Simpson, Basham, and Baxter did not set out

Shepherding Movement to create the Shepherding Movement, but were

simply responding to a very real need in the
Leslyn Musch church. The need was so great and the response
so overwhelmingly positive that their efforts grew
quickly into a movement whose focus was increas-
The Shepherding or Discipleship Movement
ingly on discipleship. Mumford and Simpson,
was a fast-growing, controversial movement
considered the most controversial of the five, held
birthed in the early 1970s. The counterculture of
strongly to the belief that every person needed to
the 1960s produced a generation that came of age
be in direct relationship with another person who
under the influence of communal “hippie” living,
could disciple him or her; this person was called
mind-altering drugs, and rejection of respons-
a “shepherd” based on the Greek word poimen.
ibility, authority, and moral norms. Concurrently,
Influenced by Watchman Nee and Juan Carlos
many mainline denominations had begun to
Ortiz, the teaching on “authority and submission”
embrace the rationalism of modernity that rejected
was developed. It focused on the concept of
much of the supernatural nature of Christianity,
“spiritual covering” or the protection gained by
thus creating a spiritual hunger satisfied by the
submitting to God’s delegated authority in the
Charismatic Renewal. While many within this
home, church, and government. These teachings
renewal stayed in their denominational churches,
formed the basic doctrinal foundation of the
many others adopted a vagabond approach to
Shepherding Movement.
Christianity, wandering from church to church
Problems and abuses began to arise as the
and conference to conference, never committing
teachings were developed and the principles
to a local church. This, combined with the
were applied. The movement was eventually
masses of new Christians coming out of the
denounced by Full Gospel Business Men, Pat
morally bankrupt counterculture, created an
Robertson, and Kathryn Kuhlman, to name a
enormous number of unchurched, biblically
few. Prince left the group in March 1984 over
illiterate, immature Christians who desperately
theological differences. The movement officially
needed biblical teaching and even the most basic
dissolved in April 1986. History indicates that
life-skills training. It was this need that led to the
there were both negative and positive effects of
rise of the Shepherding Movement.
the Shepherding Movement.
The primary leaders, known by their critics as
the “Fort Lauderdale Five,” were Bob Mumford,
Derek Prince, Charles Simpson, Don Basham, SEE ALSO: Authority; Nee, Watchman
and later, Ern Baxter. What began as friendship
among these popular conference speakers devel- REFERENCES AND
oped into a covenant group. In response to the SUGGESTED READINGS
moral failing of a friend and leader, the men
recognized their own need for accountability. Burgess, S. M., & Van Der Maas, E. M. (eds.)
They believed that submission to spiritual author- (2003). The new international dictionary of
ity was the best spiritual safeguard for believers. Pentecostal Charismatic Movements. Grand
Additionally, they were deeply concerned by Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
the lack of spiritual growth and maturity in Moore, D. S. (2003). The Shepherding Move-
Christians. It was within this cultural context ment: Controversy and Charismatic ecclesiology.
and in response to these observations that in London: T&T Clark.
1972–1973 the teachers began to develop their Synan, V. (1997). The Holiness–Pentecostal tradi-
approach to discipleship. tion: Charismatic Movements in the twentieth
Initially, their goal was to bring renewal to century. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans.
existing churches through their teaching. Finding Synan, V. (2001). The century of the Holy Spirit:
this extremely difficult, they established their own 100 years of Pentecostal Charismatic renewal.
churches. It is fair to say that Mumford, Prince, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization, First Edition. Edited by George Thomas Kurian.
© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2011 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.