Is Vineyard Anaheim going NAR?

Alan Scott speaking at Vineyard Anaheim. (YouTube, posted March 7, 2022)

What’s going on at Vineyard Anaheim? That’s the question being asked by many people after the church’s board unexpectedly announced—through an email sent to church members, March 18, 2022—that they had decided to disassociate with the Association of Vineyard Churches (also known as the “Vineyard movement,” made up of more than 2,500 churches worldwide). Two days after the e-mail announcement, another announcement (which was not shown during the church’s livestream) was made during the Sunday service and a statement was released on the church’s website. Yet the reasons given by church leaders for the departure have baffled observers. Is it possible there is something else behind this move?

The decision to leave the association is significant because Vineyard Anaheim, located in Orange County, California, has been regarded as the association’s “mother church” since the association was founded in 1982. John Wimber, the founding pastor of Vineyard Anaheim, led the association from 1982 until his death in 1997 and had a profound influence on the Vineyard movement’s theology and direction.

Since the surprise announcement, controversy has ensued. Accusations have been leveled against senior pastors Alan and Kathryn Scott, who were appointed to lead the Vineyard Anaheim four years ago. They’ve been accused (by former Vineyard Anaheim board members) of stacking the board, “hijacking" the church, and “confiscating” the financial assets, including the church’s 5.7 acre-property, reportedly valued in the tens of millions. John Wimber’s widow, Carol Wimber, is among those speaking out against the Scotts’ actions. Read more about the controversy, which has been reported by high-profile Christian media outlets, here, here, and here.

The board claims they are simply obeying the guidance of the Holy Spirit: “We wish to clarify that this is not a rejection of Vineyard values, theology or praxis, but our best effort to respond to the distinct calling on our church at this time, and a desire to say yes to the Spirit.” Yet, the stated reasons, according to Vineyard USA officials, “feel highly insufficient to the magnitude and impact of the decision, as well as to the pace at which Alan and the Board sought to move it forward.”

If the stated reasons seem insufficient, could there be other, unstated reasons for Vineyard Anaheim’s departure? Could one of those reasons be that the church has decided to embrace the growing New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)—led by so-called modern-day “apostles” and “prophets”—a movement that has swept up many other churches around the world? I ask this question because there are signs of significant NAR influence on Vineyard Anaheim (much of it coming through Bethel Church in Redding, California). Here are some of those signs.

Signs of NAR Influence on Vineyard Anaheim

A Bethel-heavy board: Three of the church’s current seven board members (an eighth board member, Pete Greig, resigned in the wake of the decision) have very close associations with Bethel Church, one of the most influential NAR churches in the world. As such, they have played significant leadership roles in NAR over the years: Jeremy and Katie Riddle, and Banning Liebscher. Jeremy Riddle led worship at Bethel Church for nearly a decade, and Liebscher founded and pastors Jesus Culture (itself a NAR church), which came out of Bethel Church.

Bethel influence on Alan and Kathyrn Scott: Former Vineyard Anaheim board member Penny Fulton, who served on the pastoral search committee when the Scotts were hired, reports some of the specific questions they were asked prior to their hiring. According to Fulton:

One of the questions asked was, “How long will you be here, should you take this appointment?” Alan’s answer was “it would be a lifetime appointment”. There were 12 witnesses to his answer. Another question, “you’ve spent a lot of time with Bethel, how much does their theology affect you?” After a lot of deliberation, Alan answered, “I’m Vineyard through and through.”

Based on the second question, it appears evident there was a level of concern, on the part of at least some of the board members, that the Scotts may have been influenced by Bethel theology. Why would they have such a concern? In what capacity have the Scotts “spent a lot of time with Bethel”?

Bethel influence on Vineyard Anaheim’s other pastors: I’ve already noted that Jeremy Riddle was a longtime worship leader at Bethel Church. In 2019, when the Riddles moved back to Southern California, the Scotts brought Jeremy and his wife, Katie, on as Worship, Creativity, and Prayer Pastors at Vineyard Anaheim. (Prior to working at Bethel, Jeremy was on staff as a worship leader at Vineyard Anaheim.)

Recent visits by influential NAR apostles and prophets: In the weeks leading up to Vineyard Anaheim’s announcement, some of today’s most influential NAR leaders paid visits to the church: Bill Johnson (of Bethel Church in Redding, California), Randy Clark (of Global Awakening), Heidi Baker (of Iris Global), and Banning Liebscher (of Jesus Culture).

Vineyard Anaheim teamed up with Global Awakening for a “Kingdom Foundations” conference. (Global Awakening is a NAR organization and apostolic network overseen by the “apostle” Randy Clark.) Vineyard Anaheim posted the following announcement on their Facebook page, promoting the conference.

We are excited to be partnering with Global Awakening in the New Year to host their Kingdom Foundations: School of Healing and Impartation. Randy Clark, Bill Johnson from Bethel Church and the team from Global Awakening will share on Jan 12 - Jan 15 at Vineyard Anaheim.

The fact that Vineyard Anaheim leaders expressly regarded themselves as “partnering” with Global Awakening for this conference at their church campus is very strong evidence of an ideological affinity with a starkly NAR organization. Yet the affinity goes deeper. Randy Clark was invited to give the message at the Vineyard Anaheim church service the following Sunday morning, January 16, 2022.

The next month, Baker delivered the message at Vinyard Anaheim’s Sunday service, February 13, 2022. And, two weeks later, Liebscher delivered the Sunday message (February 27, 2022). It is notable that so-many high-profile NAR leaders received invitations, back-to-back, to speak and teach at the church, and that they did so when the church was about to go public with its decision to separate from the Vineyard Association.

A History of Churches Breaking Away from Denominations and Becoming NAR

The non-specific reasons given by Vineyard Anaheim leaders in explanation for their exit—other than vague references to a highly subjective leading of the Holy Spirit—bear remarkable similarities to those used by other churches when they voted to break ties with their denominations and become NAR. Bethel Church, for example, explained that they had “heard the voice of the Lord very clearly” concerning their decision to withdraw from the Assemblies of God denomination in 2006. That, too, was a controversial decision. But note, in Bethel’s statement announcing their departure, they wrote:

We are in the process of inviting several apostolic leaders that have had a long-term relationship with us to be integral in the spiritual covering of our church.

Bethel Church’s decision to leave their denomination and seek out apostles to provide “spiritual covering” (or governance) for their church aligns with New Apostolic Reformation theology. C. Peter Wagner—one of the most influential NAR apostles, and the person who coined the term “New Apostolic Reformation” and formulated much of the movement’s theology—taught that churches led by apostles (in express contrast to denominational churches) are the “new wineskins” raised up by God to establish His kingdom on earth. He suggested that the democratic governance and bureaucracy of denominations stifles individual apostles’ creativity and holds back the innovation and risk-taking that is essential for advancing God’s kingdom. Other NAR leaders have perpetuated this teaching, including Bethel prophet Kris Vallotton, who writes: “I believe that much of the Church in our day is making a dramatic transition out of denominationalism and into apostolic families. This is often referred to as the emerging apostolic age.” He also writes: “In late 2007, the Lord spoke to me and said, Mankind has just entered into the new apostolic age. Yet the modern world has never experienced the true power of an apostle, because apostles have emerged in a pastorate form of government that restricts, constrains and often usurps their ability to govern.”

In short, denominational structures, like the Vineyard Association, are seen by NAR leaders as inhibiting the Holy Spirit’s ability to work through churches. In their reporting on the Vineyard Anaheim’s decision, Christianity Today noted that there are pastors within the Vineyard who view the association in much the dismal way that NAR leaders have viewed denominations. The article states:

Some believe the organizational structures of the [Vineyard] denomination prevent people from trusting God, taking risks, and following the Spirit wherever it leads. Vineyard pastors associated with the Toronto Blessing, the “Kansas City prophets,” and Bethel Church, and Jesus Culture have critiqued what they see as a growing bureaucracy in the Vineyard and an increasing insistence on the importance of accountability.

The article did not mention the New Apostolic Reformation. But it did mention the Toronto Blessing, the Kansas City Prophets, Bethel Church, and Jesus Culture—all of which have promoted present-day governing apostles and prophets (and, thus, are all part of the NAR movement). So it is no surprise that Vineyard pastors who associate with those revivals and groups would look at the Vineyard Association, or any denomination, with a wary eye.

So, in deciding to leave the Vineyard, will Vineyard Anaheim follow the long line of other churches that have left their denominations and sought out apostles to provide their leadership? If so, look for Vineyard Anaheim to form an association with Bethel Church or Global Awakening or some other heavily NAR-influenced organization (or even for the Scotts themselves to be viewed as apostles). Of course, now that the church has come under intense scrutiny, they will have to watch any new associations they form very closely.

Only time will tell if Vineyard Anaheim is going NAR. But it would explain a lot.