RT Article
T1 How the Prophetic Ministers at Bethel Church are Legitimized
JF PentecoStudies
VO 22
IS 2
SP 185
OP 205
A1 Wang, Bjørn
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1915661145
AB This article presents my research on the dynamics of legitimacy and empowerment of lay prophetic ministers at Bethel Church in Redding, California. Using a qualitative empirical research design, I conducted ethnographically inspired fieldwork with participant observation and interviews at Bethel’s main campus in Redding. I am interested in how the people involved legitimize their role in this ministry, but also how it is legitimated within the ecclesiological structure. My aim is to develop an understanding of how the role of the prophetic minister is shaped and legitimized at Bethel, with a particular focus on the individual and structural factors that justify this ministry. The findings show that emotional and spiritual development and support play an important role on the individual level. On the structural level, the training, the organization and its ideological grounding in ecclesiology are factors that have contributed to the popularity and impact of the prophetic ministry. Using Max Weber’s theory of authority, the legitimacy of the prophetic ministers can be best understood as a form of routinized bureaucracy that has its authority derived from Bethel’s charismatic leadership. With its findings and theological considerations, the article contributes to the discussion about the prophetic practice at Bethel and, in the wider sense, about ecclesial practices in the field of Pentecostal studies.
K1 Bethel Church
K1 Bill Johnson
K1 Empowerment
K1 Kris Vallotton
K1 Max Weber
K1 Ministry
K1 Pentecostal
K1 Pentecostalism
K1 Prophecy
K1 Redding
DO 10.1558/pent.26023