We are a collective of likeminded ministers who recognize the necessity of the Ephesians 4:11 model to be active in the 21st-century church.
The Word of the Lord says, "He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ's followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ." (Eph. 4:11MSG)
As mentioned above, we recognize the importance of the fivefold gifts for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. We use the acronym, APEST when speaking about the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd and Teacher.
We understand the APEST to be co-equal “offices” in the Body of Christ, everyone equally important. However, we also recognize that though someone may not hold a particular fivefold office, any believer may walk in the anointing. For example, someone may not be a prophet, but they can be prophetic. Someone may not be an Apostle, but they may possess an Apostolic anointing.
The APEST types are not only functions and callings within the Church; they are archetypes, woven throughout life. For example, a CEO of a company my well walk in an Apostolic anointing, while those involved in HR tend to be more pastoral. Salespeople flow in and evangelist or prophetic anointing, and people with a teacher anointing feel most at home working in the training department. While this may sound simplistic, it nonetheless is still true.
Jesus walked in each of these APEST offices and anointings. God created these archetypes, and they are heaven’s master design for leading, growing, teaching, and caring for the Church. Likewise, the APEST anointings are the way in which all Godly things grow, from families and companies to ministries and churches. For any organization, especially the Church, the APEST must be alive and well for a fully function and healthy environment.
We see the APEST functions/callings like seeds. All the potential of a tree is already in the seed. Our goal as an organization is to provide for you an environment that will nurture and allow those seeds to grow, flourish and become mighty oaks of righteousness, Isa 61:3.
We do not require you tithe to us as many other credentialing organizations do. We believe the tithe belongs in the local church. We believe the Bible is the true Word of God, infallible and our only rule for faith and practice. We honor the gifts and anointing we see in others, without jealously. We walk in love and relationship with each other. We are the family of God, different in our strengths but link together in love, by grace through faith in the name of Jesus.
We adhere to the Apostles' Creed (ca. A.D. 215) and to the core doctrines of the Protestant Reformation, namely the ultimate and essential authority of the Scriptures for Christian faith and practice, justification by faith, and the priesthood of all believers. We believe that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that Jesus was born of a virgin, died on the cross, that He was physically raised from the dead, and that an individual's personal relationship to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior determines that individual's eternal destiny in heaven or hell. We believe the fulfillment of Jesus' great commission to win souls and make disciples of all nations is best accomplished in the current expression of fivefold ministry according to Ephesians 4:11-13.
