2020 MMI Yearly Report
January
The Todd Bentley Panel decision given in early January
At some point in 2019, Dr. Michael Brown, a respected scholar, author, and public commentator, representing the Body of Christ, contacted me. He requested my help in the formulation of a plan to create a panel that would address the public ministry of evangelist, Todd Bentley. This was on the heels of more people coming forward with serious charges against Bentley in regards to his moral failure. Michael felt the Lord was leading him to lead a panel that would also help raise biblical leadership standards for the whole Body of Christ, especially the Independent Charismatic Church world.
Finally, after several months of research, and verifying many allegations, a professional investigator presented to our panel a litany of numerous charges. These charges contained many first-hand accounts by dozens of people. charging Todd with inappropriate behavior.
The panel unanimously gave an opinion and said that Todd Bentley should be removed from ministry, and his ordination revoked. In addition, he should not return to ministry until it is evident that he has been fully restored.
The launch of my new podcast, “The Joseph Mattera Show”:
At the end of December into early January, (after months of being advised by multiple people, who all felt the Lord wanted me to do something more than releasing my weekly sermons,) I finally launched my new podcast! I have exciting shows, interviews and numerous teachings. Some of them are related to my weekly articles, current events, and other things the Lord lays upon my heart as it relates to church and culture.
The podcast is already on all the major platforms, including Spotify, iTunes, and Google Play.
GOD TV appearance:
On January 9th, I appeared on the television show, “Today with Ward”, and taught principles from my latest book, “The Jesus Principles.” I also filmed seven mini devotional teachings related to my book, as well as teachings from the book of Ephesians.
January 9th- Heavenly Vision Church, Bronx, NY.
My friend, Sal Sabino, founded one of the largest cell churches in NYC. On a Friday evening, I preached during their church’s anniversary to several hundred of their leaders and pastors. I taught on making disciples, from my new book, “The Jesus Principles.” God moved very powerfully through the prophetic preaching, and almost everyone made a new commitment to be a disciple of Jesus who would then, in turn, disciple others. I thank God for the cell movement founded by apostolic leader, Sal Sabino!
CT Church, Houston, TX.
I was delighted to be invited to minister to the campuses of CT Houston and Pasadena TC, led by Pastor Don Nordin. On Friday evening, January 17th, I ministered from my book, “The Divided Gospel” on our mandate to engage the culture. Approximately 150 leaders were present. The Lord gave me great grace to teach, preach, and explain the deleterious effects that occurred on the church and culture when the Body of Christ began separating the good news from the Kingdom of God. (This in spite of the fact that Jesus, John the Baptist, and Paul all preached the gospel of the Kingdom.)
On Saturday, January 18, I taught the entire staff of all campuses about the fivefold ministry wineskins. I explained how each congregation takes upon itself the DNA and vision of their lead pastor, based on the fivefold ministry gifts that their leader functions under. This was an eye-opener for many, as it helped them understand their church’s strengths, weaknesses, and needs. People could then locate which type of church they functioned in as it relates to the APEST (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher). It aided in bringing an understanding of how and why they operate in a particular way.
They also received more discernment related to how the Body of Christ operates the way they do in this present day.
The same day, I taught at the Houston Campus to 150 leaders on, “The Church of Ephesus”. I gave a summary of the book of Ephesians with a backdrop of how that church affected all of Asia Minor (Acts 19). The Lord gave me great liberty to summarize the whole book of Ephesians by focusing on one verse per chapter. There was a great response. It motivated everyone to participate in a church movement that affects all the residents of their area, instead of just focusing on what happens within their church’s four walls.
On Sunday, January 19th, I preached from my book, “The Jesus Principles”. I focused on how God has called the Church to be a disciple-making movement. There was a strong prophetic anointing upon me. About 95% of the congregation responded to the message by coming to the front and committing to discipling others.
At noon, I preached the same message from the morning service to the Spanish congregation. A strong prophetic preaching anointing came upon me again. This time the focus was different because of this group’s specific needs. There was an amazing response to theWord. About 98% of the people came forward to be a disciple and a disciple-maker! A strong sense of the grace of God came upon them to encourage, uplift, and motivate them to walk in the way of Christ and His apostles.
I was excited to be invited to preach in another extraordinary church in the Houston area. The church is called “Inspire Church” (previously known as “Christian Tabernacle”). Inspire church has a 70-year history. They have had only three pastors, including my dear friend, Dr. Richard Heard. This church experienced an extraordinary revival in 1996 that was launched when God supernaturally visited their service. As a result, the power of God split the pulpit! People reported hearing a thunderclap after Dr. Heard read from 2 Chronicles 7:14. At that time, Dr. Heard was knocked out and had a vision of angels descending and weeping while the presence of God fell. The result was a 3-week revival in which the church never closed. People were getting healed and saved just by God’s presence! Tommy Tenney was conducting meetings there when this happened. This revival gave Tenney the impetus to write his bestselling book, “The God Chasers!”
I knew that the Lord had me on an assignment to release and impart a strong spirit of prayer and travail on the church. This was a call upon their church from its beginning. Dr. Heard and I believed that my teaching was essential for the goal of “re-digging the wells of prayer for them.”
I taught from my book, “Travail to Prevail” and gave my testimony as an intercessor. The solemnity of God fell upon the several hundred in attendance. People began to weep and groan for their city during the message, and afterward, every person came to the front. I laid my hands upon their bellies and imparted the spirit of prayer to them. Dozens of people were prostrated on the floor, groaning, praying, and being released into a profound ministry of prayer for their church and their city.
What an extraordinary evening and privilege this ministry engagement was! Dr. Heard called me the next day and wept as he recounted their church history. We wept and pray for their city. He explained how my teaching was in line with the anointing and ministry that God has called their church to carry.
On Monday evening, I taught in the “Kingdom Leadership Institute” of the Pasadena campus which my friend, Jon Ashcraft, leads. I taught approximately 30 leaders from my book, “Understanding the Wine Skin of the Kingdom.” The Lord gave me great liberty to unpack the Church’s role in influencing every aspect of culture. I recounted how a vacuum was created after the church abandoned culture in the late 19th century. This led to a form of secular humanism that took over every institute of higher learning by the 1920s. The result was the sexual, cultural revolution of the 1960s. We are still paying the price for this today with immoral, anti-biblical laws and public policy coming forth in our nation. I urged all of the students to purchase my book on this subject. I encouraged them to continue to dialogue about engaging the culture and serving their community.
Sunday, January 26th
We celebrated the 36th anniversary of the Brooklyn Campus of Resurrection Church! It’s hard to believe we launched our first church in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, 36 years ago. (The actual date was 1/29/84.) We saw our community qualitatively transformed with gentrification by the mid-1990s. That transformation is perhaps the highlight of my ministerial life, as I fell in love with that community and its people. This experience has continued to inform my theology about the powerful effect the gospel of the Kingdom should have in surrounding communities.
Go to resurrectionchurchofny.com for more info.
February
February 9th-New Beginnings Church, Darien CT
On this Sunday, I preached both morning services in this church that is overseen by my long time friend, Rob Cassara. God moved powerfully, and during both services, almost everyone came to the front to dedicate their lives. I preached on how Jesus processes us into our destiny. This message was taken from my latest book, “The Jesus Principles.”
February 16th- Word of Life Church
This is one of the largest Hispanic churches in the NY region and is overseen by fellow USCAL leader, Ben Paz. That Sunday, I preached on “How Jesus Released Human Potential” from my book, “The Jesus Principles.” God gave me a strong prophetic teaching/preaching anointing that confirmed what Ben was already teaching. Ben confirmed that he had been teaching on the need to have a discipleship movement instead of mere crowds packed into Sunday services. Almost every one of the 1,000 people in attendance came forward to be a disciple of Jesus and commit to making disciples.
February 19th- Seismic regional prayer in Church of the City, Manhattan, NYC
Lead Pastor, Jon Tyson, hosted this event. We had an amazing time meeting for dinner with about 30-40 pastors and leaders, followed by about 150 people from all over NY who were gathered to intercede for our city and nation. This was an extraordinary gathering that our network organizes 3 to 4 times per year in different areas of NY.
February 25th-27th- Buenos Aires Argentina
On Tuesday the 25th, Ben Paz and I were hosted by Gustavo Lara. Lara is the leader of an extensive network of networks. We ministered for three days to 60 movement leaders from all over Latin America.
I taught on various aspects of the apostolic from my book, “Essays in Apostolic Leadership.” One of the leaders of the AOG and its former president, in Argentina, was present. He was inspired by the teachings and now desires to stay connected with me so that I can aid him in shifting the Church of his nation towards the New Testament’s apostolic pattern.
On Wednesday the 26th, I taught 60 movement leaders about the 12 attributes of Apostolic leaders and had Q&A. God gave the group great clarity regarding the magnitude of their responsibility as it relates to walking worthy of the calling of their stewardship over networks of churches.
At night, I had dinner with the current president of the AOG. He desired for me to return in order to teach key leaders in their denomination on how to shift from a pastoral to an apostolic paradigm.
On Thursday the 27th, I taught 100 apostolic leaders and pastors on the subject of, “Entering God’s Rest Through Walking In The Eternal Purpose of God.” God gave me great liberty to teach a theologically, dense message for about 75 minutes. He moved powerfully. The conference leader informed me that this message gave them a concise panoramic view of the whole story of Scripture. This, most assuredly, will greatly aid them as they move forward!
I was blessed to partner with my dear friends, Gustavo Lara of Argentina and Ben Paz of NY, in equipping the many leaders of their vast global apostolic network! What a privilege!
March
Revamped the whole church to be an online church
We spent 12-14 hours a day working with the wonderful local church staff of our Brooklyn campus of Resurrection church, as we revamped our ministry to become primarily an online church. During the following months, we started over 20 small groups, via zoom, and pre-recorded worship, preaching, and announcements, so that our local church campuses would continue to thrive and not merely survive. I shared with our leaders that we are not to view ourselves as a church with an online presence, but an online church that also meets in a physical building.
Consequently, through the amazingly creative, hard work of our worship leader and production director, Juan David Colmenares, our church was able to pivot and expand our ability to reach people with the gospel, fourfold!
April
The Submission of my THD paper on the Global Apostolic Movement and the Progress of the Gospel.
Amid COVID-19, I was able to finish my thesis for my THD. I submitted a 457-page paper related to the Global Apostolic Movement and the Progress of the Gospel.
I hope this comprehensive work becomes one or more academic books on the Apostolic. My prayer is that it will aid in the transformation of the global Evangelical church and that there will be a restoration back to the way of Christ and His apostles.
Many thanks go to my amazing, spiritual daughter, Cindy Meeks, for serving as my editor. She spent hours reading the material and formatting everything correctly for submission!
The Launch of the Global Table
As a result of COVID, I took advantage of the fact that national leaders were no longer able to travel. As a result, I started a weekly Global Table, via Zoom, which is still ongoing. We average between 60-88 movement leaders, including leaders from all over the world.
As of the writing of this report, the Global Table has been ongoing, without missing a single week since mid-March! We have had significant leaders share their expertise, followed by 20-30 minutes of prayer for the nation.
Some leaders who presented were: Sam Chand, Dale Bronner, Dr. A.R. Benard, Jim Garlow, John Kelly, Michael Oh, Dennis Peacocke, James Beverly, Michael Brown, Lance Walnau, Tony Miller, Joseph Enfranco, Dutch Sheets, Vaughn McLaughlin, Doug Stringer, Mark Gonzalez, Paul Van Valen, Bart Pierce, Harry Jackson, Brad Smith, Barbara Wentroble, Todd Smith, Richard Heard, Steven List, and many other national leaders too numerous for me to cite or remember!
Weekly Christ Covenant Coalition Leadership Tables
Along with the Global Table, I initiated a weekly deep dive into Scripture, the application of Scripture, church history, and current events, with approximately 40 pastors. This Table has also been ongoing since mid-March 2020. This may be even more significant than the Global Table as many young apostolic leaders are participating at a high level, stimulating rapid leadership and theological growth!
June
June 15th- Annual USCAL Bridge Summit
We had our annual USCAL Bridge Summit, online, via Zoom. We had almost 900 pastors and workplace leaders who participated in this fantastic one-day leadership gathering.
July
We ministered in various online meetings and conferences with a major impact!
August
August 19-21
We ministered for movement leader, Michael Wells. I taught his network of almost 100 pastors and leaders on how to navigate through the national civil and political unrest, by having a kingdom perspective, instead of a political perspective.
September
September 22-23
I taught at the empowerment conference in Houston Texas to 100 pastors and leaders from my book, “ The Jesus Principles.”
October
Catalyst Conference
I ministered several times online for the “Catalyst” conference, facilitated by a network that is led by Apostolic leader, Jonathan Patterson. I taught many young pastors and apostolic leaders how God uses the five cluster gifts to mature the saints and bring unity to the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11).
Revo Conference
I ministered, along with Bishop Dale Bronner, for Apostolic leader, Michael Moore, in City Church, Albany, at their annual Revo conference. I taught on the concept of “liminality.”
ICAL Congress
At the end of October, I ministered at the annual ICAL Congress on, “The Trinitarian Model of Oneness.” ICAL is the largest global apostolic movement, with over 3000 members, who lead movements in every continent of the world!
November
The partnership with City Church Albany
For the past several months, Pastor Michael Moore and our church leaders have been working on creating a partnership between City Church and Resurrection Church! This will entail our three NY campuses functioning relationally as one church. Along with this, Pastor Michael Moore will manage our Brooklyn campus staff and congregation. He will also preach at least two times per month at Resurrection Church, Brooklyn. I will help as needed in City Church, Albany.
Our goal is to expand the Kingdom with this partnership and enhance our capacity to utilize our facilities to train more emerging leaders. We also endeavor to do consultations and conferences for pastors and leaders. This will release me to do more apostolic work among the Global Church, once COVID lifts!
Summary
Because of COVID, my time not traveling has released me to focus on developing younger leaders. This report does not record the countless hours I have spent connecting relationally and mentoring many more young apostolic leaders. I have also been able to spend significantly more time writing and releasing weekly articles. My articles currently reach over 177 countries.
I look forward to an even better year!
God uses every challenge as an opportunity. Thus, those leaders, organizations, and churches that have effectively pivoted during COVID have increased their ministry capacity instead of seeing it diminish! Let’s believe for great things in 2021!
Purchase Joseph Mattera’s latest book, “The Jesus Principles”, available now on Amazon here.
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