Holly Pivec of Spirit of Error offers 5 tips for identifying NAR churches in your neighborhood. For example, NAR churches often provide links to other NAR websites or advertise their upcoming conferences — but not always. As well “they might share the leaders’ Facebook comments or even invite them to speak at their church. Any church that invites Bill Johnson to speak is almost certainly steeped in NAR,” says Pivec.
The following tips will help point Bereans (Acts 17:11) in the right direction:
After I speak about the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and its dangers, a question I’m often asked is, “Do you think there are any NAR churches where I live?” My answer is “Almost certainly. Churches that hold to NAR beliefs can be found in pretty much every city and town.”
The next question is, “How do I know which churches those are?” That’s a very good question since most NAR churches don’t put the words “New Apostolic Reformation” on their street sign or website. So how are you supposed to know if they’re part of NAR?
Here are five tips to help you locate NAR churches your area. Keep in mind that some of these churches have formally joined an “apostolic network”–that is, a network of churches that’s governed by an apostle or group of apostles. These are typically hardcore NAR churches, and may be easier to identify. Yet many other churches have come under significant NAR influence, even though they have not formally joined an apostolic network. These churches may be part of a Pentecostal denomination, such as the Assemblies of God or Foursquare Church. Or they may be independent charismatic churches that are not affiliated with any denomination. These tips will help you locate those NAR-influenced churches, too.
5 Tips for Identifying NAR Churches
Search the Internet using the name of your town or city along with the keywords “church” and “apostolic” or “prophetic” or “fivefold ministry” (also sometimes hyphenated as “five-fold ministry”). Be aware that the search term “apostolic” might provide links to churches that are not generally associated with NAR, but rather use the word “apostolic” to refer to their conviction that they hold to the teachings of Christ’s original apostles. For this reason–in addition to a church’s use of the word “apostolic”–it’s helpful to look for additional signs of NAR beliefs. Continue reading
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