Apostolic-Prophetic Movement

The Apostolic-Prophetic Movement (AP movement) refers to 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 Charismatic movement, seen in Charismatic, Pentecostal and Third-Wave experience. This is very similar to and may even be synonymous with the New Apostolistic Reformation Movement [NARM].

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.

The purpose of the AP Movement was to restore the ministries of prophets and apostles to complete Christ’s original five gifts—apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher—to His Church. The restoration and activation of these five ministry gifts was for fulfilling the purpose for which they were given: the equipping and perfecting of the saints in Christ’s image and ministry. Prophets and apostles are preparing the saints for their full day of manifesting the Kingdom of God for a witness to every nation.[1][2]

The movement began in the United States but it quickly spread to the rest of the nations of the earth. Movements that do not develop major denominations rarely recognize any one man or woman as being the founder of the movement. Nevertheless, some ministers played a more prominent role in certain areas. In the AP movement, Paul Cain demonstrated the function of the office of the prophet. Bill Hamon was the first to introduce the idea of a Prophetic Movement coming and was instrumental in birthing and pioneering the restoration of prophets, especially in the form of the Elijah company of prophets and activating and training the saints in prophetic ministry. John Eckhardt and C. Peter Wagner were prominent figures in pioneering and propagating the Apostolic Movement. After the restoration of apostles began to be propagated, many apostles began coming forth throughout the United States and many nations of the world.[3]

The majority of the people who participated and the ministers who preached the AP Movement truths came from the former Charismatic Movement churches. The ministry was the preaching of the Word of God accompanied with personal prophecy to individuals. Hundreds of prophets went to numerous nations and prophesied to national leaders. The apostles began manifesting the ministry of the apostle with signs and wonders. The saints were taught and activated in divine healing and working of miracles. Apostolic order for the local church and corporate Body of Christ began to be established, based off the Five-Fold Ministry as described in Ephesians 4. Apostolic church planting was implemented and the true apostles and prophets began to work for the unity of the Church, the restoration of all things, and the promotion of the Kingdom of God.[4]

Bill Hamon and Dr. C. Peter Wagner worked together in propagating the Apostolic Movement like how Martin Luther and John Calvin worked together in propagating the Protestant Movement. Bill Hamon had the original vision for the restoration of apostles, but Wagner was the theologian who began to write and give designations for the different types of apostles and their various functions in the body of Christ. The movement was called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) which was growing at a rate of 9 million people per year. These apostolic churches are the only segment of church that is growing faster than the world population and Islam. According to one source the coalition includes several hundred apostles, across the US and about 40 nations, international training centers, and prayer warriors communication networks in the 58 states and worldwide. Dr. C. Peter Wagner, former professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary of World Mission, founder of Global Harvest Ministries and presiding apostle and founder of the International Coalition of Apostles and cofounder of World Prayer Center, played a pivotal role as the leading apostle of the movement from the 1980s to the 2000s.[5]

The 5-fold ministry was initially restored and applied to the religion mountain, whereby 5-fold ministers were seen to emerge to equip and raise up the saints. However, it is now being restored and becoming more prevalent across the various spectrums of society as well, under the Seven Mountains Mandate. The goal is then to see a righteous, God-fearing people being raised up and functioning effectively across society, beyond the four walls of the church building, who can bring about a manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. The promotion of these seven mandates is done by marketplace apostles such as Os Hillman and Lance Wallnau, who speak extensively across Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. Speaking on Pat Kings Extreme Prophetic TV broadcast, Lance Wallnau says, “the Seven Mountains are almost a template for spiritual warfare because the church so frequently does not have a language for how it goes about taking territory.”[6]

In Apostle Bill Hamon’s 2010 book titled, Prophetic Scriptures Yet to Be Fulfilled, he describes the fascinating transformation of the seven mountains of culture and how every nation will become either a sheep or a goat nation. In the end, the restoration of all things spoken of by the apostles and prophets will supposedly release Jesus to return and set up His domain over all the earth, as written in the New Testament of the Bible in Acts 3.

In effect, the Church is being restored to the same power, energy, and fullness of faith as that of the Early Church. As more teachers, prophets and apostles are restored back to the body of Christ, the movement is gravitating towards apostolic centers being established in various cities and nations to become a catalyst for the work of transformation globally. In the New Apostolic Reformation, Apostolic Centers are being restored as training centers for equipping and activating the saints (believers) so that they are well equipped for ministry and the works of transformation across the seven mountains of society. These apostolic centers are not pastoral churches, nor are they denominational institutions, but are regarded as being part of a marketplace ministry that are led and governed by the local five-fold ministers. The goal is then to achieve sociologically verifiable transformation of cities (and nations), which is based on standard social scientific measuring equipment, verified by independent professional sociologists, as stated by C. P. Wagner in his book titled, The Church in the Workplace.

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". Some said the "Kansas City Prophets" were Bob Jones, Bill Hamon, Larry Randolph, Paul Cain, James Goll, and John Paul Jackson.[7][8] 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. A book on this subject is Some Say It Thundered which was written at the height of their movement. Daniel Falls a 30 year follower of the movement also recently created a book called The Life and Legacy of Pat Bickle and a History of the Kansas Prophets (2019).

1. “An “apostle” [is] one who is called and sent by Christ to have the spiritual authority, character, gifts and abilities to successfully reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and order, especially through founding and overseeing local churches,”[9] according to David Cannistraci, author of two books on the Apostolic Movement and the lead pastor of Gateway City Church, a multi-site church in multiple states based in San Jose, California. Gateway believes in the operation of Spiritual Gifts[10] and the Five-Fold Ministry (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) Ephesians 4:11.
2. Gateway's Apostle is Emanuele Cannistraci ("Apostle C") whose ministry is “oversight of the growing congregation and its family of churches and ministries”.[11] "Apostle Emanuele Cannistraci has long been recognized as a healing evangelist, revivalist, teacher, local church pastor and prophet to the nations" and since 2000, "Apostle Cannistraci has moved into the apostolic call that has long been recognized by the prophets," according to International Full Gospel Fellowship Emanuele Cannistraci founded Gateway’s Apostolic Missions International (AMI) and hosts Gateway's annual Apostolic Leadership Summit, a worldwide affiliation of church leaders who gather to be inspired and instructed as to apostolic truth and what God is saying to the church today and to be equipped for church building.[12] Emanuele Cannistraci is one of "many outstanding and legitimate apostolic leaders in the Apostolic Reformation such as John Kelly, C. Peter Wagner, Ron Cottle, Bill Hamon ..." and others worldwide. Emanuele Cannistraci has an international ministry and has long associated with pioneers of the AP Movement, including Bill Hamon[13] and C. Peter Wagner who endorsed the minister training school founded by Emanuele Cannistraci,Gateway's IMPACT School of Ministry.[14]
3. In a videotaped message for Emanuele Cannistraci's 70th year in the ministry, Gordon Robertson, CEO, Christian Broadcasting Network and co-host of The 700 Club, credited Apostle C with "literally" starting Eddie Villanueva in the ministry of Jesus is Lord Church Worldwide, "one of the largest Philippine churches in the world". He also credited him with fathering Steve Murrell, CEO of Every Nation and founder of Victory Outreach in the Philippines. And he thanked Apostle C for making "such an impact on my life and the lives of so many around the world". He concluded with an acknowledgement of the affect of the prophetic word: "I’m still walking out the word that you had with Bill Hamon and I’m still sitting in that seat."[15]