EDITOR’S NOTE: This is probably the most controversial article we have done on Michael Brown where we have sufficient documentation providing ample evidence that he is recognized as an NAR Apostle, intrinsically part of the NAR and was removed from Brownsville because of his involvement with the NAR.
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Like other New Apostolic Reformation Apostles, Michael Brown has not been honest about his past and this series will demonstrate just how deceptive Brown has been about his involvement with the NAR for a few decades:
What Michael Brown is hiding from his audience (Part 1): Attacking Christian authors; contends for NAR gospel
What Michael Brown is hiding from his audience (Part 2): Damning 2010 audio proving Brown’s knowledge & involvement in the NAR.
Firstly, we encourage our audience to know different types of ‘lies’ to reveal how deceptive Michael Brown really is:
Resource: How to Recognize Lies.
In this article, we will create a timeline to see how Michael Brown is involved in the New Apostolic Reformation. This article will consist of documents and evidence which will provide overwhelming proof thatt Michael Brown has been lying about his ‘apostleship’ from 2001 to this very day.
Our last article focused on three major events that demonstrates Brown’s involvement with the NAR:
- 1987-1994: (Now Tikkun International)
- 1996-2000: Brownsville Revival and Brownsville Revival School of Ministry (BRSM)
- 2000-2001: ‘The Call’ Rallies
In this article, we will look at his involvement in four more major NAR ‘ministries’ in the form of a timeline:
- ?: The Church of Grace and Peace
- 2001-2004: Wagner Leadership Institute (WLI)
- 2001-Now: FIRE School/Church/International
- 2013-Now: United States Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (USCAL)
Before we do so, we need to return to the topic of the New Order of the Latter Rain to understand why Michael Brown was expelled from Brownsville.
1948 – THE NEW ORDER OF THE LATTER RAIN (NOLR).
The NOLR was birthed in 1948, influenced by the teachings of Franklin Hall and William Branham. Specifically through the leadership and infuences of Branham and other like-minded men, the Voice of Healing publication was born, giving rise to the Voice of Healing Movement (VHM) in the 1950s.
Michael Brown sees the NOLR and its heretical Voice of Healing Movement (VHM) and their revivals through the 1950s as a good thing. Their false gospel is known as the Gospel of Power, the Gospel of the Kingdon, the Full Gospel, Whole Gospel or Healing Gospel. This is important because this false gospel of William Branham and Franklin Hall was mainstreamed through the NOLR which gave rise to notorious healing evangelists. In NOLR times, the 5-Fold ministry was called ‘ascension gifts’ and the movement was recognized by Franklin Hall’s abhorrent ‘prayer and fasting’ techniques and uncivilized, disorderly and experiential worship and church services.
Michael Brown even writes about these times:
NOLR/NAR – Michael Brown & Lou Engle upholding their heretical roots.
1949 – THE AMERICAN AOG CONDEMN THE AOG.
Back in 1949, the American AOG condemned the practices of the New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR) cult.
They ‘disapproved’ these six practices in their 23rd Council:
1. The overemphasis relative to imparting, identifying, bestowing or confirming gifts by the laying on of hands and prophesy.
2. The erroneous teaching that the church is built upon the foundation of present day apostles and prophets.
3. The extreme teaching as advocated by the ‘new order’ regarding the confession of sin to man and deliverance as practiced, which claims prerogatives to human agency which belong only to Christ.
4. The erroneous teaching concerning the impartation of the gift of languages as special equipment for missionary service.
5. The extreme and unscriptural practice imparting or imposing personal leading by the means of utterance.
6. Such other wrestings and distortions of Scripture, interpretations which are in opposition to teachings and practices generally accepted among us.
PDF: 1949 AOG Condemns the New Order of the Latter Rain
Point 2 above is the main one we will be focusing on in this topic as the AOG raised these same points again in the year 2000.
1951 – THE FULL GOSPEL BUSINESS MEN’S FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL.
Influenced by William Branham, Demos Shakarian founded the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI). This allowed the teachings of the New Order of the Latter Rain to permeate the workplace. In this business culture, the teachings of healing gospel (healing in the atonement) took on the form that Jesus died to make us prosperous.
Further connection of the New Order of the Latter Rain to the FGBMFI.
A young man involved in this movement was Walter Healy. We will see the importance of this connection later in this article.
AUG 2000 – U.S. ASSEMBLIES OF GOD (AOG) STATEMENT.
Echoes of the past with AOG and NOLR
While other witnesses on staff at BRSM claim that “behind the scenes things were a mess,” another straw that seemed to break the camel’s back came from the American AOG prior to Michael Brown’s expulsion.
In August 2000, the American AOG thought it was appropriate (for whatever reason, though we think it is related to NOLR practices in the Brownsville revival), to revisit the six major points in 1949 in the same order, to explain more thoroughly in detail why they still condemn such practices. The reason why we think this AOG paper was aimed at Brownsville was because NAR Apostle David Yonggi Cho prophesied that the Brownsville revival was not only a sign of the end-times, Cho prophesied that the Brownsville revival would not end until Christ returned. Consider those facts with the title of the AOG document, ‘Endtime Revival-Spirit-Led and Spirit-Control2qqqled: A Response Paper to Resolution 16’.
Under the heading ‘Deviant Teachings Disapproved’, we see the same 6 points that were expressed in 1949 expanded upon. You can read the AOG August 2000 Document here:
PDF: Endtime Revival – Spirit-Led and Spirit-Controlled: A Response Paper to Resolution 16
Source: AOG.Org,https://web.archive.org/web/20100922094047/http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Position_Papers/pp_downloads/pp_endtime_revival.pdf, PDF: [Archive]
In dealing with the issue again with Apostles and Prophets, the AOG in 2000 explained (emphasis ours):
“It is very tempting for persons with an independent spirit and an exaggerated estimate of their importance in the kingdom of God to declare organization and administrative structure to be of human origin.”
An “independent spirit”. How did they describe Michael Brown in his expulsion from the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry? Remember, this document was released in August of 2000. Michael Brown was expelled from the BRSM at the end of that year after they asked him to pull back and be properly recognized as a leader within the AOG. Michael Brown refused.
SEP 02 2000 – U.S. ASSEMBLIES OF GOD (AOG) STATEMENT.
Michael Brown takes students from his school to NOLR/NAR rallies:
“On September 2, 2000, I stood before several hundred thousand believers who had gathered at the Mall in Washington, DC for the first-ever Call event and said, “Let the White House know, let the media know, let Hollywood know, let the world know that we are here to start a Jesus revolution!”
That same day, we gave away more than 70,000 copies of my just-published book Revolution! The Call to Holy War, and in the crowd that day, as well as standing on the platform behind me, were more than 700 students from our school, the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry. They had traveled by bus more than 20 hours to attend the Call event, and they were the largest group from anywhere in America that day.”
Source: Michael Brown, SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE “JESUS REVOLUTION”?, Line Of Fire, http://lineoffireblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/so-what-happened-to-jesus-revolution.html, April 18, 2012. (Accessed Dec 21 2017.)
Under the Pentecostal AOG umbrella, this would have raised red flags, considering Apostle Lou Engle was very public about his Latter Rain teachings by the heretical Franklin Hall and William Branham.
DEC 17 2000 – MICHAEL BROWN EXPELLED.
How Brown’s words expose his NAR Apostleship
In December of 2000, Michael Brown was expelled under a cloud of controversy. It was clear Michael Brown had no interest in joining the AOG and wished to keep his “independent spirit” but was in serious damage control at this time. Here is a collection of important documents gathered around this time by Sermon Index:
PDF: Major Split At Brownsville – News Report_SermonIndex
Source: Major Split at Brownsville – News Report, Sermon Index,http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=11041, Accessed Sep 17 2016. PDF: [Archive]
It was alleged in the above documents that Michael Brown was “removed in what is believed to be a dispute over denominational accountability” (pg. 1). As we will see later, Michael Brown was removed because of his NOLR/NAR leanings and apostolic authority undermining AOG and Pentecostal churches and denominations.
Perusing the documents pertaining ti Brown in the above Sermon Index PDF, it is important to note that Michael Brown considered himself “a father to the student body” (pg. 2.) That is a pure unadulterated NAR title ascribed to NAR Apostles. NAR Apostles are called ‘Fathers’, ‘Spiritual Fathers’ and also ‘Papas’ in some circles. So this actually backs up witnesses who were in Brownsville who said the student body and staff considered Michael Brown an Apostle.
Brown later describes the student body to being “spiritual sons and daughters” to him (pg. 3). According to NAR Apostles, if a Father is raising “spiritual sons and daughters”, they are an Apostle raising up the next generation.
Remember that C. Peter Wagner claims that NAR Apostles are called by God to cast vision. As ‘Generals’ in Gods End-time army, they are called to rally the church and revolutionize or transform cities, nations and the world for Christ the way that Christ and his Apostles supposedly did in their Greco-Roman culture. Michael Brown once again reveals the key features of an NAR Apostle and applies these NAR apostolic features to himself (emphasis added):
“I will continue to pursue the vision that has burned in my heart for many years: to raise up a holy army of uncompromising, Spirit-filled radicals who will shake an entire generation with the gospel of Jesus-by life or by death.” (pg. 2.)
One insider claimed,
“People were suing people over royalties and media contracts. People didn’t like people, departments didn’t like departments. We all knew that Michael Brown didn’t care for Kilpatrick and Kilpatrick didn’t care for Michael Brown and it eventually blew up in an ugly moment where people chose sides. People were defending people and attacking people and the whole thing just turned sad and in the end, the revival just stopped.”
Source: Matthew Oliver, WHY I LEFT THE BROWNSVILLE REVIVAL,http://www.matthewroliver.com/apps/blog/why-i-left-the-brownsville-revival, Published Mar 24 2015. (Accessed Nov 20 2017.) [Archive]
So if Michael Brown was removed over the issue of denominational accountability and “didn’t care for Kilpatrick”, who was Michael Brown accountable to during that time?
DEC 28 2000 – MICHAEL BROWN’S PASTOR PUBLISHES LETTER.
Outside of the AOG structures, his ‘pastor’ came to be his backbone. So who was Michael Brown’s pastor?
Walter W. Healy.
And why does that name ring a bell?
Walter Healy was was the man who rose under the NOLR leadership of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI). This information coming to you from a PRO-NAR website (emphasis ours):
“Prior to founding Grace and Peace, Walt was a school teacher, co-founder and co-presenter of the Seek Ye Firstcable show, Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International, an advisor to the Women’s Aglow Fellowship area council, founder and chair of the Charismatic Unity Fellowship of Ocean County, board member and treasurer of the New Hope Christian Counseling Center, and from 1975 to 1995 president of Song of Solomon, Inc., a non-profit library that lent cassettes.”
Source: César Aquino Bezerra, Apostolic Reformation – Exterior 64, Ministry César Aquino Bezerra, http://www.ministeriocesar.com/2015/11/reforma-apostolica-exterior-64.html#axzz4zEF4lARa, Published Nov 24 2015. (Accessed Nov 20 2017.) [Archived]
We mentioned that this NOLR organisation being started in 1951 under the influence of William Branham and Demos Shakarian. So was Walter Healy just any ordinary pastor or was he of this ‘New Order’ put forth by the Latter Rain under the FGBMFI organization? In other words, is he a governingend-times NAR Apostle?
See if any of this language in Healy’s letter stands out to you.
A letter from Dr. Brown’s pastor, Pastor Walter W. Healy, concerning Dr. Brown’s accountability, credentials and their long-standing relationship (December 28, 2000)
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter will serve to verify that Dr. Michael Brown is a fully credentialed minister of the gospel under the government of The Church of Grace and Peace, Toms River, NJ. Our relationship of approximately fifteen years has been marked by mutual respect and accountability which ultimately led to this formal licensure in which Dr. Brown is fully accountable to the church Elder Board.
Further, let it be known that Dr. Brown has our fullest respect for his past and present integrity in ministry to the Lord and His church in both spiritual and practical aspects. We recommend him as one in pursuit of the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Yours for the Truth,
Walter W. Healy
Senior Pastor
Did the word ‘GOVERNMENT’ stand out to you? It should, considering that NAR churches believe Apostles and Prophets are to govern the end-times church. So WHO was Michael Brown not only accountable to but “under the government of?”
An NAR APOSTLE.
And not just any NAR Apostle. Apostle Walter W. Healy seems to suggest that he has been an ‘apostle’ since he founded the ‘The Church of Grace and Peace’ in 1985 (emphasis ours).
“Pastor Walt Healy serves as apostolic overseer of The Church of Grace and Peace, which he founded in 1985; lead Pastor of Jersey Shore United; head of FaithNet USA; and Dover Township Police Chaplain. He founded the Grace and Peace Institute of Biblical Studies, School of Ministry, and Counseling School, and is the Chancellor of Wagner Leadership Institute in Toms River. He has seven children and 21 grandchildren. All of the family resides in Toms River, where they have lived since 1968.”
PDF: New Jersey Family Magazine 2014 (pg. 40)
Walter Healy also has this on his own profile here (archived).
Consider Healy’s involvement with the NOLR’s FGBMFI, Brown submitting to Healy’s church ‘government’ and Healy officially recognized by the NAR’s International Coalition of Apostes and in 2006 being accepted as the Chancellor of the C. Peters Wagner’s WLI.
The image below should highlight the deception of Dr Michael Brown and his submission to his Apostle, Walt Healy. We hope you begin to see how all these dots are connected (not including the FGBMFI).
We now turn your attention to what Michael Brown says regarding why he was kicked out of the Brownsville Revival and what he did with his school.
FEB 28 2002 – MICHAEL BROWN AND CHARISMA MAG.
The above documents in the Sermon Index reveal that Michael Brown was quick to launch the F.I.R.E School of ministry. Because of his quick launch, it is worth digesting Michael Brown’s words to Charisma back in 2002:
“It was difficult to be a church-planting movement and part of a church that had denominational church-planting rules,” Brown told Charisma. “To us, the issue of apostolic fathering could not be fully released in that denominational framework. That, by the way, is a big part of why the separation happened.”
Source: Michael Brown, FIRE Ministry Survives After Brownsville Split in Pensacola, Charisma Mag, https://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/134-peopleevents/people-events/572-fire-ministry-survives-after-brownsville-split-in-pensacola, Published Feb 28 2002. (Accessed Nov 05 2017.)
“Apostolic fathering”? Michael Brown already revealed in his correspondence that he was a ‘Father’ to his ‘spiritual sons and daughters’. Brown stated ‘a big part of why the separation happened’ was because of this ‘apostolic fathering’ controversy. Here is again Brown talking about raising up these ‘spiritual fathers’ in BRSM in the above article (emphasis added):
“We deeply appreciate our time at Brownsville and fully recognize the awesome things that God did during the revival,” Brown said. “But having our own community has enabled us to more fully express some of our ministry convictions–to provide a strong emphasis on church planting and raising up spiritual fathers to this generation.”
These are HIS words. Not ours.
Michael Brown is CONFESSING his apostleship to Charisma Magazine.
Is this the same ‘independent spirit’ that the AOG was addressing in their Aug 2000 paper? Can you see exactly WHY the AOG and Michael Brown had a falling out back in 2000?
The AOG opposed the teachings of modern day Apostles and Prophets and Michael Brown didn’t. He considered himself a ‘Father’ raising up an army of ‘spiritual sons and daughters’ and the AOG called him to either recant and join the AOG (so he could be accountable) or leave. The evidence is all there.
Michael Brown decided to leave Pentecostalism alone and remain an NAR Apostle. Are you convinced yet?
IF THE SHOE FITS…
There are another two MAJOR marks of NAR Apostles according to Wagner (see his book ‘ChurchQuake!’). One is lack of accountability and the other is that they often form and have ‘Apostolic Teams’ (emphasis added):
“To whom are the apostles accountable? In my association with some of the top leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation, I frequently raise the question of accountability, and I must say I have not received consistently clear answers.
[…] Some have formed apostolic teams or apostolic councils within their networks, with whom they work closely. This provides a certain level of accountability, but to a point. It is still essentially the relationship of a leader to subordinates, just as is the pastor’s role with the local church elders.” [Source]
Let’s see what else Brown said to Charisma Mag in 2002:
“In a certain way, everything that our old school [BRSM] was, FIRE just continued to be, but with greater focus, expression and intensity, but at another location,” he said. That Brown and former BRSM staffers were able to get a school up and running just a month after his firing is a divine miracle, as far as Brown and FIRE staffers are concerned.”
Source: Charisma, FIRE Ministry Survives After Brownsville Split in Pensacola, Charisma Mag, https://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/134-peopleevents/people-events/572-fire-ministry-survives-after-brownsville-split-in-pensacola, Published Feb 28 2002. (Accessed Nov 05 2017.)
That’s an incredible confession. One person who attended the FIRE School that now runs the BeCarefulHowYouHear website claimed that Dr. Brown was considered an Apostle and part of the New Apostolic Reformation. Brown’s confession in how he saw himself as ‘a father of spiritual sons and daughters’ in the BRSM seems to have channeled over to his FIRE School with insiders testifying of his apostleship.
This is what you will find on the Michael Brown’s FIRE Church website:
You will notice Brown has an Apostolic Team in the FIRE Church he founded. But if Michael Brown is not an NAR Apostle, why does Dr Michael Brown have an apostolic team? Remember, according to Wagner, NAR Apostles develop Apostolic Teams so its members support the Apostle “in the apostolic ministry.”
Here is the information in written form:
Founder:
Dr. Michael L. Brown
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.
In case you did not know:
Scott Volk is on the Fire School staff faculty.
Josh Peters is on the Fire School faculty.
Keith Collins is on the Fire School staff faculty.
And who are Gary and Cindy Panepinto? If you look at the notorious International Coalition of Apostles (ICA) as early as 2007, you can see that Gary Panepinto is an NAR Apostle. The evidence of Michael Brown’s NARpistleship is becoming more evident the more we dig.
2001 – MICHAEL BROWN TEACHING AS APOSTLE AT WLI.
For whatever reason, Michael Brown was brought on by C. Peter Wagner to be part of his faculty for his Wagner Leadership Institute (not accredited). If you were on the faculty of WLI, this meant only one thing:
“Our faculty is made up of internationally known apostolic leaders.”
Source: Faculty, Wagner Leadership Institute,https://web.archive.org/web/20070514073617/http://www.wagnerleadership.org:80/WhatisWLI/Faculty/tabid/2811/Default.aspx, Accessed May 14 2007.
Guess who was on the WLI faculty between 2001-2004 (and maybe even longer)?
Michael Brown on WLI Faculty in 2001
Michael Brown on WLI faculty in 2004
Rod & Julie Anderson are part of the WLI UK. They write,
Our Faculty
Dr. C. Peter Wagner appointed us to be the Chancellors of WLI UK in 2007, and we are privileged to serve with Ché Ahn as the International Chancellor to tell people all across our nation about this great opportunity for advanced training.
The International Faculty of WLI is made up of experienced and successful apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:11). These leaders have the ability to communica,te the truths of God’s word, to articulate what the Spirit is currently saying to the church, to apply these insights to the contemporary world, and to cast a challenging vision for a future of social transformation. WLI Faculty model and impart to students a character of holiness and humility, an activation of the gifts that God has given to each one, and a filling of the Holy Spirit that will provide the power for students to accomplish their task.
Source: Our Faculty, Commonwealth Church, https://commonwealthchurch.com/our-faculty/, Accessed Aug 25 2017.
This is important information because this page which documents who is on the WLI faculty, was created on July 19 2013. Who is still considered to be on WLI faculty by these UK Chancellors?
It is interesting to note that in various descriptions and attributes of these apostles littered across the WLI websites, that they are regarded as “mothers and fathers” and those that operate from the “five fold” offices or ministry. This is Michael Brown’s language.
2013 – UNITED STATES COALITION OF APOSTOLIC LEADERS (USCAL).
Charisma News observed the following about the New Apostolic Movement and the birthing of USCAL:
“As the apostolic movement continues making inroads in local churches across America, a new council has formed to pray and strategize about how God can use the combined efforts of apostolic leadership to advance the kingdom in the United States…
… The primary objective I have for 2014 is to assemble a national council made up of regional and national apostolic leaders that combine significant influence with godly character that can adequately represent the body of Christ in our nation,” says Mattera, presiding bishop over Christ Covenant Coalition and Overseeing Bishop of Resurrection Church in New York…
“This group was a mosaic of seasoned multiethnic apostolic leaders—both charismatic and non-charismatic—of both genders and various vocations in many spheres of society that represent the beautiful diversity of the kingdom of God.”
… Those who attended included leaders in the church and marketplace such as: Jim Garlow, Doug Stringer, Dennis Peacocke , Robert Stearns, Buddy Crum, Bill Thomas, Luis Vargas, Rod Cesear, Paul Van Valen, Barbara Yoder, Rich Callahan, Bob Englehart, John Benefiel, Ralph Dennis, David Carey, Walt Healy, David Carey, Bart Pierce, Dale Bronner, Jeff Reed, Steve Fedesky Kyle Searcy, Tim Hamon, Sam Roherer, John Kelly, Herb Hutchinson, Eugene Reeves, Hubie Synn, Ron Cottle, Glen Schaefer and Randall Langley. Interested potential council members who could not be present include Barbara Wentroble, Mark Chironna, Lance Wallnau, Michael Brown, H. Daniel Wilson and Ben Paz.”
Source: https://www.charismanews.com/us/44451-us-apostolic-council-of-leaders-forms-to-advance-kingdom, Published Jun 26, 2o14. (Accessed July 04, 2014.) [Archive]
Most of these are Apostles from the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA – now ICAL) and also Wagner Leadership Institute (WLI). What is VERY interesting to note is who remained USCAL Apostles since then and 2o18 – Michael Brown. Even in these two different edited documents from the USCAL website, he is recognized as an NAR Apostle:
PDF 1: USCAL NATIONAL COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP 2017
Source: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54359608e4b07147d79770e1/t/5890b066e58c62b50eab6e34/1485877350739/NationalCouncil01-2017.docx.pdf, [Archived]
PDF 2: USCAL NATIONAL COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP 2017
Source: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54359608e4b07147d79770e1/t/58e65cccbebafbe3ac92d95e/1491492045212/USCAL+Nat+Council.pdf.
You’ll notice that Michael Brown’s governing apostle is also an USCAL National Council Member.
CONCLUSION
Michael Brown’s ministry, connections, networks, teachings and own words reveal the fact that he is not only part of the NAR but intrinsically involved in the NAR as one of its own governing NAR Apostles. His deception needs to stop.
Frankly – Michael Brown’s entire ministry and Christian witness has as much integrity and substance as Ergun Caner. It is unfortunate to see that James White had issues with a man like Ergun Caner (who has lied about his life and ministry) but has no problem being in a friendship with Michael Brown whose life is also a lie (if not a bigger one).
All Christians should be wary of a man who is prepared to lie about his theology, his status, his ministry and life just so he can gain influence in Christian circles. Michael Brown is one such deceiver. It is time for Christians to mark, avoid and warn the body of Christ about this wolf.
[Editor’s Note: You can find Part 1 here. You can find Part 2 here. You can find Part 3 here. This post was originally done and published at Church Watch Central here]
