My name is Beau Crosetto. I am the creator & facilitator of this communal space. My hope as well as the writing team’s is to empower you to:
Plant new communities where you work, play and live, share the gospel with the people around you, and work for justice & healing in the face of oppression & brokenness.
[Radio Interview: me explaining the blog]
Start Here
We recommend that you start at the following pages to give yourself a 101 on what the apostolic, prophetic, and evangelistic callings mean. If you are already versed in this language then you will be served to better understand what we mean when we use those words.
You can also download our FREE Ebook. (thousands have downloaded and we frequently hear how helpful it is for teams to read it and discuss together)
Podcast
We have started a podcast! Follow us on Youtube as we chat on video about relevant topics concerning the APE callings. This is our attempt at a more personal way to communicate with you. You can also listen on audio platforms like apple, Spotify and google.
Who Will Love This Blog?
- Is there a conversation about Jesus that you know you need to have but because of fear or nerves, you can’t seem to initiate the discussion?
- Could you imagine a community being formed where you work, play or live around Jesus – where He can be discussed in a helpful and relational way?
- Could you imagine yourself being the leader of that group? Would you be excited if we could actually help you do that in your own unique way?
- Is there an issue in culture or a problem with your church that you are trying to raise but no one is listening? Do you feel alone in the injustice you see or experience?
- If God was prompting you to (a) plant a new community where you work, play or live (b) share the gospel with someone around you or (c) work for justice in the face of oppression, would it be helpful to you to read inspiring stories of others doing the same as well as access to tools that are working in today’s culture?
If your answer to any of the questions is “yes” then you will love this blog.
We have a team of writers, diverse in ethnicity, gender, age and calling, that are committed to helping you have vibrant spiritual conversations, start new creative communities inside of culture, and work for justice where inequality is present. If you click on their profile in the sidebar, you will be taken to the posts they have written before (we have hundreds of posts for you to explore).
Why Release The APE?
We believe that the reason more communities are not forming, more conversations about Jesus are not being had, and more working for justice isn’t happening is because three primary callings are not being activated. One major part of this blog is dedicated to shaping language and activating the apostolic, prophetic & evangelistic (APE) callings found in Ephesians 4. These callings are mostly forgotten about in the Western Church.
However, these are the primary callings that will catalyze us all towards starting more communities, sharing the gospel more frequently, and working for justice more effectively. Unfortunately right now in the West these 3 vocations (APE) are primarily siting on the sideline inactivated and uninspired.
40% Active
Right now we are a church that is primarily activating 40% of our people. Ephesians 4 tells us clearly that Christ gave us five callings.
“11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Why are we only using two for the most part? What organization is going to succeed and grow when only 40% of the people and giftings are deployed? None! But the reality is that our Western church is mostly comprised of Teachers and Shepherds.
We teach the Bible well and we love people well. That is important, and needed for the Kingdom of God to flourish. But these two roles, teacher & shepherd, are primarily inside roles and serve the church and those already attending. Shehperds/Pastors and Teachers are great at loving us and taking us deep into community and the Word.
60% Bored
But what about new people, new churches, and extending the church into culture?
We need the other 60%. We need apostles, prophets, evangelists.
Before I scare you away, this is what I mean when I say these words:
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- APOSTLES: the entrepreneurs of the church that start new ministries and churches. Most business entrepreneurs have apostolic gifting. They love starting things that haven’t started yet and extending the mission of the organization to new places. These are our church planters and people who start new communities in unreached places. You can read a ton about the apostolic here.
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- PROPHETS: the activists of the church. These are the people that see what is wrong and sound the alarm to fix it. These are the ones that care deeply about justice, service and the welfare of the community at large. They are also those that keep the organization aligned with the values. They have an ear to the word and to the community and when the community drifts from the word of God, prophets come out!
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- EVANGELISTS: These are marketers, and sales people. They love talking about the mission, the product and getting everyone to love it. In the church they love talking about Jesus, sharing the gospel and inviting others who are outside the walls in. They want the church to grow and become a bigger family.
Right now the church is doing a poor job releasing these types of people into the mission. We have very little language and definition for these roles. When was the last time you heard a message at church about the apostolic, prophetic or evangelistic people?
Why do so many people in the workplace have trouble finding their calling inside the mission of God? Why are so many people un-activated in service to Jesus?
Because 60% of the people on this earth want to be released to do ministry outside the walls. Only 40% of the people are excited and gifted to teach the Bible deeply and shepherd people at church. Yet, if our church has small groups, this is the role that almost every person is offered to run.
This blog is committed to giving more language, vision and definition to the apostolic, prophetic and evangelistic callings. We want to encourage the other 60% with weekly blog posts to keep going and get out there!
(You can read more about what we believe here)
I hope you subscribe and enjoy our FREE library of resources as well!
Many Writers
- I am not writing alone
- Find out more about the team of writers working with me!
My Family & Me
- I have an awesome family and we do ministry together
- Learn more about us and listen to a few of our talks!
My story as an A.P.E.
- Read more about how God has developed me as an APE
- I am curious to know if you have similar stirrings as I do
Our Belief
If you would like to understand even more what we believe and how we come to this Biblical theology, you can do so here.
Disclaimer
This is Beau’s personal blog and many other writers comment. The opinions we express here do not necessarily represent those of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, or specific churches or denominations. The information I provide is on an as-is basis. I make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its use.
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Cool – look forward to reading more here. BTW – if you are interested you would be welcome to reprint my review of “The Permanent Revolution.” I tried to extend the conversation a bit.. http://nextreformation.com/?p=7880
Beau: Great perspective. Mystics such as I are rarely affirmed. Thank you.
link through to library doesn’t work – says page not found.
I fixed it. Thanks for pointing this out and let me know if you find any other broken links
I never thought of it this way but after reading this page, it made so much sense! 60% bored does cut it. Will be back for more. 🙂
yes!
Why do you think that APEs consist of 60% of population. I think they are in minority.
I mean that if there are five offices then 60% of them are APE – not necessarily that 60% of all people are APE