Shepherding Movement

The Shepherding Movement (sometimes called the "Discipleship Movement") was an influential and controversial movement within some British and American charismatic churches, emerging in the 1970s and early 1980s. The doctrine of the movement emphasized the "one another" passages of the New Testament, and the mentoring relationship described in 2 Timothy.

History

It began when four well-known Charismatic teachers, Bob Mumford, Derek Prince, Charles Simpson, and Don Basham, responded to a moral failure in a charismatic ministry in South Florida. Witnessing this failure, the four men felt mutually vulnerable without greater accountability structures in their lives.^{[citation needed]} They also felt the charismatic movement was becoming individualistic and subjective. These realizations, led them to mutually submit their lives and ministries to one another.^{[citation needed]} Ern Baxter was later added to the core leadership of the group, and they became known as the "Fort Lauderdale Five."

Their relationships, and the doctrines which they began to emphasize in support and definition of these relationships gained wide approval, as they addressed a strongly felt need of many in the burgeoning charismatic movement - greater accountability, character development and deeper relationships.^{[citation needed]} Other charismatic ministers began to submit to the authority of the Five.^{[citation needed]} The relationships that were formed became known theologically as "covenant relationships." A network of cell groups were formed. Members had to be submitted to a "shepherd", who in turn was submitted to the Five or their representatives. At its height, an estimated 100,000 adherents across the US were involved in the networks.^{[citation needed]}

Some of the early leaders of the movement came out of Campus Crusade for Christ, but Crusade itself did not embrace it.^{[citation needed]} Other movements influenced by the Shepherding doctrine were the Shiloh houses scattered across the USA (some of them transitioned into Calvary Chapels when they abandoned the shepherding movement ideas), International Churches of Christ, Maranatha Campus Ministries, and Great Commission International (today known as Great Commission Ministries/Great Commission Association of Churches). The movement emphasized the importance of a network of accountability within church members, with many individuals acting as personal pastors to others. In many cases, shepherding relationships existed outside the bounds of individual churches, leading to the unusual situation of a church member being accountable not to others in his/her church, but someone outside the church.^{[citation needed]}

Criticism and controversy

The movement gained a reputation for controlling and abusive behaviour, with a great deal of emphasis placed upon the importance of obedience to one's own shepherd.^{[citation needed]} In many cases, disobeying one's shepherd was tantamount to disobeying God.^{[citation needed]} A few of these criticisms were exaggerated, but many lives were damaged.^{[citation needed]} One such testimony can be found in the book Damaged Disciples by Ron and Vicki Burks. Noted Baptist evangelist Bailey Smith, for example, in his work "Real Evangelism" mentions having collected a very large number of testimonies of people he had encountered who were damaged by Shepherding teachings.^{[citation needed]}

The movement was denounced by charismatic leaders such as Pat Robertson and Demos Shakarian, and a 1975 meeting (known as "the shoot-out at the Curtis Hotel") to resolve the dispute achieved little.^{[citation needed]} The Fort Lauderdale Five eventually parted company. Derek Prince and Bob Mumford both publicly distanced themselves from the teachings. Derek Prince withdrew in 1983, stating his belief that "we were guilty of the Galatian error: having begun in the Spirit, we quickly degenerated into the flesh." Bob Mumford issued a "Formal Repentance Statement to the Body of Christ" in November 1989 and was quoted as saying, "I repent. I ask forgiveness."^{[citation needed]} He also acknowledged abuses that had occurred because of his teaching on submission. This emphasis resulted in “perverse and unbiblical obedience” to leaders. He also admitted that families had been severely disrupted and lives turned upside down."

Today

The degree to which the Shepherding Movement still exists today is unclear. While both Charles Simpson and Bob Mumford have made public statements disavowing the movement, or at least distancing themselves from it, Simpson's biography on the website of Charles Simpson Ministries highlights his co-founding of New Wine Magazine and specifically mentions Baxter, Mumford, and Prince as "notable Bible teachers" associated with the magazine. The website also lists Derek Prince Ministries and Lifechangers by Bob Mumford as "ministry allies."

David Moore's 2004 book on the Shepherding Movement takes an impartial, scholarly look at the movement, which includes interviews with all living primary and many secondary individuals.

Additional sources

• Moore, S.D., "Shepherding Movement" in Stanley M. Burgess & Edouard van der Maas (eds), The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, revised edition, (Zondervan, 2003)
• Lambert, ThD, Steven, "Charismatic Captivation: Authoritarian Abuse & Psychological Enslavement In Neo-Pentecostal Churches", Second Edition, (Real Truth Publications, 2003) -The Shepherding Movement and today's hybrid versions

External links

• Roots of the Modern Discipling Movement
• The Other Side of Discipleship by Larry Pile