APEST Type Descriptions
The Apostle: One who is Sent and Scales
The word apostle literally means “separate and send.” Apostles continue the ministry of Christ by participating in his work of either starting new expressions of the church or scaling existing churches into new contexts. They are entrepreneurs who have a natural desire and ability to pioneer new ventures.
Apostles are cultural architects who are drawn to issues related to organizational design, systems, and structure. They intuitively recognize leadership capacity in others and tend to develop leadership training systems that are reproducible. Overall, they have a missional focus to their ministry — they want to see more people and places impacted for the kingdom.
New Testament Examples: Jesus, Paul, Peter, Apollos, Timothy
Historical Examples: St. Patrick, John Wesley, Aimee Semple McPherson
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The Prophet: One who Reveals and Reforms
The word prophet literally means “speak before.” Prophets continue the ministry of Christ by participating in his work of either revealing who God is or reforming communities around his heart. Prophets want to see the presence and power of God revealed in every situation. They are quick to recognize the gap between “what is” and “what should be.”
Prophets have an allergic reaction to hypocrisy and often pull back from groups that say one thing but do another. They are drawn to the edge — people and places that have been overlooked and undervalued. Overall, prophets have an incarnational feel to their ministry — they want to see more integrity between our words and actions.
New Testament Examples: Jesus, Agabus, Silas, Barnabas
Historical Examples: St. Benedict, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King Jr.
The Evangelist: One who Promotes and Persuades
The word evangelist literally means “messenger of good.” Evangelists continue the ministry of Christ by participating in his work of either promoting the message of the good news of the kingdom or persuading people to respond to it in contagious ways. They do their best work when building on an already existing foundation.
They are natural storytellers and will champion almost anything — if they believe in it. They are the eternal optimists who see the potential for good in everything. Evangelists never meet a stranger. They enjoy meeting new people and inviting them into new opportunities. Overall, evangelists have an attractional quality to their ministry — they want to see more influence on “outsiders” becoming “insiders.”
New Testament Examples: Jesus, Phillip
Historical Examples: George Whitfield, Billy Graham, Rick Warren
The Shepherd: One who Protects and Provides
The word shepherd literally means “protect.” Shepherds continue the ministry of Christ by participating in his work of protecting people from harm and providing for their needs. The heart of a shepherd is to protect people from both internal and external threats of danger.
Shepherds notice when people are missing from the group and are naturally concerned about where they are and what kind of danger they might be in. Shepherds tend to remain loyal to a group for a long time, giving sacrificially of their time and money to make sure it stays up and running. They sense when people in the group are hurting and have a natural desire to nurture them back to health. Overall, shepherds have a communal focus to their ministry — they want people and the group to receive more investment in relationship and resources.
New Testament Examples: Jesus
Historical Examples: St. Martin of Tours, Jean Vanier, Henri Nouwen
The Teacher: One who Explains and Trains
The word teacher literally means “to separate and point out.” Teachers continue the ministry of Christ by participating in his work of either explaining truth or training people how to live it out. They take topics and tasks and break them down into smaller parts, showing us what they mean and how they fit and flow together.
They have a natural love for wisdom and knowledge and find great pleasure when they can help others either come to know what they know or do what they do. Teachers are mostly drawn to already existing information like history, best practices, or training materials. Overall, they have an instructional focus to their ministry — they want people to have more insight into revelation and reality.
New Testament Examples: Jesus, James the brother of Jesus
Historical Examples: St. Irenaeus, St. Maximus the Confessor, Thomas Aquinas