In a move that appeared to stun the national office Wednesday, Missouri’s largest Assemblies of God congregation announced that its board of trustees unanimously decided to end affiliation with the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination.
In a statement to The Christian Post on Thursday, James River Church said even though it will no longer be a part of the denomination, it will remain committed to the doctrine.
“Recently, the James River Church Board of Trustees reached the decision to discontinue our formal denominational affiliation with the Assemblies of God. We are thankful for the Assemblies of God, and we intend to continue partnering with the Assemblies of God in a variety of ways — including our continued support of missionaries and missions efforts to take the Gospel around the world,” the church, which reports a weekly attendance of 16,000, said.
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“James River Church is not changing its doctrine, and the church remains committed to preaching the Bible and impacting the local community and the world for the cause of Christ.”
The megachurch did not respond to questions from CP about what prompted the decision or how long it had been planning to make the move.
When asked similar questions, the Southern Missouri Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God, a fellowship of AOG congregations in southern Missouri, did not immediately respond.
Don Miller, superintendent of the network, told CP that the network is working to facilitate James River Church’s disaffiliation from the denomination.
“James River Church has informed the Southern Missouri Ministry Network of their decision to leave the Assemblies of God. We are aware of the impact that James River has made for the Kingdom and have been thankful to have them part of the Assemblies of God,” Miller said. “In the Assemblies of God, there is a process in place to work through matters of this nature and Southern Missouri will be following that process.”
An official in the AOG’s national office who was not authorized to speak with the press told CP that while they acknowledge James River Church’s “rich legacy of ministry” with the denomination, they were blindsided by the decision.
“They informed everyone, public and AOG alike, at their Wednesday evening service,” the official said.
There was also no indication from the Missouri megachurch that they were planning to leave the denomination, the official said.
“There is no kind of dispute. There was no kind of ongoing situation. They just announced it, and that was it,” the representative said.
“James River Church has a rich legacy of ministry and service within the Assemblies of God and our prayers are now with them for God’s blessing and continued effective ministry,” the AOG representative added.
Approximately one year ago, the megachurch’s pastor, John Lindell, accused Pastor Mark Driscoll of attempting to overthrow him as the leader of his church and dividing his family and congregation by unfairly attacking as demonic a performance by a professional sword swallower, who he accused of being a male stripper, at their Stronger Men’s Conference.
The church, formerly known as James River Assembly, was founded in 1991.
The church congregation also made headlines in 2023 after Lindell claimed during a livestream that a miracle occurred the previous day when a member saw her amputated toes grow back, prompting critics to demand proof of such a claim.
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