Looking Beyond a Church's 'Statement of Faith'
Do you want to know if a church or organization is part of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)?Finding the answer may not be as easy as looking at the church's statement of faith. Many NAR groups have adopted fairly standard statements of faith that do not mention their NAR teachings. To find out what a church really believes you have to dig deeper.To see what I mean, check out the statement of faith of HRock Church (formerly Harvest Rock Church) in Pasadena, California. This church, led by the influential apostle Ché Ahn, is one of the most prominent NAR churches in the nation. Yet nothing found in the statement of faith indicates their belief in the present-day offices of apostle and prophet. But browse the website and you'll find a page titled "Core Values." That's one place you'll find references to their NAR beliefs, including the following statements about apostles and prophets:
Apostles
Because the Church is founded on apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20, 4:11), we believe and embrace the office and ministry of the apostle. HRC is part of an apostolic network called Harvest International Ministry.
ProphetsWe welcome and honor prophets and the prophetic ministry (Matt. 10:41). We are called to be a prophetic people and are committed to do only what we see our Father say and do (John 5:19).
Probably the most influential NAR church in the United States is Bethel Church in Redding, California. Again, its formal statement of faith makes no mention of its NAR beliefs. But click on the "About Us" page and you'll find these telling words: "We embrace the biblical government of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers."And the NAR organization Generals International, led by the prophet Cindy Jacobs, has adopted an innocuous statement of faith. But visit almost any other page on the organization's website and you'll be met with multiple "prophetic words" from NAR prophets and NAR teachings, like the "Seven Mountains of Societal Influence" (a.k.a. the "Seven Mountain Mandate").The lesson is: when trying to find out what a church really believes, don't stop with its statement of faith. Dig deeper.