The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is deeply connected to the Church Growth Movement (CGM). In fact, C. Peter Wagner was a church growth specialist, and considered by CBN as “one of the leading authorities on church growth.” A few of his books on the topic include Your Church Can Grow (1976), Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow (1979), Leading Your Church to Growth (1984), Church Growth: State of the Art (1986), and Strategies for Church Growth (1987).
Prior to his retirement in 2001, Wagner was Professor of Church Growth for 30 years at the Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of World Missions. Under Wagner’s supervision at Fuller, Rick Warren, the megachurch pastor and author of Purpose Driven Life, wrote his 1993 dissertation for a Doctorate of Ministry, titled New Churches For a New Generation: Church Planting to Reach Baby Boomers.
Wagner made the connection to church growth gurus like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels with the NAR. In fact, C. Peter Wagner, the outspoken advocate of the NAR, identified both Bill Hybels and Rick Warren as NAR pastors. In his 1999 book Churchquake: The Explosive Power of the New Apostolic Reformation, Wagner answers a question under the heading “Why ‘Apostolic’?” in which he mentions megachurch pastors like Warren, Hybels, and others as apostolic leaders.
One of the reasons I hesitated using [the term “apostolic”] … was that one overtone of “apostolic” was that the New Testament gift and office of apostle might be active in some churches today. A large number of these new churches would have gladly affirmed that. I thought, however, that, at the same time, it might have excluded many significant churches of that nature such as Bill Hybels’s Willow Creek Community Church, Rick Warren’s Saddleback Valley Community Church, Walt Kallestad’s Community Church of Joy, John Ed Mathison’s Frazier Memorial United Methodist Church and many others. (Wagner, Churchquake [Ventura, CA: Regal, 1999] 35).
These well-known megachurch pastors are identified by Wagner as apostolic leaders and their communities as new apostolic churches. Wagner viewed these pastors as apostolic leaders or pastors who “make top-drawer policy decisions and delegate the rest” (Ibid., 89). Wagner quotes Rick Warren, who says,
What do the words committees, elections, majority rule, boards, board members, parliamentary procedures, voting, and vote have in common? None of these words are found in the New Testament! We have imposed an American form of government on the church and, as a result, most churches are as bogged down in bureaucracy as our government is. It takes forever to get anything done. . . .
I haven’t known everything that happens at Saddleback for years. I don’t need to know about it all! You might ask, ‘Then how do you control it?’ My answer is: ‘I don’t. It’s not my job to control the church. It’s my job to lead it’ (Ibid., 89-90).
On page 214, Wagner explained that there is greater potential for church growth if the pastor can be less of a minister and more of a leader (See the screenshot of the diagrams from page 214 of Wagner’s book below). Identifying Rick Warren’s church as “new apostolic,” Wagner commented on this paradigm shift with regard to leadership and ministry:
The traditional concept is that the congregation owns the church and that they hire the pastor to do their ministry for them. New apostolic churches, like Rick Warren’s, turn this around 180 degrees, as he explains in his best-seller, The Purpose Driven Church (Ibid., 213).
In order to suit their own purposes of removing barriers to church growth and having absolute authority over their organizations, leaders like Warren have changed the definition of “pastor” to “leader.” Warren has also said, “You must change the primary role of the pastor from minister to leader” (Rick Warren, “Break Through These 3 Barriers to Growth,” Pastors.com, March 19, 2012).
But the New Testament prescribes a plurality of church leadership rather than that of a single celebrity pastor. The Bible speaks of pastors, elders, bishops or overseers which all refer to the same office. Elders are also called “pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11) and “bishops” or “overseers” (Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:5,7; 1 Timothy 3:1; Acts 20:17,28). But Warren makes his pastoral office more like that of an Apostle of the NAR.
Not only is the role of pastor re-defined in C. Peter Wagner’s models for “new apostolic” churches such as Warren’s Saddleback, but also the church itself is given a new definition. Bill Hybels (who took early retirement earlier this year after allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment) is exalted by Wagner for his “weekend services designed primarily to communicate to unbelievers.” Wagner explains,
Bill Hybels, new apostolic pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, Barrington, Illinois, and a longtime friend of Robert Schuller, agrees that pastors have the responsibility of determining the purpose of each corporate gathering. He has come to the radical conclusion that the Saturday and Sunday services should be programmed primarily for unbelievers, and not just for believers. Hybels’s church is known as a “seeker-driven” church, and he explains his philosophy of ministry well in his chapter in my book The New Apostolic Churches. (Wagner, Churchquake, 179).
There is no such thing as the idea known as church for the unchurched, or church for non-believers or here referred to as “Sunday services . . . primarily for unbelievers.” This is one of the foundational flaws within the megachurch methodology. While their model of church is intended for unbelievers, the New Testament church is “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). You cannot do church for the unbelievers because the unbelievers are not part of the Body of Christ. By definition, the Church is not for them. In the book of Acts, the church sent evangelists out into the world rather than changing the church service to entertain the Romans. It is for implementing this unbiblical model of church gatherings that C. Peter Wagner calls Bill Hybels a “new apostolic pastor.”
In his book Dominion (2008), C. Peter Wagner described the process through which Christianity can take dominion over government and society. Wagner clearly stated that Rick Warren’s global P.E.A.C.E. Plan is an example of “stage one” for obeying God’s cultural mandate. Wagner wrote,
I think the P.E.A.C.E. plan fits most comfortably into Phase One, the “social action” phase of strategies for obeying God’s cultural mandate. The Phase Two emphases on strategic-level spiritual warfare and associated activities have not been placed front and center. And crucial to Phase Three, as I am defining it, are such things as apostolic/prophetic government of the Church, the Church (including apostles) in the workplace, the great transfer of wealth, dominion theology and the 7-M mandate (C. Peter Wagner, Dominion!: How Kingdom Action can Change the World [Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 2008] 174).
Warren unveiled his P.E.A.C.E. Plan in Angel Stadium before 30,000 church members on April 17, 2005. In introducing his P.E.A.C.E. Plan, Warren said, “My hope is for a new reformation in the Church and a new spiritual awakening throughout the world.” Warren also believes that the popularity of his book The Purpose Driven Life is an indication of this “new reformation” and in Christianity. He stated, “I believe that we are possibly on the verge of a new reformation in Christianity and another Great Awakening in our nation . . . The signs are everywhere, including the popularity of this book.”
But what is this “new reformation”, this “new spiritual awakening” associated with Saddleback’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan? Apparently C. Peter Wagner links Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan and “new reformation” to his own New Apostolic Reformation. In 1999, C. Peter Wagner announced the NAR in his book Churchquake, the same book in which he identified Warren’s Saddleback Church as “new apostolic.” Perhaps these two “new reformations” are more closely related than many would like to admit.
In his book Apostles Today: Making Sense of Contemporary Charismatic Apostolates: A Historical and Theological Appraisal, Benjamin G. McNair Scott noted that among both conservative and liberal Evangelicals “differing gift courses (Bodywork; Network; LifeShapes; SHAPE) were used to enable people to discern their spiritual gifts and talents,” one of which is that of “apostle.” Scott continues,
All four of these courses were not self-consciously Pentecostal as there was no teaching focused on “baptism in the Spirit”; nevertheless, all of them incorporated all the gifts and ministries of the Spirit mentioned in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4. . . . Furthermore, three of these four courses are linked to very influential churches. . . . [N]umerous churches which look to Willow Creek as a model and resource church have incorporated their Network gift course. Then there is the SHAPE course that is linked to Rick Warren’s hugely popular books, The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church. C. Peter Wagner’s series on spiritual gifts has also been popular, and it was an integral feature of his Church Growth material which was highly influential both in the States and Britain.
A sample of these courses will highlight how the “gift of apostle” is being presented. It is, in my opinion, interesting (and telling?) that the controversy surrounding the topic is not mentioned at all—it is taken as a given that this charism is operative today (Benjamin G. McNair Scott, Apostles Today: Making Sense of Contemporary Charismatic Apostolates: A Historical and Theological Appraisal [Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2014] Kindle Edition. Kindle Locations 1037-1055).
It is indeed interesting (and telling!) that the debate and controversy surrounding the topic of Apostles today is not mentioned at all in the resources from C. Peter Wagner, Rick Warren and Bill Hybels. More importantly, Wagner, Warren and Hybels are all supportive of the NAR hallmark of Apostles today! Mr. Scott quotes the resources from the Warren and Hybels megachurches which highlight the spiritual gift of Apostle.
Authored by Erik Rees and foreword by Rick Warren, the book S.H.A.P.E.: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life is “based on the purpose of ministry outlined in The Purpose Driven Life.” In the book is the following definition of “Apostleship”:
Apostleship: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by launching and leading new ministry ventures that advance God’s purposes and expand his kingdom. The original Greek meaning of the word is “sent one” (literally, one sent with authority, or as an ambassador. People with this gift …
Are driven to start new endeavors for God, most often churches.
Often welcome risky new challenges.
Enjoy making a difference in the lives of believers and unbelievers alike.
Are eager to be known as ambassadors for Christ in the world.
Willingly work hard to see churches reach their full potential for God. (Erik Rees, S.H.A.P.E.: Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006], 38-39).
The Network Participant’s Guide, developed in partnership with Bill Hybels’ Willow Creek Association, describes the “gift of Apostleship” as “the divine ability to start and oversee the development of new churches or ministry structures.” Based upon the references of 1 Corinthians 12:28-29; Ephesians 4:11-12; Romans 1:5; Acts 13:2-3, the course provides the following “distinctives” and “traits” for Apostles:
Distinctives:
Pioneer and establish new ministries or churches.
Adapt to different surroundings by being culturally sensitive and aware.
Desire to minister to unreached people in other communities or countries.
Have responsibilities to oversee ministries or groups of churches.
Demonstrate authority and vision for the mission of the church.
Traits:
Adventurous
Entrepreneurial
Persevering
Adaptable
Culturally sensitive
Risk-taking
Cause-driven. (Bruce L. Bugbee, Network Participant’s Guide: The Right People, in the Right Places, for the Right Reasons, at the Right Time [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005] 74).
It should come as no surprise why the church growth guru who has been credited with founding the NAR, C. Peter Wagner, has classified Rick Warren and Bill Hybels among the upper echelons of the NAR. This is because both of those megachurch pastors advocate for the ongoing gift of apostleship. To C. Peter Wagner, Warren and Hybels are viewed as “new apostolic” because they themselves govern their communities as apostolic leaders or Apostles rather than pastors or ministers.
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