Newfrontiers is a worldwide family of churches together on a mission, currently approaching 600 churches worldwide in over 40 nations. With a passionate commitment to build the church according to New Testament principles, we believe that the most effective form of evangelism is worked out through strong local churches. Churches where each member participates, the gifts of the Spirit are outworked, where there is joy in caring one for the other, where there is a desire to make a difference in society and to reach those in need. We aim to achieve this by restoring the church, making disciples, training leaders, starting churches and reaching the nations. Newfrontiers-USA is led by an apostolic team, headed by John Lanferman.

Restoring the Church
The so-called 'Charismatic Renewal', which began in the 1960s, transformed many people's experience of God. People from many diverse backgrounds were baptized in the Holy Spirit and found themselves speaking in tongues and prophesying. They longed to express their newfound love for God with fresh enthusiasm and intimacy in worship. This new wine required a new wineskin. Many existing church structures could not contain this new life and so radical changes were needed, changes that would entail a work of restoration.

Rebuild the Ruins
Restoration is a biblical principle. Throughout the Bible we read of God's dealings with His people to restore them to Himself, both individually, and corporately. The book of Nehemiah graphically illustrates this process. Jerusalem, which had been glorious in Solomon's day with its temple filled with God's glory, had fallen into decline. It was time to return to rebuild the ruins of the city and the house of God.

Similarly, in the New Testament, the early church in Jerusalem was flooded with God's presence and the new temple, made up of living stones, was being built together. Tragically, over the centuries the church has suffered decline and confusion. There have been waves of recovery, including such major breakthroughs as the 16th century Reformation, with its recovery of justification by faith. Believer's baptism and the Pentecostal Awakening of the last century have also been restorative.

The Body of Christ
God's ultimate purpose is that the church should become a 'mature man' (Eph. 4:13), a body with all it's members functioning. In Ephesians 4 Paul describes how God has purposed for this to be accomplished through the gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers. Our desire is to see churches that are built on New Testament principles through receiving these Ephesians 4 ministries, where the word of God is honored, and there is openness to the work of the Holy Spirit. We believe in a restored church and embrace Haggai's promise that 'The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former.' (Hag 2:9).

Making Disciples
Jesus calls us to 'go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything he has commanded' (Matt. 28:19-20). Our response to this great commission must therefore be reflected at the very heart of church life. Having believed, people need to be baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit, in order to live by the power of the Spirit.

Maturity in Christ
Making disciples means reaching unbelievers but also means bringing individuals to maturity in Christ in order that each one can fulfill God's plan for their lives. Our desire is that believers enjoy the grace of God, understanding that salvation is a gift that cannot be earned.

We want people to know that God has forgiven and accepted them solely because of what Jesus has done for them on the cross, i.e. people who are certain of eternal life, getting to know Jesus better every day, experiencing the Holy Spirit’s guidance, living for God’s glory, enjoying their involvement in His church and keen to reach out to others with the good news of the Gospel.

Training Leaders
Jesus wants His church to function effectively, so leadership is a top priority. God-given leadership provides security, motivation and direction. Leaders who know that they are genuinely anointed, called and loved by God bring peace and security to a local church.

Ephesians 4 Ministries
Paul tells us that when Jesus ascended He 'gave gifts to men' (Eph. 4:8). The leadership gifts are people: apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors/teachers (Eph. 4:11) and their function is to 'prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up' (Eph. 4:12). These gifts, described in Ephesians 4, are given by God to stand alongside and assist local church leaders in fulfilling their commission to present every believer mature in Christ.

Within the Newfrontiers family we recognize these gifts as vital for fulfilling our mission. We are working with teams of gifted men serving existing churches as well as emerging church plants. While these teams are predominantly working with churches in their locality, they are not just geographical but also built upon relationships. As a result some of these teams are also serving nations other than their own.

Starting Churches
We believe the most effective way of evangelizing a new area is to plant a church. The Gospel not only needs to be proclaimed, but also to be demonstrated in tangible ways, and the best way is through Christians living out the Gospel together in a locality. In this way new communities are established, often in places that have not seen authentic Christianity worked out through the church.

Different Methods
Philip, the evangelist, gathered a community in Samaria and the apostle Paul founded churches in many towns. He recognized leaders weren't the only people involved in church planting. The scattered, persecuted believers went everywhere preaching the gospel (Acts 8:1). Even the influential Antioch church was started by believers that the book of Acts does not name

There are many different ways that may result in a church being planted. However, whatever the method, we believe that Ephesians 4 Teams are essential to help plant churches, ensuring that they are established on apostolic and prophetic foundations. Whether in major cities and towns, or small rural communities, we long to help evangelize the nations through planting churches across the world.

Reaching the Nations
In Acts 1:8 we are told that Jesus promised his disciples that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses not only in Jerusalem, but also in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The call to be Jesus' witnesses is local, regional, national and international. In his revelation John saw a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne of God. (Rev. 7:9). We take these promises seriously.

Nations on Our Doorstep
Churches often find that the nations are right at their doorstep, with many cities of the world being host to people from across the nations. Our passion is to build churches representative of such communities. But there is also a passion to fulfill the great commission to go to the nations and restore and start other churches, which will also reflect New Testament church life.

Newfrontiers is working in many nations starting new churches as well as establishing relationships with existing churches that share the same heart and vision. Ephesians 4 Teams are pioneering into these new situations and helping churches fulfill their calling in God. Alongside these pioneering activities Newfrontiers is also committed to helping churches serve the poor and needy. Thus, as a family of churches on a mission together, we are seeking to reach the nations of the world.