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At core, the apostolic task is about the expansion of Christianity both physically in the form of pioneering missionary effort and church planting, as well as theologically through integration of apostolic doctrine into the life of the individual Christians and the communities they were part of. But more than that, as custodian of Apostolic Genius, he/she is the person who provides the personal reference point as well as the spiritual context for the other ministries of God’s people.
So I want to suggest that there are three primary functions of apostolic ministry, illustrated as follows…
1. To embed mDNA through pioneering new ground for the gospel and church
As custodian (steward) of the DNA of Jesus’ people the apostle is both the messenger and the carrier of the mDNA of Christianity. As the ‘the one who is sent’ he/she advances the gospel into new missional contexts and embeds the DNA of God’s people into the new churches that emerge in those places. At heart the apostle is a pioneer, and it is this pioneering, innovative spirit that marks it off as unique in relation to the other ministries. “It is of special significance that those entrusted with translocal, apostolic, leadership are pioneers. The church is called to be a dynamic movement rather than a static institution. For that reason, its leadership is to be drawn from those on the front line of the expansion of the church.”
2. To guard mDNA through the application and integration of apostolic theology
But as custodian of the DNA of Christ’s people the responsibility of apostolic ministry does not end with pioneering missionary work. He/she is also mandated with the task of ensuring that the churches remain true to the gospel and its ethos. This aspect of apostolic ministry can be described as creating and maintaining the web of meaning that holds the movement together. Apostolic ministry does this by reawakening the people to the gospel and embedding it into the organizational framework in ways that are meaningful. It is out of this apostolic web of meaning that the movement maintains itself over the long haul. And it’s critical to trans-local mission. Watch what the biblical apostle does; they engage in missionary work, establish new churches, and once established they move off to new frontiers. But they also see it as essential to network the churches and exhort the disciples by traversing between them, cultivating leadership, and issuing guidance to ensure a correct apprehension and integration of the gospel message in the common and individual lives of the hearers. They are quick to weed out heresy and error—removing potential mutations in the mDNA.
All authentic apostolic ministry does this. They are not just hot-headed entrepreneurs; they are also working theologians—or at least ought to be if genuinely apostolic. This impulse to ensure doctrinal integrity is therefore another key characteristic of apostolic ministry, and without it we would not be here today as it forms the basis of the Christian faith. Whilst acknowledging that the unique teaching authority of ‘The Twelve’ was foundational and authoritative and comprises the base theology of the church, apostolic ministry throughout the ages has both these elements in them. Witness the ministry of a Patrick, John Wesley, Ignatius of Loyola, John Wimber, William Booth, William Carey, and the countless un-named apostles of the Chinese underground church, for example, and you will see this dual element of pioneer missionary and working theologian at work.
In light of these comments, we can see how Bishop John Shelby Spong, and his particular brand of DIY/designer Christianity is somewhat of a danger to us today. And am not just trying to be needlessly provocative here—this is a real live issue for us. Designer Christianity is a form of diluted, consumerist, and syncretized faith that, that in my opinion has in the context of postmodern pluralism and relativism, become a genuine threat to the Church in the West precisely because it distances us from the real vigor of our original and primary message. In many ways it has always been one of the major functions of apostolic ministry to keep the Gospel uncontaminated and so preserve it’s saving God-power for future generations (Rom.1:16.) This is just one of the reasons why such ministry is so vital today. There is no doubt in my mind as to how Paul would handle ‘Spongianism’; he would see it as a direct assault on the DNA of the gospel and therefore the church.
3. To create the environment in which the other ministries emerge
Ever wondered why in all the lists of ministries, that of apostle is always explicitly listed first? And why it is considered the most important of the ministries? (1 Cor.12:28f, Eph.4:11.) Or why in Eph. 2:20
Paul says that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets? This is not because of some hierarchical organizational conception of leadership, because such ideas of leadership did not exist in the New Testament movement (see below.) Rather, it is because it is the foundational gift that provides both the environment and the reference point for the other ministries mentioned in Scripture.
New Covenant Ministries International (NCMI) is a mission operating in Western contexts that bases its ministry squarely on this teaching about the foundational nature of apostolic ministry. They claim that they are not a denomination or grouping of churches, they see themselves simply as a group of people committed to advancing the Kingdom of God through mission and networking. They view themselves as a translocal apostolic-prophetic team held together by a common purpose and friendships. But in the process of their ministry they have planted hundreds of churches, network with hundreds more, and are currently working in over 60 different countries. And it only began in the early eighties.
Canadian missiologist Alan Roxburgh rightly says that apostolic ministry is”… foundational to all the other functions.” That is, it initiates the other ones—it constitutes their foundation. From apostolic ministry, the mDNA is embedded and distributed among the various other ministries which form the fivefold ministry of Eph.4—what I will call APEST (apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, shepherding (pastoral), and teaching/didactic.) The founding and developing of APEST is therefore a natural extension of the custodial nature of apostolic ministry. Drawing this out one could say that the apostolic creates the environment for the prophetic; the prophetic creates the environment for the evangelistic, and so on. Using the most comprehensive statement of ministry structure, that of Eph. 4:71-11, it would look something like this…
