Ancient Foundations for the Modern Church

7 Ancient Paradigm Shifts for the Modern Church

In this era of upheaval and uncertainty, the Body of Christ is being summoned to recalibrate and realign itself with the apostolic foundations laid out in the New Testament Scriptures. The conventional models of ministry and ecclesial life that have dominated for decades are no longer sufficient to effectively reach the growing multitudes of unchurched and unreached peoples across the globe.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated trends that were already underway - declining church attendance, a rising aversion to institutional religion, and a dramatic drop in Christian affiliation, especially in Western nations. In short, the old ways of "doing church" are proving increasingly ineffective. We must rediscover the apostolic vision and ministry patterns modeled by Jesus and the first century apostles.

In this strategic blog post, we will explore 7 essential paradigms of apostolic ministry that can empower the Church to fulfill its God-given mission in this pivotal hour:

1. Apostolic Foundations
The New Testament makes it abundantly clear that the Church is to be built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Yet in many quarters, the Church has instead been primarily constructed upon the ministry of pastors. While pastors are vital, they are not the ones called to lay the foundational groundwork - that is the role of apostles and prophets. We must recapture this apostolic anointing and priority.

2. Apostolic Message
The message that the apostles proclaimed was the "gospel of the kingdom" - the good news that the Kingdom of God has arrived through Jesus Christ. This is not merely a message of personal salvation, but the declaration that Christ has inaugurated His rule and reign on the earth. The apostolic message must be one of demonstrating and advancing the Kingdom of God, not just giving an invitation to "get saved."