The New Apostolic Reformation

The New Apostolic Reformation is sometimes called the Second Apostolic Age. What is this new movement? Is it valid, Scripturally? Let’s look into this.

First let’s introduce the new movement and then critique it. I use the outline form for clarity and brevity.

All translations are from the NIV. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link: biblegateway.com.

I. New Movement

A. It promotes the ministry gift of apostle.

The leaders (e.g. C. Peter Wagner) believe that when apostles take their rightful place, the church can progress in the gospel. So who is an apostle?

B. One important definition

Dr. C. Peter Wagner defines apostle, as follows:

The gift of apostle is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to assume and exercise general leadership over a number of churches with an extraordinary authority in spiritual matters that is spontaneously recognized and appreciated by those churches. (Churchquake! p. 105, emphasis original)

Review of C. Peter Wagner’s Book ‘Churchquake’

C. Reply to this definition

The definition is too vague. Pastors and other leaders cannot just form, for example, a network out of already existing churches, and exercise “extraordinary authority” over them and call themselves apostles. But if various churches want to form an association because they share the same doctrine and ministry practices, then it seems best for the leader of the network to just encourage the other leaders in the other churches, but not exercise “extraordinary authority” over the other churches.

That latter term is also too vague in comparison with what an apostle really is. Paul did exercise authority over his church plants in unreached areas because the new converts needed guidance. But the new apostles today are claiming authority without earning it.

“Spontaneously recognized” is again too vague because it takes hard work to plant churches in unevangelized regions. All of these ambiguities can lead to many sorts of abuse of power.

No wonder so many apostles and apostolic leaders seem to be popping up everywhere nowadays.

II. Restrictions on Modern-Day Apostles

A. New Testament criteria for apostleship

Only missionaries who have seen the Lord, are commissioned by him, are called by the Spirit, break new ground with evangelism, live itinerant lives on the move, found churches that last in unreached areas, work signs and wonders, and are willing to bear the burden of suffering for the Lord–only they can claim the title apostle today. Let’s expand on those points.

B. Church planters in unevangelized regions

I believe that 1 Corinthians 12:28 opens the door to modern apostles because this ministry gift is listed among other ones. Ephesians 4:11 also seems open-ended, as well, because the church has not been equipped and attained maturity and unity, in our generation (vv. 12-13). However, apostles have to meet the criteria of missionary church planters, just as Paul and Barnabas did in Acts 13-14, with the other ones.

11 Two Genuine Apostles

Here comes some of the scriptural evidence. Paul on his personal missionary philosophy:

²⁰It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. (Rom. 15:20)

Those are the words of a true, biblical missionary-apostle.

Here the eleven are commissioned to go into all nations, proving that apostles are missionaries:

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. […] ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” […]. (Matt. 28:16-19)

In Acts 1:8, Jesus is commissioning the apostles (v. 3) to go to the ends of the earth, after they wait and minister in Jerusalem first:

⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

As noted, the Holy Spirit commissioned Paul and Barnabas to go on their (first) mission trip into unevangelized areas (Acts 13:2-3). Acts 13-14 describe their endeavors.

For more scriptures supporting the fact that apostles were missionaries in unevangelized areas and replies to objections, please see this post and scroll down to IV.H.

Do New Testament Apostles Exist Today?

C. The Spirit appoints and sends out mature disciples.

In Acts 13:1-3 the Spirit sent out Paul and Barnabas, and their prayer team confirmed this prophetic word and laid hands on them to go out into the mission field; they did not hang around the church at Antioch and claim extraordinary authority over it. Also, Paul received his commission from the risen Jesus (Acts 9:3-19).

And so we have to be careful here because It’s a sad fact that churches today who accept prophecy may be confused about its role. False prophets and prophecies and other excesses can infiltrate certain churches, as they untether themselves from Scripture.

However, let’s be hopeful that a given local church is doctrinally sound and not hyper-charismatic. In the case of sound churches, it is scriptural that the Spirit can commission mature disciples, and the local church can send them out into the mission field.

D. Signs and wonders in themselves ≠ apostleship

For those Renewalists today who claim the title of apostle by virtue of their working signs and wonders and miracles, these manifestations of God’s power are not sufficient by themselves to establish their claim. Many or anyone may potentially work them by the Spirit distributing them as he determines (1 Cor. 12:10). Even false disciples or preachers can do them (Matt 7:22-23). Apostles go into unevangelized areas and plant churches and meet the other criteria.

E. Vision and commission in themselves ≠ apostleship

Also, some of my fellow charismatics claim that they have seen a vision of Jesus who commissioned them to go tell everyone that he is coming soon and everyone must get right with God. I believe some (not all) of those stories. So they have seen the risen Jesus and been commissioned, but are they apostles?

To answer that last question and to sum up the latter two points (D and E), visions and commissions and signs and wonders are important elements of apostleship, but other factors have to come into play, namely, being missionaries to unevangelized regions. We can add one other factor: suffering from abuse and the itinerant, missionary lifestyle.

So, no, signs and wonders and a vision and commission from Jesus are not sufficient to earn the title apostle.

H. Willing to suffer?

The original apostles were willing and did (Matt 10:16-39; Mark 6:8-9; Luke 9:3-4; 10:3-4; 11:49; 1 Cor. 4:9-13; 2 Tim. 1:11-12; Rev. 18:20). Do men (and women) who call themselves apostles today really want to go through the same deprived, itinerant, unsettled lifestyle as Paul and Barnabas did in Acts 13-14? Suffer persecution as they did?

Once again:

11 Two Genuine Apostles

Think of a Christian missionary today going to a Japanese city, where the gospel is unknown and Shintoism is dominant. Think of areas in India where Hinduism is widespread, but Christ is unknown. Consider Africa, where satanic witches lord it over people, where Christianity is unknown. Even “peaceful” Buddhists sometimes attack Christian missionaries. In those extreme circumstances missionaries could (wrongly) be called “scum” or “garbage” (1 Cor. 4:13).

I. True apostles are not interlopers or usurpers

They do not come after the churches were started through the gospel in an unreached area and claim apostolic authority. Men came to Corinth to lure disciples away from Paul and his foundation and towards themselves (2 Cor. 10:12-16; see Rom 15:20). Paul accused men like these of being super-apostles and then called them false apostles (2 Cor 10:12-16; 11:12-13). This is possibly what the apostles were claiming in the church of Ephesus (Rev. 2:2). They were boasting and claiming authority, but instead they were asking for money and laying their foundation on top of the first foundation (evidently done by Paul himself). They may have been luring disciples towards themselves, with clever words.

J. True apostles do not plant churches in evangelized areas.

A self-styled apostle does not travel to a region where churches already exist and plant yet another church. This person is probably an evangelist who goes into already-evangelized areas to win the lost, for not everyone is saved there. People still need salvation and better instruction. (There is some overlap between an evangelist and apostle, but the distinctions are clear enough. Evangelists are not necessarily missionaries who go into unevangelized areas, but apostles are.) Planting a church (or churches) in Los Angeles or New York or Dallas or Atlanta, for example, does not count to make a man or woman an apostle, because Christianity is well known in those cities. Many are not saved, true, but they have plenty of churches to go to, to hear the message about Jesus. Other cities in the Western world and many regions in Africa, to cite more examples, are also covered with Christianity. Instead, apostles go into uncharted territories where the gospel is unknown.

There are 3.2 billion people who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. Plant churches in those areas, and then come back home and claim your title apostle.

K. Two exclusive verses

Ephesians 2:20 and 3:4b-5 close the door to modern apostles having the same authority as the earliest ones. Specifically, today’s apostles are excluded from writing Scriptures and laying a new doctrinal foundation that was settled in the first century, when the original apostolic community lived and were specially called to lay the foundation. Jesus is its chief cornerstone, and if modern apostles and prophets were to lay down another foundation, then they would need another cornerstone. But Jesus would not accept their invitation. He does not like presumption.

As I see things so far, today’s apostles do not claim to be Scripture writers, thankfully.

III. Fatal Flaws in All Apostolic Movements Today

A. Definition of an apostle is too broad

As noted under I.C, one major fatal flaw is that the promoters define the ministry gift of apostle or apostolic so broadly that just about anyone with good character and some leadership abilities can become one. Sometimes the promoters actively recruit them too.

B. Method of drawing conclusions from Scripture

Another fatal flaw is the methodology of jumping from the study of Scripture to the title. For example, just because I study and copy King David’s kingship principles does not make me a king of Israel or even literally royal. Just because I study Paul’s apostleship in the epistles and Acts and emulate it does not make me an apostle or apostolic. Studying and implementing numerous leadership principles in Scripture does not confer the literal title king or apostle or governor (Nehemiah), maybe except leader, broadly defined. For apostleship, which I define narrowly (and biblically, as seen in II., above), other factors have to come into play; the main one is actually being a pioneering missionary and church planter in unevangelized areas, just like Paul and Barnabas were, in Acts 13-14, and fulfilling the other criteria.

C. Self-promotion and ginning up new apostolic movements

In my view, the apostolic promoters do not have a mandate from God to push the NAR or other apostolic revolutions onto the global church. These newfangled movements come from the minds of innovative men, big dreamers and visionaries (terms that are found throughout these new apostolic movements). They are looking for yet another novelty, the latest fad and trend. Of course, the movement leaders would say their motives are to be helpful and clarifying. Maybe so, but I say novelties are a major (and dangerous) obsession in American Christianity today.

We live in the land of Disney, various amusements parks, NASA, Wall Street, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and hundreds of thousand startups. They are called to innovate. But we the church are called to follow Jesus and the teachings of the original apostolic community in their writings. It is one thing to innovate by dimming or brightening up the lights on Sunday morning, but it is quite another to gin up apostolic movements that have no deep roots in the NT.

American church leaders, especially of the charismatic variety, look for the Next Big Thing, but this relentless search is misguided.

IV. Better Terms

A. Two verses

If a movement or network or denominational head is not an apostle or apostolic, then which term should we use to describe him? The answer is leaders in Romans 12:8 and 1 Corinthians 12:28.

B. Defining the terms

As to Romans 12:8, BDAG, a thick Greek lexicon, defines the term leader as follows (edited to fit this format): (1) “To exercise a position of leadership, rule, direct, be at the head (of)“; (2) “to have an interest in, show concern for, care for, give aid.” The first definition fits v. 8 here. Nearly every translation says leads or leader or leadership. One says administrative ability. Older ones say ruleth or rules. An older one even says sovereign (!).

In 1 Corinthians 12:28 the Greek word has been translated as follows: guidance, guides, administrators, administrating, administrations, governors, government, organizers, organizational gifts, managers, and of course leaders and leadership. Pick one of those terms and not apostle.

Gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and 12:28

Gifts of the Spirit in Romans 12:6-8

C. Suggestion

Maybe the names of the new movements or networks and denominations which the promoters are looking for are something like these: the New Leadership Reformation or the New Leadership Revolution or the Global Leadership Movement, but not the Global Apostolic Movement. Drop the term apostolic altogether

The problem is that in their books they denigrate those leadership roles as nothing more than administrative or managerial paper shufflers who get in the way of apostles today, in their view, even though the roles are perfectly biblical and fit better.

D. Conclusion

In any case, let’s narrow down and reserve the terms apostle and apostolic only for pioneering missionaries who plant churches in unevangelized regions and fulfill the other criteria. Networkers or movement leaders or those who exercise general leadership in organizations or denominations in America or other gospel-saturated regions are not apostles or apostolic. As noted, they are managers, leaders, administrators, and so on. You can pick the terms listed in Romans 12:8 and 1 Corinthians 12:28 to apply to these leaders. We must not casually dismiss the terms Paul offers us and claim the confusing title of apostle or apostolic.

V. Elders, Overseers, and Pastors

A. Brief intro.

In the NT, those three ministry gifts seem to be synonymous, since they have the same function of caring for and leading and teaching the churches.

This section again places restrictions on modern apostles.

B. Pastoral and other epistles

In 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus we have a prolonged job description of church governance, particularly in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Those two chapters spell out the spiritual, moral, and social qualifications. Further, In 1 Timothy 5:17 Paul commends above all the elder who works hard at preaching and teaching, or, more literally, he works hard in the word and doctrine.

¹⁷The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. (1 Tim 5:17)

In no place in the pastoral epistles do we read that apostles (or prophets) led the church. Paul was the church planter in Ephesus, so as their apostle he oversaw the church, but he did not instruct Timothy to appoint apostles. He was to appoint elders of the highest character. And the elder who works hard at preaching and teaching are singled out.to receive double honor. The term apostle appears only five times and apply only to Paul. The pastoral epistles are about establishing elders or overseers or pastors.

Paul commissioned Titus to complete what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town on Crete (Titus 1:5-9). It is safe to assume that Paul appointed elders in every church he planted in places other than Crete. He commissioned Timothy to do the same in Ephesus, including male and female deacons (1 Tim. 3:1-13). Overseers (= elders) and deacons governed (that is, served) the church at Philippi (Phil. 1:1). Be warned about permitting apostles to come into your church and taking over. Tell them no.

C. Acts

In Acts 20:17-38 Paul summoned the leaders of Ephesus. Did he call for any apostle? No, he asked the elders to meet him southward, along the Aegean Sea, in the city of Miletus. During Paul’s and Barnabas’s first missionary journey, they appointed elders to lead their church plants (Acts 14:23).

D. Objection and reply

But Paul did not establish elders in the Corinthian church. The word “elder” never appears in his letters to Corinth.

In reply, for all we know, maybe the Corinthians did not have very many mature, permanent homegrown believers. Or they did. If so, who were the leaders there at various times? Paul, Prisca and Aquila, Peter-Cephas, Apollos, Timothy, Titus, Silas, Crispus, Stephanus and his household, Erastus, Quartus, Lucius, Jason, Sosipater, Chloe and her household, and additional persons who are unnamed. Even a woman named Phoebe was a deacon in nearby Cenchreae.

I have the impression that these names are just the tip of the iceberg because Paul does list apostles, prophets, teachers, helpers, and leaders in 1 Corinthians 12:28.

And Clement (c. 35-99 A.D.), in his epistle to the Corinthians, told the Corinthians not to allow one or two persons to rebel against the presbyters or elders (47.6). Evidently either Paul appointed elders even though he did not write about it (It may be in one of the lost epistles), or he did this later and did not bother to mention it in one of the epistles, for appointing elders was simply done. It was standard practice. Or the list of men (and Prisca and Chloe) named above were the elders.

Clement does mention Paul, Cephas, and Apollos, who seem to function as an early team of elders (47.1-2). Or maybe later on the Corinthians saw the wisdom in appointing elders, modeled on the practice Paul did and wrote about in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

Therefore, it looks like Paul during his lifetime had a de facto team of elders or leaders at Corinth. And he personally oversaw the assembly for a long time. Just because a term like elder is absent in a NT epistle does not mean the role itself or the equivalent function was missing.

VI. Summary and Warnings

A.. A summary list of the kinds of apostles:

At this link here:

Do New Testament Apostles Exist Today?

A.. Here is a summary list of the kinds of apostles:

1.. Jesus: he is the sent one from heaven and commissioned by the Father. He is the Apostle of his church.

2.. The twelve: they form an exclusive class. They were foundational. They became itinerant, after leaving Jerusalem. They are also called the “apostles of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:14)

After their time in Jerusalem, establishing doctrine and planting the church there, they became missionaries. Even Peter traveled outside Jerusalem to preach the gospel (Acts 9:32-10:48). No doubt other apostles did too, even much like evangelist Philip did (Acts 8:5-13; 26-40), even though their travels were unrecorded in Acts.

3.. Apostles of Christ: Some of them were foundational; Paul, Barnabas, James (Lord’s brother), and Silas?, Andronicus and Junia They were itinerant, possibly except James

4.. Messengers of the churches: they were sent out by the churches to deliver messages and letters and establish order, under apostles and the sending churches.

The first three are out of reach for anyone today. The fourth one may not appeal to modern apostles because it takes away their “extraordinary authority.” “Apostles” today. must also meet the additional criteria under IV and avoid the bad criteria under VI.C and D. Fulfilling these stringent requirements is extraordinarily rare. They must not see themselves as foundational, either.

The one factor that unites all of them is that they were on the move. Even Jesus crisscrossed Israel, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, building his early movement (“The Son of Man has no place to lay his head”; Matt. 8:20). Do apostles today want to be itinerant missionaries and plant churches, living in discomfort and deprivation that comes from an unsettled life? Do they meet the other criteria?

B. Danger

I see all of the movements to restore apostles as a danger to the church. The rapid growth of the number of apostles and apostolic leaders sows confusion and deception and self-promotion, because the promoters do not do sound exegesis and therefore do not base their definitions on the strict and narrow biblical view of apostle and apostolic. Maybe if they did proper exegesis, they would have to renounce their apostleship or the adjective (I would hope).

Worst of all, today’s apostles of the so-called Second Apostolic Age are setting themselves up without a commission from the risen Lord and without reading Scripture more carefully or being pioneering missionaries. They have “extraordinary authority” without earning it, biblically. They are in danger of deceiving themselves and large swathes of the church.

C. Word of encouragement

If anyone belongs to the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders or the US Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and does not fit the strict NT definition of apostle, he must unsubscribe immediately. Leave the newfangled dot orgs. Leave 5f (five-fold) churches.

D. Willingness to die to self

Paul wrote: “We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us” … (2 Cor. 10:13). Jesus assigned Paul to his apostleship, and Paul did not exceed his limits by claiming authority over churches he did not plant. Men and women today often move beyond the calling God has placed on them. They are placing themselves in danger. When they misjudge God’s call and think more highly of themselves than they should, they open themselves to God himself judging them. He opposes the proud and exalts the humble.

E. Attitude of today’s leaders

Too many leaders in the Charismatic Movement strut around like they own God’s Son’s church. They do not. This explains, to a large degree, why there is so much error and tomfoolery coming from the Charismatic Movement, as its current leaders search for novelties and fads without proper exegesis. They are untethered from Scripture.

F. Warning Scriptures for today’s self-appointed apostles

Following on the previous point, here are Scriptures to consider.

It is better to be safe than sorry:

³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. (Phil. 2:3)

Take the humble path:

³For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. (Rom. 12:3)

Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because Peter writes:

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:5b-6, citing Prov. 3:34)

Today’s self-styled apostles should be free and mature enough not to use the noun (apostle) and even the adjective (apostolic). Self-denial is mature and humble. Choose this way. Renounce those titles if you do not meet the NT criteria of apostleship.

G. Who appoints missionary-apostles?

First, God appoints people to be a missionary-apostle, by sending him out to unreached territories, like states in India or the people who live by the Amazon River.

And second, yes, a team of pastors and elders and other leaders can anoint and lay hands on him and send him out to fulfill his mission (see Acts 13:1-3). Then this missionary can return and claim the title of apostle. But by my observation, true missionaries are humble and do not even think about it.

H. Today’s apostles = Super-apostles?

In the ministry of Jesus and the early church, the believers did not self-appoint to this gift. Jesus appointed the twelve and Paul. Paul got the seal of approval from the apostles in Jerusalem and the elders, though he claims he did not need it (Gal. 2:1-10). He brought up their endorsement possibly because others could claim the apostolic mantle by a vision or a word from the Lord. For example, some called themselves “super-apostles” (or Paul called him by this label), but he debunks them, saying they were masquerading (2 Cor. 11:5, 13; 12:11). Apparently, they were self-appointed. They became enamored with their power and position, though they did not earn it by planting the church at Corinth.

I. Test all self-proclaimed apostles

In John the Revelator’s day, the church in Ephesus tested those who claimed to be apostles, and they were proven false

[…] I know that […] you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. (Rev. 2:2)

Apparently, they strutted around and claimed authority they did not receive from the Lord. What they actually did, though, is unknown. It is interesting that Paul had already written to the Ephesian church and laid out church gifts: God gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some teaching pastors (Eph. 4:11).

Therefore, let’s learn a lesson. It is best to test those who claim an apostolic ministry, just as the Ephesians did in John’s time. So self-appointment is a bad idea. Today’s “apostles” may not pass the test; they may not even want to go through a test!

J. Safety and balance

I urge caution about following someone who gives himself or herself the title, even if their ordination happened on the platform of a church. Just for safety and balance in the church, I believe we should avoid the title. We need to attract, not distract, new converts to our churches and keep the long-time church goers, not mislead and confuse them. Not throwing around this title will prevent churches from squabbling over the issue.

Review of C. Peter Wagner’s Book ‘Churchquake’

Review of C. Peter Wagner’s Book ‘Apostles and Prophets’

Review of C. Peter Wagner’s Book ‘Apostles Today’

Review of C. Peter Wagner’s Book ‘Churchquake!’

Review of Joseph Mattera’s Book ‘The Global Apostolic Movement and the Progress of the Gospel’

Observations on New Apostolic Reformation and Christian Nationalism

Observations on the Early Vineyard Movement

Calling Leaders by Name to Repent

Don’t Make Excuses for Unsound Christian Leaders

Do New Testament Apostles Exist Today?

Check Out What Two Genuine Apostles Did and How They Lived: Close Look at Acts 13-14

Yes, Junia Really Was a Female Apostle: A Close Look at Romans 16:7