Charles Peter Wagner – Neocharismatic Movement
Introduction
Charles Peter Wagner is considered a Christian theologian. Around 1980 he began the movement known as the Neocharismatic movement. He also created the expression the “Third Wave”, which referred to being baptized by the Holy Spirit. (Maseko. 2008).
Charles Peter Wagner introduced the concept that God has established the plan for the earth, and the apostles will execute that plan. Wagner moves the same direction as the Latter Rain Pentecostal movement.
Wagner and his followers insist the Rapture of the church is the spiritual return of the Spirit which comes first, without the physical return of Christ. His followers believe the government of the church becomes the government of God’s on earth. They claim the people are controlled as judges, rulers, and warriors and are exercising their kingdom by the authority of supernatural powers greater than the original Apostles. They claim this is to bring in a global kingdom rule. It is only after this is done by the Global Harvest Mission conveying the philosophy of the Latter Rain Movement that Jesus will come back. They teach it is the new apostles and prophets that are going to lead the church into this new era, this great revival that will be the last revival. (Olson. 2004).
Charles Peter Wagner is the founder and President of Global Harvest Ministries and the co-founder of the World Prayer Center. He is the Chancellor of the Wagner Leadership Institute. He was a professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission. (Olson. 2004).
The Wagner Leadership Institute was founded in 1998 and equips people for leadership positions in churches. It tries to meet the needs of leaders who have become a part of the New Apostolic Reformation. Charles Peter Wagner and his wife Doris served as missionaries in Bolivia under the South American Mission. (Olson. 2004).
Charles Peter Wagner sees the New Apostolic Reformation as an extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit. He teaches that the New Apostolic Reformation is not only changing, but also shaping Christianity globally. He believes it is the Lord who is establishing the foundations of the church for the new millennium with the foundation being placed upon the apostles and prophets. Wagner began hearing the Holy Spirit speak about restoring apostles and prophets as the foundation of the church in 1990. He believes he has the gift of apostle and therefore holds the office of apostle. (Wagner. 1988).
The Global Harvest Ministries under the leadership of Charles Peter Wagner is in the role of global prayer and world evangelization. Developing apostolic leadership in the church today is a primary function of the Global Harvest Ministries. He claims the Spirit is speaking to the Churches God has given unto the Global Harvest Ministries to communicate to the body of Christ some of the new things the Spirit is saying to the churches. He believes the Global Harvest Ministries is a vehicle for the spreading, intercession, deliverance of the New Apostolic Reformation. They try to blanket the nations with opportunities through conferences to learn what the Spirit is saying to the churches. (Wagner. 1988).
Charles Peter Wagner is the Presiding Apostle over the International Coalition of Apostles. They meet every December in Dallas. He convenes the New Apostolic Roundtable group once a year in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Membership for the New Apostolic roundtable is by personal invitation from Wagner. Wagner has appointed Chuck Pierce as prophetic counsel. The Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders is a select group of prophets who need to build personal relationships with other prophets of the same status. They meet once a year in Colorado Springs Colorado. The Apostolic Roundtable for Deliverance Ministers meets regularly each year in Colorado Springs Colorado. (Wagner. 1988).
History
Charles Peter Wagner became a Professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Missions in 1971. While at the Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Missions, Wagner served on many different oriented ministries including the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization from 1974 to 1989, the American Society of Missiology and the American Lausanne committee. He was the founding president of the American Society for Church Growth. (Wagner. 1988).
Charles Peter Wagner is associated with many different global movements of the Holy Spirit. John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, also went to Fuller Seminary. Together Wagner and Wimber co-instructed the course “Signs, Wonders and Church Growth”. Wagner is an advocate of praying for the sick, spiritual mapping, ministry and roles of apostles and prophets in the church today, identificational repentance, and demonic deliverance. Charles Peter Wagner is considered a pioneer of spiritual warfare. (Schmidt. 2011).
The global Harvest Ministries was established in 1991 with the help of his wife Doris and Luis Bush. Ted Haggard was the pastor of New Life Church and convinced the Global Harvest Ministry Office to move from California to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Luis Bush had his offices in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Charles Peter Wagner partnered with Ted Haggard in establishing the World Prayer Center. The Wagner’s moved in 1996 to Colorado. They had Chuck Pierce take the leadership role for Global Harvest Ministry. (Schmidt. 2011).
The World Prayer Center was dedicated in 1998. The focus of the Global Harvest Ministry is to make the churches aware that the Holy Spirit is working to bring His church to its ultimate destiny. This will be done by establishing the prophets and apostles in the church. Wagner believes the second apostolic age began in 2001. The government of the church has not been in place until the 2001 date. Wagner believes the apostles and prophets have been around but not recognized by the churches. This belief comes from the revival of the Latter Rain Movement of the 1940’s. Wagner teaches the Christian churches have functioned within traditional denomination but should be functioning now in the five-fold ministry with apostles and prophets over the pastors and elders of the church. He believes the apostles bring spiritual government to the pastors of the city and the pastors of the city can do the job that God has given them to do. (Wagner. 2000).
Charles Peter Wagner believes he is the first Restored Apostle and the leader of the New Apostolic Reformation Movement. This is a movement in Protestant Christianity that has grown out of the Charismatic Movement and the Pentecostal Movement. They believe God is restoring the church government to the offices of prophet and apostle.
Charles Peter Wagner introduced the concept that God has established the plan for the earth the apostles shall execute that plan. Wagner is moving the same direction of the Latter Rain. Wagner insists the Rapture of the church is the spiritual return of the Spirit which comes first without a physical return of Christ. They believe the government of the church becomes the government of God’s on earth. They claim the people are controlled as judges, rulers and warriors and are exercising their kingdom by the authority of supernatural powers greater than the original apostles. They claim this is to bring in a global kingdom rule. It is only after this is done by the Global Harvest Mission conveying the philosophy of the Latter Rain Movement that Jesus will come back. They teach it is the new apostles and prophets that are going to lead the church into this new era, this great revival that will be the last revival. (Wagner. 2000).
An apostle is defined as being a Christian leader who is gifted then taught then commissioned and finely sent by God with the authority to institute the foundational government of the church. These apostles do have an area of specialty so they can hear what the Spirit is saying to the church and set things in the order according to where any given church is in their growth and in their maturity. Unlike the traditional Christian church that use church council or general assemblies to dictate the growth and the mission of the church the New Apostolic Christianity uses the spiritual authority that is delegated by the Holy Spirit to individuals. Wagner stresses the Five Fold Offices of the church are first apostles, then prophets, then teachers, then evangelists and last pastors. The Government of the New Apostolic Reform has two divisions the vertical and the horizontal apostles and there are subdivisions within these divisions. Wagner stresses there are different functions of the apostles. Apostle is defined as being a Christian leader. (Wagner. 2000).
The Vertical Apostles includes the Ecclesiastical apostles who are given the authority over a specific area of interest including a number of churches in a network headed by the apostle. The functional apostles are given authority over those who have an ongoing ministry in a specific area of interest of service that has defined boundaries of participation. The Apostolic Team Members are apostles whose ministry is in conjunction with an apostle who is viewed as the leader of a team of one or more of the different levels of other vertical apostles. They may be assigned to another specific area of interest by the leading apostle. Congregational apostles are apostles who function as senior pastors of dynamic fast growing churches with large numbers over 800 in the congregation. (Wagner. 2000).
The Horizontal Apostles includes the Convening apostles who are apostles who have authority to call together other leaders who minister in a defined field. Ambassadorial apostles are apostles who travel from place to place being nurture’s the apostolic movement on a large scale. The Mobilizing apostles are apostles who have the authority to take leadership in bringing together those qualified leaders into the body of Christ for a specific reason such as a cause or a project. The Territorial apostles are apostles who have been given authority for leading a particular segment of the body of Christ in a given territorial area such as a city or state. (Wagner. 2000).
Belief
The expression Third Wave was created by Charles Peter Wagner around 1980. The Third Wave involves those Christians who have received Pentecostal type experiences. The Third Wavers do not claim association with either the Charismatic or Pentecostal movement. (Maseko. 2008).
First Wave occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century with the Pentecostal movement. This movement began with the Azusa Street Revival. Those associated with the First Wave preached the “baptism with the Holy Spirit” and claimed it is a separate experience to conversion. They believe conversion must be accompanied with the speaking of tongues to be genuine. (Stetzer. 2013).
The Second Wave occurred during the 1960’s as the Charismatic movement. It spread to the mainline Protestant Denominations and the Catholic Church. The Word of faith movement is part of this Second Wave Movement. (Maseko. 2008).
The Third Wave happened in the middle of 1980 and is associated with the ministry of Wagner and the Vineyard Movement under the leadership of John Wimber. Expressions of this movement are the Toronto Blessing and Eternal Grace. Those associated with the Third Wave identify “baptism with the Spirit” with conversion. It does not refer to a second experience of receiving the Spirit. They stress an ongoing experience with the Spirit. They do not emphasize speaking in tongues. The leaders of the Third Wave would not speak in tongues. (Stetzer. 2013).
There are many Christians especially the conservative Pentecostals who reject this movement and claim it is as unbiblical as the Latter Rain Movement, the Manifest Sons of God teaching and the Kingdom Now theology. (Maseko. 2008).
The teaching of the New Apostolic Reforms teaches the belief of an ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit within a believer that will enable them to perform miracles, especially those of healing and prophecy. They see the church as the true body of saved believers. (Geivett. 2014).
The teaching of the New Apostolic Reforms believe in the Five Fold Offices of the church which is found in many Charismatic groups. They believe the Five Fold Offices of the church are first apostles, then prophets, then teachers, then evangelists and last pastors. (Geivett. 2014).
References:
Geivett, R. Douglas, Pivec, Holly. (2014). A New Apostolic Reformation? Weaver Book Company.
Maseko, Achim. (2008). Church Schism & Corruption. South Africa; Church Schism.
Olson, Roger E. (2004). The Westminster Handbook to Evangelical Theology. Louisville, Kentucky; Westminster John Knox Press.
Schmidt, Ken M. (2011). “Not Afraid To Tell the Truth”. Xlibris Corporation.
Stetzer, Ed. (2013). “What is the Third Wave Charismatic Movement?” Retrieved from
http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2013/october/third-wave.html
Wagner, C. Peter. (1988). The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit. Servant Pubns. ISBN 0892836016
Wagner, C. Peter. (2000). Apostles and Prophets: The Foundation of the Church. Bloomington, Minnesota; Chosen Books.
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MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Charles Peter Wagner:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Apr 2015.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2797,>.
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Holstein, Joanne (2015, April) “Charles Peter Wagner:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2797,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “Charles Peter Wagner:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (April), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2797, (accessed).
