Discerning Your Ministry Orientation
Where do I fit?
In what role am I most effective?
A key part of our Fit & Flourish Ministry Affirmation Process (MAP) is helping leaders get a read on their ministry orientation.
What do we mean by our “ministry orientation”? It’s a blend of personality, gifts, skills, experiences and passion that influences how you approach ministry. Alan Hirsh and others are doing some wonderful work in the realm of “APEST” roles from Ephesians 4:11-12 where Paul writes, “It is He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teaches to prepare/equip God’s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up.”
APEST stands for
Apostles,
Prophets,
Evangelists,
Shepherds,
Teachers.
Most of us have a blend of those roles. When you see how the Lord blends these roles to build and grow His Body…. how we are made to complement each other and coordinate God’s grace and power…it’s supernaturally beautiful!
Fit & Flourish’s assessment process simplifies APEST into two main orientations: Pioneer/Planter or Pastor/Shepherd. Most of us can identify where we naturally gravitate our energy and attention.
Look at these two lists of descriptive words. Mark where you fit between Pioneer and Pastor. Sometimes you will be strongly oriented toward one of the two. Sometimes you may score yourself in the middle. All insights are helpful!
Pioneer/Planter Pastor/Shepherd
To the “not yet convinced” To the already convinced
Ok with Change/chaos Order
Unpredictable Predictable
Itinerant/regional Local Church
Create/initiate Nurture, Coordinate
Proclamational Incarnational
Short-term Long-term
“Simple” organization Increasingly organized
Challenge the status quo Cherish status quo
Competitive—strive for results Collegial—desire relationships
Which orientation is stronger for you?
Some ask, can a pioneer be a pastor? Can a shepherd be a planter? The answer is “yes, but…” Here’s what I mean:
A pioneer can be the pastor of a church, but they will still be oriented toward planter behaviors—focus on lost people, initiating new ministries, willing to innovate.
A shepherd can plant a church, but their ministry inclinations will be more pastoral—caring for the flock, feeding believers, walking tried and tested paths.
Knowing your ministry orientation goes a long way toward clarifying where you best fit in the life span of a ministry. We’ll look at where you fit in the life span of a ministry in a future post.
Above all…we need ALL roles in our Kingdom work! Honor each other…depend on each other…love each other as we each do our part. Remember, we do ALL for Jesus!
Coach Yourself Forward
1. Want to learn more about APEST? Check out this test.
2. As you look at your ministry orientation, what examples from your life come to mind? A good principle is “The best predictor of future behavior is past experiences.”
3. How does understanding your ministry orientation help you as you consider who you need on a team with you?
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash