Our Q&A Webinars are a monthly segment designed for Plus Members to hear from leading experts in church planting, multisite, leadership, and multiplication. For this month’s segment, I talk with Alan Hirsch. Alan shares his insight on APEST that he wrote about in his new book, 5Q.
Younger generations seem to communicate through slang terms and abbreviations on a day-to-day basis. Someone might say a five letter strung together word, and you’re expected to know that it is the hip, new way to say “cool.” Ironically, we sometimes speak in abbreviations to explain constructs found in the Bible.
APEST is commonly referred to as the fivefold quotient that lies within God’s people. APEST stands for Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher.
The APEST functions are not just found in the church. They actually precede the church. If you look at the archetypes of heroes that embody values and mythic stories, the fivefold is seen there. According to Alan Hirsch, understanding the APEST has huge implications on how we understand the world outside of Jesus and see organizations. These archetypes are the fingerprint of God. The body of Christ has a fivefold function at its root.
According to Alan, in order to be a mature missional movement, we need to have all five of the functions of a church to be healthy. Planters must start to view APEST through the lens of planting a movement, not just planting a church. After all, by starting with a movement mentality, a church is more likely to be successful.
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