bible and communicate them in a way that the disciple can both understand and apply. He is necessary to move disciples toward a more mature faith. He also protects the Church from false prophets who come in to serve their own motives.
Why APEST?
Is there a design to the order of the functions in the APEST?
Getz identifies the problem with the current leadership structure of the Western institutional Church. We’ve shied away from the apostle with the confusion that the original 12 have died. People claim the role of prophet and use it for power. The evangelist is great, but brings in the riff-raff, so he’s been sub-contracted into para-church work. And the shepherd and teacher have been combined into one and serve as the modern rock-star pastor. That leaves us with and anemic and crippled leadership structure.
It is very likely, although not necessarily Biblical, that the order of the function is intentional. God launched new movements of Jesus followers after the disciples of Jesus were scattered to other lands outside Jerusalem,. As you think about how this would have to take place, you can see order in the 5 fold ministry.
Why the Order of APEST?
The first need would be for an apostle to break ground by finding a person of peace. He introduces Jesus to a new people group. The apostle is a connector who builds credibility and meets new people who will become members of that movement. The apostle tends to be a bit of a loose cannon. It’s important for him to have a prophet by his side to keep him on the rails and laser focused on the mission.
The movement needs to add to its number after the initial beachhead is established. That’s when the evangelist becomes an important person in the next phase of missional work. As new believers come to know Jesus, the shepherd begins to invest in the healing of the new believers. The teacher establishes right beliefs and their hearts and emotions are healed,. He assures accountability to obey the scripture.
The order of the functions in Ephesians 4:11 is another indicator that the 5 fold ministry was God’s Great Strategy.
Is an APEST Assessment Necessary?
Assessments can be helpful to point you in the right direction as you begin to discover your function. However, they are not necessary. Descriptions and characteristics of the 5 fold ministry functions are all you need. They will help identify how God would have you serve in a discipleship movement. The next few articles will lay out deeper descriptions, characteristics and challenges of each of these five leaders. As you read through them, you will be able to get a sense of where you land.
Remember that God gave these five functions to leaders of the discipleship movement. They are intended to build up the Church and create unity. If you don’t identify yourself in any of these functions, be patient. God may still be preparing you on a personal level before He calls you into a specific Ephesians 4:11 function.
