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Every Nation
Every Nation Churches and Ministries
Location	United States  Philippines  United Kingdom and more than 50 countries
Website	www.everynation.org
History
Founded	1994
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)	Steve Murrell

Every Nation Churches is an organization of non-denominational Christian churches. Its name embodies its goal of reaching "every nation in our generation" with the gospel.

Every Nation performs many of the same functions of a denomination. However, it operates more on the model of the Calvary Chapel movement, with an emphasis on relational ministry ties. It prefers terms like "family" or "movement" as way of emphasizing this distinction. This is common for many Charismatic organizations.

Every Nation has approximately 400 member churches in Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas.

History

Every Nation was established in 1994 when Rice Broocks, Phil Bonasso and Steve Murrell joined their ministries together to pursue the mission of church planting, campus ministry and world missions.

Previously known as Morning Star International, the ministry was renamed Every Nation Churches and Ministries in 2004 to better reflect the ministry’s vision to plant a church in “Every Nation in Our Generation.”

An additional reason given for the name change was a desire to avoid confusion with other ministries named "Morning Star" or "Morningstar," most notably Rick Joyner's MorningStar Ministries.

Broocks had been president of Every Nation since its founding in 1994 but in 2006 was succeeded by Steve Murrell. Broocks remains as co-chair of the International Policy Council which oversees the policy governance of Every Nation.

Church planting

The mission statement of Every Nation is "To Honor God and advance His Kingdom through Church Planting, Campus Ministry and World Missions."

Every Nation planted approximately 60 churches in 2008 and has plans to establish 70 to 80 new churches in 2009.

Every Nation's strategy for church planting is called the “2010 Initiative", The goal of the 2010 Initiative is for every local EN church to establish or “plant” at least one new church every three years. The ultimate outcome of this initiative would be that, by the year 2010, hundreds of new churches would have been established all over the world. The initiative also envisions that, eventually, all EN churches would be church-planting churches. Because Every Nation's ultimate vision is to eventually have a church in every nation of the world, a particular emphasis is placed on nations where it does not yet have any presence.

Examples of church-planting churches include the following: the Every Nation church in Manila, Philippines has planted churches in Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The EN church in London has planted a church in Dublin, Ireland; a church in Nashville collaborated with a church in North Carolina to plant a church in New York and also planted a church in New Zealand; the EN churches in Sierra Leone have planted several churches in Liberia; and the church in Tarapoto, Peru has planted over a hundred churches in the Amazon Region of South America.

Structure

Every Nation Churches states that it "provides spiritual leadership for approximately 400 member churches worldwide." According to their website, this includes the following main responsibilities:

1. maintaining doctrinal orthodoxy;
2. mediating leadership conflicts;
3. assisting in the event of moral failure of a local church pastor or elder;
4. helping with leadership transition in the event of the death or incapacity of the senior pastor; and
5. encouraging member churches to uphold the vision, values and standards of Every Nation.

Every Nation member churches are fully responsible for the governance and direction of their respective local churches. Member churches responsibilities include:

1. subscribing to the vision, values and standards of Every Nation;
2. supporting official Every Nation conferences and events;
3. contributing 10% of their general revenue to Every Nation which in turn provides for the global oversight function and for the development of resources to support the churches; and
4. recognizing the role of Every Nation's International Ministry Team in the spiritual leadership of their local churches.

Inside the USA Every Nation is a convention of churches.

According to Every Nation, spiritual oversight for the ministry is provided by the International Ministry Team (IMT), which is a broad-based grouping of leaders drawn from seven geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and India, Latin America, North America, and the Pacific Islands. Members of the International Ministry Team also serve as regional directors for the geographic region of the world they represent. The primary responsibilities of the International Ministry Team are to provide a global perspective for the leadership and oversight of Every Nation; to train and develop new regional directors; and to fulfill their own roles as regional directors.

Roles and responsibilities for regional directors for the seven geographic regions include: providing pastoral support and encouragement for the leaders of their region; communicating the vision, values and policies of Every Nation; facilitating conferences and other regional events; helping to train and appoint local church elders; mediating church conflicts when necessary; and helping to coordinate regional church planting and missions efforts. Murrell serves as president of the IMT.

The International Policy Council (IPC) is a nine member subset of the International Ministry Team which is tasked with overseeing Every Nation. It is co-chaired by Murrell and Broocks.

Doctrine

Every Nation adheres to basic Evangelical Christian beliefs and is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Foundational core beliefs also include: salvation by grace – that is, that a person receives salvation by the grace of God alone (sola gratia) through faith alone (sola fide); the supremacy of Christ and Scripture (solus Christus and sola Scriptura); the belief in the Trinity – that is, that there is one God, existent in three persons: the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit; and that everything they do is for the glory of God (soli deo gloria).

However, like many non-denominational organizations, when it comes to issues that Every Nation considers non-fundamental or non-essential such as positions on eschatology the practice of its Bible school, ENLI, is to present the evidence and arguments for the differing theological positions but allow the individual to decide for himself or herself which position he or she will choose.

ECFA Accreditation

In early 2008, Every Nation Churches and Every Nation Ministries were accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), one of the largest accrediting agencies for Christian ministries.

As a condition of membership, ECFA members must agree to a stringent set of standards, including providing audited financial statements upon request. Prospective ECFA members also must be independently audited before submitting an application. As an accrediting organization, ECFA protects the integrity of its seal by requiring members to adhere to their Seven Standards for Responsible Stewardship.

According to its profile on the ECFA site, Every Nation Churches 2009 revenues were $3,358,141 and total expenses were $3,097,551.

Criticisms

Location of 2013 World Conference- Disney Orlando/Position on Homosexuality

The gay community has long celebrated "Gay Days" at the Disney Theme Park. Walt Disney recently appointed George Kalogridis as Walt Disney World's First Openly Gay President There continues to be opposition to Disney’s Gay agenda such as the One Million Mom Campaign. Every Nation will hold its World Conference in Disney Orlando in July of 2013. Every Nation holds Social Responsibility as one of its core values in its website. To be fair, the Every Nation website neither opposes or supports homosexual activity or lifestyle. The Every Nation website does state that, "We pursue social responsibility through compassionate service and by promoting justice in our diverse cultural and political contexts." The real question is whether Every Nation has a policy of supporting pro-homosexual organizations and businesses such as Walt Disney. More broadly, does Every Nation consider homosexuality a legitimate biblical component worthy for support in a "diverse cultural and political context"? Because Every Nation puts an emphasis on Social Responsibility in its website, it is fair to question Every Nation's position on homosexuality. If Every Nation opposes the homosexual lifestyle, it is also fair to question the selection of Disney as the site for its World Conference in the context of social responsibility.

Links to Maranatha

Broocks, Murrell, Bonasso and several other Every Nation pastors have past ties to Maranatha Campus Ministries, a controversial Charismatic organization from the 1980s.

For its part, Every Nation has publicly renounced Maranatha's more controversial teachings and unequivocally rejects the "controlling discipleship, authoritarian leadership, and theological mysticism" prevalent in Maranatha. It also argues that Broocks, Bonasso and Murrell supported Maranatha's dissolution in 1990. In a 2006 "Leader Letter", Murrell stated that in accordance with its "Discipleship Policy", Every Nation does not allow any teachings or practices that are "controlling, coercive, or intrusive, or that violate biblical principles (or) the priesthood of the believer ..."

Links with New Apostolic Reformation

Missiologist C. Peter Wagner identifies Every Nation as part of the New Apostolic Reformation, an offshoot of the charismatic movement that actively seeks to restore the offices of apostle and prophet to the Church and its leadership. C. Peter Wagner and the New Apostolic Reformation is closely associated with the Dominion Theology as evidenced by his book "Dominion!: How kingdom Action Can Change the World"Rice Broocks authored a chapter about Every Nation in Wagner's The New Apostolic Churches, a key book about the movement. Rice Brooks and Paul Daniel were members of Wagners "New Apostolic Roundtable" and Jim Laffoon was part of the "Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders" until approximately 2003. Wagner has also taught on several occasions at MSI/EN's own ministry school and at MSI/EN conferences. C. Peter Wagner has made controversial statements in the past. One controversial statement is that he believes Japan is under a curse because the Emperor had sex with a demon. He goes on to say that the Japanese economy has suffered because of this. Wagner also indicates that in order for the Dominion Mandate (as part of the New Apostolic Reformation) to be fulfilled it is going to require Christians control vast amounts of kingdom wealth (See video at 42:47)

Dominion Theology

The Every Nation website addresses its position on Dominion Theology by stating, "We do not believe in any form of theology that advocates Theocracy or a system where Christians dominate over non-believers." There are numerous statements wherein C. Peter Wagner does advocate Christian dominion over non-believers. Wagner has said dominion has to do with control, authority, subduing and ruling as kings. Wagner does not state he wants rule by a Theocracy At the same time, he wants Christians to take dominion of all areas of society. This includes government, the work place, etc. Wagner does advocate the use of war in his Dominion book (See Chapter 6 of his Dominion publication- A New Reality: This means War!) Wagner offers severe criticism of the anti-war movement. He also indicates the New Apostolic Reformation is the most radical way of doing church since the Protestant reformation. Every Nation Leader Jim Laffoon's sermon, "To Reach and To Rule" reflects a position preached from the pulpit as high ranking official at Every Nation of its vision for reaching the nations of the earth. In in his "To Reach and To Rule" Sermon Jim Laffoon states the purpose of reaching nations is to rule them. Jim Laffoon goes on to say the last 2000 years of Christianity reaching nations has had a limited goal of only reaching nations and not ruling those nations after they have been reached.

Affiliated businesses

Global Cafe

In January 2005, Bethel World Outreach Center opened the Global Cafe in Nashville, a restaurant used for youth ministries and other church-related gatherings. Other Global Cafes were opened to little success in other churches around the country.

Inpop Records

Inpop Records, a major contemporary Christian music recording label, has strong ties to Every Nation, even though the two are separate entities. The label's president, Wes Campbell, is a member of Bethel World Outreach Center. Broocks is a major stockholder and board member, as is New Orleans Saints quarterback Mark Brunell. Tony Boselli, a former teammate of Brunell's on the Jacksonville Jaguars, is also on the board. Brunell and Boselli are members of Champions for Christ, and helped start an Every Nation church in Jacksonville.

The Newsboys are one of Inpop's best-known artists. The group's lead singer, Peter Furler, is a member of Bethel, and Campbell doubles as the group's manager. At one point, the Newsboys web site included a link where visitors could purchase Biblical Foundations, a Bible study workbook published by Broocks and Murrell. It is popularly known as "The Purple Book". The link asks the question, "Have you done The Purple Book?" The site also included a letter from Furler describing how "doing The Purple Book" has changed him.

Affiliated organizations

• Campus Harvest Ministries
• Champions For Christ (CFC) (now known as 925 Athletic Ministries) as of December 2008
• Every Nation Churches/Ministries (ENC)
• Every Nation Leadership Institute (previously Victory Leadership Institute) - A two-year, local church based Bible school.
• Force Ministries
• Victory Campus Ministries (now Every Nation Campus Ministries) Courses include those such as New Testament, Old Testament, Discipleship, and Leadership.
• Victory Christian Fellowship in the Philippines
• His People Churches (based mainly in South Africa)
• Morning Star International (MSI; now Every Nation Churches)

References

1. Every Nation - FAQ on Name Change
2. Every Nation - News item on Murrell as new president
3. Every Nation | International Policy Council - Church Planting, Campus Ministry, World Missions
4. Every Nation - Mission Statement
5. "Every Nation Church Planting". Retrieved December 21, 2008.
6. Every Nation - 2001 Initiative
7. Every Nation - Churches
8. IRS guidelines on 501c3 status
9. Every Nation - Global Oversight Structure
10. Every Nation - International Policy Council
11. http://www.nae.net/
12. Every Nation in Our Generation by Rice Broocks, p.70-71
13. Every Nation - Statement of Faith
14. Spiritual Foundations, Year 1, ENLI Curriculum
15. ^ Theology 2, Year 2, ENLI Curriculum
16. Every Nation | Every Nation Receives ECFA Accreditation - Church Planting, Campus Ministry, World Missions
17. Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)
18. Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)
19. http://www.gaydays.com/
20. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/05/george-kalogridis-walt-disney-world-gay-president_n_2624080.html%7Caccessdate=12 May 2013|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=5 February 2013}
21. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/10/disney-world-gay-days-one-million-moms-_n_3252914.html
22. http://www.en2013.us/Home/
23. http://www.everynation.org/social-responsibility/
24. http://www.everynation.org/social-responsibility/
25. Unofficial Page of "Friends and Former Members" of Maranatha at . Maintained by Jay Rogers, the former editor of The Forerunner, Maranatha's former mouthpiece publication.
26. ^ Every Nation FAQ on Maranatha ties
27. http://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Kingdom-Action-Change-World/dp/0800794354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373384764&sr=8-1&keywords=c+peter+wagner+dominion
28. Rice Broocks, "Morning Star International" in C. Peter Wagner (editor), The New Apostolic Churches ISBN 0-8307-2137-1
29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yIgZPTqUIc
30. http://wn.com/peter_wagner
32. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=c+peter+wagner&view=detail&mid=8AFC9B7730AB20B719E18AFC9B7730AB20B719E1&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR
33. http://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Kingdom-Action-Change-World/dp/0800794354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373384933&sr=1-1&keywords=dominion+wagner#reader_0800794354
34. http://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Kingdom-Action-Change-World/dp/0800794354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373384933&sr=1-1&keywords=dominion+wagner#reader_0800794354
35. http://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Kingdom-Action-Change-World/dp/0800794354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373384933&sr=1-1&keywords=dominion+wagner#reader_0800794354
36. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=c+peter+wagner+war&view=detail&mid=8497C6CDBF9BBA4B610D8497C6CDBF9BBA4B610D&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR
37. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=c+peter+wagner+war+reformation&view=detail&mid=9898A5663B47AE074C7E9898A5663B47AE074C7E&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR
38. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-OJNk5U2II Laffoon To Reach and To Rule Sermon - clip 1b
39. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev9Ejsofatk
40. Brunell’s records aren’t all from football. Washington City Paper October 5, 2006

External links

• Every Nation Churches and Ministries

• Charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity
• Religious organizations established in 1994
• Evangelical denominations in North America