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Over the past two posts, I’ve been interacting with thoughts from the Latter Rain Movement of 1948, where God began to stir recognition of apostolic and prophetic ministry. This movement is often somewhat controversial. Many Evangelicals, and even some Classical Pentecostals, reject the idea of modern apostles and prophets. And yet, Ephesians has emphasized that God gave apostles and prophets for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry. If that’s true, and I believe it is, how do we make room for apostolic and prophetic ministry? Last post, I explored apostolic ministry and made a case for the modern-day apostle, a person who serves the church through relational and missional care. Today, I want to explore prophetic ministry, specifically through the lens of plurality, as it developed in the Latter Rain movement. PRophetic PResbytery: Ministering TOgetherOne of the eyewitnesses to the Latter Rain Movement tells an interesting story regarding the role of a plural presbytery in their practice of prophetic ministry. On February 12th, several people were called to have hands laid on them; however, the prophetic teacher was the only one of the presbytery present, all of the others were absent. This brother with the prophetic ministry prayed and prophesied over them alone. Yet, he didn't have the liberty in the Spirit that normally accompanied his ministry. During the remainder of that day and the next day, Feb. 13th, there was very little moving of the Spirit among us and the Holy Spirit seemed to be grieved. No one was indicated to be prayed over. Those were two, very dry, difficult days, and very noticeable. We all wondered what the problem was and what happened. On the morning of Feb. 14th this brother that prayed and prophesied alone, confessed to his brethren in the presbytery and the whole class. He said that God had dealt with him, showing him that he made a mistake in his eagerness, because he prayed over these people alone, after God had clearly said that He wanted a presbytery to minister together. He asked for forgiveness from the Lord and the other members of the presbytery and class. Then the brethren called the same people back again. The Spirit of God moved mightily once again, gifts of the Spirit, ministries and callings were prophesied to them and imparted by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery, with the gifts beginning to operate that same day.[1] I find it interesting that this brother hindered the flow of the Spirit of God moving in their midst by prophesying without the gathering of the elders. Their general practice was to prophesy in the presence of a gathering of elders who could judge the word given as to its accuracy. So often, in today’s charismatic church, words of prophecy are given to individuals one-on-one, often without others around to weigh the word. When you look at the state of prophetic ministry today, with so many being exposed for false prophetic words, I wonder if prophetic presbytery is something we should explore? Lest we build an idea based only on this one example, are there others that practice this? There are! As I’ve looked into some of this, I’ve found that this can be found in certain charismatic circles today. Elim Bible College in Elmira, New York, holds a prophetic presbytery each year for its seniors, where they receive prophetic ministry. Leah Waters explains how many receive words during these special times of ministry before two or three prophetic voices are invited in for ministry.[2] I recently found videos where Gateway Church of Texas holds a prophetic presbytery where they minister prophetically to their church.[3] Scriptural PRecedentYou may be saying, “Okay, Jake. I get that they did it in the Latter Rain Revival and that Gateway and Elim do it today, but is it biblical?” I was looking at the Biblical record in the New Testament where prophets are mentioned, and I recognized that often prophets are spoken of in the plural. Let’s look at this: Acts 11:27 (ESV) 27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. Acts 13:1 (ESV) 1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. Acts 15:32 (ESV) 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. Acts 21:8–9 (ESV) 8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 1 Corinthians 12:28 (ESV) 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 1 Corinthians 14:29–32 (ESV) 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. Ephesians 4:11 (ESV) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, Prophecy in the Presence of Other Prophets Here’s what I find interesting: three times we have instances of people practicing prophetic ministry in the book of Acts. And each time, when a prophet speaks, it's in the presence of other prophets. In Acts 11, Agabus travels to Antioch and prophesies a famine. He did so, however, as a member of a company of prophets that came down with him (Acts 11:27-28). Again, in Acts 21, Agabus prophesies over Paul, a word of personal prophecy (Acts 21:8-11). I find it interesting that Luke adds a specific note in that context that Philip, with whom they were staying, had four unmarried daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9). Could it be that prophetic ministry was always done in the presence of other prophets who could weigh what is said? Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 14 notes that the prophetic words given by the prophets are to be subjected to and weighed by the other prophets in the church (1 Cor. 14:29, 32). Could it be that by establishing prophetic teams or organizing prophetic presbyteries, we could Biblically make room for the prophetic? ConclusionIn a world that has been marked by prophetic exposure recently, with some big-name prophets in the charismatic movement being outed as frauds. Some have received these words and made life-changing decisions that have ended. One, I believe, ended up in an abusive marriage. Others have moved across the world to be missionaries based on prophetic words that turned out to be fake. How can we in the church protect the body of Christ? How can we guard against such collateral damage resulting from prophetic ministry? Perhaps the plurality principle and the practice of presbytery could be one way that we could restore authentic prophetic ministry in the church today. [1]Ewald H. Wanagas, “The Revival & Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 1948: Things I Have Seen and Heard,” The Sharon Star (September/October 2000): 5. [3]Leah Wates, “Prophetic Presbytery, “ The Elim Hearld (Spring 2023): 13. [4]https://gatewaypeople.com/presbytery-recordings
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 In my last post, I put forth a bit of revival history, unpacking the contributions of the Latter Rain Movement as a movement within Classical Pentecostalism. One of the positions of the Latter Rain Movement held that God was restoring the gifts of apostles and prophets to the body of Christ, as foundational roles in the church. Now, this position on the present-day ministry of apostles and prophets caused quite a stir in the Classical Pentecostal world; however, in many ways, the movement was a continuation of the impulse of restoration that birthed the Pentecostal movement in the first place. Many Classical Pentecostal denominations have, in many ways, rightly taken a cautionary posture against present-day apostles. Much of this is rightly related to the improper authority some have claimed in their assumption of the apostolic office. Still, one needs to ask whether or not the gift of the apostle continues in the church today. Notice what Paul wrote:
Let me ask you a question: Has the church reached the unity of the faith, mature manhood in Christ, and full doctrinal stability? I would hope that anyone with a cursory knowledge of the Christian world would understand that we certainly have not. That would seem to indicate that all five ministry gifts are still needed for the overall health and growth of the church. Why Not Apostles?So why do so many in Christendom have a problem with present-day apostles? Many point back, rightly, to Acts 1, where Peter led the early church in filling the apostolic office of Judas, who betrayed Christ. As he laid out the requirements for Judas’ replacement, Peter said this:
In order to be the replacement, Peter said the person must have accompanied the disciples for the three years that they walked with Jesus after His baptism and witnessed His resurrection. Based on this text, many argue that there cannot be present-day apostles, for clearly, there’s no one who could meet those requirements today. Obviously, there’s no one alive today who walked with Jesus during His earthly life and witnessed His resurrection. So if we are purely looking at this text as our definition of apostleship, then no, there’s no one alive fulfilling Peter’s requirements. But one thing to note is that there are a number of other individuals described as apostles in the New Testament. The Other APostlesBeginning in Acts, we find that Luke and the other authors of the New Testament identify a number of individuals as apostles: Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Andronicus and Junia (Romans 16:7), and James (Galatians 1:19). Beyond this, there’s a translation issue that obscures others. The underlying Greek term apostolos appears in the New Testament 79 times. 74 of the 79 times it is translated, apostle. But three times it is translated as messenger. Paul speaks twice, speaking of “messengers of the churches” (2 Corinthians 8:23) or apostles of the churches, and identifies Epaphroditus as an apostle (Philippians 2:25). So there seems to be a gift of apostleship that extends beyond the 12 apostles who walked with Christ. As David Devenish clarifies, The fact that the church had to be on the lookout for false apostles would not have been an issue if the apostolate was restricted to the twelve and Paul. [1] Dave Harvey has probably put it best when he distinguishes between Big-A and Little-a apostleship.[2] While there were the 12 Apostles of Christ who walked with Him during His life here on earth and witnessed His resurrection, there were other apostles, gifts of the ascended Christ to His church (Ephesians 4:11), who did apostolic ministry in and among the early churches. Harvey also recognizes the unique place of Paul, who was not among the 12 chosen by Jesus, yet also ministered with an authority seemingly unrepeatable today.[3] A Vital, PResent MinistrySo, how then do we define present-day apostles? “Commissioned by the ascended Christ and armed with the gospel, present-day apostles plant and build local churches for the glory of God.”[4] Harvey further defines the apostolic role as mobile, purposeful, and relational. Apostles travel to new areas, breaking ground and building relationships with the gospel. Think of what Paul did, traveling the Roman world, planting and strengthening churches. He was also relational, relating to churches as a father in the gospel, to men like Timothy as sons in the gospel. They not only planted local churches, establishing them on gospel foundations and maintaining theological integrity. David Devenish summarizes apostolic ministry this way:
The apostle is, in many ways, the pastor of the pastors. And, for the most part, present-day apostles work in teams.
I believe in present-day apostles, planting and building local churches for the glory of God. We need these men and women today. I would argue that apostles today do not share the same authority as the 12, nor that they would even be on the level with the Apostle Paul. Yet, the ascended Christ has given the gift of the apostle to today’s church for the planting and building of strong local churches by a translocal ministry of relational care and missional vision. As noted in the last article, the Latter Rain Movement reawakened an awareness of apostolic and prophetic ministry within Classical Pentecostalism, and I believe modern-day families of churches like Sovereign Grace Churches, Newfrontiers, LifeLinks, and others demonstrate a modern approach to relational, apostolic mission and connection. I pray that healthy, apostolic ministry might be reawakened in Classical Pentecostalism today. For Books on present-day apostolic ministry, please check out the following: David Devenish. Fathering Leaders, Motivating Mission: The Role of the Apostle in Today’s Church. Milton Keynes: Authentic Media, 2011. Joseph Girdler and Carolyn Tennent. Keys to the Apostolic and Prophetic. Crestwood, KY: Meadow Stream Publishing, 2019. David Cartledge. Apostolic Revolution. Sydney: Paraclete Institute, 2000. [1]David Devenish, “Are There Apostles Today?,” Adrian Warnock on Pathos, available from: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/adrianwarnock/2011/06/are-there-apostles-today-a-series-by-dave-devenish/; accessed 8 March 2026.
[2]Dave Harvey, Missiology: Entering the Field of the Lord (Gaithersburg, MD: Sovereign Grace Ministries, 2006), 19. [3]Ibid., 20. [4]Ibid. [5]"The Role of the Apostolic and Ephesians 4 Gifts in Advance," Advance, available from: https://resources.advancemovement.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Role-of-the-Apostolic-and-Ephesians-4-Gifts-in-Advance.pdf; accessed 8 March 2026. [6]Harvey, 24.   Sharon Bible School Recently, I’ve had my interest piqued by the different streams that emerged out of Classical Pentecostalism in the early days of the revival. What we know as Classical Pentecostalism finds its roots in the move of the Spirit that began in 1901 at Bethel Bible School in Topeka, Kansas. Charles Parham and his students began to articulate the Doctrine of the Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit that would separate Classical Pentecostals from their evangelical and holiness forefathers. Parham’s school in Houston led William Seymour to embrace the Pentecostal message and take it back to Los Angeles, where God poured forth His Spirit in Pentecostal power, beginning in 1906. As the rivers of Classical Pentecostalism began to flow in those early days, different streams emerged that often led to division from the denominations that formed out of the fires of Azusa Street. One such stream that has piqued my interest of late is the Latter Rain Movement of 1948. By 1935, many felt that the fires of Pentecostalism had begun to cool, and that by the 1940s, the Classical Pentecostal denominations had begun to take the rigid, ritualistic atmospheres they arose to confront.[1] Between the years of 1947 and 1952, awakenings seemed to be taking place within a number of movements. One can see the beginnings of the healing revivals at this time, with William Branham, Oral Roberts, Gordon Lindsay, and the like. There were also awakenings in the Evangelical world through the budding ministries of Billy Graham, Charles Templeton, and Tom Rees.[2] When William Branham visited Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1947, God’s use of the word of knowledge within his healing ministry made an impact on the teachers at the Sharon Bible School in North Battleford, Saskatchewan.[3] It was this meeting that sent the students and faculty of Sharon Bible School to prayer, a prayer meeting that led to another awakening, the Latter Rain Outpouring. George Hawtin, a member of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, had founded Bethel Bible Institute in Star City, Saskatchewan, in 1935. He later moved the school to Saskatoon, where it was formally affiliated with the PAOC. In 1947, there were some disputes that arose between PAOC district leadership and the staff and faculty of Bethel over issues of curriculum and doctrine.[4] One eyewitness to the revival stated that PAOC leaders were concerned that prayer meetings and revival services were taking too much time away from educational pursuits.[5] Disputes got so heated that Hawtin, Earnest Hawtin, and Percy Hunt resigned and moved to North Battleford, where they reorganized the Sharon Bible School, taking the majority of their students and the essential records of the school with them.[6] The Sharon School entered at the time of fasting and prayer, and on February 12, 1948, an outpouring of the Spirit began that would come to be known as the Latter Rain Movement.[7] Some believed this to be the fulfillment of a prophetic word spoken in 1906 that a great revival would begin in Northern Canada.[8] Word of the outpouring spread, and soon leaders from Vancouver, BC, Detroit, MI, and even New York began to spread the Latter Rain message. The revival was marked by an outpouring of healings and miracles, something that had seemed to dwindle in the previous decade in the Pentecostal movement.[9] The movement was not without controversy, however, as it received sharp criticism from the established Pentecostal denominations. In fact, the controversy was so strong that Frodsham, editor of The Pentecostal Evangel, resigned his credentials with the Assemblies of God after visiting Bethesda Temple in Detroit in 1949.[10] In 1949, the Assemblies of God released a minister’s letter that spoke strongly out against what it perceived as the dangers of the Latter Rain movement, bringing some charges, and rightly so in some ways.[11] Interestingly, the foundations of the Latter Rain Movement laid the groundwork for the modern expressions of the Charismatic church that some still speak out against today. So what were some of the unique teachings of the Latter Rain Movement that brought such strong denouncement from the classical Pentecostal denominations of the day? In many ways, the unique emphasis of the movement was nothing new. Riss notes:
So why was this movement rejected by the mainstream Pentecostal movement? Perhaps it comes down to an overemphasis of certain truths that led to their outright rejection. How often is this the case? How often is it that when certain doctrines are taken too far, the movement is labeled heretical and cast off as unacceptable? What if we could see the fruit of this stream in the river of Classical Pentecostalism and make sure those waters are still flowing in fullness, within the bounds of scriptural truth? Apostles and Prophets One of the most controversial issues that came out of the Latter Rain Movement, something still controversial today, is the present-day ministry of Apostles and Prophets. Does God still call apostles and prophets today? I believe he does. I believe that all five ministry gifts that Paul articulates in Ephesians 4:11 are still active and needed in the world today. Does that mean that everyone with a business card identifying themselves as an apostle or prophet is legitimate? No. Neither is everyone with a business card identifying themselves as an evangelist, pastor, or teacher. The Latter Rain Movement brought recognition of these legitimate ministries to the Pentecostal world. Part of what they felt God was doing in the move of the Spirit was restoring the foundations of the New Testament Church, building the church on apostolic and prophetic foundations. Drawing on Ephesians 2:19-22, the Latter Rain Movement emphasized that apostles and prophets played a foundational role in the church, and God had called them to fight for these foundational ministries in building the church according to God’s design.[13] It was these foundational ministries of apostles and prophets that brought understanding of God’s divine plan for the church and, alongside the evangelists, pastors, and teacher, apostles and prophets provided a needed ministry for the overall health and development of the body of Christ.[14] It was this perspective that present-day apostolic and prophetic ministry laid the foundation for the church, which was condemned by the Assemblies of God at their 1949 General Council.[15] One of the critiques of the movement suggested that believing these ministries were necessary for the proper order of the church denied the legitimate authority of ecclesiastical bodies already in existence. The Assemblies of God felt that the emphasis on apostles and prophets laying hands on people denied their authority: “The ordination of our ministers through the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery is discounted by these brethren, that is, discounted if it was not accompanied by the prophetic gift designating to what ministry the minister has been called and with a prophetic confirmation of the gifts with which he is endowed.”[16] Is it possible to recognize the legitimacy of apostolic and prophetic ministry in church planting and church health, while also recognizing proper ecclesiastical authorities? I think so. Does over-emphasis and abuse negate the legitimacy of apostolic and prophetic ministry today? I would argue to the contrary. The answer to abuse is not negation but correction. What if we recognized legitimate apostles and prophets today? What if we made room for authentic apostolic and prophetic ministry today? What if part of a renewal of Classical Pentecostalism is a recapturing of the stream of apostolic and prophetic ministry in our midst, within biblical guidelines under proper authority? Personal Prophecy Another emphasis of the Latter Rain Movement was the power of personal prophecy, accompanied by the laying on of hands. Within the revival, many times they would lay hands on people and receive prophetic words for that individual, often confirming or imparting a spiritual gift for the work God had for them to do.[17] Listen to their description of what happened in the fires of the Latter Rain revival:
I don’t think prophetic words of this nature were necessarily against Classical Pentecostal teaching, but the response of the denominations seems to relate, again, to the abuse of the prophetic to control or mislead people. Holdcroft states that prophecies concerning marriage were given at times, often resulting ultimately in divorce.[19] Some prophesied concerning a missions ministry, including the pronouncement that the individual didn’t need to learn the language of the country where they were going.[20] This would seem to be a repeat of the missionary tongues that Charles Parham sought to bring early in the movement. Do these abuses negate the power of personal prophecy? I don’t think so. Paul seems to indicate that there was a powerful prophetic moment in Timothy’s life when the presbytery laid hands on him (1 Timothy 1:18-19). Paul tells him to wage war according to the prophecies spoken over him. Prophecy through the laying on of hands was empowering for Timothy to fight the good fight of faith in his ministry. There also seemed to be an impartation of a gift for Timothy’s ministry when Paul laid hands on him that was to empower him in the fearful circumstances he was facing (2 Timothy 1:6-7). So when others pray for us and speak prophetically over us, there’s a powerful encouragement that should empower us to live and minister as God would have us in our world. Again, we need to ask the question as to whether the abuses negate the gifts? Never. We must use wisdom whenever we receive prophetic ministry. Paul gave this instruction to the Thessalonians:
Personal prophecy is a powerful ministry of the Spirit today, and I believe the abuses do not require us to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. Instead, we must heed scriptural admonitions to test and weigh prophetic utterances, and accept those that, in accordance with scripture, encourage, edify, and exhort towards greater Christlikeness. Conclusion I think the reignition of apostolic and prophetic ministry, and the allowance of personal prophecy, may be the powerful contributions, or perhaps reignitions, of the Latter Rain Movement. These ministries are common in the charismatic movement today, and perhaps under intense scrutiny in light of some recent events. Classical Pentecostals may have questions, and rightly so. Are these practices Pentecostal? Are they Biblical? How should we respond? I think we have to ask whether this stream may flow from the river of what God was doing in the Classical Pentecostal movement and, if so, how we might bring them back into healthy, Biblical expression today. What does it look like for authentic apostolic and prophetic ministry to take place in today’s world? How does this stream fit within the river of Classical Pentecostalism, and what might we learn from it? How might we make sure we are not despising nor quenching the Spirit’s work, but testing and holding on to the authentic? Would you join me in praying for a renewal of authentic apostolic and prophetic ministry in the Classical Pentecostal world today? [1]Richard Riss, “The New Order of the Latter Rain,” Assemblies of God Heritage 7, no. 3 (Fall 1987): 17.
[2]Riss, 15. [3]Riss, 15. [4]L. Thomas Holdcroft, “The New Order of the Latter Rain,” Paraclete 14, no. 2 (Spring 1980): 18. [5]Ewald H. Wanagas, “The Revival & Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 1948: Things I Have Seen and Heard,” The Sharon Star (September/October 2000): 2. [6]Holdcroft, 18. [7]Riss, 16. [8]Riss, 16. [9]Riss, 15. [10]Riss, 17. [11]Executive Presbytery, “Letter to Ministers on the Latter Rain Movement,” Assemblies of God Minister’s Letter (April 20, 1949): 1-5. [12]Riss, 16. [13]Wanagas, 10. [14]Wanagas, 10. [15]Riss, 16. [16]Executive Presbytery, 4. [17]Holdcroft, 20. [18]Ernest Hawin, “How this Revival Began,” The Sharon Star (1 August 1949): 3; in Riss, 17. [19]Holdcroft, 21. [20]Ibid. |
Dr. jake TrueDr. Jake True is a chaplain, pastor, and scholar in Southern Illinois. He loves exploring Pentecostal learning and discipleship, with an emphasis on the role of the Spirit in education. Archives
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