Bill Johnson

William ("Bill") Johnson (born July 18, 1951) is the senior leader of Bethel Church (Redding, California), a non-denominational charismatic megachurch with a global discipleship-and-resource footprint (Bethel Music, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry / BSSM, Bethel Sozo, multiple media platforms). A fifth-generation pastor in the Foursquare / Pentecostal lineage (his grandfather sang for Aimee Semple McPherson; the family has historic ties to Smith Wigglesworth–era Pentecostalism), Johnson became senior pastor at Mountain Chapel (Weaverville, CA) in 1978 before being called to Bethel Assembly of God (Redding) in 1996. Under his leadership Bethel disaffiliated from the AOG (2006) and grew into the global ministry it is today, with reported attendance around 11,000 weekly and BSSM training thousands of students annually. He has co-pastored with his sons Eric Johnson (Senior Leader) and team. His book catalog includes 25+ titles; *When Heaven Invades Earth* (2003), *The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind* (2005), *Hosting the Presence* (2012), and *God Is Good: He's Better Than You Think* (2016) are among the most widely circulated.

• Identity in Christ vs Identity as Sinner — The believer's identity is what the Father has spoken in Christ — beloved son/daughter, fully accepted, given the Spirit, equipped for kingdom ministry. Insecure identity produces fearful, ineffective Christianity; the secured-identity-in-Christ is the foundation for fearless, supernatural ministry.
• Fear of the Lord Emphasis — Johnson affirms fear of the Lord but his catalog emphasis is overwhelmingly on the goodness-of-God / father-son-relationship pole. Bevere's fear-of-the-Lord emphasis is read by some Bethel-stream observers as needed corrective; Johnson's stream is read by some Bevere-stream observers as needed corrective in the other direction. The MannaFest registry should hold this in-stream tension visibly.
• Cost of Following — Johnson affirms cost-of-discipleship in operative form (his ministry has shouldered substantial public criticism), but his catalog emphasis is on inheritance-and-authority more than on cost-of-following. Bonhoeffer-stream emphasis is not load-bearing.
• Cessation — Strong continuationist; the gifts and offices fully operative; healing, prophecy, deliverance, signs and wonders normative. Johnson is one of the principal contemporary continuationist voices on the side of expanded supernatural-ministry expectation.
• Healing in Atonement — Healing is provided in the atonement and is the believer's normative ministry. Bethel's "Healing Rooms" model and the broader Bethel-stream healing ministry are operative articulations. Johnson teaches expectation of healing as standard, not exceptional.
• Identity vs Performance — Christian life flows from secured identity, not toward it. Performance-orientation is the orphan-frame; secured-son/daughter-frame is the believer's true position.

• Bethel Church (Redding)