James River Chruch is considered the flagship church of the Assemblies of God, America’s largest Pentecostal denomination. Last year, James River Church was embroiled in controversy over its sword swallowing male stripper that was publicly rebuked by Mark Driscoll at their men’s conference. In the process John Lindell, the pastor of James River Church, launched a Matthew 18 PR campaign against Mark Driscoll, which was largely ridiculed.
A year later, just as this year’s men’s conference goes on, James River Church has announced its departure from the Assemblies of God. According to KY3:
“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. 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.”
This move is intriguing for a number of reasons. One it comes as a complete surprise to the Assemblies of God according to multiple outlets.
Second, it reflects Protestantism’s trend towards postdenominationalism. James River Church decided there was insufficient value in being affiliated with a denomination. Although it’s doubtful the reasons were doctrinal, the main driver of postdenominationalism, they do indicate a broader trend in megachurches viewing denominations as a detriment to their brand, an observation that predates postdenominationalism. But with denominational fights over issues like homosexuality and feminism, churches like Elevation left the Southern Baptist Convention.
James River Church is one of the most notoriously carnal churches in America, so their exit from a denomination, while shocking, is likely for superficial reasons.
