Neo-charismatic churches
- "Neo-Pentecostalism" redirects here. "Neo-Pentecostalism" refers to both the Charismatic Movement and neocharismatic churches.
Neocharismatic churches are a category of churches in the Christian Renewal movement. The Christian Renewal movement incorporates Pentecostal, Charismatic, and neocharismatic churches. Neocharismatics include the "Third Wave" but are broader—now more numerous than Pentecostals (first wave) and charismatics (second wave) combined, owing to the remarkable growth of postdenominational and independent charismatic groups.[1]
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History [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (September 2009) |
The term neocharismatic was first applied in the 1970s, to churches that embraced many of the doctrines and practices of Pentecostal churches and the Charismatic Movement but were not formally aligned with either. In the 1980s, C. Peter Wagner coined the term Third Wave to distinguish the sort of charismatic spirituality he advocated from Pentecostalism. The phenomenon seems to have represented a particular cultural need within the North American scene. Many neocharismatic groups were influenced by the Toronto Blessing in the mid-1990s, itself a neocharismatic phenomenon that arose out of the Vineyard Movement.
Defining characteristics [edit]
Neocharismatics, like Apostolics, Pentecostals and charismatics, believe in and stress the post-Biblical availability of gifts of the Holy Spirit, including glossolalia (speaking in tongues), healing, and prophecy. They practice laying on of hands and seek the "infilling" of the Holy Spirit. However, a specific experience of baptism with the Holy Spirit may not be requisite for experiencing such gifts. No single form, governmental structure, or style of church service characterizes all neocharismatic services and churches. The general definition is somewhat negative in calling them "Christian bodies with pentecostal-like experiences that have no traditional pentecostal or charismatic denominational connections, (and sometimes only very slender—if any—historical connections)".[1]
Adherents and denominations [edit]
Some 19,000 denominations or groups, with approximately 295 million individual adherents, are identified as neocharismatic.[2] Neocharismatic tenets and practices are found in many independent, nondenominational or post-denominational congregations, with strength of numbers centered in the African independent churches, among the Han Chinese house-church movement, and in Latin American (especially Brazilian) churches.
At least a dozen recently established denominations are or until recently have been neocharismatic—such as
- Church on the Rock-International
- Vineyard Movement
- International House of Prayer
- Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship
- Bethel Church
- MorningStar Ministries
- Every Nation
- Newfrontiers
- Sovereign Grace Ministries
- New Life Fellowship Association
- King Jesus Ministry
- Christian International
- Hillsong Church
- Salt and Light Ministries
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b Burgess, Stanley M; van der Maas, Eduard M, eds. (2002), "Neocharismatics", New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
- ^ Burgess, Stanley M; van der Maas, Eduard M, eds. (2002), New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, p. 286–87.
