Which organizations and schools are most closely linked to teaching NAR practices and where are they located?
Executive summary
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a decentralised theological movement rather than a formal denomination, but multiple ministries, networks and training schools are repeatedly identified in reporting as primary carriers of NAR practices and training [1] [2]. The most frequently named institutions associated with teaching prophecy, healing, supernatural ministry and “apostolic” authority include Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, International House of Prayer’s training programs, Christ for the Nations Institute, Global Awakening, and several prayer and apostolic networks — though the movement’s lack of formal organization complicates neat mapping [3] [4] [2] [5].
1. How the NAR is organised — not a denomination but a networked movement
Scholars and critics emphasise that the NAR functions as a loose, transnational network bound by shared ideology (apostles/prophets, charismatic practices, dominion ideas) rather than a single governing body, so affiliations are fluid and many local churches participate without using the “NAR” label [1] [2] [5].
2. Core training schools most often singled out by reporting
Multiple outlets repeatedly point to a handful of training schools that explicitly teach prophecy, healing and supernatural ministry: Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (associated with Bethel Church in Redding, California) is named frequently as a flagship training ground [4], while Christ for the Nations Institute, Global Awakening and International House of Prayer University are also cited as institutions that run programs to teach “how to prophecy, heal and ‘hear God’s voice’” [3] [6].
3. Prayer and apostolic networks that propagate NAR practices
Beyond schools, reporting and analyses identify organized networks and ministries that foster NAR ideas at scale — for example the Reformation Prayer Network (linked to Cindy Jacobs) and the Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network (linked to John Benefiel) — which have coordinated large strategic-prayer initiatives and spiritual-mapping activities described in coverage [2]. Independent trackers such as NAR Connections catalog overlapping leadership and affiliations to show how influence spreads through these nodes [7].
4. Media, music ministries and megachurch platforms as vectors
Television networks and music/worship platforms also amplify NAR teachings; Trinity Broadcasting Network and Daystar are documented promoters of NAR-aligned teaching [1], and contemporary worship ministries like Bethel Music, Jesus Culture, Hillsong and Elevation are repeatedly named in reporting as cultural vehicles that normalize NAR theology and practice [7] [3].
5. The ideological content taught at these schools and why it matters
Coverage stresses that the schools and networks teach a combination of restored “apostolic” governance, present-day prophecy, strategic-level spiritual warfare (including spiritual mapping), and often the Seven Mountain Mandate — a programmatic aim to influence seven spheres of society — which critics describe as dominionist in effect [1] [8] [2].
6. Critics, contested definitions and institutional responses
Observers disagree about labels and scope: some leaders deny a cohesive “NAR” movement even as critics and watchdogs (Reachout Trust, apologetics sites, independent authors) catalogue concrete organizations, schools and events that train and disseminate NAR practices; these critics explicitly warn about doctrinal departures and political consequences [9] [2] [10]. At the same time, defenders often cast their aims as cultural engagement and revival rather than domination, a distinction invoked in responses to media exposés [2].
7. Geographic footprint and the limits of available reporting
Reporting ties many of the most visible training centers and networks to the United States (for example Bethel in Redding, CA and numerous U.S.-based prayer networks), but also notes rapid global spread through megachurches and missionary links; however, precise mapping of every school or campus worldwide is limited by the movement’s decentralised character and by sources that list institutions without always providing exhaustive locations [4] [7] [5].