Strategy: The Apostolic Cycle

Overview

Our goal is to align our strategy to the strategy of Jesus and his apostles. What was their overarching strategy? The Apostolic Cycle is a framework that summarizes how the resurrected and reigning Jesus led his apostles and the rest of the church during the first thirty years of the New Testament church. More specifically, it summarizes the apostles’ core commitments, goals, and activities in the book of Acts. With these categories in mind, it helps us align ourselves to Jesus’s leadership in our day.

At least seven core commitments (or priorities) undergirded and saturated every part of the cycle—such as their commitments to the Word of God and prayer. These commitments translated into concrete activities that were never compartmentalized in the life of the first-century church.

Based on Jesus’s supernatural authority, presence, and guidance, he led his apostles and the rest of the church to pursue three main goals to advance his mission: (1) to reach non-Christians with the gospel, (2) to strengthen Christians in community, and (3) to develop leaders to start and strengthen churches.

This is the overarching strategy that helps to drive our vision to start, strengthen, and multiply churches.

Detailed Explanation

The following statements explain the nature of this cycle and its relevance for today, which are organized into the following categories: (1) Core Commitments, (2) Goals, (3) Activities for Each of the Goals, (4) Transferability Across Cultures, (5) Ministry Methods, and (6) Framework for Discussion among Church Leaders.

1. At least seven core commitments (or priorities) undergirded and saturated every part of the apostolic cycle. Ultimately, Christians are committed to the triune God of the Bible—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and they seek to honor each person of the Trinity as outlined in Scripture.[1] In light of God’s supreme worth and authority, Christians commit themselves to the Word of God, prayer and fasting, the mission of Jesus Christ (which is to make disciples of all nations), personal holiness, using our spiritual gifts for the strengthening of the church, and praise and thanksgiving.

These core commitments translated into concrete activities that were never compartmentalized in the life of the first-century church. For example, prayer was not merely a part of the process of commissioning leaders; it was related to each part of The Apostolic Cycle.

2. Based on Jesus’s supernatural authority, presence, and guidance, he led his apostles and the rest of the church to pursue three main goals to advance his mission: (1) to reach non-Christians with the gospel, (2) to strengthen Christians in community, and (3) to develop leaders to start and strengthen churches. These ongoing, mutually reinforcing goals are most evident in the book of Acts, as we observe the apostles’ words and actions over three decades of ministry. For example, the apostle Paul followed this general pattern of ministry that reflected his underlying goals:

  • he proclaimed the gospel in new regions (particularly urban centers),

  • he gathered new believers into Christian communities (which met publicly and privately in homes),

  • he appointed elders to lead these communities, and

  • he strengthened the communities through his personal visits, by writing them letters (such as Romans and 1 Corinthians), and by sending them his ministry partners.

As these communities became established in the faith, they birthed new leaders, new initiatives, and new churches—thereby moving the cycle forward.[2]

3. The apostles led the church to engage in no less than five activities for each of the three goals.

  • In order to reach non-Christians with the gospel, the church (1) contacted target audiences in a wide variety of settings (such as synagogues, marketplaces, and homes), (2) proclaimed God’s work in and through Jesus (focusing on Jesus’s life, death, resurrection, and exaltation to the right hand of God as Lord, Christ, and Savior), (3) called for people to repent and trust in Jesus, (4) baptized new believers, and (5) incorporated new believers into Christian communities (local churches in private and public settings).[3]

  • In order to strengthen Christians in community, the church (1) took the Lord’s Supper (in the context of extended fellowship meals), (2) studied the apostles’ teaching (first their oral teaching and later their written letters), (3) prayed together regularly, (4) ministered to others (including addressing physical needs, encouraging others, bearing one another’s burdens, and, when necessary, exercising church discipline), and (5) sang to God.[4]

  • In order to develop leaders to start and strengthen churches, the church (1) identified emerging leaders (those who were faithful and teachable), (2) trained leaders (through formal instruction and on-the-job training), (3) commissioned leaders (including elders, deacons, and missionaries), (4) supported leaders (through financial giving, encouragement, and prayer), and (5) reconvened leaders (to report and reflect on their ministry activities, and to plan their next set of actions).[5]

These are not the only activities of the church, but the fifteen activities listed above reflect most of the ongoing, cyclical functions of the church.

4. The Apostolic Cycle is directly transferable across cultures and across time. Why? These commitments, goals, and activities are (1) repeated in the book of Acts, (2) presented in a positive light, and (3) affirmed in other portions of Scripture.

Based on Jesus’s authority and commands as recorded in Scripture:

  • We adopt the apostles’ commission from Jesus (to make disciples of all nations).

  • We adopt the apostles’ core commitments (such as the Word of God, prayer, and thanksgiving to God).

  • We adopt the apostles’ goals (saturating regions with the gospel, strengthening Christians in community, and developing leaders to start and strengthen churches).

  • We adopt the apostles’ activities (such as baptizing new believers and commissioning leaders).

  • We adopt the apostles’ evangelistic message (that Jesus died to atone for sins, was raised from the dead by God, now reigns at the right hand of God, and will return in judgment).

  • We adopt the apostles’ teachings to define the nature of Christian maturity.

In each of these areas, churches must pattern their ministries after the apostles’ ministries.

5. However, ministry methods will vary. A method is a particular way of accomplishing a task. As is relates to The Apostolic Cycle, knowing which methods to use requires the wise application of biblical truths in unique settings and with unique people. There are different methods for accomplishing clear, biblical mandates in Scripture, and these methods (or unique approaches) include:

  • How we make initial contact with target audiences (such as serving others within our neighborhoods or addressing university students in public forums).

  • Which resources we use to explain the gospel to non-Christians, to establish new believers in the faith, and to train leaders.

  • What songs we sing, which are set to certain types of music.

Our theology must drive and shape our ministry methods, and therefore not all ministry methods are equally valid or effective. For example, many training materials poorly represent the apostles’ teaching on the nature of the gospel or life in Christian community, and many worship songs are superficial at best and distorted at worst. Additionally, not every method is well-suited for a given target audience or context, and therefore our methods must be flexible. For example, while the core truths of the Bible never change, the way we approach sharing them with an orthodox Jew or a postmodern atheist will almost certainly have unique emphases. What is critical to recognize is that the Bible directs us to certain tasks (including prayer, teaching the Word, and proclaiming the one, true gospel) that find unique expressions among God’s people.[6] 

6. The Apostolic Cycle provides a framework for discussion among church leaders:

  • For each of the core commitments, how do we want it to be expressed in our churches?

  1. The Triune God of the Bible (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)

  2. The Word of God

  3. Prayer and Fasting

  4. The Mission of the Church: To Make Disciples of Jesus Christ

  5. Personal Holiness

  6. Spiritual Gifts

  7. Praise and Thanksgiving

  • For each of the activities that contribute to reaching non-Christians with the gospel, how can we implement it (including reaching our congregants’ family members and friends)? 

  1. Contact Target Audiences

  2. Proclaim the Gospel

  3. Call People to Repent and Trust in Jesus

  4. Baptize New Believers

  5. Incorporate New Believers in Communities

  • For each of the activities that contribute to strengthening Christians in community, how can we implement it in our churches? 

  1. Take the Lord’s Supper (ideally in the context of fellowship meals)

  2. Study the Word

  3. Pray Together

  4. Minister to Others

  5. Sing to God

  • For each of the activities that contribute to developing leaders to start and strengthen churches, how can we implement it in our churches?

  1. Identify Emerging Leaders

  2. Train Leaders

  3. Commission Leaders

  4. Support Leaders

  5. Reconvene Leaders

  • How can we develop our networks (particularly men identifying, recruiting, training, and supporting other men) to start, strengthen, and multiply churches?

Once leaders make decisions in each of these areas, the process of implementing, assessing, and evaluating their decisions begins—leading them to modify existing plans and/or create new plans.


[1] For an excellent introduction to the theology of the book of Acts see Patrick Schreiner’s The Mission of the Triune God: A Theology of Acts.

[2] For more information on the apostles’ goals, see Reed, Acts: Keys to the Establishment and Expansion of the First-Century Church; ibid., Leaders and the Early Church; Schnabel, Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies, and Methods, 209–255; Ott and Wilson, Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication, 153–301.

[3] For more information on evangelism in the first-century church, see Green, Evangelism in the Early Church; Keown, Discovering the New Testament: An Introduction to Its Background, Theology, and Themes (Volume II, The Pauline Letters), 454–506; Reed, “Kerygmatic Communities” in The Encyclicals: A Global Return to “The Way of Christ and His Apostles”; ibid., “Church-based Missions: Creating a New Paradigm” in The Paradigm Papers: New Paradigms for the Postmodern Church; Schnabel, Acts, 127–129; ibid.; Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies, and Methods, 155–208, 256–373.

[4] For more information on strengthening Christians in community, see Bock, A Theology of Luke and Acts: God’s Promised Program, Realized for All Nations, 303–332; Ferguson, The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today; Peterson, “The Worship of the New Community” in Witness to the Gospel: The Theology of Acts.; Reed, Pauline Epistles: Strategies for Establishing Churches; ibid., Understanding the Essentials of Sound Doctrine; ibid., “The Churches of the First Century” in The Encyclicals: A Global Return to “The Way of Christ and His Apostles.”

[5] For more information on developing leaders, see Hesselgrave, Planting Churches Cross-Culturally; Reed, “Church-based Leadership Training: A Proposal,” “Church-based Theological Education: Creating a New Paradigm,” and “Church-based Leadership: Creating a New Paradigm” in The Paradigm Papers: New Paradigms for the Postmodern Church.

[6] For more information on ministry methods, see Dever & Alexander, How to Build a Healthy Church: A Practical Guide for Deliberate Leadership; Terry & Payne, Developing a Strategy for Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Cultural Introduction.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. “The Nature of the Apostolic Cycle” and the Diagram

    What does The Apostolic Cycle attempt to summarize? Why is it so important to understand these truths? For whom is this information relevant (cross-cultural missionaries? pastors? others?)? How might they use it? From your personal experiences, what are examples of how churches struggle when they omit or minimize the apostles’ core commitments, goals, and activities?

  2. “Core Commitments”

    How are the seven core commitments related to the rest of the diagram? To what extent do you believe those seven items reflect the central priorities of God’s people? Are there any items you would subtract from the list? Any items you would add?

  3. “Goals”

    Explain each of the three goals in your own words. What does it means that these goals are mutually reinforcing? What happens when churches omit or minimize one or more of the goals? Are there any goals you would add? If so, where might they fit in the diagram?

  4. “Activities for Each of the Goals”

    For each of the three main goals, discuss its five core activities. For each goal, are there any activities you would add? For each set of activities, provide examples of how removing even one of the activities can significantly interfere with the accomplishment of the goal—and other goals.

  5. “Transferability Across Cultures”

    When reading the book of Acts (or any other historical narrative), how do we do know which truths are not transferable across time and cultures, and which ones are? Review the ways that The Apostolic Cycle is transferable across cultures—and to your own ministry contexts. For example, how is The Apostolic Cycle directly relevant in your local church and neighborhood? In practical terms, for example, how could you implement the three main goals and the five activities for each of the goals?

  6. “Ministry Methods”

    What are examples of how ministry methods may vary from one setting to the next? Think, for example, about different approaches to reaching our neighbors for Christ. How can we evaluate the appropriateness of one ministry method in relation to another? For example, are some methods more biblically-grounded? More effective?

  7. “Framework for Discussion among Church Leaders”

    After reading that section, what did you find to be most helpful? What items would you add? What would you subtract? What would you modify?