Book Reviews

When I was ordained into fulltime Christian ministry 35 years ago I posted on my study wall the words of Paul in Ephesians 4:1-16. I was captivated by this vision Paul gives of the mature church: a church attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, becoming like Jesus in every way. That was the church I wanted to be part of and I committed myself to living out these verses in a lifetime of Christian service. I knew that this grande vision was possible since Jesus had poured out his gifts upon the church so that it could reach this goal. I understand that these gifts were the gifts of people: some people were apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and some teachers. A fivefold gift to the church. But I had a problem. A massive disconnect. The church of which I was a part, and the denomination into which I was ordained, only regularly spoke of and recognised two of these gifts: pastors and teachers. Only a cursory thought was given to evangelists. As an ordained minister I understood my roles and functions as pastor and teacher. But I always sensed that something was missing in the life and ministry of the church. What about apostles and prophets? And evangelists? These gifts poured out upon the church by the ascended Christ functioned in the first century church? What about the 21st century? Do these gifts of Christ still function in the church today? Why did we choose only 2 or 3 out of the 5? On what basis did we or do we make such choices? If you have ever wondered about these questions I strongly urge you to pick up a copy of Alan Hirsch's latest book, 5Q - Reactivating the Original Intelligence and Capacity of the Body of Christ (Columbia: 100M, 2017).

What is 5Q?   Well, we all have heard of IQ!   IQ refers to your intelligence quotient.   Through several standardized tests designed to assess human intelligence you will get a score.   That is your IQ!    You might also have heard about EQ – your emotional quotient.   People have been measuring IQ for over a hundred years, but in past few decades we have been told that IQ alone is not enough if you want to do well in life;  EQ also matters.   In fact, psychologists generally agree that among the ingredients for success in life, IQ counts for roughly 10% (at best 25%); the rest depends on everything else — including your EQ.  Your EQ is the level of your ability to understand other people, what motivates them, and how to work cooperatively with them.

In his book 5Q Alan Hirsch makes a convincing case that if we as churches are to be healthy and succeed in being the church of Christ, we must consider another scorecard: not IQ or EQ but 5Q!   5Q refers to the fivefold functions of ministry articulated by Paul in Ephesians 4:1-16.   Otherwise known as APEST, the fivefold ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teacher, 5Q refers to the original intelligence and capacity of the body of Christ.    For Hirsch "this is no small matter!" (9).    "The fivefold is part of the church's very constitution, and being divinely orginated, can never be made defunct or transcended. ... What Paul is telling us in no uncertain terms is that there is a direct correlation between the extent to which we embrace, and operate, in all five APEST functions, and the extent to which we see the fruit and realization of these purposes.   If we mess with the coherence of the APEST functions, then these objectives cannot be attained!   We become incoherent ... dysfuntional.   We cannot be the Body of Christ as Jesus intended without the fivefold active and present throughout the life of his movement.   Said in yet another way, the church's capacity to 'attain to the fullness of Christ' is at stake.   This alone should make your sit up and pay attention."(9)

For some of you reading Hirsch's claims, this all might make you feel somewhat uneasy.   You are ready to dismiss these claims.   Like many Christians you are a cessationist.   You believe that the fivefold, or more specifically the apostolic and the prophetic, and perhaps the evangelistic, has ceased with the coming of the canon of Scripture, the Bible.   Hirsch will argue repeatedly that "APEST comes as a cohesive unit or not at all." (177).    You beg to differ.    You might want to read the first Appendix in 5Q: The Cessation of Cessationism.  Or more importantly, you might take Hirsch's advice in the preface to his book, to read 5Q with soft eyes.  He writes:   "Our human cravings for easy answers, ready-made formulas, quick fixes, stability and order have made our eyes hard and have predisposed us to simply repeating what we already know.   But as a result, we have been blinded to the deeper patterns, concepts, and potentialities that God has built into human life, the church and in his cosmos.   Soft eyes are therefore necessary to see beyond what has become overfamiliar and habitual with regard to church and ministry." (xxi)   This might require that as Christians and church leaders, in order to learn, we need to first be prepared to unlearn.   "To be able to learn something new, whether it is related to God or to other forms of learning, we need to be willing to let go of obsolete ideas and open our eyes and our hearts to be willing to grow, mature, and get back on the road of discipleship and learn again." (xxiii).   This will require courage and the willingness to change.   But, quoting Bonhoeffer, "to know God is to change." (xxiv).    This might even require individual and corporate repentence.   But as Hirsch reminds us, "repentence is the price required for any new learning in any domain."(xxxiii).  Read this book, and even my review, with 'soft eyes'.

To read anything with 'soft eyes' does not mean to read with undiscerning eyes.    Rather, it means to be open to unlearn the overfamiliar and what you might already know, and learn some new truths.   When I picked up 5Q and began reading, the one thing I kept looking for was whether or not this book was grounded in Biblical truth.    I was not interested in reading Hirsch's ideas on life, church, and ministry.    I was interested in hearing God speak through his Word.   But from cover to cover I discovered that Hirsch was true to his promise, as he writes:   "Rest assured that I take this role seriously and consider it holy ground.   And so, as a responsible guide, I have determined to always connect what I am proposing with the logic that I find in the Scriptures.   The reader will find a strong commitment to ground just about everything I say in terms of (biblical and systematic) theology -- the sacred language by which the church seeks to understand God; ... This will also allow you to test what is said in the light of our common heritage in the Word of God." (xxiii).  This does not make 5Q a light and easy read.   It is a technical book, jam-packed with Biblical exposition, theological and cultural analysis, and many footnotes.   But it is also a practical book.   The first six chapters map out what the Bible has to say about fivefold functions.  The last four chapters assist the reader to discover ways these five functions can be lived out in life and ministry.   Chapters such as "Tools for the Trade" and "To Get From Here to There" clearly illustrate that this is not just a technical book; it is also a very practical book full of helpful ways forward for churches and leaders.

In my coaching role in the CRCA I find a good number of our churches that are struggling.   As a Reformed denomination, we are not unique among churches.   Throughout Australia and much of the western world, the Christian church is struggling.   We are not impacting our society and our churches are losing ground.  In the CRCA our membership numbers are either flat-lining or in decline.    We are not even keeping pace with the demographic growth in our cities.   Among the churches where there is a little growth, there is very minimal conversion growth, if any at all.   These ecclesiastical realities challenge me to take Hirsch's book seriously.    For the most part, in the CRCA denomination, we have broken up the fivefold typology of Ephesians 4 and restricted church functions to pastoring and teaching.   Historically the marks of the church have focused on the pure preaching of the Word of God, the right administration of the Sacraments, and the administration of church discipline.   These are functions of pastoring and teaching.  Hirsch will argue that the reason why our churches are not healthy and effective as the body of Christ is because we have "edited the apostolic, prophetic, and evangelistic functions out of the original fivefold wholeness given by Jesus in his ascension (Ephesians 4:7,11)." (14)   He continues:   "By breaking up, or bypassing, or purging the fivefold typology, the church has damaged its God-given capacity to heal and perfect itself!   This is why we have never managed to mature or grow up and fulfill all that God has intended for us as mature expression of his Kingdom on earth.  Here is the fatal flaw buried in the heritage of the Christendom form of church." (14)   He goes on to say, that "we can make a case that the fivefold provides us with the most viable 'marks of the church' that we have at our disposal.   The marks must by definition be identifiable in the life, liturgy, and functions of the church; ...as we shall see, the marks provide us with a theologically legitimate metric by which we can access our maturity and viability as a church." (22)   For Hirsch, the APEST typology, fully functioning in the church "does provide something of an answer to the missional crisis we now face in Western contexts." (89)

Throughout this book Hirsch is not urging churches to adopt five separate offices into ecclesiastical structures.   In the denomination I serve, we refer to the calling of the Minister of the Word and Sacraments.   Ministers, in my current ecclesiastical context, function as pastors and teachers.    Hirsch is not suggesting that in addition to Ministers we need to have people serving as Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists.    The focus of APEST is on functions.   These organizational functions "create an organizational culture wherein healthy expressions of the fivefold callings actually take place." (95)   Individual APEST callings are "expressions of the church's innate purpose and functionality.   The dimensions of personal callings -- what I  call explicit APEST -- are therefore the concrete, particular ways in which the functions already given to God's ecclesia are expressed (made explicit) through the lives of the many individuals that make up the church in different times and places." (95f)    All five functions need to be operating in the church.    "Anything less that five functions operating interdependently must inevitably lead to system fatigue and dysfunction." (96)   Using the analogy of a motor vehicle running on less that all its cylinders, the church "will be an ineffective vehicle that will eventually fail." (96)  And as Hirsch adds, "It is also pretty easy to discern that each one of the five major functions is critically important to the health of the others.   Each actually needs the other to make the whole work.  (The church really is a body after all)." (125)

As I read 5Q with 'soft eyes' I was particular drawn to the  Biblical exposition of the five identities or purposes of Jesus.  Hirsch clearly shows Biblically how Jesus was the exemplary Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher.   "In fact, his life would not be understandable without all five elements or motifs present.....  He is the fullness of APEST in its perfected form.   He is the perfect expression of the five key identities/personas." (78)    When we truly understand this, then we realise "that Christian ministry is based on, and derives its authority and authenticity from, its foundation in Jesus Christ.... The church then is not only God's redeemed people but they are that human agency by which Jesus extends his own ministry into the world.   The church carries out the work that Jesus started and it does it in a way that is consistent which who Jesus was and how he went about his own ministry." (80)   APEST is all about bringing the Head (Christ) and the Body (Church) into alignment.    Quoting Tim Keller, "'Jesus Christ has all the powers and functions of ministry in himself' and that subsequently it is 'this ministry that is distributed in and through his church.'   The Body of Christ is designed to extend the purposes of Jesus in the world....  We should expect a corresponding fivefold pattern in the Body where Jesus, and no other, is the Head." (82)   It is this exposition that for the very first time helped me understand what it means, when Paul writes in Ephesians 4:13:  "...attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."   Only when we as churches embody 5Q, all five functions of APEST, in balance, visible, and demonstrated, only then will we reach maturity attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.   Anything less than all five marks operating in the church would reduce "Christ's ministry in the church to unbiblical proportions." (133)

Hirsch provides an exhaustive definition and Biblical exposition on the APEST functions (see esp. pp. 99-116).   By way of summary Hirsch defines the APEST functions as follows:

• APOSTLE:   "...to maintain and develop the sentness of the church.   And given that mission is clearly a central aspect of the church's purpose, the function is absolutely indispensible if the church is to remain true to her calling.  'Apostolicity,' ... is the inbuilt, culturally embedded drive to ensure that the church is faithful to its missional calling." (99)
• PROPHET:  "As his people, we are to be the one place where God, and everything he stands for, is revered, cherished, and obeyed.... Prophetic people ... are harbingers of eschatological joy and hope, heroes of the faith, declarers of God's abiding love for his people no matter what...." (102,106)
• EVANGELIST:  "Evangelism is essentially the task of getting the message out and getting a positive response from the audience.   In many ways, the evangelistic function is the church's inbuilt marketing department.... The sharing of good news is an extricable part of their capacity to understand people and make connections.... they also have a great capacity to translate the gospel into the prevailing culture in ways that make a lot of sense." (106, 108)
• SHEPHERD:  "...the shepherding purposes given to the church will tend to be those associated with social connectivity in the community and the church's purpose to be an agent of God's healing -- helping people to develop resiliency and protecting them from damaging influences." (109)
• TEACHER:  "...the teaching function is about mediating a particular type of practical wisdom and philosophical understanding nuanced by the biblical worldview.  A teacher therefore will largely be concerned with helping people gain insight into how God wants them to see and experience the world.   As such, they will seek to bring theological truth and shape the consciousness of God's people to be consistent with that truth." (112)

I found it very helpful (and interesting) to read Hirsch say that the APEST functions have validity beyond the church.   Hirsch writes:   "I have come to believe that the fivefold typology does not just have significance for the church; it has enduring validity in broader society as well.   It appears to me that this was God's original intent all along because as far as I can tell, APEST, in the form of archetypes, myths and hero-expression, was already evident in society long before the earthly ministry of Jesus, and is also evident in current society beyond the church." (31)    Hirsch views the APEST functions as God's gift to his creation and to his people.    "God's gifts to creation come in every conceivable shape, size, and kind." (32)   Hirsch provides a very thorough discussion and examples how APEST archetypes are mysteriously woven throughout human identity, organization, and culture in the form of common grace.   The origin and source of these APEST functions are found in God.(55)   As he writes:   "I tentatively suggest that one can trace direct lines from the fivefold functions given to the church by Jesus, back through the created archetypes, through the imago Dei, and from there find their origin and source in aspects of God." (58)   All of this, very helpful and an interesting read.

As mentioned above, Hirsch's book provides a raft of practical ways for churches to embark on the journey of embedding the APEST functions into the very life and ministry of the church.   As Hirsch points out, "...Jesus has given his church everything it needs to get the job done.  The 5Q system can be considered as the Body of Christ's instinctive 'body-knowledge.'   It not only consciously shapes our thinking through faithful theological reflection, but because it is latent it unconsciously directs our actions through practice.... APEST is part of the church's core DNA.... it is a God-assigned pathway to maturity.... This is church-by-the-book, ministry-by-design." (144f)   Hirsch and 5Qcollective have designed tools that will help churches on this pathway to maturity.   There are diagnostic tests available online (www.apest.org or www.5Qcentral.com).   The 5Q diagnostic test will help individuals and organizations to develop profiles of each person's particular calling associated with the APEST.     The 5Q Systems Test is a more in-depth anaylsis that measures organizational awareness in relation to APEST in the organization.  Hirsch suggests beginning with the diagnostic test and then move toward the systems test.   Hirsch and his colleagues have also written "an accessible book that will help the average church leader grasp the importance of the test as well as understand how to interpret it.   The book is called Activating 5Q: A User's Guide to Understanding and Applying 5Q in Your Church or Organization and will soon be available from www.5Qcentral.com. 

How do you get from here to there?    Perhaps you are asking that question, as I am asking this question myself -- for the church I attend and my role as a ministry development coach in the denomination I serve.    First of all I am grateful to Alan Hirsch for writing this must-read book.    It is thoroughly grounded in Scripture, theologically astute, and full of practical suggestions.  But the pathway ahead seems daunting.    I will take Hirsch's suggestions on board -- to simply commit to starting the journey with one or two small and sustainable next steps.   Also, I wll not do this alone, but in the months ahead I will journey with some others, and, then as Hirsch suggests:   "choose to pray, laugh, discuss, reflect, cheer on and step out together." (171)    I am also grateful that Hirsch and 5Qcentral are willing to assist with a deeper engagement with 5Q.     My hope for the churches I serve is to see a growing maturity into the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.   We have the ascended Christ's gifts to the church -- the fivefold functions of APEST!   I now will start (continue) the journey! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:   ALAN HIRSCH is founder of Forge Mission Training Network, 100 Movements, and now 5Qcollective.  He is author of numberous award-winning books on movements, organization, and leadership, and teaches extensively across North America, Europe, and Australia