Is church exclusively about gathering in a building, singing songs, listening to a sermon, and praying together? Or is there a more expansive vision for how God gifts the church for its mission in the world?
In Ephesians 4, Paul wrote of five gifts God gave the church to further His mission: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers (APEST). In many contemporary American churches, there is a heavy emphasis on Shepherds and Teachers to the point that we neglect the other three gifts. Jeff Shaffer and Kayla Peterson have initiated a new program with students at Westmont College to mentor students in all five of these gifts and empower them to live out their faith according to their giftings. In Communitas, we are creating opportunities for these students to continue working in their gifting areas after graduation.
In this episode, Jeff and Kayla discuss their work and how we can grow in understanding our APEST giftings.
