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61-771: Newfrontiers (previously New Frontiers International ) is a neo-charismatic church network of evangelical, charismatic churches founded by Terry Virgo . It forms part of the British New Church Movement , which began in the late 1950s and 1960s combining features of Pentecostalism with British evangelicalism . Other streams of the British New Church Movement with which it shares some features include Together , Ministries Without Borders , and Life-Links . Groups like Pioneer , Ichthus Christian Fellowship , and Vineyard are more distantly related. Newfrontiers describes itself as "

122-549: A "Theological Statement", outlining key distinctives. They are outlined below: Newfrontiers believes in the absolute truthfulness, sufficiency and final authority of Scripture. This value is expressed through the Bible having the central place in governing doctrine, practice, ethos and patterns of church life. Newfrontiers believes that the message of grace and the gospel is central to the Christian life and local church. Salvation

183-660: A 2007 study which "set out to examine the psychological type profile of Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches in the United Kingdom and to compare this profile with the established profile of clergymen in the Church of England". One of the conclusions: There is a toughness about this style of leadership that is unlikely to be distracted by opposition. The disadvantage is that this style of leadership can leave some individuals hurt and marginalised for what

244-536: A complementary view of gender, and therefore adhere to gender-specific roles that preclude women from specific functions of ministry within the community. Though women may be precluded from certain roles and ministries, they still hold foundational equality in value and dignity. The phrase used to describe this is "ontologically equal, functionally different." Within a Judeo-Christian marital relationship, complementarianism prescribes headship and servant leading roles to men, and support roles to women, being based upon

305-400: A group of apostolic leaders partnering together on global mission, joined by common values and beliefs, shared mission and genuine relationships ". Its theology is distinctively Reformed . Newfrontiers is committed to building churches according to "New Testament principles". One of the slogans of the movement has been "changing the expression of Christianity around the world", which is based on

366-565: A mutual love for and commitment to Jesus Christ , a commitment to justice as a biblical ideal, a devotion to Scripture as being God-inspired, and a desire to see the world embrace the gospel of Christ. They are divided by worldviews that CBE sees as reflecting the moral teachings of God and their purposes in this world. CBE maintains that these differing views have "enormous consequences". CBE President Mimi Haddad asserts that Christians are divided over patriarchy as they once were over slavery . She characterizes those divisions as different views of

427-555: A power imbalance that facilitates abuse. Hannah Paasch, one of the people who started the #ChurchToo hashtag, argues that complementarianism "feeds the rape culture " in aspects of American Christianity influenced by Western secular society. Supporters of complementarian ideas counter that good leadership on the part of males, as demanded by the Bible, precludes and forbids abuse. John Piper argues that complementarianism's prescription of protective male leadership helps protect women from sexual abuse. Differentiation of women's roles on

488-590: A prophecy given to the movement in 1990 by Paul Cain , a Latter Rain revivalist. In the early days of the movement a Bible week called "The Downs" was held at Plumpton Racecourse each year. This was replaced by "Stoneleigh Bible Week", which was held at the National Agricultural Centre showground. After the Stoneleigh Bible Week was stopped, a number of smaller more regional events were started, such as "North Camp" which

549-466: A semi-annual academic journal called the Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood . New feminism is a predominantly Catholic philosophy which emphasizes a belief in an integral complementarity of men and women, rather than the superiority of men over women or women over men. Difference feminism is a philosophy that stresses that men and women are ontologically different versions of

610-601: A text that "will help to fortify every believer intent on winning this battle", defines spiritual warfare as The reality that the advance of the gospel and the building of the church involve us in attacking and experiencing counter-attack in relation to real cosmic forces of darkness under the control of Satan who is also described as the god of this world. Since 2011, Newfrontiers has been split into spheres under their own apostolic leadership. These include Nigel Wright believes that Newfrontiers and other British restorationists are claiming too much when they speak of "restoring

671-605: Is a work of God from start to finish. Newfrontiers believes in continuationism , that all spiritual gifts are available today. Newfrontiers believes being indwellt and being filled with the Holy Spirit are two distinct experiences. In each local church leadership is expressed in a plurality of local (male) elders (though generally one of the elders takes a leading or senior role), often with multiple staff. Newfrontiers believes that all Ephesians 4 ministeries operate today and congregants are encouraged to use their giftings in

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732-561: Is believed to have taken place historically or currently. Territorial spirits are a related concept. One scholar notes that while spiritual warfare did not hold a major role in broader evangelicalism, Wagner's Spiritual Warfare Network of the 1980s led to it quickly and significantly gaining importance in evangelicalism. This occurred to such a degree that "the new ideas on spiritual warfare became so entrenched that many Christians would have had no conception that they were only recently implemented. Proponents contributed to this by claiming there

793-514: Is broad and diverse and includes any group that is not considered Pentecostal or Charismatic but still emphasizes the power of the Holy spirit and supernatural signs and wonders. Pentecostals comprise Pentecostal denominations, charismatics bring Pentecostal tendencies to mainline denominations, but Neo-charismatics are indigenous, independent, post- and non-denominational Christian groups without formal denominational ties. The term non-denominational

854-461: Is considered to have the God-given responsibility to provide for, protect, and lead his family. A wife is to collaborate with her husband, respect him, and serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. Complementarians assert that the Bible instructs husbands to lead their families as Head of Household, and to love their wives as Christ loves the Church. They cite

915-424: Is mostly female. Not surprisingly, the international think tank, The Millennium Project, which tackles humanity’s most challenging problems, recognizes gender equality and empowering women (in other words, dismantling patriarchy) as 'essential for addressing the global challenges facing humanity'. Patriarchy does not advance God’s justice, but is an injustice that must be overcome. "Dismantling patriarchy will require

976-669: Is neither higher nor lower than the role of the other: they are simply different." Contrasting this, the Reform Jewish movement is entirely egalitarian, both in services and in daily life. In North America, the Conservative movement is likewise predominantly egalitarian. Although egalitarianism has been adopted in services and life by some of Orthodox Jewry , complementarianism continues to be more prevalent in Orthodox communities. The Baháʼí Faith proclaims that equality

1037-547: Is not to deny that differences in function between women and men exist but rather to affirm the complementary roles men and women fulfill in the home and society at large. "The world of humanity is possessed of two wings: the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary attainment for humanity will not be realized; humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real attainment. When

1098-599: Is one of the originators of "spiritual mapping," which is a practice among some third wave adherents that includes uncovering the histories of buildings and geographical locations to understand how those histories might be contributing to demonic possession in the present. In 2002, some 19,000 denominations or groups, with approximately 295 million individual adherents, were identified as Neo-charismatic. In terms of congregational governance, no single form, structure, or style of church service characterizes all Neo-charismatic services and churches. The Neo-charismatic categorization

1159-590: Is seen by the leadership as the overall benefit to the organisation. In February 2016, musician Joseph Coward wrote an article for Vice Magazine, in which he described a now disbanded Newfrontiers church. He claimed that it had "all the hallmarks of a cult". Neo-charismatic movement The "first wave" of Charismatic Christianity is Pentecostalism, which originated in Kansas, US in 1901, and later spread to Texas, Los Angeles, and then to other countries. Pentecostals formed their own churches and organizations, but by

1220-558: Is sometimes also referred to as deliverance ministries because a person or object is "delivered" or saved from an evil spiritual force. Spiritual mapping , a subset of practices under the broad umbrella of spiritual warfare, is the process by which defiled land, houses, and churches are discovered through careful observation of the history of the region and are subsequently illustrated on a map. A relatively well-known example of this type of spiritual mapping occurred in Amarillo, Texas, by

1281-574: Is the supreme authority and guide for men and women, so that no earthly submission—domestic, religious, or civil—ever implies a mandate to follow a human authority into sin." The expression Sponsa Christi is sometimes used by complementarian denominations such as the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod . They claim that the apostle Paul advocated such views in the New Testament. According to Catholic doctrine, Christ symbolizes

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1342-422: Is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood teaches that "Christ

1403-701: Is used more often by churches than the Neo-charismatic term. Members of the Neo-charismatic movement, like those in the Pentecostal movement and Charismatic movement, believe in and stress the post-biblical availability of gifts of the Holy Spirit . These spiritual gifts, or charismata , frequently include but are not limited to glossolalia (speaking in tongues), healing , and prophecy . Additionally, Neo-charismatic Christians practice

1464-472: The Calvary Chapel movement. The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) is the primary evangelical Christian organization that exists to promote the complementarian view of gender issues. CBMW's current president is Denny Burk who is also a professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce Bible College , the undergraduate wing of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary . The CBMW published

1525-610: The New Apostolic Reformation , seek to restructure their church organization to actively include apostles and prophets . Various Christian groups have criticized the Pentecostal and charismatic movement for too much attention to mystic manifestations such as glossolalia and to anti-intellectualism . In 2013, the Evangelical pastor John F. MacArthur criticized the charismatic movement on several points which he said were "patently unbiblical", including

1586-605: The Southern Baptist Convention , Presbyterian Church in America , Anglican Diocese of Sydney , the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (Australia) , Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod , Roman Catholic Church , Conservative Mennonites , Newfrontiers , Jehovah's Witnesses , Evangelical Free Church of America , Christian and Missionary Alliance , Sovereign Grace Ministries , and

1647-476: The laying on of hands and seek the "infilling" of the Holy Spirit , although a specific experience of baptism with the Holy Spirit may not be requisite for experiencing such gifts. Neo-charismatic practices look very similar to Pentecostal and Charismatic practices, but the terminology used by Neo-charismatics to describe their practices is distinctly different from the typical terminology used by Pentecostals and Charismatics. Many Neo-charismatics believe that

1708-548: The "Third Wave" and is a theoretician of the Church Growth Movement , advocated for the principle of spiritual warfare against demons through his book Spiritual Power and Church Growth . John Wimber , who founded the Association of Vineyard Churches in 1982, put forward the principle of "miraculous healing" as an element of the Christian life in his book Power Healing . The current of "power evangelism"

1769-592: The "end times" are near, practice intercessory prayer that invokes the power of the Holy Spirit, and view their work as helping to transform the Church into the Kingdom of God on earth. The practices and beliefs listed below are common but not universal among Neo-charismatics, but the diversity of churches and opinions means none necessarily adhere to all the following. The fight against spiritual demons that are deemed to exist occupies an important place in Neo-charismatic teachings and prayers. The exorcising of demons

1830-437: The 1960s their emphasis on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and signs and wonders began to influence mainline Protestant denominations and the "second wave," or the charismatic movement, began. The Neo-charismatic movement, dubbed the "third wave", dates from the early 1980s and was a result of the growth of Pentecostal experiences among independent and indigenous Christian groups. Although the Neo-charismatic movement emerged in

1891-662: The 1980s, many churches in Africa were already exhibiting Neo-charismatic tendencies in the early twentieth century as some churches combined indigenous cosmologies with what are called the gifts of the Holy Spirit . The greatest concentration of Neo-charismatic churches is found in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In some regions, especially Africa and Latin America, Neo-charismatics are sometimes condemned by Pentecostals and Charismatics for their spiritual practices or for combining local cosmologies with Christian beliefs. Peter Wagner , who originally called this form of Christianity

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1952-412: The Bible as instructing wives to respect their husbands' leadership out of reverence for Christ. The husband is also meant to hold moral accountability for his wife and to exhibit a sacrificial love for her. The wife is meant to respond to her husband's love for her with love in-kind and by receiving his service and leadership willingly. An example of the complementarian view of marriage can be found in

2013-575: The Catholic Church asserts that "God gives man and woman an equal personal dignity" but also that the harmony of society "depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual support between the sexes are lived out." The term "complementarianism" was first used by the founders of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood in 1988. The complementarian view of marriage asserts gender-based roles in marriage. A husband

2074-554: The Southern Baptist Convention's Baptist Faith and Message (2000) , an excerpt from which is quoted here: The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to his people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife

2135-560: The basis of religious beliefs are not unique to Christianity or Western culture. Different movements in Rabbinic Judaism, as distinct from Karaite Judaism , have adopted differing views in gender relations. The Lubavitcher Rebbe stated, "In the Divine plan for creation, men and women have distinct, diverse missions. These missions complement each other, and together bring the Divine plan to harmonious fruition. The role of one

2196-475: The blessings of salvation. Nevertheless, they strongly believe that certain governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men ( 1 Cor 14:33–38 ; 11:2–16 ; 1 Tim 2:11–15 ; 1 Timothy 3:1–7 ).” Most complementarians believe that women should not be ordained as pastors or as evangelists in some cases, while others believe that it is acceptable for women to be evangelists but not pastors. This would not support placing women in top leadership roles in

2257-502: The bridegroom, while the Church (Ecclesia) represents the bride. Based on their interpretation of certain scriptures complementarians view women's roles in ministry, particularly in church settings, as limited. The complementarian view holds that women should not hold church leadership roles that involve teaching or authority over men. For instance, Frank Page , a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention , has written that "...while both men and women are gifted for service in

2318-476: The church and are encouraged to do so. Newfrontiers do not believe that being gay is a sin, but that sexual acts of homosexuality are not acceptable. It strongly condemns homophobia. However, views differ from church to church. There have been claims that at least one Newfrontiers church has attempted to "cure" gay people, though these have been strongly disputed. A book by prominent Newfrontiers leader David Devenish on "spiritual warfare", praised by Terry Virgo as

2379-522: The church or family that would imply or provide any authority over men. Which other specific ministry roles are open to women varies among complementarians. In his article "Women Preachers, Divorce, and a Gay Bishop–What’s the Link?", Southern Baptist theologian and seminary president Albert Mohler asserts that "The arguments used in support of the ordination of women require the dismissal or 'reinterpretation' of specific biblical texts which disallow women in

2440-437: The church". In 1986, sociologist and church historian Andrew Walker wrote of Newfrontiers that "churches are far more centralised and controlled than those of… mainline charismatic fellowships… The situation seems slightly analogous to Japanese business practices: they… export with great success, but import virtually nothing from anybody else". In April 2009, the Journal of Beliefs and Values published an article reporting on

2501-512: The church, the office of Pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture" while the office of deacon are open to both men and women (excluding Catholicism) According to complementarianism, women are not completely forbidden from speaking within a church since Paul speaks about women prophesying inside the church. The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood holds that "[i]n the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in

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2562-422: The churches. Elders are also encouraged to receive apostolic oversight. Newfrontiers believes that Christian leadership should be godly, transparent and accessible. Newfrontiers operates with a form of congregationalism and regard the local church as the centre of God's mission and purposes. Local churches should be engaging with mission globally as well as reaching the poor and marginalised in society. All

2623-609: The college of the twelve apostles , and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry". Christian denominations that support some form of gender complementarity, either in church or the home, include many conservative Protestant denominations (as well as many non-denominational Protestant churches), the Catholic Church , and the Eastern Orthodox Church . Some groups that have outlined specific positions include

2684-528: The core values may be contextualised and adapted depending on the context of the local church. All Newfrontiers churches hold to a complementarian position on gender similar to that promoted by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood . This means that women are not elders or apostolic ministers. However, women are leaders – and in many churches actively preach, teach and are a part of decision making affecting local, regional and national church decisions. Women also hold positions in almost every other area in

2745-873: The four ecumenical creeds (the Apostles' Creed , the Nicene Creed , the Chalcedonian Definition , and the Athanasian Creed ). As protestants , Newfrontiers churches affirm the Heidelberg Catechism , but reject infant baptism. As a contemporary evangelical network, Newfrontiers also affirms the Evangelical Alliance statement of faith and the Lausanne Covenant . In 2024, Newfrontiers released

2806-422: The group Repent Amarillo . If traumatic or evil histories are believed to have been uncovered, mass exorcisms are sometimes organized intended to drive out territorial or historical demons in an ancestral line. "Prayerwalking" is another encouraged form of spiritual warfare among some Neo-charismatics, and is connected to spiritual mapping: believers pray against evil spirits while walking through areas where evil

2867-462: The home and in the Church." Many proponents and also opponents of complementarianism see the Bible as the infallible word of God. The complementarian position claims to uphold what has been the most traditional teaching on gender roles in the church. However, the terms traditionalist or hierarchicalist are usually avoided by complementarians, as the former "implies an unwillingness to let Scripture challenge traditional patterns of behavior", while

2928-514: The human being. According to Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE), an organization that adopts a Christian egalitarian approach, complementarianism "sidesteps the question at issue, which is not whether there are beneficial differences between men and women, but whether these differences warrant the inequitable roles, rights, and opportunities prescribed by advocates of gender hierarchy." CBE prefaces their criticism with acknowledgement of some positions they share in common with complementarians:

2989-725: The interpretation of certain biblical passages. One precept of complementarianism is that while women may assist in decision-making processes, the ultimate authority for the decision lies in the headship responsibility of the male. Its contrasting perspective is Christian egalitarianism , which holds that positions of authority and responsibility in marriage and religion should be equally available to both females and males. The Foundation Documents of The Gospel Coalition describes complementarianism as follows: In God’s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways. God ordains that they assume distinctive roles which reflect

3050-428: The latter "overemphasizes structured authority while giving no suggestion of equality or the beauty of mutual interdependence". Therefore, they prefer the term complementarian, "since it suggests both equality and beneficial differences". While they do not necessarily use the term "complementarianism", many Catholics are advocates of complementarianism with regard to the social doctrine of the Church . The Catechism of

3111-431: The loving relationship between Christ and the church, the husband exercising headship in a way that displays the caring, sacrificial love of Christ, and the wife submitting to her husband in a way that models the love of the church for her Lord. Complementarianism holds that "God has created men and women equal in their essential dignity and human personhood, but different and complementary in function with male headship in

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3172-597: The majority support for prosperity theology which led to moral and financial scandals; its proximity to the New Age movements where God is presented as a servant of the needs of believers; multiple false prophecies; and disorderly worship services. The Pentecostal General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God USA , George O. Wood , acknowledged that there had been isolated cases of erroneous behavior and teaching in Pentecostal and charismatic churches, but said that

3233-452: The movement had made a great contribution to evangelization in the world. Complementarian Complementarianism is a theological view in some denominations of Christianity , Rabbinic Judaism , and Islam , that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage , family, and religious life. Some Christians interpret the Bible as prescribing

3294-509: The nature, purpose, and value of humanity, all based on gender. Hierarchy in relationships was isolated as a factor that positively correlates with the acceptance of beliefs that facilitate abuse in a 2018 study by Jensen et al.; gender complementarianism was used as an indicator of hierarchical relations. Critics of complementarianism have argued that it can be abused to uphold abuse and reduces women's ability to hold male abusers accountable. Some have criticized complementarianism as promoting

3355-526: The saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ." In this passage, there are five "offices," including apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Pastors, teachers, and evangelists are commonly found in evangelical churches, but some Neo-charismatic groups and movements, like Five Fold Ministry and

3416-549: The sharing of the Gospel message, is more effective than evangelism without signs and is more similar to the type of evangelism that first-century Christians used. Some Neo-charismatics are interested in the reconfiguration of church leadership to reflect a structure they believe is upheld in Ephesians 4:11–13, "The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip

3477-429: The teaching office". He believes the same is true of arguments for the ordination of divorced persons and for homosexuals. Some traditionally Catholic countries have been called matriarchal because of the high value that was placed on women. Numerous women have been beatified and are venerated among the saints . However, the Catholic Church restricts ordination to men, since "The Lord Jesus chose men ( viri ) to form

3538-420: The two wings … become equivalent in strength, enjoying the same prerogatives, the flight of man will be exceedingly lofty and extraordinary". Related secular: Not at all. In what constitutes the largest human holocaust in history, two hundred million girls are missing from the world, primarily in places where patriarchy is most rampant. The face of poverty, abuse, disease, malnutrition, illiteracy, and hunger

3599-436: Was developed through the work of John Wimber and publicized through his book Power Evangelism . Together, Wagner and Wimber taught a course on Neo-charismatic spiritual gifts called "Signs, Wonders, and Church Growth" at Fuller Theological Seminary for four years starting in 1982. Wagner also popularized the concept of territorial spirits , in which demons are believed to rule over geographical locations. George Otis Junior

3660-689: Was held in the North of England near Teesside. After running for 10 years "North Camp" was to cease after the 2013 event. Then after two years it started again under a new name, 'Devoted'. Newday is a camping event attended by young people between the ages of 12 and 19. In 2011, Terry Virgo handed over leadership to a score of leaders worldwide, each of whom is described as being "free to develop his own strategies, training programs, and gospel advance". He also handed general oversight of Newfrontiers to Dave Devenish. In 2020, Dave Devenish handed general oversight of Newfrontiers to Steven Tibbert. Newfrontiers affirms

3721-459: Was historical precedent in Christian tradition." Neo-charismatic evangelism considers that " Signs and Wonders " can be brought about by Christians who have confessed their belief in the Holy Spirit and have been anointed to do miracles. Healing and financial prosperity are examples of "power encounters," or supernatural acts, that occur in this type of evangelism. Neo-charismatics believe power evangelism, in which supernatural wonders accompany

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