Applying the 5-Fold
In my previous post, I introduced a key aspect of discipleship that comes from Paul’s N.T. letter to the Ephesians.
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift… And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 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.
Ephesians 4:7, 11-13 (NASB)
There are five roles noted in Eph. 4: apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd (or pastor), and teacher. They are known as the 5-fold or the acronym APEST. And, according to Paul, each of us (not just pastors) has been empowered and equipped by the Lord to serve primarily in one of these roles.
Moreover, Paul makes it clear that when these roles are carried out, the church can truly reach its redemptive potential as each member takes his/her place in the ministry.
Here’s a brief explanation of each role.
APOSTLE: visionary, pioneering, always dreaming of new ways to take ground for the Kingdom
PROPHET: understands the times, sees beyond what most people can see, often committed to prayer, and calls people to action
EVANGELIST: loves spending time with lost people and reminding other believers that lost people are out there to be reached
SHEPHERD (PASTOR): possesses a deep love for the Body, sees needs, provides comfort, gives encouragement
TEACHER: enjoys studying the Bible and has the ability to help others to understand it and apply it
I then provided you with an online survey to see where you test out on the 5-fold.
Hopefully, you took advantage of this in order to understand how you have been uniquely “wired” by the Holy Spirit to serve the Body of Christ.
Key Questions
Another way to see this is to recognize that a person with such wiring is motivated by a key question.
APOSTLE: Are we leading the people of God to their destiny/calling as it relates to the Kingdom?
PROPHET: Are the people of God hearing His voice and responding appropriately?
EVANGELIST: Are new people entering the Kingdom of God?
SHEPHERD: Are the people of God caring for and showing compassion for people?
TEACHER: Are the people of God growing in the understanding and application of Scripture?
Empowering the 5-Fold
When I led Fellowship, after giving multiple sermons on the 5-fold and encouraging our folks to take the survey, I explained how valuable it would be to look for representatives of each of the 5-Fold giftings in various venues. From the Men’s Gathering to the Youth Group to the Elder Team to our community groups I challenged the church to identify the gifts in the group and then to listen to how those folks brought the key questions to bear.
For the first time, many people recognized that they really did have a key role to play in the use of their gift. And we as a church benefited greatly from this.
For example, we had a man on our elder team who was a solid evangelist. We often would ask him how he sensed the Body was doing in its evangelistic zeal and for his observations and suggestions to move us forward.
We also had several men on the board who were strong shepherds. While “apostles” such as me could constantly be looking for new ground to take and new initiatives to launch, these shepherds would offer their assessment and sometimes their admonishment as to how we were doing in caring for the Body.
I also mobilized the church at large according to the APEST. For example, I invited those who were “prophets” to form prayer teams and then, on a rotating basis, to show up an hour before the first Sunday gathering to prayer walk the building and grounds. The goal was to not only intercede for the services to follow but to take note of any prompt that might occur in their praying which might inform my leading of the service.
In addition, we mobilized our shepherds to do hospital and nursing home visitation. Moreover, we would have a handful of shepherds on hand for every funeral visitation and service to offer help and care.
With teaching being such a key role for Sunday School as well as community groups, we offered teacher training. For example, our children’s department had a quarterly training time to help the teachers grow in their skill.
If you are a pastor, I strongly encourage you to lean into the 5-Fold. You will witness not only greater ownership of the church’s ministry but, as well, you will witness a greater fulfillment of the church’s ministry.
And if you are not a pastor, why not encourage those in your venues to identify their gifts and then brainstorm how you can work together utilizing these gifts for the betterment of the church. I think you will see some great results.
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