What is the NAR?

The New Apostolic Reformation

C. Peter Wagner first coined the term New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Here is Wagner’s explanation of the term:

“Reformation” because the movement matched the Protestant Reformation in world impact; “Apostolic” because of all the changes the most radical one was apostolic governance … and “New” because several churches and denominations already carried the name “apostolic,” but they did not fit the NAR pattern.” ¹

What are the core NAR beliefs?

“NAR has no official statements of theology or ecclesiology, although a large number of us do happen to agree upon many somewhat radical conclusions.” ²

Wagner summarises these radical conclusions as:

• Apostolic Governance (aligned to Prophets)
• Prophets (aligned to Apostles)
• Dominionism (Kingdom of God on Earth)
• Theocracy (Seven Mountains)
• Extra-biblical Revelation
• Supernatural Signs and Wonders
• Relational Structure (via alignment with an apostle)

Wagner says “others in NAR might not agree with me, and they are not compelled to do so” but then acknowledges that “a large number of [NAR Leaders] do happen to agree”. In fact, there are now a large number of church leaders across the world aligned to the NAR movement and teaching NAR doctrine just as Wagner describes it.

What is the connection between the NAR Movement and The Passion Translation?

Brian Simmons (“translator” of the Passion Bible) is an apostle in the NAR Movement. He studied under Peter Wagner ³ and now teaches courses through the Wagner Leadership Institute. ⁴

Senior leaders across the NAR movement are promoting The Passion Translation. This includes Bill Johnson who says: “The Passion Translation is the most exciting thing to happen to Bible translations in my lifetime!” ⁵. We have compiled a list of NAR endorsements for The Passion Translation here.

Further Reading:

To find out more about the NAR, read an introduction on the Pirate Christian Radio website, including the 6 Hallmarks of an NAR church. You will find a wealth of resources about the NAR movement on the PCR website. You may also find Holly Pivec’s books on the NAR helpful. To read more about the connection between the Passion Bible and the NAR see Holly’s 4 part blog series.

Short Video: Peter Wagner teaching on Apostolic Alignment (commissioning of Todd Bentley)