Charismatic Restorationism
Encyclopedia
The British New Church Movement is a neocharismatic evangelical
Christian
movement associated with the Charismatic Movement
of the 1960s, although its origin both predates the Charismatic Movement
and has an agenda that goes beyond it. It was originally known as the "house church movement", a name that is no longer relevant, as few of these congregations meet in houses. Gerald Coates
, one of the early leaders coined the name "new churches" as an alternative. It is also restorationist in character, seeking to restore the church to its 1st century equivalent. While the Charismatic Movement focused on the transformation of individuals, the BNCM (like Brethren
ism, Baptists, Anabaptist
s and the Restoration Movement
in the US) focused also on the nature of the church, and shared a distinctive view that somehow, through them, something important to do with church order was being restored to the whole church. For the BNCM since 1970, this has focused on the renewal of the fivefold ministries, particularly apostles, which for others might resemble a charismatically ordained and functioning episcopate.
The British New Church Movement numbered roughly 400,000 people in the year 2000. It has two major aspects; those who believe in the role of Apostles, where churches relate together in "streams," and independent charismatic churches, where they generally do not. Those in streams represent about 40% of the BNCM. Since its origins, it has grown to include many networks of churches, with individual congregations to be found throughout the world.
and David Lillie, Plymouth Brethren
men, became convinced of the validity of spiritual gifts. Lillie had received the "Baptism in the Spirit" in 1941, and Wallis in 1951. Influenced by ex-Apostolic
leader Cecil Cousen, they developed an understanding that a return of the 'charismatic gifts' (e.g., prophecy and speaking in tongues) to the traditional denominations
was not sufficient, and that the church needed to be restored to the New Testament
forms of church government as described in St. Paul's epistle to the Ephesians - Apostle, Prophet
, Evangelist
and Pastor/Teacher (Eph 4:11). This became known as the fivefold ministry model, and the group saw the fulfillment of these offices as essential to the reviving of the world wide Christian Church. Although they had in practice left the Brethren, their subsequent efforts produced a hybrid, Pentecostalised Brethrenism, displaying features of both traditions.
R1 and R2 did not represent two separate organisations. Both contained multiple groupings as listed above. R1 and R2 were labels devised by Walker for ease of discussion in his book. However they passed into popular usage.
The division was caused by a number of factors: differences of opinion about the priority of Apostles and Prophets; different views of grace and law, women in ministry, and relating to contemporary culture; and a discussion about appropriate discipline for an early leader. It was finally catalysed by a letter setting out the problems sent by Arthur Wallis to the other early leaders. A number of attempts to repair this breach were made, and within a few years there was some dialogue again. However, the shared vision of earlier times was never regained.
Restoration 1 diverged into three groups, under the leadership of Bryn Jones, Terry Virgo and Tony Morton. Eventually, Bryn Jones' group has diversified into five identifiable parts: churches led by Alan Scotland, Keri Jones
(Bryn's brother), Gareth Duffty, Andrew Owen and Paul Scanlon. Restoration 2 had originally had at least three groups: that led by Gerald Coates, John Noble, and George Tarleton. Tarleton left the movement quite soon after the split; in the 90s John Noble joined Gerald Coates' movement, with some of his churches following. During this time, Dave Tomlinson started as an Apostle within R1, moved to R2 and then also left the movement. Barney Coombs churches have developed alongside R1 throughout the period. Thirty years after the first division, it appears that churches connected with R1 have generally maintained their impetus (with the exception of Tony Morton's churches, whose association has dissolved after he left the movement also). On the other hand, churches within R2 have had a much more difficult history.
Although some might say that R1 and R2 have ceased to have any meaning as labels and the relationship problems from the 1970s have very largely been healed, the close fellowship of the original group has never been regained, and there is no sense of shared leadership within the movement. The current distance between the various leaders would still reflect a different views of grace or cultural accommodation, for example; even if ideas about the use of spiritual gifts, adult baptism, and informality of meeting remained the same.
Key characters today include Terry Virgo, Barney Coombs, and Gerald Coates.
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
movement associated with the Charismatic Movement
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
of the 1960s, although its origin both predates the Charismatic Movement
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
and has an agenda that goes beyond it. It was originally known as the "house church movement", a name that is no longer relevant, as few of these congregations meet in houses. Gerald Coates
Gerald Coates
Gerald Coates is the founder of Pioneer, a Christian community established to "develop new churches across the UK and engage in mission globally." The Pioneer network is a neocharismatic group of evangelical churches. It is part of the British New Church Movement and can also be described as...
, one of the early leaders coined the name "new churches" as an alternative. It is also restorationist in character, seeking to restore the church to its 1st century equivalent. While the Charismatic Movement focused on the transformation of individuals, the BNCM (like Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
ism, Baptists, Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
s and the Restoration Movement
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
in the US) focused also on the nature of the church, and shared a distinctive view that somehow, through them, something important to do with church order was being restored to the whole church. For the BNCM since 1970, this has focused on the renewal of the fivefold ministries, particularly apostles, which for others might resemble a charismatically ordained and functioning episcopate.
The British New Church Movement numbered roughly 400,000 people in the year 2000. It has two major aspects; those who believe in the role of Apostles, where churches relate together in "streams," and independent charismatic churches, where they generally do not. Those in streams represent about 40% of the BNCM. Since its origins, it has grown to include many networks of churches, with individual congregations to be found throughout the world.
Origins
Arthur WallisArthur Wallis (Bible teacher)
Arthur Wallis : itinerant Bible teacher and author. Through his teaching and writing, most notably his book The Radical Christian , Wallis gained the reputation of ‘architect’ of that expression of UK evangelicalism initially dubbed ‘the house church movement’, more recently labeled British New...
and David Lillie, Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
men, became convinced of the validity of spiritual gifts. Lillie had received the "Baptism in the Spirit" in 1941, and Wallis in 1951. Influenced by ex-Apostolic
Apostolic Church
The Apostolic Church is a Pentecostal Christian denomination which can trace its origins back to the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival. Despite the relatively recent origin of the denomination, the church seeks to stand for first century Christianity in its faith, practices, and government.The purpose of the...
leader Cecil Cousen, they developed an understanding that a return of the 'charismatic gifts' (e.g., prophecy and speaking in tongues) to the traditional denominations
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
was not sufficient, and that the church needed to be restored to the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
forms of church government as described in St. Paul's epistle to the Ephesians - Apostle, Prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
, Evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and Pastor/Teacher (Eph 4:11). This became known as the fivefold ministry model, and the group saw the fulfillment of these offices as essential to the reviving of the world wide Christian Church. Although they had in practice left the Brethren, their subsequent efforts produced a hybrid, Pentecostalised Brethrenism, displaying features of both traditions.
Growth and development
In the early 1970s the "Magnificent Seven" (later becoming the "Fabulous Fourteen") came together; a group of leaders who recognised each other as apostles and prophets, and who sought to develop a theology and ecclesiology that would guide the restoration of the Church. In 1976, however, these leaders diverged into two separate streams:- "Restoration 1" ('R1') followed the more conservative teachings of Arthur WallisArthur Wallis (Bible teacher)Arthur Wallis : itinerant Bible teacher and author. Through his teaching and writing, most notably his book The Radical Christian , Wallis gained the reputation of ‘architect’ of that expression of UK evangelicalism initially dubbed ‘the house church movement’, more recently labeled British New...
and Bryn Jones, and included such figures as Terry VirgoTerry VirgoTerry Virgo is a prominent leader in the British New Church Movement, . He is the founder of the Newfrontiers family of neocharismatic evangelical churches, which has grown into an international apostolic network of over 700 churches in more than 60 nations. He is a leading Reformed Charismatic...
, founder of the NewfrontiersNewfrontiersNewfrontiers is a neocharismatic apostolic ministry network of evangelical, charismatic churches founded by Terry Virgo. It forms part of the British New Church Movement, which began in the late 50s and 60s combining features of Pentecostalism with British evangelicalism...
network of churches, Barney CoombsBarney CoombsBarney Coombs is the leader of the International Council of Salt and Light Ministries, and Senior Leader at West Coast Christian Fellowship, Vancouver, Canada. Salt and Light is a neocharismatic Evangelical Christian network of churches that forms part of the British New Church Movement...
of Salt and Light Ministries International, and Tony Morton, formerly of Cornerstone.
- "Restoration 2" ('R2') took a more relaxed view of cinema, popular music, and ‘secular’ culture, were generally less separatist, (contributing significantly to the resurgence of the Evangelical Alliance), and encouraged the leadership ministries of women. This stream included the ministries of Gerald CoatesGerald CoatesGerald Coates is the founder of Pioneer, a Christian community established to "develop new churches across the UK and engage in mission globally." The Pioneer network is a neocharismatic group of evangelical churches. It is part of the British New Church Movement and can also be described as...
, John and Christine Noble, and others not now associated like Maurice Smith, Dave TomlinsonDave TomlinsonDavid H. Tomlinson is a retired professional ice hockey centre. He played 42 games in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers. After his NHL career, he went on to play 10 years of professional hockey in Europe. He is now a regular contributor and analyst for Team...
and George Tarleton.
- NOTE: Hilborn includes Roger and Faith Forster's Ichthus Christian FellowshipIchthus Christian FellowshipIchthus Christian Fellowship is a neocharismatic Christian church movement and Apostolic network based in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the British New Church Movement and has links with other BNCM leaders and movements, especially Gerald Coates of Pioneer Network.-History:Ichthus...
with "Restoration 2", however Walker disagrees, noting "perhaps the most significant house church organization that lies outside [Restorationism] is the Ichthus movement."
R1 and R2 did not represent two separate organisations. Both contained multiple groupings as listed above. R1 and R2 were labels devised by Walker for ease of discussion in his book. However they passed into popular usage.
The division was caused by a number of factors: differences of opinion about the priority of Apostles and Prophets; different views of grace and law, women in ministry, and relating to contemporary culture; and a discussion about appropriate discipline for an early leader. It was finally catalysed by a letter setting out the problems sent by Arthur Wallis to the other early leaders. A number of attempts to repair this breach were made, and within a few years there was some dialogue again. However, the shared vision of earlier times was never regained.
The British New Church Movement Today
Due to the emphasis of the movement on relational church structures, and an emphasis on local autonomy, the movement does not have an overarching authority or figurehead. The various networks retain differing levels of association with one another.Restoration 1 diverged into three groups, under the leadership of Bryn Jones, Terry Virgo and Tony Morton. Eventually, Bryn Jones' group has diversified into five identifiable parts: churches led by Alan Scotland, Keri Jones
Ministries Without Borders
Ministries Without Borders is an Evangelical neocharismatic Apostolic network of nearly 50 Christian churches, that forms part of the British New Church Movement. It is led by Keri Jones, brother of the late Bryn Jones.-History:...
(Bryn's brother), Gareth Duffty, Andrew Owen and Paul Scanlon. Restoration 2 had originally had at least three groups: that led by Gerald Coates, John Noble, and George Tarleton. Tarleton left the movement quite soon after the split; in the 90s John Noble joined Gerald Coates' movement, with some of his churches following. During this time, Dave Tomlinson started as an Apostle within R1, moved to R2 and then also left the movement. Barney Coombs churches have developed alongside R1 throughout the period. Thirty years after the first division, it appears that churches connected with R1 have generally maintained their impetus (with the exception of Tony Morton's churches, whose association has dissolved after he left the movement also). On the other hand, churches within R2 have had a much more difficult history.
Although some might say that R1 and R2 have ceased to have any meaning as labels and the relationship problems from the 1970s have very largely been healed, the close fellowship of the original group has never been regained, and there is no sense of shared leadership within the movement. The current distance between the various leaders would still reflect a different views of grace or cultural accommodation, for example; even if ideas about the use of spiritual gifts, adult baptism, and informality of meeting remained the same.
Key characters today include Terry Virgo, Barney Coombs, and Gerald Coates.
Notable ministers
- Arthur WallisArthur Wallis (Bible teacher)Arthur Wallis : itinerant Bible teacher and author. Through his teaching and writing, most notably his book The Radical Christian , Wallis gained the reputation of ‘architect’ of that expression of UK evangelicalism initially dubbed ‘the house church movement’, more recently labeled British New...
- David Lillie
- Cecil Cousen
- Campbell McAlpine
- Maurice Smith
- Bryn JonesBryn JonesBryn Jones is the name of:*Bryn Jones , Welsh footballer*Bryn Jones , Welsh footballer*Bryn Jones , Welsh footballer*Bryn Jones , Welsh footballer...
- Keri JonesMinistries Without BordersMinistries Without Borders is an Evangelical neocharismatic Apostolic network of nearly 50 Christian churches, that forms part of the British New Church Movement. It is led by Keri Jones, brother of the late Bryn Jones.-History:...
- Terry VirgoTerry VirgoTerry Virgo is a prominent leader in the British New Church Movement, . He is the founder of the Newfrontiers family of neocharismatic evangelical churches, which has grown into an international apostolic network of over 700 churches in more than 60 nations. He is a leading Reformed Charismatic...
- Colin UrquhartColin UrquhartColin Urquhart is a Christian, evangelical, apostolic and neocharismatic leader in the United Kingdom.He was involved in the Charismatic Renewal movement in the 1960s and 1970s...
- Barney CoombsBarney CoombsBarney Coombs is the leader of the International Council of Salt and Light Ministries, and Senior Leader at West Coast Christian Fellowship, Vancouver, Canada. Salt and Light is a neocharismatic Evangelical Christian network of churches that forms part of the British New Church Movement...
- Tony Morton
- Gerald CoatesGerald CoatesGerald Coates is the founder of Pioneer, a Christian community established to "develop new churches across the UK and engage in mission globally." The Pioneer network is a neocharismatic group of evangelical churches. It is part of the British New Church Movement and can also be described as...
- John and Christine Noble
- Dave Tomlinson
- George Tarleton
- Roger Forster
- Faith Forster
Further reading
- Fleming, John Bind Us Together: ...To Be the Church That Jesus Really Wants (Seaford: Thankful, 2007)
- Hocken, PeterPeter HockenFather Peter Hocken is a historian of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the Pentecostal movement in the twentieth century.Hocken was ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church in 1964. He was ordained for the Diocese of Northampton. He lectured in moral theology at Oscott College,...
Streams of Renewal: The Origins and Early Development of the Charismatic Movement in Great Britain (Exeter; Paternoster, 1986) - Kay, William K Apostolic Networks in Britain (Milton Keynes; Paternoster, 2007)
- Thurman, Joyce V New Wineskins: A Study of the House Church Movement (Frankfurt: Lang, 1982)
- Turner, MaxMax TurnerMax Turner is a British New Testament scholar.He is evangelical, and a Baptist minister, although as a young Christian he was associated with the Elim Pentecostal Church. His charismatic roots have generated an interest in the theology of the Holy Spirit, especially in Luke-Acts...
“Ecclesiology in the Major ‘Apostolic’ Restorationist Churches in the United Kingdom” Vox Evangelica 19 (1989) 83-108 - Walker, Andrew Restoring the Kingdom: the Radical Christianity of the House Church Movement 3rd Ed (Guildford: Eagle, 1998)
- Walker, Andrew "Crossing the Restorationist Rubicon: from House Church to New Church" in M Percy Ed Fundamentalism, Church and Society (London: SPCK, 2001)