This article will take an objective look at apostolic leadership in the church in America. It will also examine the ministry of Todd Bentley and his effect on the national church. Was Todd treated fairly and did apostolic church leaders fulfill their ministries appropriately as per the scriptures?
Lakeland Revival
In 2008 there was a revival in Lakeland, Florida. The Lord was moving in healings and miracles through an evangelist named Todd Bentley. However like Samson, Todd was not inwardly pure. Apostolic leaders from the Charismatic Movement came to the revival meetings in Lakeland to endorse and commission Todd Bentley.
Randy Clark visited the meetings on May 8, 2008 and endorsed Todd and his ministry. Che Ahn, Bill Johnson, John Arnott, and Peter Wagner publicly commissioned Todd Bentley at the Lakeland revival on June 23, 2008 and brought him under their apostolic authority (apostolic alignment). Other prominent apostolic and prophetic leaders also stood on the platform to support Todd and endorse the revival. Peter Wagner prayed for Todd during the commissioning and said, “God will pour out a higher level of discernment to distinguish truth from error.” That’s a statement that should be noted while reading the remainder of this article. Then Bill, John, and Che all laid hands on Todd and commissioned him.
On August 12, 2008 it was announced that Todd Bentley had filed for separation (first step in Canadian divorce proceedings) from his wife because of “significant friction in their relationship.” Todd withdrew from the revival and the revival flames died down shortly after. Todd immediately became romantically involved with his intern Jessa and the two married shortly after the divorce was finalized.
According to the scriptures Todd should have been reunited with his first wife or he should have remained single. A preacher of God’s word cannot and should not claim ignorance of God’s word. If ignorance is claimed then it is evidence that they should not be preaching the word of God. If one is going to preach it, they better know it:
“Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.” (I Corinthians 7:10-11 NKJV)
Like Samson and Judas, outward demonstrations of power were occurring through Todd’s ministry. And just like Judas, inwardly something was not right. During the Lakeland revival Todd was turning his heart from his family to another woman. Sin does not manifest until it has been conceived and meditated on in the heart. Then after growing in the heart it is birthed. Sometimes this takes months. Todd’s marriage must have already been very strained when the revival started in April. Marriages don’t dissolve over night. It is a process. So if his marriage was already not doing well, why was he ministering and why were apostolic leaders who knew him looking the other way?
Jesus gave Judas power and authority to preach, heal the sick, and cast out demons for a few reasons. One reason was to teach us not to judge by external appearances but to look inwardly at the heart so we can judge righteously. If we are only looking at the outward manifestations of power then we are judging unrighteously. Yet the church leaders only judged Todd by outward fruit of miracles and not by inward fruit of Christ’s life. Because the emphasis was on the outward they thought God’s approval was on Todd. The Lord’s approval was not on Todd just as His approval was not on Judas. Carnal leadership will always be fooled by demonstrations of power. Mature leaders learn to discern the measure of Christ in a person when judging their ministry. Here is what Jesus says to those who have God’s outward power but are not righteous inwardly:
““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:15-23 NKJV)
Bad fruit would be considered committing adultery by divorcing your wife and marrying another (destroying your family that God blessed you with). Jesus clearly tells us that believers who call Him Lord and minister in miracles, deliverance, and prophecy will be told to depart from Him if they practice sin throughout their lives and never repent. Those who judge ministries based solely on miracles, signs, and wonders will be deceived.
So the primary leaders of the Charismatic Movement were deceived. My intention is not to speak against any leaders, however this is deeply concerning. How could mature leaders not properly operate in the discernment of the Lord or hear from the Holy Spirit? Mature leaders should sense from the Holy Spirit inwardly when something is ‘off’ or ‘not right’. Here is what the Bible states about the issue:
“For everyone who lives on milk is [doctrinally inexperienced and] unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a spiritual infant. But solid food is for the [spiritually] mature, whose senses are trained by practice to distinguish between what is morally good and what is evil.” (Hebrews 5:13-14 AMP)
So when a believer has become mature they can discern between what is good and evil. However these apostolic leaders over the American Church did not discern that something was very wrong within Todd. According to scripture this would indicate that they were not mature since they were unable to properly discern good from evil (holiness from inward wickedness and sin).
If the apostolic leaders didn’t know Todd very well and endorsed/commissioned him based off of gifting, then this would be even worse. It is very foolish to commission someone you don’t know very well or haven’t spent much time with. This would show complete immaturity as a leader. Yet these leaders were said to be the main apostolic leadership in the American Church. Here is what happens when we commission someone who is ‘not right’ within themselves:
“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels that you guard and keep these rules without bias, doing nothing out of favoritism. Do not hurry to lay hands on anyone [ordaining and approving someone for ministry or an office in the church, or in reinstating expelled offenders], and thereby share in the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.” (1 Timothy 5:21-22 AMP)
Leaders who lay hands on someone and commission them into ministry are responsible for that person. If the person they commissioned begins to damage the body of Christ by living immorally, that leader is partially responsible and is actually sharing in the sins of the one they commissioned. Therefore, the leaders that publicly commissioned Todd would have been partaking of his sin when the revival ceased and believers were damaged. Understand that Todd had international influence from the revival and many immature believers may have fallen into sin and bondage after they saw Todd Bentley implode. The enemy uses things like this to whisper to immature believers, “See, he is a man of God and it was okay for him to divorce his wife and leave his family. If he can do it and find mercy and forgiveness with God than so can you.”
True leaders take responsibility for their failures or lack of discernment instead of making excuses. Did the leaders who commissioned Todd publicly repent for their lack of discernment, misjudgment, and for sharing in Todd’s sins? I didn’t find any evidence that they did. True repentance would be to go before the international church and say something like, “I failed in discerning Todd and the entire situation. I never should have laid hands on him and commissioned him. This damaged the body of Christ of which I was appointed an overseer, and for this I am truly sorry. I made a huge mistake. Will you please forgive me for this. It is unacceptable I will seek the Lord and allow Him to grow in me so that something like this does not happen again.”
Protecting Damaging Leaders
Sometimes it seems the leaders of the church are more concerned about restoring a failed leader so they can get back to ministry and ‘their calling’ than they are protecting the Lord’s sheep. When the Lord’s people are at risk of being hurt or damaged, a leader overseeing restoration must make certain they are completely healed and restored. If the leader can’t be sure that the fallen leader is healed and living in holiness then the fallen leader should not be commissioned back into ministry. The spiritual lives of believers are at stake and this should not be taken lightly. A leaders goal should not be ‘restoring a fallen leader’ at the risk or expense of damaging the church. Leaders are here to serve God’s people, not the other way around. If a leader is unwilling to follow through with the restoration process or monitor the fallen minister then he/she should not take on that task.
Todd Bentley went through about a year and a half restoration period before he started ministering again. Rick Joyner of Morningstar Ministries took on this task. Todd and his new wife Jessa were traveling again full-time by January of 2011. Had Todd Bentley actually been restored? Were prophetic leaders discerning if Todd was truly healed and delivered from demons? Was Todd being monitored by those who took him through the restoration process after he was released back into ministry?
Sexual Abuse Victim (2017)
A sexual abuse victim spoke out in 2019 but the events she describes took place in 2017. She went to a revival meeting where Todd Bentley was ministering. Todd prophesied to her and she said it make her feel special and noticed by God. The woman was going through a difficult time in her life and with her marriage. The woman sent Todd a message on his ministry page to thank him. Todd responded and then invited her to be his friend from his personal Facebook. She was excited to get a friend request from Todd.
The woman continued to go to the revival meetings when she could. As her and Todd continued to chat on Facebook Messenger, Todd sent her his cell phone number. They began to build a friendship through texting and the woman began to tell Todd about the difficulties in her marriage. Todd started asking her to send him pictures of her so he could ‘see who he was praying for’. She did and Todd told her how beautiful she was and how special she was to him.
Todd eventually asked the woman to send him a picture of her breasts. The woman stated that she was shaken but didn’t want to say no to Todd because of who he was. She confesses that it was wrong and terrible but she did what Todd wanted. The woman also stated that Todd sent her pictures of his genitals. Todd then invited her to be an intern for his ministry while he was in the area. She was deceived by Todd into believing that she was special to him and didn’t think she was just one of many abused people. The woman dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts after this incident. In 2019 she found out that Todd had been doing this to others and knew she needed to share her story.
Apostolic leader Bill Johnson released a public video in 2018 endorsing a revival event with Todd Bentley in New York. So once again at least some of the apostolic and prophetic leaders were endorsing Todd without really knowing him or what was going on in his life. Some leaders were still only judging by outward demonstrations of power and not discerning what was going on with Todd spiritually. Todd had been secretly living a life of unrepentant sin all along. Peter, a true apostolic leader was able to discern something inwardly to see that there was sin and evil heart motives in a person:
“And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”” (Acts 8:18-23 NKJV)
Apostolic and prophetic leadership were going about their busy ministry schedules while allowing a wolf to destroy the sheep that Jesus died for. They were contending for revival while allowing Todd to damage people. The job of a minster is to bind up and heal the broken hearted, but Todd Bentley was destroying the lives of some broken hearted people who were weak and struggling with sin. Instead of pulling them out of sin he was entangling some deeper in it. If I had recommissioned or re-released Todd into ministry then all of that sin would be accredited to my account. That is why we our cautioned not to lay hands on someone hastily. This is a very serious and fearful thing yet Todd was roaming about doing what he pleased.
In 2019 accusations of long term misconduct began surfacing regarding Todd. These accounts ranged from 2004 through 2019. Stephen Powell, a former intern and assistant of Todd Bentley, reported testimonies from numerous witnesses (including himself) of Todd’s unrepentant sinful lifestyle. These reports involved inappropriate behavior, foul language, alcohol abuse, world living, pornography, affairs, and other sexually related incidents including homosexual behavior. It was also reported by the Christian Post that Todd sexually assaulted three women while ministering in Pakistan. The church in Pakistan said that Todd was no longer welcome in their country.
Dr. Michael Brown was asked to invest these accusations regarding Todd. He put together a panel of five nationally known leaders and contacted an investigator to interview all the witnesses and compile the information and testimonies which would then be presented to the panel. Here is part of the decision (judgment) that the five ministers publicly released:
“Based on our careful review of numerous first-hand reports, some of them dating back to 2004, we state our theological opinion and can say with one voice that, without a doubt, Todd is not qualified to serve in leadership or ministry today.
There are credible accusations of a steady pattern of ungodly and immoral behavior, confirmed by an independent investigator’s interviews dating from 2008 up through 2019, along with other testimonies dating back to 2004.
Sadly, we see no signs of true, lasting repentance. Instead, we see a steady pattern of compromised behavior, including credible accusations of adultery, sexting (including the exchanging of nude pictures or videos), vulgar language, and substance abuse.
And, to repeat, these charges have been brought by numerous witnesses over a period of roughly 15 years, right until 2019. Even more importantly, many of these activities have involved people for whom Todd was spiritually responsible (interns, staff, team members, individuals he was ministering to), making these violations all the more serious.
In our view, this disqualifies Todd from public ministry until such time that he has demonstrated true, lasting fruits of repentance, which would include: the breaking of these long-term, sinful habits; public acknowledgement of his sin, without equivocation, including asking forgiveness of those he sinned against; and submission to local church leadership until trust had been rebuilt. This would likely take a period of years.
We also recognize that formal ordination into the ministry amounts to a recognition by other leaders of a candidate’s qualifications to serve as a leader in the Church. We therefore recommend that Todd’s current ordination be rescinded until the process of repentance and restoration, described above, has taken place.
It is also our opinion that, while it is possible for Todd to do public ministry again in the future, at no point should he lead his own ministry. Instead, if he was truly restored to God and in submission to godly authority, he could serve in another leader’s ministry. But we believe it would be unwise and even potentially dangerous for him to lead his own ministry again.”
The five ministers who issued this statement and decision are:
Dr. Joseph Mattera, Overseeing Bishop of Resurrection Church, Brooklyn, New York, and Convener of the U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders
Dr. James W. Goll, Founder of God Encounters Ministries, Franklin, Tennessee
Dr. Jane Hamon, Co-Pastor, Vision Church @ Christian International, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
Bishop Harry Jackson, Senior Pastor, Hope Christian Church, Beltsville, Maryland, and Presiding Bishop of the Ambassadors of Hope Fellowship of Churches
Dr. Don Finto, Pastor Emeritus, Belmont Church, Nashville, Tennessee, and President and founder of Caleb Company
The investigation found that Todd was engaging in this sinful activity prior to the Lakeland Revival, as well as after he went through the restoration process from committing adultery. Todd never truly repented long-term yet he had been released back in to public ministry. If a leader chooses to oversee the restoration of another leaders then they make themselves responsible for that leader. If they choose to recommission the fallen leader back into ministry, they are responsible for them. If the fallen leader then continues to abide in sin and evil, the leader who recommissioned them is sharing in their sin and evil. Todd should have been publicly rebuked by the leader that recommissioned him into ministry as per the scriptures.
It is not easy to be a leader because every decision and action can have great consequences. However leaders do willfully take their God-given seats of authority and are therefore required to give an account to the Lord. I would be afraid if I had recommissioned a wolf that was destroying the Lord’s sheep. Sometimes leaders stand-up for each other instead of the sheep whom God has placed them over. The main responsibility of any shepherd or overseer is to protect the Lord’s sheep and to lead them to the Lord. If a leader will not protect the Lord’s sheep then they are not fit to be a leader in the body of Christ. The Lord will remove them from their leadership role.
Ministers who practice sin and lawlessness can and will damage the body of Christ. Jesus said it would be better for these stumbling stones to be killed by drowning to death than to damage His precious people (Matthew 18:6). We can see that the Over-Shepherd will protect His sheep even if His under-shepherds will not:
“Do you not know and understand that you [the church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]? If anyone destroys the temple of God [corrupting it with false doctrine], God will destroy the destroyer; for the temple of God is holy (sacred), and that is what you are.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 AMP)
If we think that the Lord won’t do what His word says in order to protect His church from false doctrine and leaders that damage believers then we don’t really know Him. We should believe Him at His word. Leaders who have been involved in commissioning and recommissioning Todd may be able to protect and salvage their reputations in the church now, but will they have a good reputation in Heaven when they stand before the throne of God? Paul the apostle demonstrated apostolic leadership by taking a stand against sin in the church.
Church leaders seem to drift towards favoring and protecting one another instead of the Lord’s sheep. The Holy Spirit through Paul gave us very clear instructions on what to do when a leader sins publicly and makes a mockery of the house of God:
“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.” (I Timothy 5:19-21 NKJV)
Leaders are actually commanded to rebuke a leader publicly in the presence of all the church if a certain leader is found to be sinning. So why didn’t the apostolic leaders who commissioned Todd a month and half before he committed adultery, rebuke Todd publicly so that the rest would fear God? Why was Todd Bentley not publicly rebuked by the leader who oversaw his restoration and recommissioned him into ministry? Is it because the leaders were showing prejudice or partiality? If they were not showing partiality then they would have obeyed the will of the Lord revealed in His word.
Rebuking a leader publicly would not be a desirable thing to do but it is the job of apostolic leadership to do this. So if those being recognized as the apostolic leadership in the church didn’t fulfill their assignment, one has to wonder if they are truly apostolic leaders. Paul demonstrated that he was a real apostolic leader by dealing publicly with the sin of Peter:
“Now when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him face to face [about his conduct there], because he stood condemned [by his own actions]. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat [his meals] with the Gentiles; but when the men [from Jerusalem] arrived, he began to withdraw and separate himself [from the Gentile believers], because he was afraid of those from the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in this hypocrisy [ignoring their knowledge that Jewish and Gentile Christians were united, under the new covenant, into one faith], with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not being straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas (Peter) in front of everyone, “If you, being a Jew, live [as you have been living] like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how is it that you are [now virtually] forcing the Gentiles to live like Jews [if they want to eat with you]?”” (Galatians 2:11-14 AMP)
Paul rebuked Peter in front of everyone. Those who were commissioning Todd by their apostolic authority should have obeyed the Holy Spirit through the scriptures and did what Paul did. Thankfully and finally, the board compiled of five national leaders did publicly rebuke Todd Bentley in 2020 with the statement they released. However this was about 12 years too late. Many believers were damaged and corrupted between 2008 and 2020. Some were damaged sexually by Todd, some were enticed into sin by Todd, and some may have fallen away from the faith. The question remains, why did five leaders who were not overseeing Todd’s ministry have to do the job that the apostles who knew Todd and commissioned him should have done?
Why wasn’t this issue taken more seriously by the leaders in the Charismatic Church in 2008? Is it because the false doctrines of humanistic love and false grace that have infiltrated the church? True apostolic ministry doesn’t get swept away in false doctrines, they demolish the strongholds of false doctrines. If the Lord can’t find apostles like Paul who will actually use their god-given authority to obey His revealed will and protect the Lord’s church and His sheep, then the Lord will raise up mature apostles who will follow the Lord and His word.
Todd Bentley took about a year break from ministry after the council of five ministers made their public statement regarding Todd and his ministry. Around 2021 he then entered back into ministry by his own directive and authority which completely ignored the wisdom and judgment that the council released. This indicates that he is now ministering and operating as a law unto himself.
The apostolic leadership and prophetic leadership that commissioned him in 2008 and the leader that restored him and recommissioned him in 2010 or 2011 remained silent. I don’t even have words for this. Real apostles and prophets are responsible for dealing with this very thing. If a minister is living in unrepentant sin and not obeying a directive from a council of five national leaders, then that minister is endangering and or damaging the body of Christ. Any pastor or leader who has Todd minister at their church is acting in rebellion against church leadership and the counsel of God.
According to the authority of the word of God in 1 Timothy 3, Todd Bentley is not fit to be ministering to God’s people. His willful disobedience to the decision of the council of five leaders demonstrates that. But the word of God is enough to disqualify him from ministry. I have nothing against Todd personally. My desire is to see God’s people protected. That is the heart that the Lord gives to His shepherds. If apostolic or prophetic leaders are refusing to deal with the situation then it is a reflection that they are not really concerned about the Lord’s sheep. Maybe they are only concerned with the image of their own ministries?
According to scripture a public rebuke and warning is supposed to be given to the church (nationally in this case) so all believers understand the gravity of the situation (I Timothy 5:19-21). I cannot see true apostolic authority currently functioning on a national level. True apostles fulfill the ministry of an apostle that Paul examples in the scripture. Paul didn’t simply go around and preach about the presence of God, healing, and impartation. He actually dealt with sin and evil in the church so it did not destroy her. This is the judgment of the Holy Spirit through Paul to a believer who was in unrepentant sexual sin (which is the love of God):
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (I Corinthians 5:1-5 NKJV)
Real apostolic authority told the church to expel the unrepentant believer so that they wouldn’t infect the rest of the church with their evil. How much more important to separate an unrepentant leader who has more authority and and greater capacity to damage the church. Paul was flowing in the love of God and it shows our current apostolic leadership is not as concerned about the church as Paul was. When you measure our current apostolic leadership to the ministry of the apostle found in the word of God - they do not measure up to the full measure of the gift functioning. The current apostolic ministry is not functioning in maturity.
Conclusion
Todd Bentley is still ministering at the time of this writing and the current apostolic leadership is not doing anything about it. But there is a Judge in Heaven that will judge righteously.
I believe this whole ordeal damaged the credibility of the Charismatic Movement, Prophetic Movement, and Apostolic Movement. It caused the enemies of God to blaspheme, and some believers to turn away from the workings or moving of the Holy Spirit. The immaturity of commissioning Todd and bringing him under ‘apostolic alignment’ gave ammunition for all the religious Pharisees who speak against the truth of apostles and prophets found in Ephesians 4. No wonder why so many modern day Pharisees view the apostolic and prophetic movements as false.
I believe the Lord used this to show the church that it is time to move on from all of our ‘movements’ because they are becoming ‘monuments’. The Lord is focusing our attention on becoming possessed by Him. He is showing us that His will is for us is to become His resting place, His bride, His royal priesthood, His disciples, His holy nation, and His chosen generation. His focus is on us being transformed into His very image. The Father is not looking for another movement but He is looking for the complete measure of the fullness of His Son in us. The next movement is ‘Jesus only’.
