Forgotten Ways, Ch. 5 Rev.
Apostolic Environment
I want to make some notes and reflections on Ch. 5 of The Forgotten Ways, which to me was one of the most eye-opening chapters. Page references are to the original 2006 book rather than the 2009 Handbook. This post will make more sense if you are familiar with the five ministry gifts of Ephesians 4:11, as explained by Hirsch.
The gifts Christ imparted to the church are reflected in everyone. That is to say, you are an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher (Ephesians 4:11) – any combination, one or all of them, to various degrees. We all have these gifts. This is a vast improvement from the prevailing logic that only a small group of people hold “offices”. With everyone performing their roles the church is more likely to attain “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:14). Our group is well diversified in all areas.
It is notable to me that our (AAC’s) “pastors” are women. The prevailing church language has “pastor” as a catchall phrase for paid church leader – usually male. This is a somewhat recent development (previously they were priests, ministers, reverends, etc.) that has little to do with what the Bible says about God’s intended role of pastors, which is very little (seriously, check your favorite version for the word “pastor”). Many pastors today actually aren’t well gifted in what might make a good shepherd of people. And usually there are simply too many people to shepherd anyway. Usually when we say pastor we mean teacher, public speaker, church CEO or overseer. But if you are looking for someone who cares infectiously about people, prays for them, knows about them, asks good questions and retains information, encourages and empowers them, then I would submit that by and large women are well suited for this role. And we have a few good pastors in our group. Notably, they did not perhaps realize they were loving shepherds and had never been encouraged in that respect. Until now.
Speaking of feminine qualities: Shifting from pastor to apostle, I like the image of the midwife as one carrying out an apostolic role (p. 166). According to Hirsch: “A midwife aids and assists in the birth of a child. All that he or she makes sure of is that all the conditions are right for a healthy birth – the birth is the result of things beyond the midwife’s influence.” Hirsch is making the point that the apostolic genius does not force a church into existence but rather facilities and awakens what is already in place in the non-church community, working with “latent appetites, which are already present in the organization but await articulation” (p. 164). This nurturing is something a man or woman can do with the right mindset. It conjures many organic images, including not just childbirth but farming. Wrote Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9:
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. … For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field.”
Although everyone is gifted in one or more of the five areas (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher), do not mistake that for leadership (p. 171). Some people within each group are born leaders. Again this is in contrast to common terminology, where all “pastors” are deemed “leaders.”
The importance of communication between all roles is essential. An organization too heavy in one or two of the functions is doomed. “Dysfunction is the result of a breakdown between various components or agents within the system” (p. 174). To illustrate, consider how Hirsch’s church recognized the various voices (174-6):
So we had an apostolic team that focused on the translocal, missional, strategic and experimental issues facing the church. We had a prophetic team that focused on listening to God and discerning his will for us, paying attention to social justice issues, and questioning the status quo of an increasingly middle-class church. We had an evangelistic team whose task it was to oversee and develop evangelism and outreach. The pastoral team’s task was to develop community, cell groups, worship, and counseling, and to enhance the love capacity of the church. The teaching team’s task was to create contexts of learning and to develop the love of wisdom and understanding through Bible study, theological and philosophical discussion groups, etc. All were represented by a key leader on the leadership team.
… The apostolic person would present or critique in light of the need to galvanize the community around mission. The prophetic types would challenge just about everything and ask irritating questions about how God fit into our grand schemes. The evangelist would always be trying to emphasize the need to bring people to faith and how what we suggested would achieve that. The pastoral type expressed concerns about how the community could healthily engage the issues sustainably, and the theologian (teacher) would try discerning its validity from scripture and history.
Early on we (AAC) made an important decision: We are a church, not a non-profit, parachurch or otherwise. We thought that it was important for the church to do the work of the church, not pawn it off again to an outside entity. Hirsch notes (p. 169) that because of the popular pastor/teacher model at churches today, indeed many of the functions of the Church have been exiled to social justice (Word Vision, Sojourners) and evangelism (Navigators) groups.
Empowering leadership: Truly apostolic leadership empowers others to grow and take leadership roles themselves. See how Paul moved around the land, planting innumerable churches: He could not have done that if he was micromanaging and. This must be a central component of AAC, constantly passing along authority and influence and spreading throughout Mid City and elsewhere. In contrast to the top-down, CEO-type leadership model, we should practice the bottom-up approach (p. 160):
In a relationship based on ‘inspirational’ or ‘moral’ leadership, both leaders and followers raise each other to higher levels of motivation and morality by engaging each other on the basis of shared values, calling, and identity. They are in a relationship in which each influences the other to pursue common objectives, with the aim of inspiring followers to becoming leaders in their own right. In other words, influence runs both ways. Inspirational leadership ultimately becomes genuinely moral when it raises the level of human conduct and ethical aspiration of both leaders and led, thus having a transformational effect on both.
As such, we are not thinking merely within our own framework, but aiming to infect people outside of “us.” Apostolic ministry “evokes purpose, movement, and response from those who come into its orbit” (p. 161).
