Which major Pentecostal denominations have issued official policy statements on the New Apostolic Reformation since 2018?
Executive summary
Since 2018, the public record compiled in the provided reporting shows no clear evidence that multiple major Pentecostal denominations issued new, formal policy statements specifically naming or defining the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR); the clearest denominational response on the record remains the Assemblies of God (AG), whose long-standing official critique predates 2018 and continues to be cited in recent coverage [1] [2]. Other sources document debate, scholarly guides, and intramovement responses but do not identify fresh, formal denominational policy statements by other major Pentecostal bodies in the period since 2018 [3] [4].
1. The Assemblies of God: the only major denomination visibly on record, but its key paper is older
The Assemblies of God — the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination — is repeatedly identified by reporters and analysts as the most pointed institutional critic of NAR-style apostolic-prophetic claims, and coverage notes an AG position paper warning that “NAR apostles and prophets can ‘become dictatorial, presumptuous, and carnal’” [1], but that formal AG critiques widely cited in the press date back to a 2000 denomination paper rather than to a new post-2018 policy; contemporary reporting continues to invoke the AG’s critical posture as a benchmark against the NAR [1] [2].
2. No documented new policy statements from other major Pentecostal denominations in the provided reporting
Surveying the available sources yields substantial commentary and analysis about the NAR’s theological reach and political implications, yet those sources do not document fresh, formal policy statements from other major Pentecostal denominations (for example, the Church of God, Pentecostal Assemblies, or international Pentecostal bodies) specifically addressing the NAR since 2018; coverage tends toward descriptive and investigative treatment of the movement rather than cataloguing new denominational communiques [4] [3] [5].
3. What did appear since 2018: intra-movement rebuttals and scholarly guides, not denominational decrees
What the record does show in recent years is internal NAR-adjacent activity and scholarly pushback: a 2022 statement signed by more than 60 leaders linked to NAR circles rejected the idea that “new revelation” is essential for church life (reported in investigative coverage), demonstrating that public debate has been active within apostolic networks themselves, and independent researchers and watchdogs produced guides and analyses on the NAR in 2024–2025 rather than denominational policy pronouncements [1] [3] [5].
4. Media framing, agendas, and why the absence of evidence matters
Reporting sampled here includes advocacy and research organizations (Political Research Associates), journalistic investigations and features (Texas Observer, The Atlantic referenced), and encyclopedic summaries (Wikipedia), each bringing distinct interpretive frames — watchdog concern about political influence, denominational defensive posture, and movement self-description — which shape which documents are highlighted; these sources foreground the cultural and political threat narratives and intramovement statements more than synod-level policy releases, which may explain why contemporaneous denominational policy actions (if any) are not visible in this corpus [3] [1] [4].
5. Verdict, caveats, and next steps for confirmation
Based on the reporting provided, the Assemblies of God remains the major Pentecostal denomination most explicitly tied to an institutional critique of NAR ideas (though its cited formal paper is from 2000 and later coverage repeats that stance), while no other major Pentecostal denominations are shown in these sources to have issued new official policy statements on the NAR since 2018; this conclusion is limited to the supplied reportage and should be tested by checking official denominational archives, synod minutes, and press releases from individual Pentecostal national bodies for 2018–2025, because absence of a documented statement in the reviewed sources is not proof that none exists [1] [3] [4].