The Plea of a Brother: Toward Renewal in Independent Pentecostal and Charismatic Communities

A call to repentance, reformation, and rediscovery of true Pentecost

I write this not as an outsider or critic, but as one who has walked this Pentecostal road for more than three decades — as clergy, as a brother, as someone who has prayed and wept and believed alongside our people around the world. Yet now, I find my heart trembling. Something has gone wrong among us, especially in the independent Pentecostal and charismatic movements — and I feel compelled to speak, because silence is no longer an option. When I wrote A New Kind of Pentecostalism nearly two decades ago, it was out of deep conviction and hope — a plea for self-reflection and a fresh wind of reform. Today, that call still burns, but with a more urgent tone. Too much remains unchanged, or worse, has deteriorated under the weight of ego, spectacle, and distortion.

I want to name what I see, not to condemn, but to invite us — all of us — into a painful, honest, and redemptive conversation.

• We Are Obsessed with Titles and Hierarchy

We have become obsessed with titles and hierarchy. What was once the noble and humble calling of “pastor” has been replaced with an escalating pageant of self-designation: apostle, prophet, major prophet, archbishop, His Excellency… on and on. Titles are multiplying, even as true humility declines. When did servanthood become too small for us? When did the ministry of Christ become a parade of self-promotion? The most transformative Christian voices of our time — people like Martin Luther King Jr. — never needed the title “Apostle” to fulfill an apostolic mission. The power was not in the title, but in the truth.

We Refuse to Confront the Prosperity Gospel

• We are silent about Prosperity Gospel

Another grievous reality we must face: we have refused to confront the poison of the prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel is ravaging nations — especially in the Global South — distorting Scripture, plundering the poor, enriching pastors, and making a mockery of God’s heart for the marginalized. While people sleep hungry, leaders fly private. While children die without healthcare, pulpits drip with promises of luxury “in the name of faith.” This is not Christianity. This is not Pentecost. This is manipulation. It is spiritual violence. If we have played any part in this — endorsing it, believing it, practicing it, or staying silent about it — let us fall on our knees and repent.

• We Lack Theological Rootedness

We also lack theological rootedness and real accountability. Many of our churches do have elders and structures — but too often these are built on shallow soil. Theologies are improvised. Sermons are based on emotion. Scripture is twisted to fit the personal ambition of the preacher. We need to rediscover the vast world of Christian wisdom beyond our own movement. We need to drink from the deep wells of the Church’s ancient traditions — to read the early Church Fathers, to learn from the liturgies and prayers that have sustained believers for centuries, to study the the spiritual wisdom of Francis of Assisi, to be inspired by the spirituality of the desert monks, and courage of reformists, to read The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis rather than chase the latest “prophetic trend.” by self-appointed end-time prophet. The Holy Spirit is not allergic to history. He does not erase wisdom of the old — He fulfills it.

• Seek and Learn from the Older Churches!

We must stop acting as if we are the only ones who know the Spirit. We are not alone. We are part of a great, global, ancient body of believers — with countless saints before us who wrestled, prayed, studied, and built the church with faithfulness and sacrifice. It is time to seek the ecumene: to sit at the feet of the Churches of the East, to be humbled by the reverence of the Orthodox, to learn from the depth of the Roman Catholic tradition, to honor the theologians and martyrs of the Reformation, to listen — truly listen — and rediscover that the Spirit who came at Pentecost has been at work in every generation, in every place where Christ is lifted up.

• Stop Demonizing Everything!

And finally, we must stop over-spiritualizing everything. Not every problem is a demon. Not every sickness needs a deliverance session. People need doctors. They need psychologists. They need care, community, therapy, and science. When we demonize mental health patients or turn epilepsy into exorcism, we dehumanize the very people Jesus came to restore. True faith is not anti-science — it is anti-ignorance. If our beliefs cause suffering, exclusion, or harm, then they are not from God.

Where Do We Go From Here?

We repent — with tears and truth, not with public shows of “humility” but with real, soul-searching transparency. Not the kind of repentance that protects our position or public image, but the kind that breaks our pride and brings us back to the feet of Jesus. We return — not to a nostalgic past or trend-heavy future, but to the raw, uncluttered call of Christ to love God, serve humanity, live justly, walk humbly, and listen deeply.

We reconnect — not only with our elders and boards, but with the church beyond us. We reconnect with those we once dismissed, criticized, or ignored. We enter into honest dialogue with the Orthodox, the Catholics, the mainline Protestants, the contemplative streams, the persecuted underground church. We seek unity — not by abandoning who we are, but by admitting who we are not.

And then — we act.

We stop preaching “breakthrough” while ignoring the marginalized. We must stop collecting tithes while neglecting widows, orphans and immigrants. We stop singing in tongues while failing to advocate for the oppressed, the displaced, the broken. Pentecost without justice is theatre. Revival without repentance is deception. Spirituality without love is noise. Let us say no to prosperity gospel, the gospel of manipulation, and fear and say yes to the Gospel of Justice.

The world sees our cracks. Let us not pretend we don’t.

Let judgment begin in the house of God.

Let healing start with us.

Perhaps some will be angry. Perhaps some will label this as rebellion or bitterness. But I write in love. I write in grief. I write because I cannot walk away from Pentecost — and I refuse to walk away pretending it is all fine.

Pentecostal church lives — but it limps. Wounded by the boldness of impostors, and the silence of its own.

Let us be the ones who apply oil and tears. Let us be the ones who rebuild with humility. Let us be the ones who bring the movement back to the heart of Christ.

May the fire burn again — not to show who is anointed, but to show who is repentant, surrendered, and ready to begin anew.

Amen. Selah.

---Samuel Lee, Amsterdam