Missiologist Alan Hirsch says we need to dive deep into Ephesians 4, and use the A.P.E.S.T.* roles (see below*) in order to rethink the church as a movement rather than a series of services. APEST stands for:

Apostles Prophets Evangelists Shepherds Teachers

During a recent podcast, and reflecting on the massive disruption brought by COVID19 to the current model of church in the West, Alan Hirsch argues as follows:

"Our way of doing church is exceedingly fragile, so can we see what God is saying here... What if everyone's home is a potential church to plant? Doesn't this sound like it was in the pages of the New Testament. What if we could train people like that?

In this podcast, Alan says that APEST thinking can take something like COVID19 and see it as an opportunity to hear God, to grow and adapt.

In the Western church, Hirsch argues that apostolic and prophetic people have been either pushed to the margins of church or else put on pedestals as people with "offices" and status. But referencing the example and context of Ephesians 4, Hirsch argues that neither of these can be justified.

To those who don't embrance the full APEST range, he counters, "Which ones don't you want, and who gave you the right to pick and choose?"

And to those who see it as a status thing, Hirsch adds that the Ephesian Church was too young to have very mature leaders, too marginalised to have high status people (many of them were slaves, for example), and yet Paul says to them that God has given gifts - and then lists all 5 APEST gifts.

Hirsch seems to be calling for an unleashing of what Jesus has already given us - a "latent potential" for multiplication, and one which ordinary people are united in Christ and living out their part in His mission.

What is your part, and how could you best play it in the world, the workplace or college and in the local church?

For more on this, you can click here and find the Alan Hirsch interview with Rich Martin, or else you can check out his latest book, "5Q", on Amazon, or many other good booksellers.