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Transformational Christianity, orTransformationalism, represents a fusion ofevangelicalism,Pentecostalism, andecumenism that started becoming prominent in the early 21st century. Unlike previous movements, it is typically embodied in regionalmeta-church organizations—alliances of churches from different denominational backgrounds—rather than particularchurches,denominations, orparachurch organizations. Critics of Transformationalism accuse it of overemphasizingeschatology, false dichotomies, unnecessary idealism and a tendency to be corrosive of individual church identities.
Transformational Christianity interprets the gospel from a unified perspective of transforming individuals, relationships, and institutions.[1] It thus tends to align intellectually with evangelicals, emotionally withcharismatics, and socially with ecumenicals—though only up to a point. The emphasis is less on being theologically or politically correct than on being effective in transforming the believer and the world around. It thus tends to reflect thekingdom theology ofGordon Fee's radical middle approach to Christianity, which characterizes the role of the church as manifesting God's kingdom on Earth.
Ed Silvoso identifies "Five Pivotal Paradigms" he considers essential for sustainable transformation to take place.[2] Specifically, he calls people to recognize that:
One defining aspect of transformationalism is its focus on what are calledmarketplace ministers.[3] In this context, as in many Christian circles, the termmarketplace is used to represent business, education, and government—i.e., everything outside the church and family. The heroes of most other movements are celebrated for their church-related activities (e.g., evangelists, missionaries, bishops, apostles, etc.). In contrast, the heroes of transformationalism are lionized for their work outside the church. Importantly, they are expected to deliversecular success (new business, increased profits or efficiency, improved workplace conditions) as a precondition tospiritual success (conversions, transformed lifestyles, formal acknowledgement of Christianity, etc.). They are not valued just for making money, or even just for bringing people into the church; rather, they are seen as the primary carriers for bringing the "kingdom of God" or "presence of Jesus Christ" into the world.
In one sense, this is a return to the ideals of theProtestant reformation, with its emphasis on the "priesthood of all believers" and the value of secular work. The key difference is that transformationalism is set in the context of a post-Christian culture, where personal evangelism is both possible and (in this view) necessary. Thus, secular work is also viewed as a platform for evangelization. At the same time, transformationalists would also affirm—and celebrate—the intrinsic value of work, both as an aspect of worship and as a service to society.
A related innovation is the concept of citywide pastoring.[4] The key premise is that in addition to the concepts of one "church universal" and many "local congregations," which most Christians accept, there is also a third level: "the church in the city". The idea is that all the congregations in a particular region, of whatever denomination, are really aspects of a single church family, and should actively think, plan, and work together under that common framework. This does not mean that a single unifying structure is imposed from above, as in the old establishment idea of parishes. Rather, it involves formalizing the existing networks of relationship and trust into a coherent organizational structure, usually involving councils of recognized leaders from different communities. This typically means the church as a whole develops a common vision, which is implemented by individual congregations with minimal explicit coordination. It also enables the Christian community to speak with one voice when dealing with local government; however, the focus is usually on finding ways to cooperate in serving the community, rather than dictating policy.
The concept of transformation was initiated as a result of claims regarding an apparent series of citywiderevivals which took place in several South American locations in the 1980s and 1990s. Starting in the mid-1970s and into the 1980s, the focuses of a loose network of evangelical pastors in South America converged to form what is termed strategicspiritual warfare. These pastors included Argentinian Baptist Eduardo Lorenzo (a revivalist who studied spiritual warfare to defeat local demons),Youth With a Mission's John Dawson (who wrote about demonic control of geographic regions),New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) evangelistEd Silvoso (who used prayer to defeat a supposed warlock in an area lacking evangelical churches), and evangelist Carlos Annacondia (who focused on missions work and exorcism). Believing thatterritorial spirits – demons controlling specific areas – were hindering mission efforts, the concept ofspiritual mapping to plot out these areas and their problems, particularly social ills, took form. Removing malign influences was seen to open the way for spiritual revival and societal transformation. These spiritual mapping and spiritual warfare techniques caught the interest of NAR leaderC. Peter Wagner. Such revival was believed to be happening in South America in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Wagner and Silvoso were key promoters of the revival and spiritual warfare methodology leading up to it and helped spread the concepts more widely in evangelicalism.[5]
The claims were widely promoted in videos produced byGeorge Otis, Jr. (coiner of the termsspiritual mapping and the10/40 window) under the titlesTransformations (2000) andTransformations II (2002). The films claim drug arrests (seeCali Cartel) were connected to revival in the Colombian city as well as purported reports of giant vegetables grown in Guatemala, community transformation in the Canadian Arctic, Ugandan revival and dramatic increases in church attendance.Jack Dennison also wrote a book,City Reaching. This provided further impetus within the fundamentalist Christian world to Otis' teaching in both city reaching and marketplace ministry techniques. Silvoso popularized the latter approach in his bookAnointed for Business, which introduced the termMarketplace Transformation. This combined with the concept ofcommunity transformation to develop a more general focus on transformation. As of January 2025[update], the videos are still being sold from Otis' Sentinel Group website store.[6]
The termTransformationalism was apparently first used in conjunction with groups such asPray the Bay in early 2004, reflecting a more general view of transformation as a key (if not defining) attribute of the Christian life. This coincided with a possibly unrelated increase in the use of the term 'transformation' by a wide range of different churches and organizations during 2004.
Transformation conferences in 2005 (Indonesia) and 2007 (Seoul,Korea) focused on five "streams": saturationchurch planting;revival; reaching cities;marketplace ministry andeconomic development for the poor. The goal was, among other things, to develop a transformational covenant, to provide further definition to this movement.
The claims made by Otis in theTransformations videos have been unable to be verified when investigated by neutral researchers, journalists and his critics.[7][8] TheTransformations videos circulated widely through Pentecostal, charismatic and similar spirit-filled Christian churches all over the world. Copies of the videos (and later DVDs) and other associated books and commercial merchandise generated huge personal and corporate profits for various Christian leaders and religious organizations through on-selling in churches.[citation needed] The videos had a significant impact in the conservative Australian city ofToowoomba, where large numbers of fundamentalist and Pentecostal Christians became convinced of the power of strategic level spiritual warfare to bring about a revival and transformation there.[citation needed] Claims were made, sometimes through so-called prophecies, that this action would lead to Toowoomba becoming a hub for the anticipated great Australian revival, as well as the achievement of reduced sinfulness, a lower crime rate, general prosperity among the population, greatly increased church attendance, the installation of men and women of God into government and a reduced commitment to cults.
Transformationalism can be considered a more secular version of theManifest Sons of God doctrine that emerged from theLatter Rain Movement. It is also similar to therevivalism of traditionalEvangelicalism. However, by shifting the focus from individual conversion to large-scale transformation, it adopts an approach not unlike thesocial gospel that characterized theprogressive orliberal Evangelicalism of the pre-war period (this is in contrast to the more confrontational approach offundamentalism). Unlike theChristian Right, transformationalists emphasize that the way to achieve a renewed society is through personal testimony and servant-leadership towards those in power, rather than political maneuvering. This places it near toprogressive evangelicalism. Some aspects are reminiscent of the DutchNeo-Calvinists,Abraham Kuyper andHerman Dooyeweerd, especially talk of "filling up thespheres of society."
Transformational groups typically involve a cross-section ofProtestant,Catholic,Eastern Orthodox, andnon-denominational churches andparachurch organizations (though not borderline groups, such as Mormons). Most still tend to have an evangelical, or even fundamentalist, statement of faith; however, they are generally more concerned with being inclusive than exclusive, and often will attempt to accommodate individuals and churches with more liberal theological views if they share a compatible vision of the goals and means of transformation. Transformational movements are often mediated by other trans-denominational initiatives such as theAlpha Course orPromise Keepers, which share a similar heritage and goals.
Transformational Christianity is one attempt to aid evangelicals in whatChristianity Today calls "a paradigm shift—in their understanding of conversion and redemption".[9]