Apostolic Practice, by Vinson Synan
Independent Charismatic Views
Many independent charismatics have developed a thirst for the restoration of apostolic authority in the body of Christ. They have produced mountains of tapes and books that assert the fivefold ministries must be restored in power to the modern church. Indeed, many contemporary leaders freely claim to be “apostles.” Some even have the title printed on their stationery and business cards.
In general, charismatics have defined apostolic ministry as applying to any one who has a trans-local ministry, usually leaving the pastorate to itinerate in a teaching or church-planting ministry.
The New Apostolic Reformation. In the last decade, Peter Wagner has led the “new apostolic reformation movement,” which he claims is now sweeping the world as the new way leaders are “doing church.” This movement came out of the “National Symposium on the Post-Denominational Church,” a conference Wagner led at Fuller Theological Seminary in 1996. After years of studying church growth in the “postmodern age,” Wagner concluded that the day of the historic denomination was rapidly coming to a close while a new generation of “post-denominational churches was dawning. Before the conference could convene, however, many critics of the idea, including Jack Hayford, forced Wagner to choose a new name. He finally settled on the term “New Apostolic Churches” to describe what he called a “New Testament model of leadership,” or “new wineskins for a new Church Age.”
These new churches, which many think are really “pre-denominational movements,” would have the following “new” features:
- A new name (“New Apostolic Reformation”)
- New authority structures (the leaders are called “apostles”)
- New leadership training (no seminaries but volunteers, homegrown staff, local Bible colleges)
- New ministry focus (“vision driven” [toward the future] rather than “heritage driven” [toward the past])
- New worship styles (keyboards, ministry teams, lifted hands, loud praise, overhead projectors)
- New prayer forms (concert prayer, singing in the Spirit)
- New financing (“finances are abundant, giving is expected, beneficial, cheerful”)
- New outreach (church planting, compassion for the poor)
- New power orientation (openness to the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Spirit: healing, demonic deliverance and prophecy)
In his book, The New Apostolic Churches, Wagner listed eighteen pastors (or “apostles”) who represented the new movement. Of these, only Bill Hybels, Michael Fletcher and David Kim do not appear to have Pentecostal or charismatic backgrounds. Most, such as Billy Joe Daugherty, Roberts Liardon and William Kumuyi, are openly Pentecostal or charismatic. Others have been part of the Pentecostal/charismatic renewal for years. Clearly most of the “New Apostolic Churches” have their roots in classical Pentecostalism. Their distinctive features were pioneered by Pentecostals who were successful pastors long before the apostolic movement began.
In 1999, Wagner attempted to organize the movement into an umbrella grouping under the name “International Coalition of Apostles,” with Wagner listed as the “Presiding Apostle.” New “apostles” could join and pay $69 a month as membership dues. Wagner listed the many types of “apostles” who could be members. They included:
“Vertical apostles,” which included “ecclesiastical, functional, apostolic team members and congregational apostles”
“Horizontal apostles,” which included: “convening, ambassadorial, mobilizing and territorial apostles”“Marketplace apostles,” (undefined)
“Calling apostles,” which are those who call Christians together in unity
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