Description
As we have been going through this series, the obvious question in the back of your mind probably has been, “How can these fivefold giftings actually be facilitated within a local church or team.” In our discussion we have discovered that without new wineskins, new wine is often spilt on the ground. To keep our ministry wineskins flexible we will now look at a few organizational principles that will lay the foundation for being successful in bringing about change.
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Video Script
Episode 14: Our Mission
As we have been going through this series, the obvious question in the back of your mind probably has been, “How can these fivefold giftings actually be facilitated within a local church or team.” In our discussion we have discovered that without new wineskins, new wine is often spilt on the ground. To keep our ministry wineskins flexible we will now look at a few organizational principles that will lay the foundation for being successful in bringing about change.
Three Structures of Ministry
Well, we are getting to the end of our study, but don’t worry, there is lots of good practical stuff ahead. Currently we are on pages 50-53 if you are following along. Okay, let’s get into this episode as I briefly discuss some organization theory, which I believe is crucial if we are going to be effective in adapting our wineskins to the new wine of the fivefold ministry application.
Now I am aware that some say that the fivefold ministry gifts are functioning within the whole Universal Church and so perhaps they don’t have to be represented in each movement, denomination, or every local church. According to this view, all the fivefold gifts are functioning within the universal Body of Christ, but each local church has its own emphasis and so does not need to have all five functioning. For example, mission organizations are apostolic, some churches are more evangelistic and others more pastoral, and so on.
While this may seem to make a certain amount of sense, it does not take into account how organizations tend to grow and develop. I am suggesting that all organizations, which I will define here as any group of people gathered together to fulfill a common purpose—which includes churches—tend to decline or lose their vision, if they do not make room for all of these gifts from Ephesians 4 to function. One does not need to look far to see whole denominations or organizations that were once vibrant, but are now struggling to survive with depleting members and resources.
The point of this series is to help us consider our own ministries and calling and evaluate if our current wineskins, or ministry structures, are adequate in facilitating the implementation of this fivefold model. If we believe that the gifts from Ephesians 4 are for the Church today, then we have to consider their application in a local church. I believe that they are not only a model for the universal Church, but are also applicable within the life of every local church.
Three Structures of Ministry
The late missiologist, Ralph Winter, used two broader categories to describe needed ministries in the church, modalities and sodalities. Don’t worry you don’t have to remember these names, and I still sometimes get the terms mixed up. But the important point he makes is that all organizations can be described by one of these. Modalites are structures in society that are inclusive and nurture-orientated, kind of like church congregation or institutions in a city or community. Sodalities, on the other hand, are organizations that are a subset of this and have a specific task or focus, for example mission societies or a country’s military. The point is that not all organizations are the same and they require different wineskins in order to fulfill their mission.
I’ve previously mentioned Patrick Johnstone, the author of the prayer guide, Operation World. In his book, The Church is Bigger than you Think, he explains the importance of structure, or the “how” of ministry, in order for the Church to fulfill its purpose. If you are listening to this podcast you may want to watch it later to follow the diagrams. He traces these structures right from the Triune God throughout history and how they have affected the mission of the Church. His focus is the Western Church but not to be left out, the Eastern Church also lost its missional focus during historic periods. From the meta-narrative of Scripture he identifies three such structures of ministry. There is (1) a nurturing structure, (2) a sending/expansion structure, (3) and a discipling/training structure. He begins by looking at the Old Testament and see these reflected in the (1) Priests who were the nurturing structure, (2) the Prophets who were the sending/expansion structure, (3) and the School of Prophets, the discipling/training structure.
Then in Jesus’ ministry we see the (1) Synagogue was the nurturing structure, (2) the Seventy were the sending/expansion structure, (3) and the Twelve being trained were the discipling/training structure. Then in the early church we see similar structures through the (1) Local Church for gathering and nurturing, the (2) Apostolic teams for sending out on the mission, and (3) Discipleship for training.
These early structures of ministry then developed—well actually regressed—in the Church in the Middle Ages. During that period of history we see the three structures of the (1) Church, (2) Monastic Orders, and (3) Universities. As the diagram illustrates, once these three structures were no longer in balance the Church lost its focus. For example, by AD 1500 the ecclesiastical structure became foremost, represented by the centrality of the Pope. Monastic orders still had a reaching out component, but this was on the fringe of the Church. By 1700 the three structures were further isolated from each other with no real structure for the reaching out or mission component. At this point, the Church was more inward than outward focussed.
Johnstone points out that in the 20th century, mission agency were formed to go into all the world and the local churches and training institutions were somewhat separated from the ultimate mission of the Church. Instead of working together, this led to a competition between churches, educational institutions and mission agencies. The denomination or local church (1) focussed on consolidating, protecting, and shepherding. The mission agencies (2) functioned more like “sodalities” to use Winter’s term. They were functioning in a more apostolic—and perhaps even a prophetic and evangelistic role. Then there was the Universities/Colleges (3), which focused on training and equipping, but often disassociated from the main mission of the Church, going and making disciples of all nations. Johnstone’s hope in the 21st Century was that all three of these structures would be in balance again as they were in the first century.
I spoke to him years after he wrote the book and asked if he was seeing much of a change in the wider circles he traveled within in the church. I could identify with his response that it was not an easy message and widespread change remained a bit elusive. Proving again that wineskins are hard to change. His point is that each of these need to be in balance in order to fulfill the Great Commission. Out of balance, the mission of the Church is not possible and the Church becomes inept in its task, eventually ceasing to be the Church as Jesus intended it to be.
This underscores the importance of understanding the impact of wineskins and the need to design ministry models that reflect correct theology and relevant vision. It is not too hard to see the similarity of Johnstone’s three structures and how a balanced fivefold approach would be expressed in each of them. Each of these different models, which I have only briefly highlighted here, illustrate the same principle: Varied gifts are needed to have balanced structures that will fulfill the overall mission of the Church. If these gifts are functioning in the church, they will then be observable and measurable.
What do you see as the application of Johnstone’s Three Structures of Ministry throughout history for the Church today?
Sideways Pyramid
Before the break we were looking at a few different models of the Church, identifying structures or wineskins that are necessary if we are going to fulfill the true purpose of the Church. According to Winter’s model of modalities and sodalities, churches, or modalities, by their very nature, have a varied membership. They are more like families in this regard, in that we cannot really choose who is in our family. They are a cross-section of society, from gender, socio-economic classes, ethnicity, and so on. On the other hand, organizations or sodalities, tend to be more focussed and so can choose their membership. They are often specialized and have a specific, targeted purpose. The result is that most organizations make minimal attempts to have a balanced fivefold approach to their leadership, churches included.
In addition, or perhaps as an extension of his “Three Structures of Ministry,” Johnstone takes a unique approach to the fivefold ministries. His perspective of the equipping functions is that they are ordered according to timing, as to when they are needed in the Body. He illustrates the order of the fivefold gifts by turning the typical pyramid structure of leadership on its side. So rather than a top-down or hierarchical view of the fivefold gifts, as you can see in the diagram on the left, they are placed from left to right, as in the diagram on the right.
From this perspective, the fivefold functions are not about position, or in some order of predetermined importance, but according to function and when they are needed in the establishment of an organization or church. First apostles are needed, then prophets, then evangelists, and so on. It is not about a competition to be at the top, as often is the case in the zero sum game played out in most institutions in society, but rather it is about each gift functioning according to the role for which it was designed. Each gift functions within the community of believers in order for the Body to fulfil Jesus’ mission.
Do you agree or disagree with Johnstone’s view of the fivefold gifts arranged according to need rather than hierarchical position? Why or why not?
Fivefold Ministry in Society
So what if Hirsch is right and this fivefold approach is more universal in societal structures based upon attributes of the Creator himself? If this were the case then the application would be even more broad. Hirsch makes the case that the terms that Paul uses in Eph. 4:11-12 were actually drawn from secular sources in the Greco-Roman world. As with other topics, Paul draws upon these meanings and infuses them with specific theological meaning. In light of this, it is instructive to look at the fivefold ministry gifts in other aspects of society and life. He believes that these can be found within various disciplines and it would seem that there is also a natural connection between general spiritual giftings, abilities, personality and calling, and one’s equipping gifts or functions.
For example, individuals and organizations that are entrepreneurial and pioneering in nature could be said to be “apostolic,” while those who challenge the status quo and push for change could be seen as “prophetic.” “Evangelistic” individuals or organizations are those who inspire, mobilize others into action, while those in society that create community and protect society could be seen as “pastoral.” Learning and educational organizations would be a type of the “teaching” function. Viewing these gifts this way may indicate that these functions and callings exist throughout society. If you are interested, he explores this more thoroughly in his 5Q book.
But for the purposes of our discussion of these gifts given to the Church, it is clear that the fivefold model is a pattern that is part of the meta-narrative of Scripture. It begins with God’s pattern in creation, shapes a Christological approach, and then impacts personal discipleship. They are gifts that only function as we are connected to our Source, Jesus, and his Spirit lives in and through us. Then we will be that missional Church – making disciples of all people as commissioned in Matt. 28:19-20.
How has your perspective of the Missional Church changed through this study? How do you think this will impact your own ministry?
In our final two episodes I will introduce the Flow Chart and Life Cycle as tools to help you understand your own giftings as well as how each of these giftings can function within the church. If you have not done so yet, now would be a good time to do the relevant Assessments that are provided. I think you will find this insightful and look forward to having you join me in our last two episodes.