ABOUT ME
Welcome to fivefoldbible.com! My name is Chris Harrison. I am a Husband of one and Father of three. For the last six years, I was the senior pastor of a local church in Glendale, California. Now, the focus is church planting. When it comes to website passion, you’ve found it. This Five Fold Ministry has been a premier obsession for over a decade, until I was like, “Hey, if I made a website about that…I would read it!”
The five fold (APEST) approach is not a program. It’s not a new thing to do church. It’s not a new moment in the service of worship. And you don’t need to hire a new staff member. The five fold approach is about seeing with new lenses, moving the mission of the church forward through really particular perspectives that when used together, conquer like Zoltar.
In other news, I am a guitar and bass playing, jazz punk Jesus follower. In a previous world I was an actor and on all worlds I have occupied, I have been a ridiculously obsessive reader of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, God Geek stuff and music biographies. I have written one book, an unedited, unpublished devotional commentary on the Letter from Jude. It’s the Bomb! You’ll have to trust me on that.
Most recently, I’ve joined Alan Hirsch’s new website team in the Editor-at-large role. You can rock his blog here.
My goal is to help you discover how much APEST will change the way you see, do and be a disciple and leader in the the body of Christ.
What is the Five Fold Bible? Well…it’s not really a Bible. The point of this website is to equip church leaders to begin to see the Scriptures in the five primary colors of Jesus’ gifting. It’s about learning to view the life of Christ in the church through the lenses, or personalities that Paul describes in Ephesians 4:11. Many speak of these personalities as “The Five Fold Gifts” or “Five Fold Ministry.”
What are the Five Fold Gifts? In Ephesians 4:11, Paul tells the Church that Jesus has given these five fold gifts, or personalities, specifically: :[font color=”blue”]the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the prophet and the teacher[/font] “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Christ himself has given these personalities to the church for growth, unity and maturity.
How Often Will I See New Content? At least twice a week.
What Can We Expect From New Content? Awesomeness! Every Monday, you can expect a new Five Fold Bible post, giving a five fold view of scripture verse. On Friday, you can count on a new podcast episode. Because I like to play things fast and loose, at some point during the week you can expect a new video and/or a possible mu5ings blog post when the mood strikes me.
How Can I Participate? Thanks for your interest! If you would like to contribute a five fold article please email fivefoldbible@gmail.com. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If you run across content that you think should be shared on the site or 5ocial Media, please email or tweet.
What other resources can I find to explore the five fold ministry? For me, the beginning of the five fold life started when I read, The Shaping of Things To Come by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch. Since, then, both authors have produced titles that include the five fold theme: Forgotten Ways, The Permanent Revolution and On The Verge. One of the best reads on the five fold view is J.R. Woodward’s Creating A Missional Culture (my new favorite). Neil Cole published another one, Primal Fire, Reigniting The Church With The Five Gifts Of Jesus. Related, but not as implicit, is Mike Breen’s Building A Discipling Culture.
Is There A Fivefold Cookbook? Sadly, no, not yet. We are still looking for the Scripture that unleash the power and potential of the five fold diet plan. You may have an easer time finding “Eating With Jedi: A Memoir and Menu.”
Another question. Yes???