Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?” (Lk 13:8)
I love the simplicity of Jesus’ parables – easy to understand stories (literally) “thrown beside” Kingdom truth in order to accelerate understanding!
So, let me try a parable of my own: Five-fold ministry is like a design-build firm.
A little explanation will undoubtedly help some who are not familiar with this phrase!
When Rod graduated with his architectural degree, he had vivid dreams of seeing his designs become reality and in fact, that has happened along the way. But he has also tasted the frustration that occurs when there is dysfunctional communication between visionary designers and practical builders.
Did I just hear an “Amen”?
Over time, my good friend has discovered a better construction strategy: Design professionals working collaboratively alongside expert builders who possess complimentary giftings. These types of companies are called Design-Builders or Design-Build Contractors.
Rod recently unpacked the philosophy behind this approach: “Charlie, these kinds of construction firms leverage the diverse skills of their staff to fulfill the visions of their clients in a way that ensures that everyone involved wins. In other words, it is a team-based method that combines the divergent expertise of designers and building professionals in order to complete projects with excellence. Together, they comprehensively serve their client’s needs”. As you can imagine, he has greatly valued his experiences with fully collaborative design-build professionals.
When Rod, also a seasoned five-fold leader, first saw my ministry values template (below) and the “design – build” nomenclature on the right edge, he raved! (Authors love it when they see light bulbs turning on!) He instantly understood my parable:
Jesus’ leadership ideal in His Church is for apostles and prophets (who are primarily designers and drive “clarity”) to partner side-by-side with evangelists, pastors and teachers (who are primarily builders and drive “fit, apprenticing, coaching and transition”) with the team’s collaborative efforts grounded in godly love.
Three Common Elements of both Five-fold Ministry and Design-Builders
To summarize, here are the most obvious places of symmetry between these two approaches to vision implementation:
Each are founded upon trust: This is a precondition of success for both: Trust founded upon honor, authenticity, humility and respect. When these kinds of virtues are in place, it sets the stage for leadership teams to have lifegiving experiences and achieve good outcomes.
Each possess a dual-track vision: Both balance two separate visions in which a healthy tension exists. Design builders balance creative design and trustworthy construction so that clients win. Five-fold leaders balance the needs of those being served with the needs of those doing the serving (see Eph 2:10). Balance is hard; imbalance is dysfunctional.
Each benefits from consensus-based decision making: Consensus win-win solutions for both kinds of leadership teams is far superior to the consequences of win-lose power struggles.
“It was Christ Himself” who activated this strategy via Peter, James and John. To what extent is five-fold ministry the team leadership ideal within your Jesus community?
Seems to me, it’s time to reJesus most of the Master’s churches!
Choosing Jesus’ ways again today,
