By Brian Scott
We have been on a journey these past few newsletter articles of exploring the different aspects of the one gift of leadership described through the fivefold functions of APEST in Ephesians 4. Those functions are “A”postolic, “P”rophetic, “E”vangelistic, “S”hepherd, and “T”eacher. In February, we addressed the apostolic function. These leaders have historically been ostracized in church leadership because they can make us uncomfortable by constantly wanting to move on to the next big thing. They get jazzed by dreaming of opportunities not yet seen. In April, we explored the prophetic function. This function operates as a corrective agent in any leadership setting. There is no such thing as “gray” areas. God has in mind the right way in any situation, and that way should be followed. In this article, we will discuss the evangelistic function.
Again, we will start with definitions from Alan Hirsch and Dwight Smith.
Evangelistic function
Hirsch – Mobilizer, Recruiter, Negotiator, Achiever
Smith – expand the gospel story, focus on people, guards the heart of God for the lost
The first three functions, APE, are mostly non-centralized oriented. For various reasons, they are more comfortable focusing time and energy outside of the gathering of believers. APEs are also the first to be ostracized because they push back on the cultural elements that put the emphasis on the community of believers. The apostolic and prophetic functions are more principally driven, while the evangelistic function is more people driven. But all three tend to place their passions looking outward. Many leadership teams have a strong presence of gathering focused leaders and are missing voices that keep the church focused outward on ministry opportunities in neighborhoods, cities, counties, and beyond.
The difference between the evangelistic and apostolic leader is that it is personal for the evangelist centered on the lost individual where the apostle is focused on the big picture or general area. The evangelistic functioning leader will put a heavy emphasis on the gospel and the outcome of transformation when it reaches the lost person. They will not stop telling their story of life with God and will spur on disciples to do the same. They are always looking for ways to connect with people who have yet made a commitment; networking is natural for them. When equipping disciples, evangelist will exhort people and find the beauty in everyone’s story of redemption. When an evangelist talks strategy, it will be on an individual or family basis and not a broad strategy that comes more natural for the apostolic imagination.
If the apostolic function is to determine the hill and the prophetic function to determine the path, the evangelistic functioning leader will always have wandering eyes. They are scanning and searching for those who should be on the path. They will have no problem leaving the path, searching for the lost. When the hill to be conquered is brought up, they will call attention to the lost people who currently occupy the hill. The wander of the evangelistic leader can become their shadow. When they are a part of the believing community, they can lose interest and disengage if they are operating in immaturity. In a general sense, the evangelistic functioning leader will always have a feeling that not everyone is at the table; people are missing and we need to find them!
The evangelistic functioning leader will resonate with the apostolic’s vision and will be one of the first to step in-line. Initially, the evangelist will rally all their networks around the idea and vision of seeing lost people found in new areas. Because the evangelist is more people oriented, they will be sensitive to how a vision will either impact or prohibit a person from finding a relationship with Jesus. As the apostolic gets more passionate and involved in the creation of new expressions, they will be less incline to recognize the impact on the individual lost person. The evangelist will also not move on to new areas at the expense of sacrificing a soul in their current environment.
The prophetic function can work well with the evangelistic function, to a point. There is a line that the prophet is unwilling to cross to see a lost person come into relationship with Jesus. For the evangelist, they want to see the person “cross the finish-line” however it will happen. This is not acceptable to the prophet, or for that matter, the teaching function. As stated, the evangelistic leader will tend to wander off the chosen path motivated to seek the lost as Jesus did. Wandering off the path is not acceptable to the prophetic leader.
The evangelistic function will have some similarities to the shepherd function as both are attuned to the needs of people. For the evangelist, their drive to seek out those who have yet to be introduced to Jesus will not be diminished by the gathering of believers in a community. More so, they will be irritated by the focus gatherings receive in manpower and budget. The shepherd will often not express frustration with evangelistic expressions, but they often demonstrate their perspective by their indifference to evangelism training or focus.
So, what does it mean to accept an evangelistic leader into your circle? First, you must be aware that they will always want the ultimate answer to the question of “why” to relate to reaching lost people. For example, the reason you focus so heavily on the discipleship process is to equip people to be testimonies of God’s grace to the unbelieving world they touch daily. Secondly, utilize their ability to network and recruit people into ministries. If they believe that the outcome of the church’s ministries is adequately answering the question of “why,” they will be extremely effective in rallying and recruiting people to take part in the activity. Thirdly, give them responsibilities in communication and promotion. Most evangelistic functioning leaders have a way of drawing people in.
It is profitable to have an evangelistic voice sitting at your table. But we must be aware of how to motivate them in taking part in the centralized leadership of the church. Our ministries or activities should prepare the disciple to be gospel presence in lost communities. If they believe that this is true in your ministries, they will be more prone to step in. We all need their voice in our discipleship process. Their voice should be heard with equal standing in the leadership because of their passions or bent toward expanding the kingdom by winning the lost person.
