One of the reasons why we called out Michael Brown as an NAR Apostle was because of what we see on his Fire School website. All one needs to observe is how Brown structured himself and his leadership for his Fire-School. Just like Bill Johnson with Bethel, Brown has his Fire-School as his own apostolic team.
NAR Apostle Bill Johnson explaining Apostolic Teams and Spiritual Fathering
Notice in the above article how Bill Johnson assumes he is a ‘spiritual father’ because his apostolic team carries his “family mission.”
This is important considering the fact that back in the year 2000, Michael Brown was recorded saying when he left Brownsville, he was a “father” of his “family” (emphasis added):
“We are a family, not just a school, and it was unthinkable to me as a father to the student body, I would simply abandon them.” [Source]
“My heart was this: You can fire me as being president, but you can’t fire me as being father.” [Source]
Going back to Johnson, it’s also worth noting how he linked the idea that people in Apostolic teams are under an apostolic anointing and authority:
“When they go with that heart, they carry an apostolic anointing because they function under the umbrella of the apostle’s authority.”
This begs the question:
How does Bill Johnson’s apostolic team carry an apostolic anointing OR
function under the umbrella of an apostle’s authority if Johnson claims he is NOT and Apostle?
Before looking at Michael Brown, let’s look at what C. Peter Wagner, (the leader of the NAR), has to say about Apostolic Teams.
After all, Wagner was the one that helped shape the NAR’s theology and ecclesiology and is praised as an expert in his field of work of understanding the leadership roles of NAR Apostles and Prophets. So what does he have to say about Apostolic teams and those who initiate them? Will he also say they are under an apostle’s authority and anointing? Will he say something similar to Johnson and actually level a claim that Michael Brown is indeed an Apostle because he leads an apostolic team at his Fire-School?
Wagner writes,
Apostolic Team Members
Most apostles develop a leadership team of one kind or another to support them in the apostolic ministry.
Members of the team frequently include spouses, prophets, administrators, close friends, financial supporters, and others. Generally speaking, however, one apostle heads the network. A few, on the other hand, choose to bring other peer-level apostles onto their leadership team. This requires a special kind of “Microsoft apostle,” but when it can be properly done, it greatly expands the possibility of including more churches in the network.
In my book Churchquake!, I go on into considerable detail explaining why there is a numerical limit to the number of churches that can participate in a healthy ecclesiastical apostolic network. This is based on the axiom that apostolic networks (as contrasted to denominations) are held together by personal relationships instead of by legal, bureaucratic, organizational structures. It is essential, therefore, that the leader of the network (the apostle) maintain personal relationships with the pastors of all the churches of the network. Depending on a certain set of variables, the range of churches in which this can happen is somewhere between 50 and 150 churches.
Source: C. Peter Wagner, Apostles Today: Biblical Government for Biblical Power, Baker Publishing Group, 2006.
So according to Wagner, NAR Apostles develop Apostolic Teams so its members support the Apostle “in the apostolic ministry.” If you don’t believe Brown fits Johnson’s and Wagner’s criteria, check out the Fire Church staff web page yourself:
Founder:
Apostolic Team
Scott and Beth Volk
Dr. Josh and Tobi Peters
Keith and Darla Collins
Gary and Cindy Panepinto
Source: FIRE Church Staff, Fire-Church, http://fire-church.org/leadership/fire-church-staff/, Accessed 29/06/2017.
Why does Dr Michael Brown have an apostolic team? What does it mean for Michael Brown to have an Apostolic Team? It means that this APOSTLE created that APOSTOLIC team to support his APOSTOLIC MINISTRY. We hope that Bill Johnson and the head Apostle of the New Apostolic Reformation, C. Peter Wagner, has convinced you of who Brown really is.
Categories: New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)