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APEPT Missionality Overview
 
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Ephesians 4:11-12

"And He gave some as Apostles,
and some as Prophets, and some
as Evangelists, and some as
Pastors, and Teachers [APEPT],
for the equipping of the saints for
the work of service, to the building
up of the body of Christ."

 

Intercultural Institute
for Contextual Ministry

 
 
APEPT Window

APEPT Missionality Overview

by Curt Watke, PhD, Missiologist
IICM Executive Director
© Copyright 2007 by Curt Watke, PhD and used by IICM with permission

Five roles are to equip believers to do the work of ministry and to edify the body of Christ.  These five roles, the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers, were given to each and every church for an equipping purpose. (Eph 4:11-12).

However, for many centuries churches have approached ministry institutionally. Controlled by pastor/teachers, ministries have often been ingrown and internally focused. 
Those with special gifting in apostolic, evangelistic, and prophetic roles often have not found a place of ministry in the current ministry structures. Many times they have had to set up "para-church" organizations in order to follow God's missional calling. 

Today many churches are "churches with missions" meaning that they give, support, and otherwise further mission causes -- but they don't know how to be missional.  Missional congregations know how to act like a missionary within their sociocultural context.  Missional congregations understand the diverse cultures in their community, respond interculturally, and develop contextual approaches to reach and disciple them.  Missional congregations honor, support and equip believers to function in apostolic, evangelistic, and prophetic roles within the cultural context to which God has called them.  The Pastors and Teachers of missional congregations -- seeing themselves as co-laborers with gifted believers who have apostolic, evangelistic, and prophetic roles -- provide support, assistance, and training for these roles in their local congregations.

This website furthers the development of an APEPT Missionality that is incarnational and missional rather than attractional and extractional.  For several decades missionaries have been taught to penetrate a cultural group by learning their language, culture and customs and contextualizing their message, method, and ministries within the cultural context of the particular group which they are reaching.  Jesus, Paul, and the Apostles illustrate this incarnational - missional approach.  However, for at least 400 years, church leaders have noted that the institutional church has sounded a "come and hear" gospel.  Attempts have consistently been made to enhance the programming of the church, its worship styles, and its facilities in order to "attract people to church."  Once people were reached, they were encouraged to leave their naturally-occurring relationships with non-believers and become "busy attending" the church and its many ministries and programs.

This article gives an overview of APEPT Missionality -- a missional approach to understanding the interdependent missional roles involved in the process of making disciples of specific people groups by moving them from a pagan or non-Christian worldview to become followers of Christ and to become missional leaders in the body of Christ.  It begins with the impact that Christendom has had on APEPT roles.  After a brief survey of the Biblical foundations of the APEPT and its role in the missionality of early Christianity, a systemic approach to APEPT Missionality is given that brings focus to the development of missional channels through which non-believers may brought to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

APEPT Missionality Overview Outline

  1. Impact of Christendom on APEPT Missionality
    1. Early Church Era of Christianity from 33 AD to 321 AD
      1. Apostolic Roles in the Early Church Era
      2. Prophetic Roles in the Early Church Era
      3. Evangelistic Roles in the Early Church Era
      4. Prophetic Roles in the Early Church Era
      5. Teaching Roles in the Early Church Era
    2. Christendom Era of Christianity from 321 AD to 1966 AD
      1. Issues in Apostolic Ministry in Christendom
      2. Issues in Prophetic Ministry in Christendom
      3. Issues in Evangelistic Ministry in Christendom
      4. Issues in Pastoral Ministry in Christendom
      5. Issues in Teaching Ministry in Christendom
    3. Post-Christian Era of Western Christianity from 1966 to Present
    1. The Missionality of Early Christianity
    2. Apostolic Missionality: The Case of the Apostle Paul
    3. Prophetic Missionality: The Case of the Prophet Agabus
    4. Evangelistic Missionality: The Case of the Evangelist Philip
    5. Pastoral Missionality: The Case of the Pastoral Barnabus
    6. Teaching Missionality: The Case of the Teaching Timothy
  3. Systemic Approach to APEPT Missionality
    1. Competing Values of APEPT Missionality
    2. Balancing APEPT Missionality in the Congregation
    3. Developing Missional Channels: Implementing APEPT Missional Teams
MORE COMING SOON!
 
   
 
 

 

 
   
   
 

 

 

 

   
 

 

 

 
   
 

 

 

 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
 

 

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