Abstract
This research project has two aims; to look for evidence that Hirsch’s proposition that the five ministry gifts of Eph 4:11, the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher are needed to transition an institutional church to a missional church culture and to discover where the current leadership are on the journey of understanding, training and releasing these gifts. A mixed method approach was used. Thirteen ministry leaders, a combination of church leaders, diocesan ministry team and parachurch leaders were interviewed and historical documents were accessed.
The context of the research is the call in 2010 for the traditional Anglican churches in the Diocese of Nelson to transition from an institutional culture to a missional culture. With an increasing number of people in the community having no contact with a faith community, church growth principles no longer yielded the results they once did. A changing cultural context required a new approach.
It was found that attempts to revitalize the church without the generative gifts of apostle and prophet had limited success. The current research supports the hypothesis that the Eph 4 ministry gifts have meaningful and practical implications for shifting churches to a missional model. The pastor and teacher leadership model which served Christendom in the past is no longer sufficient to provide the kind of leadership required today. The more generative ministries of apostolic, prophetic and evangelistic people are needed to bring an outward focus, balance and renewed energy.
Overall the analysis suggested two key factors that would facilitate positive change. Firstly, that 3DM discipleship training is prioritised, especially with youth and younger adults, for mission and leadership will follow. Secondly, Nelson Diocese would benefit by being strategic in uncovering, encouraging and providing specialist training for the three overlooked ministries of apostle, prophet and evangelist, giving them equal honour and voice to what is currently enjoyed by teachers and pastors.