The Shepherding Movement

For some, S. David Moore’s monograph on the Shepherding Movement of the 1970s and 1980s will cut deep, either because of hurts received or perceived. Others will feel cut because Moore’s representation isn’t as cutting towards the movement as they would like it to be. For others, Moore’s work will be like a balm in Gilead, because he has sought to accurately portray the movement, warts and all, believing the best about its leaders. And for yet others, who have long struggled to come to a balanced conclusion about the movement, this book will be liberating because of its irenic, reconciliatory tone. It is the most balanced treatment of the movement ever produced, and is a complete account, if not exhaustive.

Author S. David Moore, now an Adjunct Professor at the Foursquare denominational training institution in San Dimas, California, enjoyed a front row seat of the Shepherding phenomenon from its rather organic inception in the early seventies. At that time Moore pastored underneath California charismatic leader Dennis Peacocke, who in 1975 submitted himself to the most magnetic of the movement’s five teachers, Bob Mumford. Moore begins the book in an engaging and dramatic fashion, not out of place in a Pentecostal theology monograph: “It hardly looked like a meeting of 30 of the best-known leaders of the burgeoning Charismatic Renewal. Tempers flared, accusations were exchanged, and tension filled the air.” But this angst-ridden meeting did not mark the beginning of the movement. Towards the end of 1970, in an unassuming hotel room late at night, four of the Shepherding teachers – Don Basham, Derek Prince, Bob Mumford and Charles Simpson – were simply fellowshipping together. Fellowship gave way to confession, which in turn led each to pledge accountability to one another. Diverse backgrounds converged that night – Prince and Basham were active in deliverance ministry, Mumford was a Pentecostal preacher, and Simpson a Southern Baptist pastor. Their common ground was their mutual participation in the Charismatic Renewal.

Moore’s narration advances at a steady clip until he reaches the midpoint of the book, at which point he begins to narrate the events of 1975 and 1976 in far greater detail; these years were the eye of the Shepherding storm. The leaders of the movement – joined by Ern Baxter by this point – were primarily occupied with defending themselves against attacks, even flying great distances at regular intervals to attempt reconciliation with their detractors. While it appeared that the troubleshooting had been effective, the damage had been done. Prince was the first to exit the group of five, and all except Simpson followed him one by one over a period of years. Simpson’s ministry continues to this day, propagating the best teaching of the movement and disregarding the rest.

Because this is primarily a historical volume, Moore outlines the teachings of the Shepherding Movement rather than evaluating them. Certain themes were emphasized by the teachers: discipleship, fellowship, worship, spiritual maturity, obedience, and submission to God and human authority. Definite strains of counter-cultural living and the Church as God’s triumphant government on earth ran through the leaders’ teachings, no matter the topic, and became more pronounced as time went on. Probably no teaching was emphasized more, however, than the need to be submitted to another human being, usually a pastor but sometimes a small group leader, who would oversee one’s full “development emotionally, educationally, financially, vocationally, and socially…Shepherds were to lead their sheep and provide practical guidance in etiquette, personal dress, management, budgeting, and basic home, yard, and automobile care.” Critics took aim at this exhaustive list and called it micro-management of the soul. Mumford, for one, did state for the record that the final decision in every case remains with the individual, but even such a categorical qualification could not override the pressure that followers felt to ‘submit’ everything – including the decision itself.

Moore acknowledges that his volume cannot be a final reckoning of the Shepherding Movement’s effect on American Christianity. But it is clear that ripples are still felt, from the shudders of pain and regret that often accompany mention of the movement, to the discipleship structures maintained by some denominations and associations of churches. However, Moore also makes it clear that the leaders did not consciously intend to strictly control the direction of the Charismatic Renewal movement in North America, nor did they ever intend to establish a new denomination. Incidentally, Charles Simpson offers this book at his ministry’s online store, demonstrating Moore’s evenhandedness in approaching this difficult topic.

Thus the movement, but what of the book? Moore writes in a very engaging style, at a reasonably fast clip. He sustained my attention for long periods at a time, with the possible exception of the more detailed accounts of meeting after meeting in the midst of the mid-seventies bout of controversy. These accounts will be fascinating for those who had more of a stake in the movement than I did. Many lessons are available to the thoughtful reader of this book, but one stands out head and shoulders above the rest: Christ is the head of His Church. Amen to that.