New Apostolic Reformation

Definition

The term "New Apostolic Reformation" was coined in the 1990s by the American missiologist C. Peter Wagner. It refers not to a denomination but to a loose network of churches and ministry organizations centered on apostolic leaders.

Main Claims

• The offices of apostle and prophet named in Ephesians 4:11 have been restored in the present day.
• Prophecy, divine healing, and signs and wonders should be part of the church's ordinary life.
• "Spiritual warfare" against evil spirits believed to rule over particular regions, along with prayer walking.
• The teaching that the church must transform the various spheres of society.

The movement was widely introduced in Korea in the 2000s through worship and prayer gatherings, schools of prophetic ministry, and translated books.

Criticism

• The apostles were those who witnessed the resurrection of Christ and laid the foundation of the church, and their office is not repeated (Cessationism and continuationism).
• By leading people to accept present-day "prophecy" as carrying the same authority as Scripture, it undermines the sufficiency of Scripture.
• It pursues phenomena such as being "slain in the Spirit" and gold dust to excess.
• Authority becomes concentrated in individual leaders, making it difficult to hold them accountable.

In Korea, several Presbyterian denominations, including the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapshin) and the Kosin Presbyterian Church in Korea, are reported to have received study reports on the movement at their general assemblies and to have resolved either to prohibit participation in or fellowship with it or to caution against it. The wording and severity of these resolutions vary by denomination (Heresy designations).

Response

Those associated with the movement reply that they have not created new doctrine but are seeking to restore the work of the Holy Spirit, and that they teach that present-day prophecy must be discerned in the light of Scripture. Some also point out that grouping distinct organizations together under the label "New Apostolic movement" and criticizing them as a single entity is inaccurate. Even within Pentecostal denominations, some voices have distanced themselves from the movement.