Marks of the New Apostolic Reformation - NAR

This is a movement and not an identifiable church or denomination. It has infiltrated various churches and denominations. This movement is responsible for the biggest fall-away among our young people. Bill Johnson, Jesus Culture and Bethel Church in Redding are the main drivers behind this movement in South Africa. Other prominent leaders in this movement are Rick Joyner, Tod Bentley, C Peter Wagner, Cindy Jacobs, Heidi Baker, Lou Engle and Mike Bickle.

What are some of the marks of this movement?

1. The distinctive teaching of the New Apostolic Reformation is that God has restored the governmental offices of apostle and prophet to the church.

NAR leaders teach that God began restoring the office of prophet to the church in the 1980s and the office of apostle in the 1990s. C. Peter Wagner — one of the movement’s most influential U.S. apostles — teaches that 2001 A.D. marked the beginning of the “Second Apostolic Age,” when the proper church government — headed by living apostles and prophets — was finally restored.

2. The term “fivefold ministry,” as it is used by NAR leaders, refers to the teaching that Christ has given five, ongoing, formal offices to govern the church those are, the offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.

The primary role of apostles, as taught in the NAR movement, is to govern the church. They are seen by many NAR leaders as filling the highest office in church government above prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Thus, they are often referred to as the movement’s “generals.”

The primary role of prophets, as taught in the NAR movement, is to receive new divine revelation. Thus, prophets are seen by many NAR leaders as filling the second highest office in church government, second only to the apostles.

3. The “Gospel of the Kingdom” is the NAR teaching that God, through Christ’s death and resurrection, has made the way for Christians to take dominion of the earth. This is a redefined gospel in contrast to the gospel of salvation from sin that, historically, has been taught by evangelicals.

NAR apostles and prophets teach that it is the task of the church — under the leadership of apostles and prophets — to take dominion of the earth. According to NAR teaching, God originally gave humanity dominion of the eartha dominion that was lost at the Fall. Since that time, God has been seeking a people to reclaim that lost dominion.

4. Many NAR apostles and prophets claim that God has revealed a new strategy for taking dominion of the nations — a strategy they call the “Seven Mountain Mandate.” According to this revelation, the way to take dominion is by taking control of the seven most influential societal institutions — called “mountains” — which are identified as government, media, family, business/finance, education, church/religion, and arts/entertainment.

5. Strategic-level spiritual warfare” is an NAR strategy for spiritual warfare. It involves the attempt to cast out powerful evil spirits — called “territorial spirits” — that are believed to rule over geographical regions of the earth and societal institutions. The strategy is based on the NAR belief that territorial spirits must be cast out before the “Gospel of the Kingdom” can go forth successfully and the church can take dominion.

6. Spiritual mapping is the practice of conducting research into the history of a specific city or nation to discover the identity of the territorial spirit that rules over that particular geographical region of the earth. Once the identity of the territorial spirit is determined, then other practices of strategic-level spiritual warfare are used to cast it out.

7. Warfare prayer and warfare worship are NAR practices in which prayer and musical worship as viewed as spiritual weapons, and they are employed to combat territorial spirits and call down judgment on unbelievers.

8. Prayerwalking is the NAR practice of forming a team of people to walk through a neighborhood or city and engage in warfare prayer against the territorial spirit ruling over that particular geographical region.

9. Identificational repentance is the NAR practice of repenting of corporate sins that are believed to have “polluted the land.” That is to say, NAR leaders believe that corporate sins such as slavery, genocide or abortion have given territorial spirits “entry points” by which they have gained control of cities and nations.

(Source: Apoligetics Index - New Apostolic Reformation)