IS THE MODERN APOSTOLIC/PROPHETIC MOVEMENT DISCONNECTED FROM PASTORS AND LOCAL CHURCH?
—By Mark & Nicki Pfeifer
There seems to be a disconnect that exists somewhere between the modern Apostolic/Prophetic Movement and many local churches and their leaders – especially in the emerging generations.
Many pastors are hesitant to affiliate with things apostolic and prophetic because it seems irrelevant (if not a hindrance) to their goals.
This has put our movement in danger of becoming marginalized. It seems we have not communicated, in clear and practical terms, how embracing the apostolic and prophetic can help pastors strengthen and grow their churches.
Local church is the foundational expression of communal Christianity around the world. It is the fundamental connection that most believers have with Body of Christ. Cities where strong local churches exist are more greatly impacted by the Kingdom of God.
If Christ is the cornerstone of the church and apostles and prophets are its foundation, then our mission should be to serve pastors and their churches in our common commission of making disciples.
IF THE MODERN APOSTOLIC/PROPHETIC MOVEMENT IS DISCONNECTED FROM PASTORS AND LOCAL CHURCHES, HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
Here are some reasons why…
1. Some Apostolic and Prophetic Leaders treated the Five-fold Ministry like a hierarchy
In the Apostolic Movement, pastoring a local church fell out of favor as church leaders wanted to become apostles. Pastoring was considered by some to be a lower rank compared to emerging apostles and prophets.
Instead of a company of equals in the Five-fold Ministry, it was often viewed as a hierarchy with apostles sitting on top.
Some Apostolic Leaders wanted to disassociate themselves entirely from being called a pastor of a local church. They wanted to climb the ecclesiastical ladder to the upper echelons of ministry and be known as apostles.
Being a pastor was looked down upon. Leading a local church was passé. Being introduced as a pastor was like being introduced as a minor league ball player.
2. Some Apostolic and Prophetic Leaders lacked love for people.
Almost two decades ago, I was sitting around a table with about 30 or so Apostolic Leaders. As the introductions started, the first participant introduced himself as an apostle that God had delivered from pastoring.
Everyone chuckled and the introductions continued.
The next person said the same thing, and everyone chuckled again.
Knowing how preachers can’t miss an opportunity for a good laugh, it became a running joke around the table. The next 20 or so leaders all claimed that God had graciously delivered them from pastoring a local church.
One man even testified he knew God called him to be an apostle when he discovered how much he didn’t like people. This was evidence of his apostolic gift!
This is a far cry from what Paul said in I Thessalonians 2:7-8, “But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”
Or what Paul also said in Galatians 4:19, “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you.”
We need to rethink this whole line of thought!
3. Some Apostolic and Prophetic Leaders developed a cynical attitude towards local churches – especially the big ones!
I’ve noticed a trend today among some of the Apostolic and Prophetic Leaders who are on social media. They love criticizing the church. They find obvious faults and shortcomings and point them out with a condescending and cynical attitude.
Body shaming the Bride of Christ has become a popular sport among some of these folks!
And the big ones are the easiest targets!
It seems some who claim to be apostles and prophets believe that large, growing churches are somehow innately unspiritual. To build such a large ministry, they conclude, pastors must be compromising the gospel somehow.
Leaders of these churches must be resorting to entertainment in order to attract these big crowds, they assume.
When it comes to local church, big is bad and small is good.
This is certainly not all Apostolic and Prophetic Leaders – probably a small minority – but there are distinct groups of ecclesiastical critics who have found their preferred platform on social media and their targets are local churches and pastors.
What I’ve noticed about nearly all of these clerical commentators, is that they’ve never built or led an organization of any significant size. It appears that talking about it is just as important to them as doing it…
…which brings to the next point.
4. Some Apostolic and Prophetic Leaders are more concerned with building their messaging than they are building the church.
Some of the spokespeople in our movement have never led a local church. It’s hard for them to see the value of church-life since they have never really experienced it. They see the local churches as little more than gathering places for their conferences.
They have built a reputation and a following, but not a church.
These leaders craft new messages almost every year. It’s usually codified in the pages of a new book they’ve published. Conferences are scheduled around its release and enthusiastic participants eagerly wait to hear the author’s new revelation or prophetic word.
Last year’s truth is quickly swallowed up in the wake of this year’s new truth.
✔️ A new season without any thought of whether they matured in the last one.
✔️ A new level without ever completing the tasks on the previous level.
✔️ A new word from God without obeying the last word He gave.
It seems we have become very comfortable with a mode of Christianity that celebrates new theories without the burden of executing them on a practical level.
It’s like a physicist that can measure the angle, speed and arc of a curve ball but can’t throw one. People in the stands are calling for a pitcher who can throw the ball with skill while we keep giving them theories on a whiteboard.
Information brokering has become a way of life for the many in the Apostolic and Prophetic Movement these days. We are in danger of becoming a bureau of professional talkers, academicians, and theoreticians.
We have unfortunately overlooked the necessity making our revelations work on a practical level in the local church.
Consequently, many Apostolic and Prophetic Leaders have lost touch with the needs of pastors and their congregations.
We have produced a people who have itching ears to hear something new, forever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of truth, experts in hearing the word but novices in doing it.
5. Pastors don’t always like what they see when their parishioners return from apostolic and prophetic conferences.
Sometimes the people who attend our conferences can cause unnecessary problems in their local churches. Running high on the adrenalin of enthusiasm, many of them desire to change the environment of their local church into what they experienced at the conference.
Not understanding the difference between a functioning church that meets weekly and a room full of conference attendees, they try to duplicate on Sunday what they experienced on Saturday.
And it does not work!
They come across as weird and out of place. Others in the room who didn’t share their conference experience have trouble understanding what’s going on. They have no context for this new behavior. It feels odd and out of place. People get scared. They became reluctant to bring their unsaved family and friends into such an environment.
Pastors not only become alarmed at what they see from those who attended the conference, but also at those who are heading towards the exits.
Pastors who experience frustration of this kind associate the pain of decreasing numbers with the Apostolic/Prophetic Movement. To them, it’s more trouble than it was worth.
WHERE ARE PASTORS GOING, THEN?
Many pastors, especially young ones, are going elsewhere to find their tribe.
Movements and organizations that value strong local churches are especially attractive to them. What these leaders find in these affiliations are ways in which to plant and grow strong local churches that maximize their influence in the community.
Many of these leaders have come from churches and ministries that traditionally associate with the Apostolic/Prophetic Movement. But they couldn't see how affiliating with our movement could help them grow the kind of church they wanted.
So, they have chosen to associate with other organizations that value pastors and local church more than we have in the past.
These leaders are planting successful churches, establishing networks, building multiple campuses, and influencing cities – all of which is very apostolic.
If we want those kinds of leaders in our ranks, we must communicate clearly and practically how connecting with the apostolic and prophetic can enhance their lives, bless their families and grow their churches.
WHAT CAN THE MODERN APOSTOLIC/PROPHETIC MOVEMENT OFFER PASTORS AND LOCAL CHURCHES?
This is the questions we took up recently at the USCAL Region 3 Roundtable held at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia on April 8 &9, 2024.
Here are our findings in a nutshell from general observations to the more specific ones…
GENERAL APOSTOLIC BENEFITS: On the whole, being apostolically connected helps pastors and churches remain outwardly focused.
Pastors can become inwardly focused and ingrown as they care for their sheep. Being connected to apostolic figures keeps the church focused on its mission, impacting their communities.
GENERAL PROPHETIC BENEFITS: On the whole, being prophetically connected helps pastors and churches remain focused and dependent on the Holy Spirit instead of their own abilities.
Pastors can be practical and pragmatic in their approach. They can get caught up in the details of running a church day after day. Being connected to the prophetic gift keeps them focused on spiritual things, putting first things first, while ministering to their congregation in deeper, more spiritual ways.
Further, we came to the conclusion in the USCAL Region 3 Roundtable that the members of ICAL and USCAL can offer pastors and local churches the following specific benefits…
1. We offer spiritual parenting. Many leaders desire to connect with spiritual fathers and mothers. Our members can provide that blessing at a very high level.
2. We offer problem solving. Many of our members have planted and built strong and healthy churches. They have the necessary skills and experience that can be transferred and replicated successfully by other leaders.
3. We offer accountability. There has never been a time when the Body of Christ needs accountability more than today! Our members can provide such relationships where accountability flows from a heart of a parent and not from legalistic control.
4. We offer a way to be Biblically and theologically aligned. If a leader is truly interested in creating a Biblical church that will stand the test of time – one modelled after the New Testament – then a fully functioning five-fold ministry is necessary. It provides all the components for maturity that Jesus set in the church upon His ascension.
5. We offer a unique tribe. There is no movement quite like the modern Apostolic/Prophetic Movement – and there is not a better organization to serve as one of its platforms than ICAL/USCAL. The Apostolic/Prophetic Movement is courageous and on the cutting edge. It is combines the wisdom of spiritual parents with the energy of youthful enthusiasm.
🔥 People in this movement are bold and unafraid.
🔥 People in this movement are radical and on fire.
🔥 People in this movement are informed and strategic.
There is none like it!
CONCLUSION
I am a churchman through and though.
Unapologetically!
And so is Nicki!
Although we are an apostolic and prophetic team, we love local church-life. We thrive in it! We love nearly everything about it.
We enjoy leading people, teaching people, mentoring people, and equipping people.
We love helping people discover their gifts, seeing families thrive, watching their careers take off, and celebrating their achievements.
We love salvations and baptisms. We love street ministry and community outreach. We love the homeless and those in recovery. We love watching them find love, help, and deliverance.
We love weddings and baby dedications. We love watching multi-generational blessings passed from one generation to another in the families we serve.
We love church planting, church planters and the people they gather. We love watching them grow and reach their full potential. We love supporting pastors in personal lives, their marriages, their families, and their gift. We love helping them and their churches thrive and grow.
We believe in local church. We think it is the centerpiece of the Kingdom of God. We believe that what God does on the earth comes to and through local church. We believe the answers to all society’s problems are found inside the local church.
That’s why Nicki and I have dedicated our lives to the people we shepherd.
We love them!
And I think God does too!
THE END