Seth Hedman

Before I was even aware, I was part of a movement. Through God’s Providence, I stumbled onto the Daily Office, then one book, then another, and then a podcast or two. All of my evangelical and charismatic instincts and questions were finding fulfillment and answers in the sacramental tradition. Eventually, my wife and I moved four hours away to join an Anglican church in the hope of becoming church planters. We found a treasure hidden in a field: history, tradition, Eucharist, and the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. To our surprise, everywhere we went we found others on the same journey and with the same experiences, feelings, thoughts, and even books and podcasts. In Ever Ancient, Ever New (Zondervan. Grand Rapids, MI. 2019), Winfield Bevins gives a concise summary of this movement of young people into the liturgical tradition. Although a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, Bevins makes no apologetic for Anglicanism specifically. Instead, he draws from his exp...

Why do we only focus on pastor and teacher? The answer is found in church history, bad theology, and fear. In my last post, I introduced the Ephesians 4 model for church leadership and the 5 spiritual gifts: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher. Clearly these are all Biblical terms and gifts that compliment each other well in church leadership. Clearly, we can see many of these gifts and characteristics in ourselves and others around us. So why is the apostle, prophet, and evangelist so uncommon in the local church? Why do we drive by churches that advertise their "Head Pastor" but not their "Head Evangelist?" I would love to see an ad in the church bulletin looking for a "Youth Prophet." The answer is found in the history and development of the church.