Articles: Apostolic Church Paradigm (Read the Chinese Version here)

 

APOSTOLIC CHURCH PARADIGM

I.  Evaluate Values of a Church

  • From believer to disciple.
  • Growth from individual to family, then to church and community.
  • Relationship based ministries.
  • Spiritual wholeness and growth-- personal as well as corporate.
  • Power to influence your part of the world.
  • Knowing your place in the Body.

  

II.  Paradigm Shift - Conventional Church vs. Apostolic Church

  • Centered on single congregational activities
    vs
  • Lead by one main leader who knows all and in some way does all (oversees all)
    vs.
  • Church activities circle around programs
    vs.
  • Servings in the church go by assigning jobs and driven by need of running programs
    vs.
  • People come to church building to be ‘built’
    vs.
  • Majority of energy spend on maintenance
    vs.
  • Vision belongs to head leader, or board of committees who runs the church
    vs.
  • Dictator leadership or democratic leadership
    vs.
  • Measure success by vs.   

   Conclusion -- the new look from the new paradigm:

 

 

III.  Apostolic Church Life:
A. What is "apostolic" and who is an "apostle"?

In Hebrew, it means "the sent one," in Greek, it means "the ambassador", in Rome, it means "the fleet commander."  An apostolic person is prophetic, believes the full Gospel, has Father's heart, always make disciples, thinks in terms of building up, lays foundations, raises up leaders, identifies Gifts, desires to be on the front lines, receives revelatory insights from the Holy Spirit, is strategic, is relational, is capable of building, tends to look for the big pictures of the puzzles, is recognized by followers and others as apostolic, ministers with supernatural flow, works as a head or covers church body or organization, works as special agent of the Chief Shepherd Jesus (sent by, receives from, runs for, sacrifices to), and loves to network with people.

 

  • An apostle is a person gifted apostolically and called by God to be in a specific position with His authorization to minister as an Ambassador of Christ.
  • According to David Cannistraci's "Apostles and the Emerging Apostolic Movement" (Regal Books):
    "An apostle is one who is called and sent by Christ to have the spiritual authority, character, gifts and abilities to successfully reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and order, especially through founding and overseeing local churches."
  • Peter Wagner defines an apostle in his book "Spheres of Authority - Apostles in Today's Church" (Wagner Publication): "An apostle is a Christian leader, gifted, taught, commissioned, and sent by God with the authority to establish the foundational government of the church within an assigned sphere of ministry by hearing what the Spirit is saying to the churches and by setting things in order accordingly for the growth and maturity of the church."

   
B.The Foundation Of An Apostolic Church
1.  Jesus is the Cornerstone, set by apostles and prophets as foundation for believers to build on.
Eph. 2:20,22
1 Cor. 3:10, 11 

2. Church is led by Multiple leadership with one Head leader.
1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17; Act. 13:1-3; Act. 15 

C. Foundation and The Government Of An Apostolic Church
1.  The head leader
2.  The leadership team
3.  The people

The functional relationships between the three:

- The dynamics of an apostolic team leadership:

D. Building upon the Foundations.
1 Cor.3:10b. 3:13
Eph.2:21  
(Go through the handout)

E. The Apostolic Nature Of An Apostolic Church

  • Building a Four Dimensional Church.
  • The Parts And The Body Of An Apostolic Church.
  • The Five-Fold Gifts And The Apostolic Churche.
  • The Covering and Networking Relationships of An Apostolic Church.

Suggested Reading Materials:

Harold R. Eberle,  The Complete Wineskin - Restructuring the Church for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 1993 Winepress Publishing, PO Box 10653, Yakima, WA 98909-1653 USA

C. Peter Wagner, The New Apostolic Churches - Rediscovering the New Testament Model of Leadership and why It is God's Desire for the Church Today. 1998, Regal Books, Ventura, California, USA

C. Peter Wagner, Church Quake - How The New Apostolic Reformation is Shaking up the Church as we know it. 1999, Regal Books, USA

C. Peter Wagner, Apostles of the City - How to Mobilize Territorial Apostles for City Transformation. 2000, Wagner publications, 11005 N. Highway 83, Suite 119, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. Email: wagnerpublicatons@globalharvest.org

C. Peter Wagner, Sphere of Authority - Apostles in Today's Church. 2002, Wagner Publications.

Juan Carlos Qrtiz, Call To Discipleship, 1975, Logos International.

PO Box 17-116 Taipei, R.O.C.

Wolfgang Simson, Houses That Change The World, - The return of the House Churches. 2001 OM Publishing PO Box 300, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 0QS, UK and PO Box 1047, Waynesboro, GA 30830-2047, USA

渥夫根．辛森，改變世界的家－邁向二十一世紀的教會新架構，2002 www.elimbookstore.com.tw

 

Take Home Exam Questions:

1.      According to Eph. 2:20,22, we are to be built (on the foundation) as well as to be built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.  That means, God is the builder and we are being built.  In what way it can be shown that it is God who is building the church instead of us?

2.      List 10 "values" of a church.

3.      Do you believe there are apostles in Christ's Church today? Why? Or why not?

4.      One day, an Evangelist come into your town, after a crusade, 2000 people got saved. You are one of the planning committee of this crusade, what would be your plan to follow up those new converts and make sure they can mostly be nurtured? Evaluate your own plan.  Do you think it's effective? Why or why not?