Book Review: The Forgotten Ways, Part Two

Apr 20

Written By

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[This is part 2 of a 2 part review of The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating Apostolic Movements Alan Hirsch's The Forgotten Ways. To read part 1 click here]

APEST Culture

APEST Culture is one of the elements of Apostolic Genius. APEST Culture is derived from the spiritual gifts listed in Ephesians 4. Hirsch argues that these are not gifts in the sense that we traditionally think of them. Rather, they are roles that every member of the body of Christ fills using their spiritual gifts. These gifts or roles, he argues, are essential in the propagation of the gospel and multiplication of the Church. The roles include Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teaching.

Hirsch makes a strong case that if we want to have a missional movement, then we must have strong Apostolic ministry. Apostolic ministry has four functions: 1) extend the missional movement by spreading the gospel into new places and in new directions; 2) guards the missional movement by safeguarding theological integrity; 3) networking or connecting the movement through common purpose such that it is easily reproducible; 4) creates an environment in which other ministries can emerge. Apostolic ministry is critical, according to Hirsch, because it inspires prophets to listen for God’s voice, evangelists to bring others into relationship with Jesus Christ, shepherds to care for God’s people, and teachers to develop Christlikeness in the body of Christ. Apostolic leadership is inspirational, spiritual, motivational, and moral.

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Prophets listen to God and seek above all else to discern his will and to communicate his will clearly to others. Prophets are often counter-cultural and focus on issues of social justice.

Evangelists are recruiters for the movement. People respond willingly and frequently when they share the gospel.

Shepherds are pastors. They seek to cultivate nurturing, caring relationships among adherents. They seek to develop a sense of belonging through worship and connection to others.

Teachers clarify God’s revealed will in Scripture, provide discernment, guidance to the community. They are committed to learning and wisdom.

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Who has acess to ministry in an APEST Culture?

Hirsch makes the point that APEST ministry is the role of the entire Christian community and is not reserved for those who have formal training or who have been ordained. Movements of God in Christ are frequently ignited by those whose credentials are not recognized by ecclesial bodies, but whom God uses to build his kingdom, nevertheless.

Organic Systems

Organic systems are characterized by low control and high accountability. Hirsch argues that organizations that are high control and low accountability tend to direct a great deal of time to supporting the institution itself, rather than the mission the organization purports to espouse.

Conclusion

So, what are my take-aways from The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch. First, the Church in North America has lost its way. By and large we are in institutional protection mode, rather than missional movement mode. The church is going through a transition in which its methods are becoming less and less relevant to the surrounding culture (a liminal experience). The message is no less relevant, but the way we are communicating and living out our mission is not having as significant an impact as it could.

Second, ministry must be returned to the people in the pews (or chairs where I lead worship). “Religious professionals,” like myself, with all our training and positional power, must do all within our power to give that power away and call on every believer to activate the Spirit-giftedness within them so that we can truly have a priesthood of believers.

Third, in order to establish the Church as a missional movement that impacts communities for the kingdom of God, new forms of discipleship must be implemented. Perhaps, recovering some old approaches to spiritual development may be helpful. For instance, the class meetings and band meetings of the early Methodist movement sparked a revival that started in England and spread to the United States such that at one time one third of Americans were Methodist. Kevin Watson has written two excellent books outlining the history and contemporary implementation of these types of meetings: The Band Meeting and The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience. Hirsch recommends two more recent approaches to discipleship: Cultivating a Life For God by Neil Cole and Mike Breen's Building an Discipling Culture both of which have proven track records and hold a promise as tools for discipleship. All four books are linked below. Characteristic of both of these approaches to discipleship are high degrees of commitment to a well-articulated process of discipleship, high levels of accountability, and an explicit commitment to expanding the kingdom of God through these types of groups.

Lastly, as I stated earlier, the Church cannot continue to approach discipleship and mission using the same tools it has been using for the past two centuries. The world has changed too much to double down with methods that were developed and successfully employed shortly after the Industrial Revolution. Even methods developed in the 1970’s and 1980’s by churches like Willow Creek and Saddleback are frequently ineffective. The Church is experiencing a transition which is disorienting because what we have always done effectively is no longer achieving the desired effect.

Nevertheless, I am confident that God is on the move in THE Church and my church. God is faithful and is moving his church and all of creation to its consummation. And God is choosing to work through people who are willing to risk leaving the old ways behind and experiment with new ways of being present in the world. God is blessing new forms of ministry. He is blessing people who will abandon everything, just like the early disciples, for the cause of his Kingdom. I pray that I am one of those people. I pray that everyone reading this blog is one of those people. I pray that we will band together in community as a conduit of God’s grace and mercy.

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