Calling Qualified Ministries

Some Scriptures worth meditating on…

Teachers find great satisfaction in helping people learn truth and wisdom. As the more philosophical types, they grasp complex, systemic truths and then help people understand them. They often formulate curriculum and pathways of learning.

They ensure the truths of Scripture are passed along from generation to generation. Their ministry could be said to be primarily instructional in nature. Teachers are primarily concerned with helping people learn.

They tend to be philosophical, thoughtful and intellectual miners who are constantly pursuing new information, or rearranging existing information into new patterns of meaning.

They can also be natural trainers, with a penchant for developing curriculum and learning processes to help people learn how to perform various kinds of tasks. Being keenly aware of how ideas shape human life, they naturally inspire a love of wisdom and understanding.

They are often found working in educational settings as well as companies and organizations that specialize in archiving, managing and providing information.

If you’d like to learn more about the APEST assessment and find out what your ministry giftings are, let’s connect! Reach out through the link on my bio.

This set of portraits caught my attention. I have often seen the man’s portrait but never the woman’s. It sent a subtle reminder that women’s stories are often hidden or deemed less important. But here, they hang in unison and equality, albeit her gaze seems to be upon him.

Katharina von Bora (1499-1552) was the wife of Martin Luther (1483-1546), the Augustinian monk who launched the Protestant Reformation when he posted his 95 theses on the door of the Church of Wittenberg in 1517. She was a former nun, and he was a former priest.

Though the convent life was chosen for Katharina by per parents, likely due to their inability to provide for her, she developed many skills during her training as a nun. Ultimately, she wrote to Luther for help escaping her convent with several others, which he did.

She eventually bore and cared for six children, ran their farm, operated a successful brewery, managed the entire household (including servants and finances), and assisted Luther in church. Together, they set the example of what a ministry marriage would look like as she became of the first “pastors’ wives.”

While this sounds incredible (or a recipe for burnout), and for her, it may have been, the Protestant Reformation set in motion the belief and teaching that a woman’s greatest and highest call was as a wife and mother. “With the rejection of the monastic way of life and convents in pro-Reformation cities, women lost significant opportunities for spiritual formation and vocations.”

Protestant Reformers pushed an agenda that communicated “women’s true identity and calling were derived from their basic reasons for existence: to assist men in procreation, be companions to men, manage the household, and in this role embody an antidote to lust.” This is a lie. Everyone’s greatest and highest calling is to Jesus. Monasteries and convents allowed men and women to focus on this calling while remaining in community.

Katharina did not want to be a nun, but many women chose this life for themselves. And it burdens my heart that in the Protestant Reformation, much of the Church lost sight of the value convents gave to women. It allowed them a place to live out their calling as single women devoted to Jesus. It was a gift to have an undivided devotion, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:35.

Shepherds have a natural instinct to protect the community from danger and provide for its needs on both an individual and communal level. They often notice when people are alone and hurting, and feel drawn to nurture the spiritual and communal health of the church.

They have a sense of loyalty to the organization and the people within it. They ensure the community is experienced as a safe and loving environment, giving their ministry a distinctly communal focus.

Shepherds tend to find great fulfillment in taking care of people, looking after their needs and making sure the group stays healthy and connected. This can express itself through affirming, nurturing relationships, or by closely supervising operations to ensure resources are adequately managed and distributed within the group.

This impulse to meet the social and operational needs of the group allows the group to reach a level of sustainability it otherwise would not. Shepherds are often found in the vocational fields of counselling, human resources and caretaking industries, which can include law enforcement.

They humanize the organization by making sure we pay attention to the "people factor."

If you’d like to learn more about the APEST assessment and find out what your ministry giftings are, let’s connect! Reach out through the link on my bio.

In early Christian art, you can identify members of the clergy or bishops by their attire. Clergy wore palliums around their waist, maniples draped across the left forearm, or were seen holding a codex of Scriptures.

In the Lateran Baptistery is a beautiful mosaic apse that features Mary centered below Jesus, with her arms raised, wearing white pallium around her waist, communicating that she was a bishop.

At some point, an altar was built in front of that apse, blocking Mary (and her leadership) from the typical view of a worshipper. One would have to stand to the side or get behind the altar to see Mary. The obstructing altar has a painting of her holding baby Jesus, striped of spiritual authority, which was the more acceptable version of Mary and women.

Again, we see Mary wearing a pallium in Niccole e Giovanni’s Last Judgment piece displayed in the Vatican Museum. She is in the lower left corner in the same pose and wardrobe as the Lateran Baptistery, supported by female saints and servants.

Queen Mother Mary sits on the throne with young Jesus in the mosaic of the Procession of Martyrs in Ravenna. A maniple is draped on her left arm, communicating she is clergy or priest.

Lastly, we have Crispina holding a codex, as evidenced by the Chi Rho symbol on the book. Only leaders in the early Church would be depicted holding Scriptures. Learn more about Crispina at the Visual Museum of Women in Christianity.

Evangelists communicate the message of the Good News in joyous, infectious ways. They tend to enjoy meeting new people and wooing them into a relationship. They are avid communicators of ideas and often share their thoughts and feelings in convincing ways.

They are recruiters to the cause and find great fulfillment in helping people get caught up into the driving narrative of the church/organization- the Gospel of the Kingdom. As people who are bearers of good news, they have an attractional quality to their ministry.

Evangelists tend to be passionate communicators of ideas and values. If something is important to them, you will hear about it in a compelling, persuasive way. Like the apostolic type, they tend to be somewhat go-get-em and entrepreneurial, yet in a different sort of way.

As opposed to being designers of systems, they tend to be influencers of people. They can see the potential for good in almost any person, place or thing.

This natural optimism allows them to see opportunities for new and meaningful relationships at every turn. As the saying goes, they never meet a stranger. This makes them great recruiters for any organization or movement.

Like it or not, they often demonstrate the qualities of a good salesperson, which is why they are naturally drawn to jobs that allow them to engage in promoting products and services through marketing, fundraising and recruiting personnel.

If you’d like to learn more about the APEST assessment and find out what your ministry giftings are, let’s connect! Reach out through the link on my bio.

Our world often likes to classify virtues or character traits as male or female, with men taking the stronger, leadership-oriented characteristics.

However, when the seven Virtues were commissioned for the Tribunale di Mercatanzia, or guild court, in Piazza della Signoria (along with Virtue portraits in other places), they were always depicted as women!

Women portrayed the Virtues of Justice, Fortitude, Temperance, Prudence, Charity, Hope, and Faith.

As I read through the descriptions of each Virtue, I found it interesting that these women depicted the very things often used against women in leadership.

We are told that we do not have the mental and emotional strength to face difficulties, yet here is Fortitude wearing her armor and gown while holding a baton of command!

We are told that we are too emotional and irrational for leadership, yet here is Temperance exercising moderation and control.

We are told that only men can represent Christ and the priesthood, yet here is Faith holding the crucifix and the chalice of the Eucharist!

We are told we have poor judgment, yet here is Prudence checking her six while grasping a snake. And we are told that we are just too prone to sin, perpetually carrying the weight of the Fall on our shoulders, yet here is Justice demonstrating righteousness with a sword in her hand (shall we think of it as the Word of God) and balancing the world on her knee!

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The Virtues
Uffizi Gallery Museum, Florence, Italy
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This next spiritual gift that we’ll be looking at is that of the prophet.

We may know prophets from the Old Testament, and be familiar with their role as God’s representatives. Prophets are sensitive to God and what is important to Him. They often have a sense of what truth needs to be emphasized for their time and place.

Essentially, prophets are guardians of the covenant relationship. Whether it is in the church, society or some organizational setting, prophets are quick to recognize the gap between "what is" and "what should be."

The weight of this tension leads prophets to question the status quo as well as initiate efforts of reform. Ultimately, they are not satisfied until they see a "closing of the gap" between God's demands and our covenantal faithfulness. This desire to see the truth of God's reality fleshed out in concrete and tangible ways gives an incarnational (enfleshed) quality to their ministry.

Prophets tend to see the world from an alternative perspective, which is why the creative arts often function as a commons for people with prophetic sensibilities. Sensitive to alternative ways of seeing the world, they often question the status quo. They often have a concern for issues related to justice and societal reform, which can express itself in social, political or environmental activism.

If you’d like to learn more about the APEST assessment and find out what your ministry giftings are, let’s connect! Reach out through the link on my bio.

It’s easy to overlook the fact that women were in the upper room with the apostles, with Mary mentioned by name (Acts 1:14).

Thus, I am confident that Mary was among them when the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, fulfilling the prophecy of Joel that “your sons and daughters shall prophesy” and “even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy” (Luke 2:17-18, NRSV).

It’s easy to overlook that we first see the dove of the Holy Spirit in artwork descending upon Mary at the annunciation, and then we see the dove doing the same thing here at Pentecost.

What was once just an experience for Mary, who gave forth an extraordinary prophecy in her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), now many believers from many nations were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Not only was Mary the first human invited into this redemption story, but she was also still present and influencing the apostles when the promised Holy Spirit descended on the faithful followers of Jesus.

The apostles, as described in the apocryphal book, The Gospel of Bartholomew, were keenly aware that God highly favored Mary, that she was the living tabernacle of Jesus when she carried Him in her womb, and that she had been with Jesus the entirety of His earthly life.

They honored her and looked up to her as the mother of their Lord. She knew more about Jesus in her 33 years with Him than they ever would in their three years of following Him. Wisely, they asked her to lead them in this challenging time after Jesus ascended.

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Altarpiece by Titian
Altar of the Descent of the Holy Spirit
1555
Located at the Basilica Santa Maria Della Salute, Venice, Italy
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The first of the ministry giftings that we’ll look at is the apostle.

The word apostle literally means "sent one." The Latin form of this word is mission, which is where we get our English word mission from. The apostle is the one most responsible to activate, develop and protect the sentness/purposes of church.

This "sent" quality gives their life a catalytic influence, often playing the role of entrepreneur at the forefront of new ventures.

They are cultural architects who are concerned with the overall extension of Christianity as a whole throughout culture and society. As such, they are often drawn to issues related to design, systems and overarching organizational structures. Above all, they have a missional (sent) focus to their ministry.

Apostles tend to be strategic, like to pioneer projects and bring design and systems thinking to bear. In the created orders, apostles might well be people who start a business rather than work in an established one, or consultants who diagnose problems and prescribe innovative solutions. In short, they are architects of innovation and have a natural inclination toward exploration and adventure.

If you’d like to learn more about the APEST assessment and find out what your ministry giftings are, let’s connect! Reach out through the link on my bio.

In ancient Israel, the mothers of the kings were the queens of Israel. This began with King Solomon, who had a throne brought for his mother, Bathsheba, to be placed at his right hand (1 Kings 2:19).

From then on, the mothers of Israel and Judah were queens. I presume this was the case because the kings often had multiple wives but one mother.

Jesus is our King of Heaven, who sits on the throne for all eternity. Following the tradition of ancient Israel will make Mary of Nazareth the Queen of Heaven. Thus, we see her depicted with a crown, sitting on a throne with or next to her Son, Jesus.

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Located in the Basilica of Saint Pudentiana, Rome, Italy
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When you’re on the journey of discovering your ministry gifting, it’s always important to pray for guidance and to familiarize yourself with the gifts that God has described in His word.

It can be really helpful to go through an assessment, which many people do to find their giftings. And these can help find practical ways in which you can be active in them, too.

One of those assessments is the fivefold ministry of APEST: Apostolic, Prophetic, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher.

APEST is a calling or vocation. It represents ministry capacities that have been given to "each one of us" not leadership positions, titles or offices.

There are a few places in scripture that outline the spiritual gifts, but APEST focuses on Ephesians 4, which was written by the apostle Paul.

Ephesians 4:7,11-16 says,”But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, it says:

"He ascended on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men."

“What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended into the lower [regions] of the earth? The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others sa pastors and to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.

Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, I from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body's growth and builds itself up in love.”

Over the next few posts we’ll look into each of these giftings, and the role that Christ has intended for them in His kingdom. If you would like to discover your ministry gifting, or learn more about the fivefold ministry of APEST, you can reach out and connect through the link in my bio!