In a surprising move, James River Church of Ozark, Missouri, has announced it is leaving the Assemblies of God denomination.
Led by John and Debbie Lindell, the church has stated they are not changing doctrinal values.
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“Recently, the James River Church Board of Trustees reached the decision to discontinue our formal denominational affiliation with the Assemblies of God,” the statement to the Christian Post read. “We are thankful for the Assemblies of God, and we intend to continue partnering with the Assemblies of God in a variety of ways…”
According to the board’s statement, this will include “continued support of missionaries and missions efforts to take the Gospel around the world.”
The church, which was the largest Assemblies of God church in the state of Missouri, further re-affirmed that they are not changing their fundamental values.
“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.”
/**/While the cause of the split is not known, an unknown official from the Assemblies of God told the Christian Post that the decision to do so left them “blindsided.” However, superintendent of the Southern Missouri Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God told the outlet that “James River Church has informed the Southern Missouri Ministry Network of their decision to leave the Assemblies of God. We are aware of the impact that James River has made for the kingdom and have been thankful to have them part of the Assemblies of God.”
Last year, James River Church experienced controversy surrounding their Stronger Men’s Conference, hiring sword swallower Alex Magala to perform at the conference, which led to Pastor Mark Driscoll to call them out for having an unbiblical performance at a Christian event.
They are not the first megachurch to part ways with a worldwide recognizable denomination. Back in 2023, Saddleback Church, founded by Rick Warren, was removed from the denomination for having a female pastor.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
