Is My Church Under the Influence of the New Apostolic Reformation?

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02/25/2017

Deviant teachings are quick to permeate sound doctrine. Without an acute awareness of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), its teachings are difficult to identify. Furthermore, church leaders often refuse to acknowledge their ties to the NAR. In some cases, they might not be aware of them; they may simply be attracted to some elements of the NAR’s teachings, without realizing that the pieces belong to a whole and fits in a well-defined plan.

NAR theology can infiltrate a church in different ways, for example through books that the church read together or studied in small groups, or through guest speakers who align with the doctrine.

How then can you find out if your church is under the influence of the NAR?

The NAR uses specific signs and terminology, so let’s dive into them. It is important to mention that a particular church may display all of the criteria, or only a few in the first stages.

Kingdom Now

Frequent mentions are made of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is of course a biblical truth. However, the NAR’s interpretation of it is very different from the ordinary meaning.

According to the NAR, Christians must conquer the “seven mountains.” The Kingdom is right here, right now, whence Kingdom Now. When Christians will have conquered the world, Christ will finally come back to be crowned. Other phrases are “heaven on earth” and “heaven that invades the earth.” There is no talk of apocalypse; rather, people look forward to a great harvest through which a billion people will surrender to Christ. The bottom line is that Christians will conquer before Christ comes again. All biblical prophecies, including many instances of Jesus’ speaking about the end times, disappear.

Your Calling or Destiny

People are told to “enter into their destiny.” To do so, they are usually recommended to take classes, read books, or participate in a Sozo (article to come) session that will free you from what is preventing you from entering into your destiny. Most trainings, including books and Sozo sessions, come at a cost and lead people to spend less time in the Word of God. The Bible tends to be absent from church services. Teachings no longer come from the Bible; the focus is on entertaining the audience with other sources.

Me, Me, Me

Flattery is everywhere. People are told that they are children of God and thus have the same genetics or DNA as God. People are gods with a small “g” and God is God with a big “G.”

People go on and on about all the blessings that God wants to give his children, promising that God has not just spiritual blessings but also – and most importantly – material blessings in store for them. It is regularly heard that God wants people to have “abundant life.”

With this comes the reminder that in order to receive, one must also give, and that one must bless to be blessed. This comes with repeated calls for donations.

People’s eyes are on themselves and on what they can receive from God — as long as they generously give to the church.

Members are encouraged to go from a conference to a worship night to a special service to a school of supernatural ministry, so that they would progress and reach the next spiritual level. Again, everything revolves around me.

His Presence and the Atmosphere

NAR churches emphasize the importance of creating an atmosphere where God’s presence can be “experienced.” For example, worship leaders receive specific guidance about what songs to sing and in what order, and about how to help people “enter his presence.” In reality, this mostly involves a masterful use of music with many repetitions to allow participants to reach a state where emotions take control. Worship therefore no longer aims to worship God, but to bring about the supernatural and the presence of the Lord. The worship leader and band are in charge of welcoming the presence of God. Of course, some bands are more able to do so and receive more admiration and credit.

This practice amounts to saying that God’s presence is controlled by humans.

Jesus tells us,

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Matthew 18:20

and not, “if you worship me well, I might join in.”

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is all the rage; more precisely, manifestations of the Spirit are central.

The necessity of Christ’s death on the cross is no longer mentioned, because it reminds Christians that Christ had to give his life on the cross as a result of their utter sinfulness. However, in those churches, sin is taboo.

The only thing that matters is to seek the power of the Holy Spirit.

Interestingly, even though the Bible clearly says that the gifts of the Spirit are given freely and apportioned as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), NAR churches and organizations set up (expensive) classes and schools that teach church members how to prophecy and heal.

According to the Bible, Christ ought to be at the center. The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us, guides us, and is our advocate with the Father.

This teaching is thus out of balance.

Signs and Miracles

A strong emphasis is placed on signs and healings, even though medical proofs are rare or nonexistent.

Take the example of Lakeland, an interesting one as it received the blessing of an important NAR group. As a reminder, Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson was not only part of that group, but was also one of Todd Bentley’s three sponsors or witnesses during the ceremony.

Many healings and even resurrections were announced. Investigations, including that of Charisma Mag (which is an important proponent of the NAR), have found no proofs to back up the allegations (see the article about Lakeland).

The prophecies about Todd Bentley and his family turned out to be false, even though the “elite” of NAR prophets was present.

Nevertheless, the NAR heavily relies on signs and miracles to give credibility to its message.

Apostles and Prophets

Apostles and prophets are introduced; they are an elite that trumps the significance of other ministries (see this article). The church council or the pastor receives “apostolic covering” from those apostles and prophets. In short, there is a made-made hierarchical structure between you and God. An oft-cited verse to justify it is Ephesians 4:11-12a:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry . . .

To reinforce the credibility of the apostles and prophets, the latter speak of their encounters with Jesus and of their visions.

Casting doubt onto their word is forbidden; they are anointed by God. If you were to notice unbiblical or heretical statements, you will be warned not to “touch God’s anointed ones.”

People are thus expected to quietly obey all that they are taught without raising concerns, even if what they hear is in opposition to what the Bible teaches; if they don’t, they risk seeing God leave them.

Speakers and Recommended Readings

Another telling sign comes in the form of new content and people: broadly-advertised conferences, certain guest speakers at church, and recommended books.

Here are the most prominent voices in the movement who are evidently linked to the NAR or preach similar theology:

  • C. Peter Wagner† • Global Harvest Ministries (London, ON, Canada)
  • Bill and Beni Johnson • Bethel Church (Redding, CA)
  • Kris Vallotton • Bethel Church (Redding, CA)
  • Danny Silk • Bethel Church (Redding, CA)
  • Paul Manwaring • Bethel Church (Redding, CA)
  • Rick Joyner • MorningStar Ministries (Fort Mills, SC)
  • Chuck Pierce • Glory of Zion International Ministries (Corinth, TX)
  • Mike Bickle • International House of Prayer IHOP-KC (Kansas City, MO)
  • Lou Engle • TheCall (Colorado Springs, CO)
  • Heidi Baker • Iris Global (Redding, CA)
  • Todd White • Lifestyle Christianity (Hurst, TX)
  • Ben Fitzgerald • GODFest Ministries, Awakening Europe (Germany)
  • Todd Bentley • Fresh Fire USA (Pineville, NC)
  • Mike and Kay Chance • Arise Ministries (Germany)
  • Ché Ahn • Harvest International Ministry, HRock Church (Pasadena, CA)
  • Cindy Jacobs • Generals International (Red Oak, TX)

This list is non-exhaustive.

My Church is Under the Influence of the NAR. What Should I Do?

Some churches have all the elements mentioned above, while others are in the early stages and display only a few. It may be just the beginning. What is certain is that even if the pastor or the church council deny it (with or without full knowledge of the facts), the NAR has a detailed plan. They try to rally as many churches as possible from all denominations. The next step is to spread their theology.

So what should one do if the local church shows signs of NAR influence?

There is no clear-cut answer. We invite you to pray first; in some situations, it may be possible to speak with the pastor or the elders. In other cases, quitting may be the only option, followed by finding a church with sound teachings from the Bible. It is possible that you will face rejection when raising questions about your church’s practices. This may be extremely difficult to go through, yet we encourage you to do what you know to be right.

This website features testimonies of people who left such churches.

For more information about Kingdom Now, see our article about Dominionism.

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29 May 2018 admin News 12 Comments

12 Comments

  1. Sarah

    April 26, 2019

    I’m surprised your answer wasn’t to ask the Lord what He would have us do if we find ourselves in s NAR church. Won’t the Holy Spirit lead & guide us? Isn’t the Word of God our answer? What does Jesus say in the gospels? Read His Word people. We are lost without the Word aka Jesus Christ our Messiah.

    • Anonymous

      June 14, 2019

      I would argue that asking the Lord what He would have us do is precisely what the author intended when he said “We invite you to pray first”.

  2. Anonymous

    September 16, 2019

    I’m so happy this resource is here. I’m working on my own reference text regarding the same issue now that I’ve been “encouraged to find another congregation” since I met with my pastor and voiced concerns. I was the church apologist, ironically, and my students were immediately stripped from me in order to prevent my “controversial” orthodox Biblical Christian instruction that might influence them… I tried and eventually had to shake the dust from my feet. I’m attending a lovely Presbyterian church now that actually uses Scripture in sermons. What a shocking idea.

  3. Linda Molitor

    December 21, 2019

    I’m not sure my church sings these songs but ive not enjoyed the music and have wished for churches to get back to the old hymns…..maybe the songs have not been agreeing with the Holy Spirit and this is why

    • Terry

      November 19, 2022

      Strange you say this. I have been going through this very same struggle. I was a guitar player in the worship band where we covered Bethel, Hill Song and Elevation music and I quit a couple months ago, although I currently still attend the church. I sense the influence of NAR and I’m on the verge of quitting the church but still need to pray about it.

  4. Victoria DeJesus

    February 18, 2020

    The “chanting” music that nobody knows is a dead giveaway! Then they start summoning the presence of God like it’s a mystical force. I’ve known for fifty years that where two or more are gather together in His name, there He is as well. I just ran out of a church that I have been attending for a month when I realized I was in a Bethel type cult service. I am convinced that Apostasy is in full swing! Baptist church… here I come!

    • no name

      August 26, 2020

      Haha, same. Baptist church here I come!

  5. Annonymos

    May 7, 2020

    I don’t understand how “believers” manage to torn each other up so quickly, are so diligeng in calling each other mistakes out. No wonder why some people are skeptical about Jesus, if this is what Jesus looks like. Even people in the world sometimes show better displays of sympathy and tolerance. Honestly I read this, and it makes beg Jesus to come now. I don’t see any hope in this post, just straight hatred. Speak some hope please!!!, we already have enough hopelessness going on in the media!!

    • Jonathon Pisarcik

      July 7, 2020

      Your hope is in the word!! The whole point of this post is to make you vigilant and weary of wolves in sheep’s clothing. This warns of church’s that deviate from scripture and teach a different and false Jesus. Beyond the many scriptures they take out of context to the “god” that grants wishes. It’s all about YOU!!. When it in reality is about a sovereign Lord who died for our sins on a cross to show us and give us a love that never ceases. Showing someone else true love it, is to show them the true word and the true Jesus, the sound doctrine that further deepens our relationship with Jesus. because without the word we don’t have a relationship with the Lord. So the purpose of this post is to equip us with knowledge so that we may experience that true love with our Lord and savior.

    • No name

      August 26, 2020

      First and foremost, praise God for this article! It is so well explained and I now recognize why I thought these “prophetic circles” and “fire tunnels” seemed so odd to me. I also never understood how some people just give themselves titles of apostles, when clearly there is a requisite in the Bible to have seen Jesus. They claim they did, and there are never witnesses. I think praying and asking the Lord for direction is key on what to do, if you encounter this. Thanks again! And may the Lord open everyone’s eyes. God bless!

  6. Dug

    May 25, 2020

    Based upon the definitions presented here, my previous church family was ‘under the influence’ of NAR. We sang songs from Bethel and Hillsong, yet, unlike what is being written here, the songs were 100% Biblical. Songs were either Jesus-focused worship, or were Bible verses made into song. I have some full albums from Jesus Culture/etc. and there are a few songs that are on the fringes of proper worship, but my church never sang those songs. Yes, we danced and raised our hands in worship, but so did David!
    The preaching was rock-solid Biblical. The church’s statement of faith would be in alignment with any evangelical church. There are always areas of debate between the various Christian sects, but the Apostles Creed pretty well settles it for most. If you have loud spirit-filled worship times or sing in a full-choir accompanied by a pipe organ, is either less honoring of the Godhead? If you believe that God performs miracles of healing today, does it disqualify you from heaven (or visa versa).
    So what’s the big deal? The fact that our music included drums and electric guitars, or that we often expressed our worship/prayer in a non-English personal spiritual language disqualifies us from being Christian?
    Brothers and sisters, let’s focus on the true enemy and in bringing more into God’s kingdom rather than tearing each other apart over minor doctrinal issues – most of which God (apparently) left open for contemplation and debate.

    • Anonymous

      July 14, 2020

      If the churchs and the pastors who follow the NAR don’t follow the instructions of the Bible as it says and manipulates and interprets on their own understanding, how do you think these songs would even point towards Jesus? Remember the Bible says Not everyone who cays Lord Lord will be saved. Likewise, not every song that says God and Lord will be acceptable to God.

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