Apostolic-Prophetic Movement

The Apostolic-Prophetic Movement in Charismatic Christianity is seen by its participants as a restoration of the neglected elements of the Five-Fold Ministry described in the New Testament book of Ephesians 4:11-13, "some apostles, and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ." This movement is rooted in the Third Wave Charismatic or Pentecostal experience.

This movement defers more to their own interpretations of the Bible and doctrines than to the later authority and elaborations transmitted by the Catholic and Orthodox churches; however, they hold to the dogmas and traditions of the Greek Orthodox and Latin Church Fathers including the Nicene Creed as authoritative and part of what they call "historical Christianity." Prophecy has been a part of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christian practice, especially during times of revival in the Body of Christ. For example, the Kimbanguist Church in Belgian Congo began with vigor in the 1920s and flourished through 40 years of rigorous and sometimes violent suppression.

Kansas City Prophets

Some of those who shaped the current Apostolic-Prophetic Movement in the United States were based in Kansas City, Missouri and became known as the "Kansas City Prophets." This phrase was coined by critics and never used by the "prophets" themselves, according to Mike Bickle. He has never called himself a prophet but called Paul Cain and Bob Jones prophets. Some said the "Kansas City Prophets" were Bob Jones, Bill Hamon, Larry Randolph, Paul Cain, Mike Bickle, James Goll, John Paul Jackson, and Lou Engle. Cain had participated in the Healing Revival initiated by William Branham during the 1950s. The surviving "Kansas City Prophets" except Mike Bickle have left Kansas City but continue to be active in ministry throughout North America; they often attend and speak at charismatic Christian conferences and meetings.

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