Bill Johnson and Randy Clark’s ‘Week of Power’ to Be Held at Flagship Assemblies of God Church Raising Questions About the Denomination’s Stance on NAR
A “Week of Power”—a five-day conference featuring the “apostles” Bill Johnson and Randy Clark—will be held Sunday, March 12 through Thursday, March 16, at James River Church near Springfield, Missouri, causing some Assemblies of God pastors to ask what this could mean for the future of the Assemblies of God—the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination—and its stance toward the controversial New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement.
James River Church, pastored by John and Debbie Lindell, is one of the biggest Assemblies of God churches, with more than 12,000 people. The church’s size, together with its locational proximity to the AG’s national headquarters in Springfield, have given it the reputation of being a flagship church in the AG. Because of the stature and influence of James River Church within the larger denomination, its decisions are scrutinized by onlookers more closely—including its decision to invite two influential NAR apostles to speak at the church.
Reasons for the Controversy
According to prayer requests posted to the James River Church website, the church is praying that the Week of Power conference will result in “spiritual awakening” for the state of Missouri and the nation, “God’s Power and Presence in the services,” “healings, signs, wonders, and deliverance,” and an “outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” Notably, it is not the first time that James River Church has hosted Johnson (the senior leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California). He visited the church in March 2021, when he delivered a prophetic word—featured prominently on the church’s website—that the church would “accelerate in glory, in anointing, and breakthrough.”
The conference description, including Johnson’s prophetic word, may not sound controversial coming from a Pentecostal church like James River. But the church’s decision to bring back Johnson, together with Clark (the founder of Global Awakening), raises concerns because their NAR teachings conflict with core AG doctrines. Those doctrines are outlined in the church’s Statement of Fundamental Truths, which AG ministers are required to reaffirm annually. They also conflict with AG position papers, which address controversial doctrines. Some of these doctrinal differences promoted by Johnson and Clark include:
Governing apostles and prophets: The NAR teaching that present-day apostles and prophets hold governing roles in the church conflicts with an official AG position paper, titled “Apostles and Prophets,” which explains that the leadership of the Assemblies of God does not recognize a present-day office of apostle or prophet.
“Victorious Eschatology”: According to this NAR view of the end time, the church in the last days—under the leadership of apostles and prophets—will experience great victory by performing signs and wonders that will cause a worldwide revival. Entire nations will convert to Christ prior to Christ’s return. Because of their NAR beliefs about the end time, Johnson and Clark have been critical of the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine. Their teachings about the end time conflict sharply with the AG’s commitment to an imminent pretribulation rapture, followed by a time of great tribulation on the earth and increasing wickedness (not increasing righteousness). (See the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths, the position paper titled “The Rapture of the Church,” and the AG Constitution and Bylaws.)
Multiple “Latter Rain” doctrines and practices: The following teachings and practices were promoted by leaders of the post-World War II “Latter Rain” movement (a precursor to the NAR movement) but were condemned in a resolution passed by the General Council of the Assemblies of God on September 23, 1949.
“The overemphasis relative to imparting, identifying, bestowing or confirming of [spiritual] gifts by the laying on of hands and prophecy”
“The erroneous teaching that the Church is built on the foundation of present-day apostles and prophets”
“The extreme and unscriptural practice of imparting or imposing personal leadings by the means of gifts of [prophetic] utterance”
What makes Johnson’s and Clark’s forthcoming appearance at James River Church more curious is the AG’s Constitution and Bylaws (last updated in August 2021) provide multiple means of ensuring that “unscriptural” and “disapproved doctrines and practices”—including the end-time teachings mentioned above—are not taught in AG churches, including warning AG ministers that they jeopardize their AG credentials if they persist in teaching those doctrines. It also instructs AG ministers to “safeguard” their pulpits by carefully vetting any outside individuals who are brought into their churches to teach. It goes so far as to recommend that AG churches allow only AG ministers to teach in their pulpits “since the use of non-Assemblies of God ministers may bring confusion and problems detrimental to the Fellowship.” And it authorizes the establishment of an official Commission on Doctrines and Practices—one that reports directly to the Executive Presbytery—to give “careful attention to preventing deviations from the Statement of Fundamental Truths and proliferation of unscriptural teachings.”
Beyond all of this, Johnson’s invitation to speak is all the more surprising given that, in 2005, he led his own church in a controversial vote to leave the Assemblies of denomination and become a non-denominational church. Ever since then Johnson and the Assemblies of God have had a strained relationship.
Questions for the Assemblies of God National Leaders
So why would James River Church extend an invitation to Johnson and Clark? It seems inconceivable that the leaders at James River Church would be unaware of the controversial status of Johnson and Clark, their NAR teachings, and the AG’s differing doctrinal stance and protective measures over the AG’s beliefs and practices. If innocent ignorance is not an option, it seems that the only other option available is that the leaders at James River Church prefer to champion Johnson, Clark, and their NAR teachings and practices in spite of their apparent conflict with official AG doctrines, practices, and guidance. I am not alone in my concern for this significant shift that seems to be occurring in one of the most prominent AG churches.
A growing number of Assemblies of God ministers have become deeply concerned about the increasing NAR influence on their denomination. They have been hoping and praying that their denomination will take an official stand against NAR as they did with the Latter Rain movement.
Some of those ministers have spoken with me personally, telling me of other ministers in the denomination who share their concerns. They’ve told me that some of those ministers are on the brink of leaving the denomination because leaders like Bill Johnson and Randy Clark have been allowed to come into AG churches unchecked. And they fear a break in the larger AG denomination is coming. But they have not spoken publicly about their concerns because of fears that, if they did so, they may face repercussions, such as the loss of their ministerial credentials.
Here are some of the specific questions and concerns AG ministers have shared with me.
Why is a very large church, like James River Church, allowed to invite individuals to teach at their church who regularly teach against core AG doctrines? Meanwhile, the ministers of smaller AG churches feel obliged to keep their commitment to carefully investigate any teachers they allow into their pulpits and ensure their alignment with core AG doctrines.
What is the reason for the AG’s silence about NAR, which has invaded and taken over countless AG churches? Does the silence indicate that the national leaders do not oppose it? Are they fearful that addressing it might split the AG?
Bill Johnson, as a NAR leader, holds to NAR theology. But being a former AG minister and having a long family history in AG churches, Johnson is also an AG insider and knows how to speak the language of the AG, allowing him to move in and out of AG churches while advancing his NAR theological agenda. Are national leaders aware of the threat that this poses to the denomination?
As more AG churches have allowed NAR leaders into their churches, people have begun to associate their extreme NAR teachings and practices with the Assemblies of God, resulting in some people leaving AG churches. Is the denomination aware of how their inaction regarding the NAR incursion into their churches is damaging the reputation of the AG and causing people to turn to other denominations for their fellowship?
Summing up, I will share the question one AG minister asked me: “Where are the watchmen in the Assemblies of God leadership, who will protect the denomination from NAR’s aberrant teachings and practices?”
