Rumors continue to circulate about the reason the James River Church left the Assemblies of God in April.
A statement by pastor John Lindell addressing those rumors has been posted on the church's website.
The statement is printed below:
In the coming weeks you may hear that the Assemblies of God dismissed my ministerial credentials. Prior to their decision, I had already resigned my ministerial credentials due to the Board of Trustees vote to disaffiliate from the Assemblies of God. However, dismissal of a pastor’s ministerial credentials is most often the Assemblies of God’s protocol when a church chooses to disaffiliate.
On behalf of the James River Church Board of Trustees, I want to take a moment to help you understand the circumstances surrounding our departure from the Assemblies of God and to address some of the things that have been said in the community.
One of the falsehoods being circulated is that James River Church left the Assemblies of God because we did not want to be accountable. That is completely false and was not the reason for our disaffiliation. In a meeting with the Assemblies of God General Superintendent Rev. Doug Clay, he asked me not to publicly state the specific reasons for our departure which I will continue to honor.
At the same time, we felt it was necessary to give you additional information regarding our decision.
One year ago in June, I voiced to a Southern Missouri Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God official that if things continued to occur that were detrimental to the church we would need to leave the Assemblies of God. Three months later, at a lunch with the Southern Missouri Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God Superintendent in September 2024, I expressed the same concerns again. In both instances there was no attempt on the Southern Missouri Ministry Network Leadership’s part to meet for the purpose of processing our concerns.
After much prayer, seeking counsel from godly leaders (who are part of the Fellowship and love the Assemblies of God), and with the Board of Trustees’ approval, in April 2025, we made the decision to notify the Assemblies of God of our intent to disaffiliate. Subsequently, the Southern Missouri Ministry Network officials requested a Zoom meeting with our Board of Trustees on May 12, 2025, ostensibly for the purpose of providing a rationale for why James River Church should not leave the Assemblies of God. In that meeting the Board of Trustees were disappointed by the contentious demeanor and words of the Ministry Network official who led the meeting, which only served to confirm their resolve that disaffiliation was the right decision for James River Church.
During this process of disaffiliation, an influential leader in the Assemblies of God visited with the Assemblies of God leadership. He was disappointed and felt that the way our concerns and my credentials were handled was sadly not consistent with the Assemblies of God that he has known all of his life.
Debbie and I love the Assemblies of God. We have faithfully served the Fellowship for over 41 years. During that time, we have supported the Assemblies of God leadership at both the national and district level. We have served on numerous boards and committees, as well as attended and ministered at ministerial councils and retreats across the country. And we have also led the church to give tens of millions of dollars to Assemblies of God World Missions and other related ministries. All that to say, we have been deeply involved in the Assemblies of God.
Some have suggested that my intent through the disaffiliation was to steal the church, an allegation that is without merit. In March 2023, with the Board of Trustees’ support and approval, we announced our plans to transition from the Lead Pastor role. In March 2027, Debbie and I will be stepping aside as the Lead Pastors of James River Church. The decision to disaffiliate from the Assemblies of God has not inured to the personal benefit of any individual; it was based solely on a legitimate concern that both the Board of Trustees and I had for the future vitality and well-being of James River Church.
This entire process has saddened our hearts. Because of the baseless rumors that have continued to be circulated, the Board of Trustees and I felt you needed to know these things if for no other reason than to set your hearts at ease as you hear our heart. If you have questions, please feel free to ask; we would be happy to talk with you.
At the same time, we have chosen to believe that the Lord has allowed these events to occur in much the same way as He allowed Paul and Barnabas to separate but continue to reach people for Christ. And that is what we intend to do together with you until the Lord returns.
Thank you for staying the course. Thank you for choosing not to believe the rumors. Debbie and I love you so much. With all of our hearts, we believe the best is yet to come.