Not all "apostles" are bad
Careless, broad-brush criticisms hurt some fine “apostolic” Christians, as Joseph Mattera knows well
Joseph Mattera of the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders.
Both theologically and politically, the “New Apostolic Reformation” may be the segment of contemporary Christianity with the ugliest public reputation. Consider this first sentence from the Wikipedia article on the topic:
“The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a Christian supremacist theological belief and controversial movement associated with the far-right that combines elements of Pentecostalism, evangelicalism, and the Seven Mountain Mandate to advocate for spiritual warfare to bring about Christian dominion over all aspects of society, and end or weaken the separation of church and state.”
That’s a lot of attack words in one sentence! And that’s before we get to the NAR’s wide-ranging reliance on prophetic messages and its promotion of the virtually unrestrained authority of “apostolic” leaders. Peter Wagner, who taught at Fuller Seminary’s School of World Missions for 30 years, embraced this shift in his later years. As he stated in one interview:
“In terms of the role of the apostle, one of the biggest changes from traditional churches to the New Apostolic Reformation is the amount of spiritual authority delegated by the Holy Spirit to individuals. And the two key words are authority and individuals—and individuals as contrasted to groups. So now, apostles have been raised up by God who have a tremendous authority in the churches of the New Apostolic Reformation.”
The NAR has such a bad reputation that it’s become popular to attack other Christians by connecting them to the NAR, regardless of the evidence or lack thereof.
For example, the Korean groups attacking the World Evangelical Alliance have accused WEA board chairman Goodwill Shana of being connected to the NAR. Their only “evidence” is a website with zero credibility. Its page on Shana doesn’t even attempt to show any personal link to the NAR.
Similarly, after the discovery that the assassin in the June 14 shooting of US state lawmakers was a Christian, media coverage centered on Christ for the Nations, a charismatic Bible college in Dallas, where the shooter graduated in 1990. A National Public Radio reporter said the school “is considered to be a precursor to a movement that is now referred to as the New Apostolic Reformation.” But the shooter has had no connection with the school for 35 years, and its links to NAR thinking are flimsy at best.
Joseph Mattera has been addressing these issues for years, although he is rarely mentioned in articles on the NAR, because his teachings do not align with those expressions.
Mattera has sometimes been connected to the NAR because an organization with which he is associated, the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (ICAL), was indeed led by Wagner in its early years. But Mattera’s approach to apostolic leadership is nothing like the NAR’s. (Mattera believes that when Wagner started bringing so-called prophets into the ICAL fellowship, it distracted from the organization’s original purpose of networking movement leaders, resulting in a decline in participation by legitimate apostolic leaders.)
Mattera is founding pastor of Resurrection Church in Brooklyn, New York, and a Pentecostal of unusual theological breadth. His leadership is widely respected among Christian leaders of many streams. He is also global ambassador for ICAL, although he does not call himself an “apostle.” Since Mattera has had to spend a lot of time explaining what he is not, I have offered him some space to explain what he is.
Why is ICAL important in the body of Christ?
It provides a platform for leaders of movements to connect. We assemble each year to hear what God is doing all over the world, learn best practices from each other, and have fellowship.
What do you mean by an apostolic leader?
An apostolic leader is a visionary with the gift of gathering people together based on a common cause, which could be evangelism, church planting, or something else. People are called apostolic leaders because of their ability to lead movements. They don’t have to be charismatic or speak in tongues. We consider Tim Keller [a prominent Presbyterian pastor and apologist who died in 2023] to have been an apostolic leader.
Don’t some apostles make broad claims to spiritual authority?
Within our movement, there are diverse views of church governance. I have used the term to describe leaders of church planting and disciple making movements in Africa, Latin America, North America, and Asia. The word has been coopted to describe something very different. The values of ICAL do not fit the Wikipedia caricature.
How do you view your role?
I think of myself as an ecumenical bishop. I have a high view of Scripture but also of ecclesiology. I have been studying church history for 45 years and have been shaped by the church fathers and the early councils. ICAL’s membership may include mostly independent charismatics, but I am not limited to that family. I read theologians from both east and west.
I believe God is raising up apostolic leaders who understand the whole Christian movement and want to see the Christian world in more contact with each other so that we can have practical oneness and repair the fragmentation that has taken place in the church.
How do you deal with being associated with versions of “apostleship” you do not support?
In my book Essays on Apostolic Leadership, I have a chapter on the blessings and abuses of the contemporary apostolic movement. There are plenty of false teachers, shepherds, and evangelists out there. There are also some who think they are entitled to a high position or title, but I’ve rarely met them. They wouldn’t fit into our company, because we emphasize living out a cross-shaped ministry. If you don’t live a cross-shaped life, eventually you will crash and burn, because you won’t handle the pressure that comes with influence.
How would you describe your unique contributions at this point?
I am not interested in gathering big crowds. I’m more of a covenantal person, seeking to build meaningful relationships with high-impact leaders around the world. Since 2020, I’ve held weekly meetings with leaders from all over the world, bringing in historians, theologians, and other experts for presentations and discussions. Any pastor or movement leader who is interested is welcome to reach out to me.
Christian leaders interested in participating in Mattera’s networks can reach out to him through his website, www.josephmattera.org.