The New Apostolic Reformation

A name for networks of charismatic churches and ministries that hold that Christ is again giving the church apostles and prophets. Many of the leaders named with it do not use the name.

Bethel Church, Redding, California, Beliefs (Statement of Faith, Core Values)

Bethel Church, About Bethel (mission and history)

Bethel Church, Senior Leadership Team

Bethel Church, Beliefs on Worship

Bethel Church, Membership (steps to membership)

Bethel Church, Weekends at Bethel (service times)

Bethel Church, Frequently Asked Questions

Bethel Store, The Power of Communion by Bill and Beni Johnson (the store's description)

Bethel Church, Rediscover Bethel (video series, episode list)

International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (ICAL), Statement of Faith (its section "Concerning Apostolic Leaders" was added to the page in 2023 and names no drafter)

ICAL, History of ICAL

ICAL, What Is An Apostolic Leader?

International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC), Statement of Faith

IHOPKC, home page (the Prayer Room)

Lance Wallnau, lancewallnau.com (about)

C. Peter Wagner, Apostles and Prophets: The Foundation of the Church (Regal, 2000), the publisher's preview pages on Biblia.com

Martyn Wendell Jones, Inside the Popular, Controversial Bethel Church, Christianity Today, May 2016

Kate Shellnutt, Mike Bickle Accused of Abusing a 14-Year-Old Before IHOPKC's Founding, Christianity Today, 9 February 2024

Judy L. Thomas, Laura Bauer and Katie Moore, Besieged by scandals and sex abuse allegations, IHOPKC to close, form new organization, The Kansas City Star, 16 April 2024 (as republished by Yahoo News)

Evan Pietsch and Vivian Pietsch (both former members), The Framing of a Movement: Defining the New Apostolic Reformation, Modern Reformation 33:3 (May/June 2024)

Brandon Larson (Wagner's assistant for four years), New Apostolic Reformation: From the inner circle, what it is, Christian Post, 15 April 2025 (opinion)

Holly Pivec (a critic), Yes, Bethel Redding and Bill Johnson are part of the New Apostolic Reformation, May 2016

Holly Pivec, They're Here (Finally!): My Books on the NAR, November 2014

The movement has no founding day. Wagner, a Fuller Seminary professor, saw independent networks led by apostles spreading in the 1990s and gave the change a name. Those who worked with him say he thought of himself as naming something already under way. The dates below belong to the named organizations: Bethel, whose roots run back to a home meeting in 1952, ICAL, whose idea was born in 1999, and the books and teachers who shaped the vocabulary.

Bethel Church begins in Redding

Bethel says its first gathering was held in a private home by Robert Doherty in 1952. The church was affiliated with the Assemblies of God from 1954 until 2006, when, according to Christianity Today, it voted with near unanimity to become independent.

The Johnson family comes to Bethel

M. Earl and Darliene Johnson became the pastors of Bethel Church. Earl is the father of Senior Leader Bill Johnson.

Bill and Beni Johnson become Bethel's pastors

Bill Johnson came to Bethel from Mountain Chapel in Weaverville. Christianity Today reports that he accepted on the premise that the church would support his vision of revival with signs and wonders, and that the church lost a thousand people over this vision in his early years.

Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry opens

The school was founded with 37 students, by Bethel's count. Kris and Kathy Vallotton became senior associate pastors the same year.

Churchquake and the idea of ICAL

Wagner published Churchquake: How the New Apostolic Reformation Is Shaking Up the Church As We Know It, which Brandon Larson, his later assistant, names as the most notable of the books where Wagner set out the changes he saw. In the same year several apostolic leaders met in Singapore and conceived the International Coalition of Apostles, later ICAL.

Apostles and Prophets; Wagner leads the coalition

Wagner's Apostles and Prophets: The Foundation of the Church (Regal, 2000) set out what he took apostles to be. At the coalition's first annual gathering in 2000, John P. Kelly was set in as Presiding Apostle. In 2001 Kelly asked Wagner to take the post, and Wagner did. In a 2001 file from Wagner's papers at Fuller, quoted by the Pietsch essay, he wrote that openness theology "has come just at the beginning of the Second Apostolic Age." That is the earliest firm date found for the phrase.

Bethel leaves the Assemblies of God

Bethel became an independent church. It has since built ministries around the church: the school of ministry, Bethel Music (founded 2009), Bethel.TV (2008) and a leaders network.

Kelly leads ICAL; Wagner steps back

At the 2010 annual gathering Kelly became the International Presiding Apostle and Wagner became Presiding Apostle Emeritus. Kelly then chose the title Convening Apostle. ICAL says why: "Presiding Apostle" suggests "a vertical, top down governmental position," and "Convening Apostle" a horizontal relationship.

National coalitions; ICAL takes its name

In 2011 Kelly began to set up National Convenors in each nation. ICAL says these coalitions are in fellowship with ICAL but "governmentally autonomous" from it. In 2013 the coalition was renamed the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders, since, it says, the function of the apostolic gift matters more than the title "apostle."

Geivett and Pivec publish their critique

R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec published A New Apostolic Reformation? A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement and the shorter God's Super-Apostles. Pivec reported in November 2014 that the books had just been published and could be ordered from the publisher, the Weaver Book Company.

Christianity Today profiles Bethel; Wagner dies

Christianity Today ran a cover story on Bethel in May 2016, in which Johnson said he was not clear on what the NAR is. ICAL's history notes that Wagner died in 2016.

IHOPKC separates from its founder

After allegations of sexual misconduct against its founder Mike Bickle surfaced in late October 2023, IHOPKC announced on December 22, 2023, that it was separating from him "immediately, formally and permanently," as The Kansas City Star reports. A report from the investigation IHOPKC commissioned, released at the end of January 2024, found it "more likely than not" that he engaged in inappropriate behavior that included sexual contact and clergy misconduct. Bickle had acknowledged "inappropriate behavior" more than twenty years earlier, but, the Star says, did not admit to sexual misconduct. Christianity Today reported in February 2024 that the report was not comprehensive, that at least two alleged victims had asked for an independent inquiry, and that a further accuser had gone to the police. No criminal charge is reported in these sources. In April 2024 the Star reported a staff email saying IHOPKC would close in stages and re-form as a smaller organization with "a more missional church structure"; its website in 2026 still describes the prayer room as open. The doctrine quoted in this chart is from IHOPKC's statement of faith, not from Bickle.

C. Peter Wagner

A Fuller Theological Seminary professor, and a trained anthropologist, who gave the movement its name and wrote its most influential books on apostles and prophets. ICAL's history says he served as Presiding Apostle of the coalition from 2001 and as Presiding Apostle Emeritus from 2010. His assistant Brandon Larson says Wagner saw himself as describing a change, not founding a church.

Bill Johnson

Senior Leader of Bethel, Redding. He says he believes in apostolic and prophetic ministry but that Bethel has no official ties to the movement, and that he is not completely clear what it is.

Kris Vallotton

Senior Associate Leader of Bethel. Bethel's Rediscover Bethel video series lists an episode in which he and Dann Farrelly take up the topic "Does Bethel Belong to the New Apostolic Reformation" among others.

John P. Kelly

Founded ICAL in 1999–2000 and has led it since, apart from the years when Wagner was Presiding Apostle (2001–2010).

Lance Wallnau

A teacher and speaker whose site says he introduced the "Seven Mountains of Culture" as a template for how the church must engage culture. He directs the Lance Learning Group in Dallas.

Who uses the name. The sources split on whether any leader accepts the label. Larson, who worked for Wagner, writes that "Nor does anyone associated with it refer to themselves with that term meaningfully, if even at all." Bethel's leaders say they hold apostolic and prophetic ministry but have no official ties to a movement of that name. Pivec argues that this is a distinction without a difference, since she takes the core teaching to be that "present-day apostles and prophets must govern the church," and Bethel believes in present-day apostles and prophets. The chart keeps each view with its owner.

The book details. Pivec's own post of November 2014 names the Weaver Book Company as the publisher of both books. A later edition of the larger book appears in retail listings under another publisher and the date 2018; this chart relies on the 2014 first publication.

Wagner's account of the age. The Pietsch essay reports Wagner's own history of the last century in waves: the Pentecostal gifts from 1906, charismatic renewal in the 1960s and 1970s, and a third wave from the 1980s, with apostles and prophets restored in the 1990s. Wagner dated the Second Apostolic Age to about 2001.

Bethel, ICAL and IHOPKC each say the Bible alone is the infallible Word of God. Bethel's Johnson says a prophetic word today must be judged, and ICAL also agrees with the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds and the Lausanne Covenant.

Each organization states it plainly: the Bible is the inspired and infallible word. Bethel says it is the "only" infallible and authoritative Word, and IHOPKC says only the sixty-six books of the Bible are inspired and that the Bible is the final authority for all they believe. ICAL adds that it agrees with the historic creeds of the church, naming the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds and the Lausanne Covenant.

All three also teach that God speaks today. Bethel lists "God Is Still Speaking" among its core values. Christianity Today reports that Johnson and other Bethel leaders believe believers can hear and give a fresh word from God, but that such words do not take the authority of Scripture. Johnson's own rule, as the magazine quotes it, is that in the New Testament the prophetic word is judged. Wagner, for his part, wrote that the apostolic move of the new century "is not calling for radical adjustments in theology." Critics read the movement differently. The Pietsch essay argues that in practice the prophetic voice becomes an extrabiblical guide. That reading belongs to its authors and is not Bethel's or ICAL's own statement.

We believe that the Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative Word of God.

We believe that only the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired and, therefore, inerrant Word of God. The Bible is the final authority for all we believe and how we are to live.

In the Old Testament, the prophet was judged. In the New Testament, the prophetic word was judged.

ICAL on the creeds. "ICAL believes and agrees with the historic creeds of the universal Church of Christ: Nicene and Apostles Creed and the Lausanne Covenant." (ICAL, Statement of Faith). ICAL's statement is the only one of the three that sets writings beside the Bible in this way.

Wagner on the theology. "The apostolic move into the twenty-first century is not calling for radical adjustments in theology." (C. Peter Wagner, Apostles and Prophets, Biblia preview, p. 12). The change he sought was in who leads and how, not in the creeds.

Johnson on the word being judged. Christianity Today reports that Johnson, Vallotton and other Bethel leaders believe that God is still speaking, and that "such utterances do not assume the authority of Scripture, Johnson says." The first clause is the reporter's summary and the second is the reporter's report of what Johnson says.

Bethel, ICAL and IHOPKC teach salvation by grace through faith, with repentance and the Lordship of Christ. IHOPKC says baptism is not a means of salvation. Bethel and ICAL publish no page on the subject or mode of baptism.

Bethel says it believes "we are saved by God's grace, through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ," and that anyone can be restored to fellowship with God through "repenting, believing, and receiving Jesus as their Savior and Lord." ICAL teaches the necessity of "biblical repentance," the personal appropriation of the blood of Christ, and surrender to His Lordship, and says that faith without works is dead. IHOPKC says salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and that no ordinance is required for it.

On baptism, IHOPKC says water baptism and the Lord's Supper are the two ordinances of the church, "not a means of salvation" but "channels of God's sanctifying grace and blessing." Bethel says Christ gave the church the ordinances of baptism and communion. Bethel's membership page tells new members to work through a Bible study that covers "atonement, repentance, baptism, the authority of the Bible, and more." This chart found no Bethel or ICAL page that says who may be baptized, how it is done, or what it is for. That is a real gap in the record and is not filled by guesswork here.

We believe that we are saved by God’s grace, through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

We deny that Christ can be received as your Savior without Him becoming Lord of your life.

We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. No ordinance, ritual, work or any other activity on the part of man is required or accepted for his salvation.

Baptism, in the words found. "We believe that the Church consists of all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. He gave His Church the ordinances of baptism and communion." (Bethel Church, Statement of Faith). "The Firm Foundations workbook is a series of Bible studies on foundational tenets of the Christian faith, including atonement, repentance, baptism, the authority of the Bible, and more." (Bethel Church, Membership page). Neither says whether the person baptized is a believer, or how much water is used.

The Holy Spirit's baptism. Bethel teaches: "The baptism of the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 1:4-8 and 2:4, is poured out on believers that they might have God’s power to be His witnesses." IHOPKC says the Lord "baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit" and that, after conversion, the Spirit desires "to fill, empower, and anoint believers for ministry and witness."

IHOPKC calls the Supper an ordinance to be kept until Christ returns, a channel of grace. Bill and Beni Johnson present communion as a place where God is supernaturally present for healing. Bethel and ICAL publish no page on how often or who may partake.

Bethel's statement says Christ gave His church the ordinances of baptism and communion. IHOPKC's says the Lord's Supper is an ordinance "to be observed until the time of Christ's return," and calls it, with baptism, "channels of God's sanctifying grace and blessing to the faithful in Christ Jesus."

The most developed teaching found is Bill and Beni Johnson's book The Power of Communion. The Bethel Store describes it as showing how communion "is an often overlooked opportunity to release God's power in your life," and tells the reader, "God is supernaturally present in the sacrament of Communion!" It calls the Supper a "prophetic act of remembrance, worship, warfare, and healing." This is the Bethel Store's description of the book and not a statement of faith. Bethel's Rediscover Bethel series also lists a topic on "Communion and the Sacrifice of Jesus for Humanity." No page was found that says how often the Supper is held at Bethel's services, on what day, or who may take it. The Bethel weekend page lists service times and does not mention it. The record is open on those points and the chart does not fill it in.

We believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances of the Church, to be observed until the time of Christ’s return. They are not a means of salvation, but are channels of God’s sanctifying grace and blessing to the faithful in Christ Jesus.

Don’t settle for a lifeless routine. God is supernaturally present in the sacrament of Communion!

He gave His Church the ordinances of baptism and communion.

Wagner taught that apostles hold unusual authority delegated by the Spirit and that trust has shifted to individuals. Bethel's apostolic senior team oversees the church. ICAL teaches plural elders and says its own apostles lead horizontally, not from above.

This is where the movement's name does its work. Wagner wrote that the two things that set apostles apart from other members of the body are "the authority of apostles and the spheres of apostolic authority," and that "the most radical difference between traditional churches and new apostolic churches is the amount of spiritual authority delegated by the Holy Spirit to individuals." In his book Changing Church, as the Pietsch essay quotes it, he wrote that "In the New Apostolic Reformation, however, trust has shifted from groups to individuals." He taught that in the New Testament "apostles appointed elders."

Other teachers hold the view in different strengths. Bethel's senior leadership page says its senior team "is the apostolic team that provides spiritual and organizational oversight for everything that happens at Bethel," and the same site lists a Board of Elders and deacons. ICAL's statement says ministries are called to function in relationship with an apostolic team "coordinated by an apostle," and that elders are plural, with a senior leader "first among equals." ICAL also gives its reason for changing its leader's title: "Presiding Apostle" suggested "a vertical, top down governmental position," and it chose one that suggests a horizontal relationship. Pivec, a critic, sums up what she takes to be the core of the movement: "present-day apostles and prophets must govern the church." Christianity Today reports that Johnson is far less interested in the title of apostle than in the vision-casting function, and Johnson told the magazine he is not clear on what the NAR is. These views are not the same, and what Wagner teaches is not the doctrine of every network.

the most radical difference between traditional churches and new apostolic churches is the amount of spiritual authority delegated by the Holy Spirit to individuals.

This is the apostolic team that provides spiritual and organizational oversight for everything that happens at Bethel.

We believe that ministries are called to function or be in a relationship with an "apostolic team", coordinated by an apostle.

Wagner on elders. "Pastors did not appoint elders back then, apostles appointed elders." (C. Peter Wagner, Apostles and Prophets, Biblia preview, p. 45). And on Paul: "Unquestionably, Paul had unusual authority." (p. 26).

ICAL on elders. "We believe in a plurality of elders with, in most cases, a senior leader being the first among equals." (ICAL, Statement of Faith).

ICAL on who is an apostolic leader. "Any five-fold leader who displays apostolic grace in the execution of their mission according to Ephesians 4:11-16." (ICAL, What Is An Apostolic Leader?). ICAL adds that the title matters less than fruit, since many apostolic leaders prefer titles such as Bishop, Pastor, Prophet or Doctor.

The sorting of roles, as a critic reads it. The Pietsch essay says that in the movement's pattern, prophets receive words from God, apostles then "cast the vision and set the direction of the church," and teachers expound. That is the essay's account of the pattern, drawn from Wagner's teaching, and no statement from Bethel or ICAL sets it out in those words.

Bethel and IHOPKC center worship on God's presence, with a band and singers, and for IHOPKC a prayer room kept open day and night. ICAL publishes nothing on worship.

Bethel's worship page is headed "It's all about His Presence." Its worship page quotes Bill Johnson: "It's more than a song we sing — it’s our heartfelt response that we give to God." The page says the church's whole ministry grew out of a decision that its supreme responsibility was to "minister to the Lord." Its mission is stated as revival through "His manifest presence." Bethel's music ministry, Bethel Music, was founded in 2009 to steward songs from the church and says it now reaches more than two million monthly listeners. A Christianity Today writer described a worship team with a band and video cameras above the room, a dancer waving a streamer, and a congregation that sings and prays with raised arms.

IHOPKC describes its prayer room as "set apart for worship and prayer before Jesus," where singers, musicians and intercessors gather around the clock, and says it is "built around one call: unceasing prayer with worship until Jesus returns." ICAL's statement has no section on worship, and no order of service was found for it.

Bethel's mission is revival—the personal, regional, and global expansion of God's kingdom through His manifest presence.

It is a room set apart for worship and prayer before Jesus, where hour after hour, people gather to sing, pray, behold His beauty, and agree with His heart.

This is why we’re alive, this is our supreme responsibility, our great God-given opportunity to be those who minister to the Lord.

Bethel, IHOPKC and ICAL teach that the gifts of the Spirit, signs and wonders, and the offices of apostle and prophet are all given to the church today.

Bethel says the Christian is enabled to "minister super-naturally" by the Spirit's indwelling and teaches the baptism of the Holy Spirit as power for witness. IHOPKC says "signs and wonders, as well as all the gifts of the Spirit described in the New Testament, are operative today." ICAL says that all the ministries of Ephesians 4:11 "have been given to the church throughout its history and remain relevant today," and that "the restoration of the apostolic and prophetic ministries" gives a framework for the others to work in. Johnson, asked by Christianity Today whether all Christians are called to perform miracles, answered, "Every Christian is supposed to do this."

The Spirit's work is not tied to the apostles in these teachings. What is distinctive is the claim that the offices are restored, not only the gifts. ICAL qualifies this: it recognizes "the uniqueness of the founding apostles of the church and its doctrine, established by the Lord himself."

We believe in the ongoing, sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a holy life and minister super-naturally.

We also believe that signs and wonders, as well as all the gifts of the Spirit described in the New Testament, are operative today

We believe that the restoration of the apostolic and prophetic ministries, far from excluding the other ministries, provides the proper framework for their full exercise.

Bethel looks for the ever-increasing government of God and the Lord's return. IHOPKC teaches a return after a victorious church passes through the Tribulation. ICAL expects the Lord's lordship to show in every sphere of society, but not a church-run state.

Bethel says it believes "in the ever-increasing government of God and in the Blessed Hope, which is the glorious, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule and reign with His overcoming bride – the Church." It teaches that heaven and hell are real places and that there will be a resurrection of the lost and of the saved. IHOPKC states what it calls historic premillennialism "with a Victorious Church": Christ will return and reign in a millennial kingdom, the church will go through the Great Tribulation "with great power and victory" and be raptured only at its end, and no one can know the time. It prays for "a great end-time harvest of souls and the emergence of a victorious Church."

ICAL's statement says that "only the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ will bring about the full manifestation and establishment of the Kingdom of God," while the church expects "ever greater manifestations and embodiments of the Lordship of Christ in all spheres of society." It adds, "We do not believe that the church is called to dominate society or to take power over individuals in any way, be it religious, moral or political," and it excludes "any desire to impose a theocracy." ICAL's main statement also says each believer has "a sphere of influence that they must bring under the dominion of Christ." Not every teacher says the same. The Seven Mountains, set out under the distinctives, is a framework Lance Wallnau's site says he introduced for how the church must engage culture; the scholars Evan and Vivian Pietsch, both former members, describe it as dominionism. Each view is kept with its owner.

We believe in the ever-increasing government of God and in the Blessed Hope, which is the glorious, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule and reign with His overcoming bride – the Church.

We believe that only the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ will bring about the full manifestation and establishment of the Kingdom of God. However, we expect to see ever greater manifestations and embodiments of the Lordship of Christ in all spheres of society.

We also believe in and are praying for a great end-time harvest of souls and the emergence of a victorious Church that will experience unprecedented unity, purity, and power in the Holy Spirit.

Apostles and prophets today

ICAL, Bethel and Wagner teach that Christ still gives apostles and prophets to the church, and that Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:28 name offices that continue.

This is the teaching that gives the movement its name. ICAL says Christ "has bestowed upon certain men and women of His choosing the spiritual gifts of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers," and that the order for them was set by God in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 2:20. Wagner argued that the gift of apostle belongs among the other gifts of the Spirit and that apostles are set apart by their authority and their spheres. He wrote: "The best interpretation, in my opinion, accepts the gift of apostle along with the other spiritual gifts." Bethel's Johnson reads Ephesians 4:11-12 as five gifts for Christians today, according to Christianity Today. Not all the teachers use the title: many of those whom ICAL calls apostolic leaders are called pastor or bishop.

We believe that all the ministries of Ephesians 4:11 have been given to the church throughout its history and remain relevant today while recognizing the uniqueness of the founding apostles of the church and its doctrine, established by the Lord himself.

We affirm that there is no hierarchy of value within these ministries, but that they are to operate together for the good of the church according to the order established by God in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 2:20.

The best interpretation, in my opinion, accepts the gift of apostle along with the other spiritual gifts.

And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ: till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone;

And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, divers kinds of tongues.

Of the men therefore that have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day that he was received up from us, of these must one become a witness with us of his resurrection.

The three texts do not say what ICAL, Wagner and Johnson take them to say. Ephesians 2:20 puts the apostles and prophets in the foundation of the church: the household is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20). A foundation is laid once, and the house is then built on it. The apostle also had a qualification no one can meet now: he must have been with Jesus and be a witness of His resurrection (Acts 1:21-22), and Paul counts himself the one who saw Him "last of all" (1 Corinthians 15:8). Ephesians 4:11-13 says the gifts are given "till we all attain," and ICAL says all the ministries of verse 11 "remain relevant today." It is the strongest text for that view, and it deserves a straight answer: the verse says what the gifts are for, the perfecting of the saints and the building up of the body, and it does not make every gift run until the end of time. The evangelists, pastors and teachers go on building; the apostles and prophets did their part by laying the foundation in the word, and that word is now "complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). Nor does 1 Corinthians 12:28 settle the length of time. It says God "hath set some in the church, first apostles" (1 Corinthians 12:28), but a list of what God set in the church is not a promise of how long each will stand; the texts that do speak to that are the foundation laid once and the witness no one now can bear. ICAL itself sets 1 Corinthians 12:28 beside Ephesians 2:20, and the second text puts the apostles and prophets in the foundation. The verdict is that the office of apostle and prophet, in the New Testament sense, is closed.

Which prophets. Ephesians 3:5 says the mystery "hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit" (Ephesians 3:5), so the prophets of the foundation are those who received and gave out the revelation, and Revelation 21:14 names on the foundations of the city "the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Revelation 21:14).

What is right here. ICAL says it recognizes "the uniqueness of the founding apostles of the church and its doctrine." That grants the central point, and it puts ICAL nearer the New Testament than any teaching that sets a living apostle's word beside the first apostles'. The New Testament also uses "apostle" more widely for a sent messenger, as when Luke calls Barnabas and Paul "the apostles, Barnabas and Paul" (Acts 14:14), and Paul calls others "the messengers of the churches" (2 Corinthians 8:23), so a church planter or missionary sent out by a church is not a wrong use of the word. What the text does not give is that sort of sent one governing churches, or a prophet whose word guides a church, and that is what Wagner's teaching of "unusual authority" adds.

The qualification. Paul puts it as a question: "have I not seen Jesus our Lord?" (1 Corinthians 9:1). A claim to the office today has to say what is meant by "apostle" before it can be tested, and where it means more than a sent messenger it cannot meet this one.

Networks led by apostles, not denominations

Wagner taught that authority had moved from boards and assemblies to individual leaders. ICAL says its national coalitions are governmentally autonomous, and it changed its leader's title to avoid a top-down sense.

Wagner described the change as a move away from denominations. He wrote that in traditional denominations authority is in groups, such as deacon boards, boards of trustees and general assemblies, but that in the New Apostolic Reformation "trust has shifted from groups to individuals," and that the pastor now leads the church "instead of as an employee of the church." Larson, his assistant, summarizes Wagner's definition as a shift from pastor and committee-led churches and denominations to independent networks of churches run by individual leaders called apostles. ICAL describes itself as a coalition and not a governing body: its national coalitions are "governmentally autonomous from ICAL." The pattern differs by network, and Bethel is a single church with its own elders and an apostolic senior team.

In the New Apostolic Reformation, however, trust has shifted from groups to individuals.

These National Coalitions would be in fellowship with global ICAL members, but governmentally autonomous from ICAL.

We believe that apostolic teams serve churches and works that are made of apostolic networks and live in a family spirit.

And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that were wanting, and appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge;

The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister; and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Wagner is right that no denomination, with its boards and assemblies above the local church, is found in the New Testament, and ICAL is right to want its coalitions to have no rule over their members. That is a credit. But Wagner's answer puts a person where Scripture sets a plural body. In the New Testament the apostles "appointed for them elders in every church" (Acts 14:23), and Titus was left to "appoint elders in every city" (Titus 1:5). Wagner is right that apostles appointed elders, and that is the point: they did it in the first generation, as a work of the foundation, and then the elders stood in each church, plural, with no one above them. Peter, an apostle, calls himself "a fellow-elder" and tells elders not to be "lording it over the charge allotted to you" (1 Peter 5:1-3). The Lord's own rule is that those who would be great are servants: "Not so shall it be among you" (Matthew 20:26). ICAL's change of title from "presiding" to "convening" shows it sees the danger, and it counts for ICAL. Where authority "has shifted from groups to individuals," the New Testament's answer is no.

The Seven Mountains and the spheres of society

Lance Wallnau's site credits him with the "Seven Mountains of Culture." ICAL teaches that Christ's authority is delegated to spheres, and also that the church is not to dominate society.

The Seven Mountains is a teaching framework, and it is not an official doctrine of the whole movement. Wallnau's site, which speaks of him in the third person, says he introduced the "Seven Mountains of Culture" as a template for how the church must engage culture; no teaching in his own words was found. The scholars Evan and Vivian Pietsch, both former members, describe the teaching as a call to "reform society by taking dominion in seven spheres of cultural influence: religion, family, government, business, education, media, and arts and entertainment," and say it is "often called the 'seven-mountain mandate.'" ICAL's main statement says that Christ "has delegated His authority to various governmental spheres among men, including self, family, church, corporate, and civil," and that each believer has a sphere "that they must bring under the dominion of Christ." Its 2023 section on apostolic leaders adds that the church is not called to dominate society or impose a theocracy. Johnson, whose name is often put on the movement, told Christianity Today that if the NAR is what he thinks it is, all Bethel is saying is that it wants the culture around it to change.

Lance is the innovator who introduced the “Seven Mountains of Culture” as a fresh template to explain how the church must engage culture at the turn of the century.

We believe that all authority and dominion flow from Jesus Christ, who has delegated His authority to various governmental spheres among men, including self, family, church, corporate, and civil.

I’ve seen my name on the list, but if it’s what I think it is, all we’re saying is, we want the culture around us to change

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;

And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God.

Part of this is plain Scripture and deserves credit. Christians are to be faithful in every part of life, as citizens and workers, and Christ says, "All authority hath been given unto me" (Matthew 28:18). ICAL's statement goes further than many and says outright that the church is not to take power over people or set up a theocracy, and that is in line with the Lord's words about His kingdom: "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). The concern is with the frame. ICAL's main statement asks each believer to bring a sphere "under the dominion of Christ," and the Pietsches describe the Seven Mountains as taking dominion in seven spheres; either way the church's task is put in influence over institutions, and the New Testament puts it in a message: "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:19). The kingdom is something God has already placed His people in: "translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love" (Colossians 1:13). It is not a prize the church takes by winning the culture. Christians are to submit to the powers and speak the truth to them, and may serve in them, but the sphere is not the aim. The weight of this verdict falls on the framework as it is described here, and not on every church that has heard it or on Bethel, which has not set it out in a statement.

The prophetic word today

Bethel teaches that God is still speaking and that a prophetic word is to be judged. ICAL and IHOPKC teach that prophets are given to the church now.

Bethel, ICAL and IHOPKC each teach that prophecy is a present gift, and ICAL and IHOPKC name prophets among the ministries Christ gives the church today. Bethel lists "God Is Still Speaking" among its core values. Johnson told Christianity Today that in the New Testament the prophetic word is judged, and the magazine reports that Bethel leaders do not give such words the authority of Scripture. ICAL's site lists "Prophetic Standards" as a teaching, and a sister coalition of prophetic leaders is among its alliances. Critics, such as the Pietsch essay, hold that in the movement's structure the prophets bring words that the apostles then act on. Bethel and ICAL do not describe their practice in those terms.

despise not prophesyings; prove all things; hold fast that which is good;

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? when a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.

Johnson's rule is the right one as far as it goes: a prophetic word is not beyond testing, and the apostles said "prove all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and "prove the spirits" (1 John 4:1). That is far better than treating every word as binding, and it counts for Bethel. The trouble is what the word is measured against. If it is tested against Scripture, then Scripture is what has the authority, and the word adds nothing a church must obey. If it is allowed to guide a church's direction or a person's life when it cannot be shown from the text, it is a second voice beside the first. The faith "was once for all delivered unto the saints" (Jude 1:3), and the old rule for a prophet was strict: one whose word did not come to pass had spoken it presumptuously (Deuteronomy 18:22). The prophets of the foundation received revelation and gave it, and it is written down. A church that listens for fresh words needs an answer when they are wrong, and Johnson's answer, that the word is judged, is only half of one: in Deuteronomy a failed word marks the prophet, not only the word.

Unceasing prayer and worship

IHOPKC runs a prayer room with singers and musicians, open day and night, and says it exists for "unceasing prayer with worship until Jesus returns."

IHOPKC describes itself as "a Missions Base and community of intercessors" built around a single call. The Prayer Room is its center, staffed by full-time intercessory missionaries, singers and musicians, and it is always live on a livestream. It says it exists to partner in the Great Commission by advancing 24/7 prayer. IHOPKC's statement of faith does not use the NAR label, and the ministry is named here as one that some place within the movement, not as one that has accepted the name.

IHOPKC is built around one call: unceasing prayer with worship until Jesus returns.

We believe God uses prayer, not as a substitute for action, but as its fuel to bring renewal to the Church and mercy to the nations.

Your giving supports the singers, musicians, and intercessors who staff the Prayer Room around the clock

And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Peter therefore was kept in the prison: but prayer was made earnestly of the church unto God for him.

But we will continue stedfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word.

This is nearer the New Testament than much else weighed here, and it should be said plainly. The command to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and the Lord's teaching that men "ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1) are Scripture, and the churches did pray: "prayer was made earnestly of the church unto God" (Acts 12:5). A ministry that gives itself to prayer for the nations, and prays for Israel, for laborers and for the church, does what the apostles asked. What the text does not show is prayer turned into a staffed room, with full-time singers and musicians working in shifts, as the center of a ministry's life. In Acts, prayer is the work of every disciple and of the whole church, and the apostles would "continue stedfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). The weekly gathering of the church on the first day, around the word and the table, is the center the apostles gave. The verdict is that the call to pray is right and the structure built on it is not found in Scripture.

The plumb line is the New Testament: what the apostles taught and commanded, and what the churches practiced with their approval. A movement has no single position, so each verdict here weighs what the named teachers and ministries in Part 3 say, and it names them. It is not a verdict on every person or church linked to the movement, and many of them would reject parts of what is weighed here. The New Apostolic Reformation has no lane of its own on the lineage chart "The Line and the Branches," because it is a movement and not a body; that chart marks it on the Pentecostal lane in 2001. So the five placements below are set on the lineage rubric's rungs one by one, from what the named ministries publish, and the reason for each is given with it. Where a ministry publishes nothing on a point, that point is left out of the placement rather than guessed. Where the movement stands near the pattern, that is said plainly. Where it stands far from it, that is said too.

Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema.

Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.

Bethel, ICAL and IHOPKC all say that the Bible is the infallible word, and Bethel says it is the "only" one, and that is the right place to begin. Johnson's rule that a prophetic word is judged is nearer the Bereans, who were "examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11), than any claim that a fresh word binds. But each keeps open a second voice beside the book: Bethel's core value that "God Is Still Speaking," and the present-day prophets and apostles that Bethel, ICAL and IHOPKC all teach, supply words for churches that Scripture does not contain, and ICAL's statement sets the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds and the Lausanne Covenant beside the Bible. The faith "was once for all delivered unto the saints" (Jude 1:3), and the written word makes the man of God "complete" (2 Timothy 3:17). On the rubric the rule of faith, the use of Scripture's silence (offices and structures built on texts that do not describe them) and bound teaching the New Testament does not give all sit at the same rung, well short of Scripture alone, so the placement is their mean, with no move.

The mean. The three criteria for authority sit together, so the mean is the placement, with no move. They are the same values the Pentecostal lane of the lineage chart carries. The movement has no lane of its own, since it is not a body, so these are authored from the evidence above.

What is not charged. Teachers who hold the Bible to be the only infallible word, and who test every word by it, are not charged for what others in the movement say. The weight of this verdict falls on the second voice, and on churches that give it force.

And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name.

Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

The named ministries call people to repent, to believe, and to receive Jesus as Lord, and ICAL says faith without works is dead. That is the gospel the apostles preached, and it is a credit to all three. The line is crossed on baptism's purpose, and only IHOPKC states one: baptism is "not a means of salvation" but a channel of sanctifying grace, where Peter told the crowd to be baptized "unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38) and Ananias told Saul to "be baptized, and wash away thy sins" (Acts 22:16). This placement therefore rests on one criterion, the purpose, and on one ministry's statement of it. No ministry named here publishes who is baptized or how, so those two criteria are left out, and nothing is assumed about what Bethel or ICAL practice or teach on its purpose.

What is open. Bethel tells new members that its membership studies cover baptism, but the studies were not found. If Bethel or ICAL publishes a teaching that baptism is the immersion of a penitent believer for the forgiveness of sins, the burial and rising of Romans 6:3-4 and Colossians 2:12, this placement should move toward the line for them. The subject and the mode are not scored, and they have not been counted as a fault.

For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come.

And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.

IHOPKC keeps the Supper as an ordinance until Christ returns, and Bethel counts it as one that Christ gave the church, in line with "till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Johnsons' call not to settle for "a lifeless routine" is a fair concern. But the Supper's purpose in the text is "in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:24), and IHOPKC's "channels of God’s sanctifying grace," with the Johnsons' book presenting the table as a place of God's supernatural presence for warfare and healing, puts a power in it that the text does not give. This placement rests on that one criterion, the Supper's nature, and on those two sources. None of the ministries publishes how often it keeps the Supper or who may take it, so the churches' practice of breaking bread "upon the first day of the week" (Acts 20:7) is not charged against them, and nothing is assumed about Bethel's services.

Source of the charge. For Bethel the teaching is from the Bethel Store's description of Bill and Beni Johnson's book, The Power of Communion, and not from a Bethel statement of faith. What the chart can verify is the store's words, and it does not say that the book's teaching is Bethel's practice at the table.

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

ICAL teaches plural elders and Bethel keeps a Board of Elders, which is the apostolic pattern (Acts 14:23). But above them both stands an apostolic office: ICAL's apostolic teams "coordinated by an apostle," and at Bethel an apostolic senior team over "everything." On the rubric the eldership sits nearer the line, while the autonomy of the congregation and the line between clergy and laity sit further out, so the course stands on the far side of the middle. Wagner holds up James's ruling at Jerusalem, given in the first person, as "a proper and anointed use of apostolic authority," and places the authority in "individuals." But the Jerusalem decision went out as what "seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church" (Acts 15:22), not as one man's word, and no office of apostle over the elders of many churches has been set up since the apostles. It is not moved further out: what Wagner claims for apostles is a ruling and a direction, not new doctrine, and that move is kept for offices that bind doctrine of their own.

Why there is no move. The site moves leadership one step further out where an office binds doctrine of its own. None of the living ministries read here teaches that its apostles bind doctrine, so the course sits at the mean of the three leadership criteria.

Wagner's claim. Wagner wrote that the apostolic move "is not calling for radical adjustments in theology," so what he claims for apostles is a ruling and a direction, not a new creed. That is a fault of office, weighed in the placement above, but not the binding of new doctrine. ICAL's statement disclaims a top-down office, and Johnson, Christianity Today reports, cares less for the title than for the work; neither is charged with Wagner's claim.

Who is nearer. A network that teaches plural elders, whose apostolic leaders serve by invitation and whose churches are free to leave, stands nearer the line than this placement shows. ICAL's change of title from "Presiding" to "Convening" is a step that way.

speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

But let all things be done decently and in order.

Worship that is a "heartfelt response" to God, aimed at Jesus and the Father, is what the Lord asks: the true worshippers "shall worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23). That is to the credit of Bethel and IHOPKC, and prayer in these ministries is offered to God. The New Testament pattern for the assembly is the congregation's own singing, "singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19), and at Bethel and IHOPKC, as their pages and the 2016 visit describe it, worship is led by a band and a team, with musicians staffing the prayer room. On the rubric the music sits far out, since a band is central; the acts added to the assembly sit in the middle, since dance with streamers, prophetic words and healing rooms are added; and the address of prayer sits on the line. The mean is the middle.

What is not charged. The sources for the assembly are the Christianity Today visit of 2016 and the pages of Bethel and IHOPKC. They show what is done at these two and do not show the worship of every church linked to the movement. A small church in a network that sings without a band stands nearer the line.

Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works.

how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.

The Spirit does dwell in every believer, and these ministries say so and call people to holy living. But they teach that the miraculous gifts, signs and wonders, and the offices of apostle and prophet are all given to the church now, and Johnson holds that every Christian is to do miracles. The New Testament ties the signs to the apostles: "the signs of an apostle" were "signs and wonders and mighty works" (2 Corinthians 12:12), and the word was confirmed by those who heard the Lord, "God also bearing witness with them" (Hebrews 2:4). The Spirit came on the Samaritans when the apostles laid their hands on them (Acts 8:17). The foundation was laid, and those who laid it are gone (Ephesians 2:20). The placement is at the far end for the teaching of present-day apostles and prophets and fresh words, which goes further than the gifts alone. Johnson's testing of the word and ICAL's acknowledgment of the unique founding apostles are real credits, and they put these teachers nearer than any who claim that every word binds.

Not all in the movement. Those who hold cessation, and those who hold gifts without the offices, are not in the movement. The verdict is on those who teach both.

But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only.

They therefore, when they were come together, asked him, saying, Lord, dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within His own authority.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; henceforth expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet.

All three ministries look for the personal, visible return of the Lord, and for a resurrection of the lost and the saved, and IHOPKC says no one can know the time (Matthew 24:36). That is the hope of the apostles, and it is a credit. The weight falls on three things. Bethel's "ever-increasing government of God" and IHOPKC's "victorious Church" picture a church that gains power and unity before the end, where the text has the Lord "expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet" (Hebrews 10:13), the work of God and not of the church. IHOPKC also fixes an order, a millennial kingdom, a Tribulation passed through and a late rapture, in more detail than the passages give. And the spheres frame, in which ICAL's main statement has each believer bring a sphere "under the dominion of Christ," is a plan for the present that the text does not give. ICAL's statement that only Christ's coming brings the full kingdom, and that the church is not to dominate, is nearer. The placement is on the far side of the middle.

Whose view. This placement rests on Bethel's, IHOPKC's and ICAL's statements, each as quoted, and on the spheres teaching as ICAL and the Pietsches describe it. It is not a verdict on teachers of the movement who hold the return without a victorious-church frame.

The ministries named here hold much that Scripture also teaches. They hold to one God in three persons, the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, His atoning death and His resurrection. Bethel, ICAL and IHOPKC each say the Bible is the infallible word, and each calls people to repent, believe and make Jesus their Lord. They look for the personal, visible return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. IHOPKC and ICAL affirm the priesthood of all believers. Bethel keeps a Board of Elders and ICAL teaches a plurality of elders, as the apostles appointed. Their people give themselves to prayer, to worship and to serving the poor and the nations, and they take seriously that Christ is Lord over all of life. Johnson's rule that a prophetic word is judged, and ICAL's grant that the founding apostles were unique, move them nearer the New Testament than many who go further in the same direction.

Measured by the New Testament alone, the teachers and ministries weighed here stand far from the pattern in who leads and what the Spirit gives. They stand short at the foundation: they hold that apostles and prophets are still given, and Wagner that apostles hold authority over churches, and that the Spirit still gives fresh words and the miraculous gifts. The text says the apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20), that the faith was delivered once for all (Jude 1:3), and that elders, in the plural, are to oversee each congregation without lording it over it. Their reading of Ephesians 4:11-13 and 1 Corinthians 12:28 is a serious one, and it has been weighed here. But those verses do not say the offices of the foundation go on. In leadership, prophecy and the sign gifts, these teachers add to the apostles' word what the apostles did not give.

These are not the errors of people who despise Scripture. Many of them love the Lord, pray without ceasing, and hold the Bible to be His word, and some of the leaders named here have refused the very name that is put on them. The call is to the plain path the Bereans took: to hold every claim, every word and every office, including the ones named here, up to what the apostles taught, and to keep what stands. If the foundation was laid, then the work now is to build on it, and the word that was delivered is enough.

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