“The Guy” vs. the Five-Fold Team

THIS EPISODE

It is common to look for “the guy” who will build a “launch team” to “plant a church.” But we are seeking to uncover and awaken a new structure, or “wineskin”: the five-fold typology of apostles, prophets, evangelist, shepherds, and teachers (mentioned in Ephesians 4) in both small faith communities and in a network. All five voices must be heard and sing in harmony, both at the microchurch level and at the network level. 

In this webinar, we will explore the five-fold team as the optimal source of leadership in the new wineskin.

THIS MINISERIES: MICROCHURCHES AND THE NEW WINESKIN OF LEADERSHIP

We are reimagining the church as a decentralized network of multiplying missionaries and microchurches that fill a city or region with the fullness of Jesus. For most of us, that requires a shift from the centralized form of leadership that we’ve been using to a decentralized one.

Centralized

• The church looks and feels like a pyramid. Hierarchies are built for control. Top-down leadership ultimately communicates, “We can do this; you can help.”
• Power is collected, especially for the “organization” and a few at the top.
• A few lead, and everyone else follows.

Decentralized

• Authority and ownership are extended out to the edges, and those circles are reproduced.
• Power is treated as a currency that is available to everyone. The goal is for everyone and every expression of the church to reach their maximum influence.
• Everyone leads, and everyone follows.

This decentralized form of the church requires a new wineskin: a culture of decentralized, poly-centric leadership with flat structures. In this miniseries, we will dig into the source, structure, scorecard, speed, and skill of leadership in this new wineskin.