Shape #2: A radical plan for transition, or the end of a movement?
Keep calm and keep moving // our shape in detail #2
A radical plan for transition, or the end of a movement?
In the summer of 2008, at the Newfrontiers annual leadership conference, prominent US bible teacher and movement leader Mark Driscoll was addressing a hushed auditorium.
He had been staying at the home of Terry Virgo and had seen a wedding photograph of Virgo handing his daughter over to her new husband. In the same way, he suggested, it was time for Virgo to hand over his apostolic church network to another man to lead for the future.
“It was time for Virgo to hand over his apostolic church network to another man to lead for the future.”
He was speaking of a succession strategy for the movement and inevitably, speculation was immediate about what this succession would look like: who would be Terry’s successor? when would this take place? what would be the implications for the future of Newfrontiers as a church movement?
An about-turn
At the following annual leadership conference a year later thousands were gathered, nervous and excited to discover any answers to those questions. What Terry shared was a surprise to many. While grateful for Mark’s provocation of the call to find a successor, he explained, handing over the network of churches to a successor was not the succession methodology that Newfrontiers was going to adopt. Instead, with prayerful deliberation, Terry and his core team had arrived at quite a different strategy.
“...while it describes the life and ministry of Jesus and the commissioning of the first generation of apostles, there is very little account given in the New Testament as to how this ministry was then handed on to successive generations.”
Two years before, at a gathering of 70 key leaders in November 2007, David Devenish - a long-term and senior co-labourer with Terry Virgo - presented a seminal paper concerning succession of apostolic ministry within the Newfrontiers movement. In it, he noted that the New Testament is a ‘one generation’ account; while it describes the life and ministry of Jesus and the commissioning of the first generation of apostles, there is very little account given as to how this ministry was then handed on to successive generations.
Dave Devenish, long-term and senior co-labourer with Terry Virgo
Exploring a New Strategy
For David, speaking on behalf of himself and Terry and the other core leaders of Newfrontiers at the time, the conclusion was this: rather than handing the whole movement of churches over to a single apostolic successor or even a team of successors, a fresh generation of apostles should be commissioned and released.
At this point, churches who had received Terry as their apostolic leader would be encouraged to align themselves with one of several freshly recognised apostles, with Terry effectively retiring from apostolic leadership of Newfrontiers.
“I am not looking for a successor,” Terry later stated, “but multiplied sons to carry on the mission growing across the nations. We prize our corporate life within what we call Newfrontiers, but more important is the raising up of gifted sons who develop their own apostolic spheres and multiply the mission.”
Radical Changes
This decision carried with it a host of immediate implications. Newfrontiers as a network of churches would no longer exist, Terry would no longer serve as the apostolic leader of the movement, the Newfrontiers office and staff would be disbanded, and the associated charitable trust and finances would be wound down to a minimal level to sustain residual, low-level activity.
Did this essentially signal the end of Newfrontiers?
In a series of articles, Maurice Nightingale will detail the change of shape at Relational Mission, and how the journey we are on has lessons for movements across the wider Church. Find them all here.
About the author
Maurice Nightingale loves seeing things restored, whether that is aircraft, cars, motorised bicycles, military watches, churches, or broken leaders. His wife Rachel loves languages and looking out for children who deserve special care. Originally from London, they love serving the gospel together in the highways of the city and the byways of the country village both in the UK and across Europe. Their proudest achievement is acquiring one amazing daughter and three fantastic sons.