Perhaps my posts about Todd Bentley are like buses: none for ages and then two come along together. But following the news about the change of plans for Todd’s visit to England there is now news about what is happening in Lakeland, Florida. While reports of the death of Lakeland have been exaggerated, changes are on the way.
There have been nightly outpouring meetings in Lakeland since this whole thing started in April. In the early days Todd himself led all the meetings, leading to accusations that the outpouring was centred on one man rather than on God. No doubt it has also left Todd rather tired. He took a break in mid-July, then returned more quickly than many expected. Now Todd has made an announcement on his Fresh Fire Ministries front page:
AUGUST 1
Dear Friends:
Testimonies continue to come in at our offices both in Lakeland and our headquarters in Abbotsford from different points all over the world, of people gloriously on fire for the Lord! With reports of revival fires beginning to break out, we’re determined to take God’s healing revival—the “moving ark of His glory”—into the heart of 38 cities after August 23rd.
In my last update I said, “more exciting details will be forthcoming!” That said, our Board of Directors, ministry leadership, and spiritual advisors have considered and prayed into several key factors relating to good management and good stewardship of the revival. With venue costs and other practical matters in sight, a decision has been made to change the venue back to Ignited Church effective Sunday, Aug.3. Fresh Fire Ministries will continue to lead the revival meetings until August 23rd and after that, for the time being, the meetings will be under the direction of Pastor Stephen Strader and Ignited Church. Meetings will continue at the same time: 10AM and 7PM each day. Check the Fresh Fire website www.freshfire.ca for Ignited Church’s address.
There is no doubt that the Outpouring’s revival-momentum will continue!—we welcome everyone to come to Lakeland to be immersed in the glorious healing pool that’s been established there! If you can make it to Florida, now is certainly the time to do so! In the meantime, or if it’s not possible to come, storm the gates of heaven for your area or region. Watch where the Ark of God’s glory is going and if possible make plans to visit one of those 38 cities. We’ll be posting relevant schedule-information on our website: www.freshfire.ca in the coming days.
This is the church’s God-given hour of opportunity. Thank you for praying for the outpouring in Lakeland, as well as for us, as we carry God’s priceless healing presence in the Ark of His glory into the harvest fields.
For His glory,
Todd Bentley
In other words, Todd will still be in charge, although not necessarily present in person, for the next three weeks of meetings at Ignited Church, and then he is handing the reins back to Stephen Strader, that church’s pastor. It is right that continuing meetings in Lakeland are under the authority of a local church rather than of a foreign (Canadian) mission, an important principle in the USA as in the Third World.
The change of venue is possible because no doubt William Fawcett is correct to observe that “The crowds are dwindling”. There may be all kinds of reasons for this, not least that this is the holiday season, and it must be uncomfortably hot in a tent in Florida. It also seems clear from Todd’s words that there are financial issues here. Todd told USA Today that
the revival … carries a $35,000 daily operating cost.
But I remember reading somewhere that the average donation per person per night was just $5. So there was never any truth to accusations that Todd’s ministry is making massive profits from this. Rather, if the nightly attendance drops below 7,000, as it probably has, the ministry moves into the red. So, like any loss-making venture, it has to cut back on its activities. This may well also be a major reason for the change of Todd’s plans to come to England.
That is not of course the whole story. I doubt if Todd’s mid-July break was enough for him to recover physically and mentally from three months of exhausting nightly meetings. He needs more of a break. He won’t get much of one, as according to Fresh Fire over the next three weeks he has meetings scheduled in Fort Mill SC, Louisville KY and Spokane WA, followed by a tour of Sudan and Uganda from 25th August to 8th September. Meanwhile God TV is scheduling “LA Healing Outpouring Todd Bentley” for 4th and 5th August and back to “Florida Healing Outpouring Todd Bentley” for 6th August.
Todd’s next plan is an ambitious one:
we’re determined to take God’s healing revival … into the heart of 38 cities
I hope these 38 cities will be around the world, not just in North America. In this way this outpouring, which some have criticised for being too much focused on one place, will be taken out around the world. Lakeland may die, but
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
John 12:24 (TNIV, British edition)
Hi Peter.
What is meant by the “ark of glory”?
Do you think that is a wise use of biblical terminology?
Good question, Blue. It is obviously a reference to the Ark of the Covenant being carried around. I think it is reasonable to compare each Christian with the ark as each is a mobile “temple of the Holy Spirit” with God’s presence in them. Beyond that I would say that Todd’s terminology is pretentious and so not the most wise, but his motive is good, to bring God’s presence and his healing power to 38 cities.
I see. I just didn’t know if it related to a specific prophetic word or something like that.
Well, Blue, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a specific prophetic word here, but I haven’t heard of it.
I just wanted to make a quick post thanking you for continuing to cover the revival and Todd Bentley. The time you spend keeping up with events and linking to other posts saves me a lot of time and they are always relevant for me. Thanks again. – Nate
Why does it cost $35,000 per day?
Nathan, you’re welcome.
Glenn, consider for a start tent and site hire and security costs. I don’t know if this figure includes salaries for anyone involved, but you can’t run an ongoing event like this with just volunteers. Then consider how much it costs to spend a week at a major Christian camp here in England, something over £80, multiply by 7,000 to get to the same scale as Lakeland and divide by 7, and you find that their budget is well over $35,000 per day. In fact it sounds like a bargain price to me.
Don’t forget the cost of the tv crew and electricity. The tents were air conditioned. They would have been deadly if not been cooled. As a matter of fact, I brought a coat because it was freezing.
Todd Bentley is terribly anointed. Though he tried to shift the focus, without him the meetings were little more than a conference.
I am glad they are not continuing to have meetings for the sake of having meetings.
Thanks, Carl. I was assuming that God TV were paying for themselves, but their costs could be included in the $35,000.
Yes, I can see that without Todd they are nothing all that special. I must say I wonder why, what is so special about Todd. After all there do seem to be others around with a healing ministry which seems just as effective but who don’t draw the crowds in the same way. But I guess only God understands the dynamics of events like this.
Yes, it is puzzling why Todd seems to be able to take the revival atmosphere to a whole new level. I agree that there are many other anointed folks in the rising revival generation, but they don’t seem to be at the level that Todd is.
As to conjecture as to why he is that way, I wonder if it is a combination of his time in the secret place of intimacy with the Holy Spirit, and the humbling a breaking process that he has gone through in recent years.
I was there on the 22nd of June when the prophesied increase would be, and Todd shared very vulnerably about his journey and how God had prepared him to pay the price to carry revival. It was raw and real, and the glory realm did seem very near that night…so many words of knowledge burst forth in succession that the meeting quickly went into Holy Ghost overdrive as people were healed and delivered. It was awesome.
But maybe this is all on the divine time table. The outpouring we are looking for is not just big meetings going on forever…it is a grass roots effort of the whole church that is revived and doing the stuff in their own backyards. Getting this out to 38 (or more) cities seems like a good idea to me.
A lot of this is already “secretly” happening internationally as God takes over entire cultures through revived grass roots people movements (China, India, Mozambique, Uganda). So be encouraged–and read the book MegaShift by James Rutz if you haven’t before. It will give you a glimpse of the big picture, I think.
Thanks, Matt, for the perceptive comment. I have seen the book MegaShift but not read it. Perhaps I should.
You were correct Peter a bit more is going on.
http://religion.theledger.com/default.asp?item=2248784
Bene, thanks for the link. But I don’t believe everything I hear from former employees of an organisation who may be disaffected.
Interesting that they are now saying Birmingham is “postponed” implying a later date is being planned.
Wow, big day for Todd huh? Actaully tragic though for his wife and children. First of course, Bentley is leaving his wife, because of “Friction.’ Hey just like any “good North American” when it gets tough blame Satan and flee. Then of course ther’s the six bedroom house Fresh Fire “allowed” him to purchase. Yep , the same guy who talked about operating costs and that ussual Word of Faith hundred fold return doctrine of demons. You know the one, give me hundres…no THOUSANDS and God will pay ya’ back. http://jesusshaped.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/a-note-to-todd-bentley/. And now of course the suspension of his “ministry” going to England. But you know what?? Thre are still going to be the “defenders” of this heretic. No matter how many heresies, lies, financial manipulations, specious revelations and vistations, alignmnets with deviants like Branham, and Cain, and Jones, and Jyner etc. Todd’s still the man, and if he were to hold more events in the future people would still flock. Pathetic.
Ron, thanks for the link to Michael Spencer’s post, which takes a quite different line from your comment. But even if this story of Todd’s separation is true, it has not been publicly announced (but was released by a former employee) and so discussing it is a breach of privacy. It is no surprise (indeed I think I warned of it months ago, I certainly mentioned this issue here) that the last few months have put a strain on Todd’s marriage and family. Let us hope and pray for a reconciliation, which is the intention of this period of formal separation.
And let’s stop discussing this matter here. I welcome links to concrete information about this. I will accept no more negative speculation on this personal issue.
Peter, it is true. Read the intro statement. The picture of Todd has gone from the homepage.
The Lord’s blessings and abundance have been so evident on the ministry during this season of intense activity and we rejoice in seeing and being able to participate in what we believe is only the beginning of a worldwide awakening. It is with considerable sadness then, that we must temper the jubilation we know you all feel with the sobering news that Todd and Shonnah Bentley are presently experiencing significant friction in their relationship and are currently separated. We want to affirm that there has been no sexual immorality on the part of either Todd or Shonnah, nor has there ever been. Undoubtedly the pressures and the burden of the Outpouring, which approaches 144 days on August 23rd, have helped to create an atmosphere of fatigue and stress that has exacerbated existing issues in their relationship. We wish to stress however, that the Outpouring is not “to blame” for the current chain of events and that in effect we have no interest in blaming anyone, but rather we deeply covet your prayers for Todd and Shonnah and for Fresh Fire Ministries during this time.
http://www.freshfire.ca/
My thoughts earlier today are here.
http://theroadtoelderado.blogspot.com/2008/08/has-todd-bentley-really-left-his-wife.html
I agree Peter, that’s wise.
Would the statement from Fresh Fire Ministries be sufficient?
http://freshfire.ca
Blue and Bene, thanks for bringing to my attention this statement from Fresh Fire. Let’s do as they request, pray for Todd and Shonna at this difficult time. And I don’t mean pray against them, as witches etc are rumoured to pray against Christian marriages, but pray for reconciliation and peace.
By the way, there is still a picture of Todd in the banner of this website’s home page.
I meant the big full length picture next to the welcome bit, but you’re right about the title bar.
Firstly, thankyou Peter for a refreshing post and forum which is NOT judgmental, spiteful, negative and full of venemous opinions.
I firmly believe in what God is doing through Todd and worldwide and it has cjanged my life and many others, and praise God noone can take that away from us all. Todd may be having some marriage difficulties but God;s grace…yes, the same grace that you and me have come under when we have made errors and mistakes, still abounds.And because of this grace, we still move forward. We don’t know that facts with Todd nd his marriage and therefore cannot presume to know that he has done any wrong. We all know satan loves to destroy marriages in order to bring us down, especially those that are being used powerfully for God as they are a threat to the devil.
With all this going on, this does not change what God has done, is doing, and will continues to do worldwide in this powerful move of God.
Martin, thanks for your comment.
I hope you and anyone reading this has also read my latest post on this subject.
Greetings, Peter! Say, I was wondering, do you still have the conviction that the ‘death of Lakeland” was an exaggeration?
Sincerely,
Scott
Northwest Musings
Well, Scott, as I understand it meetings are still continuing at Ignited Church, although without Todd as previously announced. And this whole thing was always about more than one man, as the leaders have always tried to demonstrate. See my latest post for some links to more comments along those lines.
Dutch Sheets is ‘repenting’ on behalf of the whole Charismatic movement leadership. What do you think about “Identificational repentance”?
Feel free to comment here to if you’d like
http://northwestmusings.wordpress.com/2008/08/22/identificational-repentance/
Scott, thanks for asking, but I have nothing to add to what Babylon’s Dread has written, except to say that Dutch Sheets may have exaggerated the problems. If Todd is too young to lead at 32, what would Dutch have had to say about Jesus?
Sad to say, Todd Bentley’s fall is now complete due to self-inflicted sin: marital unfaithfulness, periodic drunkenness and admitted lies that were spoke from the platform:
http://www.newchristian.org.uk/lakeland.html
Is this evidence of judgment upon the Church?
Brian, there has been no admitted “marital unfaithfulness” in the commonly understood meaning of this, and no evidence that this has taken place. As for “admitted lies”, your web page offers just one example (so why the plural “lies”?), and you have no evidence that this was a deliberate lie, that Todd knew when he said the words you mention that they were false. Please withdraw your false allegations.
here’s some truth from behind the scenes in Abbotsford. Jessa first of all was an intern in the fall 08 cycle. She never applied for it Todd invited her into the internship. Even after a board member severly opposed it. Later Todd invited her and another intern to live in his house during the internship, and after the internship as a live in nanny.
At the same time the Bellingham, Washington church was being established so fresh fire could get a legal foot hold in America. This is evident by the lack and the sheer refusal to work with the local churches. It was just for the papers not the church.
In January 2009 2 members of the board confronted Todd about Jessa, and that it was wrong and they couldn’t stand by him about it. They where “relieved” of their position for doing so. This shouldn’t be surprising as another member of FFM was faceed with the same threat, after he caught Todd with another woman in England (this is what the dark night of the soul was actually about), the FFM member was forced to either work for FFM outside of North America or be fired. Jessa is woman number 4 that Todd has cheated on Shonnah with.
Todd isn’t 100% to blame just 80% the rest of the blame falls on those board members and pastors that refused to confront Todd on his infidelities. One in particular had the mind set that if Todd does it, it’s okay even if it isn’t for others. Others refused to confront because they didn’t want to loose their jobs (like many have over the years)
Even in Lakeland which I personally think was a two edged work of God, it was a blessing to the locals who have prayed for God to move. And the other edge was a judgement on Todd, in total over the top Todd style. During the highet of revival there was excessive drinking, slasher flicks, and other things I wont get into now with Todd and his inner circle (yes men). There was infighting with the leaders on stage, and the interns where just slaves with ministry badges. Or the fact that all the money collected for the orphans and for sudan never made it to them, it was instead used to pay for the buildings/land for the revival.
Even after Lakeland fell apart, and the news finally became public, Todd never returned home to Abbotsford. He remained in America (illegally) in California, then a breif stop in Reno for their quickey divorce rules. Then it was off to Rick Joyner and his marriage with Jessa
These words are not made up, this is a summary of many conversations I have had with former FFM employees, board members and former interns. I just can’t stand by and see Todd get away with this for a fourth time. A man who has turned his back on his wife and children once again. yet will be received by the masses as THE man of God.
Daniel, you clearly have your dates wrong, so why should I trust anything else you say? I have zero interest in unconfirmed gossip from anonymous alleged insiders. Please do not post any more such material here.
What a mess! The whole outpouring in Lakeland had a couple of good points but ended up so far removed from biblical Christianity it was laughable. I’m a doctor and I am getting sick of people being hurt by unsubstantiated claims of healing in the word of faith movement. Lakeland was exposed on a high profile national news network (ABC) for being unable to substantiate any healings. Its all over google.
Have a read of my detailed discussion if you want to know more:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=223603106&ref=profile#/note.php?note_id=23579560865
The truth sets people free, not the hype. As to this relationship with Jessa, this is out of order. The bible is clear, we are not to commit adultery, marriage is between one man and one woman, not one man who leaves his wife and children for another. It is not right that people such as Joyner, Johnson etc are blessing and encouraging this. The scriptures tell of a time when people will leave sound doctrine and chase after the tickling of their ears. Well, hear we are!
Lets get back into the Word, lets love the poor, lets pray for each other, lets witness to each other. Lets stop wasting time and follow Jesus.