The mission of the Alliance of Renewal Churches is to be a network committed to creating and sustaining an atmosphere beneficial for kingdom relationships, transformation, and mission. One of the strategic initiatives we use to help carry out this mission is to put together ministry teams of ARC leaders and send them into congregations on teaching and ministry assignments. Recently the ARC partnered with The Master’s Institute Seminary, sending ARC leaders Joe Johnson and Kevin McClure, to Roanoke, Virginia to teach a class on Inner Healing.

One of the ways we can create and sustain the atmosphere we desire in the lives of ARC leaders and congregations is by experiencing God setting us free through healing inner healing prayer. As we experience God’s healing touch in this way we are enabled to grow more whole emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. One person blessed by the presence of this ARC/MI team of Joe Johnson and Kevin McClure was ARC member, Corey Paxton (pictured right with wife Danielle, and their daughters). The following is Corey’s testimony of what God did for him, his wife, Danielle, and many others who attend the class Joe taught. Corey writes:

“Two weeks ago, our church was blessed to receive training in inner healing prayer from Dr. Joe Johnson, a leader in the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC) and a faculty member for The Master’s Institute Seminary. At the recent LCMC conference in October, some other pastors heard Joe was coming to Roanoke and they told me that I should “be ready to cry.” Although I thought they were being a bit over-dramatic and felt a little guarded about being somehow emotionally manipulated, I figured out what they were talking about the first night of the seminar. The Lord used Joe as a wrecking ball of love in our lives as he humbly taught us about the “orphaned heart” and helped us face our inner “sacred wounds.” Joe didn’t push, force, or manipulate anything; he created a safe, judgment-free atmosphere where we could bring our whole selves before the throne of Jesus.

God worked profoundly in my life during those three days. Since my wife, Danielle, and I were married eight years ago, we have been blessed with a number of counselors and mentors who have helped us to become more emotionally healthy and aware of our issues. We’ve been able to look honestly at much of our pain and brokenness, and find peace with the Lord through silence, solitude, and Scripture. However, I’ve never heard that we could find healing beyond self-awareness, communion with God through spiritual disciplines, and the Spirit producing His fruit in us.

During our prayer time with Joe, I experienced the power of God working through inner healing prayer. Joe led us through a prayer journey of inviting Jesus to be present with us in memories from our childhood. My wife has a much more visual memory than I do, so she was actually able to see herself as a little girl in different experiences. I was able to put myself in different time periods and recognize the feelings that I had. As the Lord became present in those places, we recognized that He was present before we even knew Him. We were safe to look honestly at the pain, hurt, sin, and un-forgiveness that we carried around inside. The Lord spoke specific things to us, revealed things about our situations, and helped us to experience His love there. Joe then invited us to give over to Jesus the emotional baggage we picked up—that we could trust Jesus to deliver us from our burdens.

In one specific memory, I came face to face with anger and resentment. I’ve seen how these would spill out at odd times in my life, but overall I’ve managed to keep things pretty well under-control. During the prayer time, the Lord revealed to me the roots of my anger. Joe invited me to give over my shame, insecurity, and fear to Him, and then to forgive the people who were connected to that anger and resentment—including myself. I can’t fully describe the freedom that invitation to forgive brought into my life.

Before Joe’s visit, I would have celebrated inner healing and deliverance ministry, but I honestly didn’t really think it was for me. Although I believe in the reality of demons, spiritual warfare, and pray for others, I have never been equipped to see people healed and delivered from specific demons. My only impression of this ministry was like a loud, dramatic Hollywood-style fight that was a bit freaky. But, as Joe moved from inner healing to casting out the demons, I felt at ease. He modeled a direct, humble, and powerful method of deliverance. We had no reason to be afraid as the Lord got rid of these spirits that lurked in dark corners of our lives and feasted on our emotional baggage. They were just rats that fled in the light of Jesus.

After experiencing this ministry, our hearts are healed in greater ways, yet further broken. I have been given new eyes to see people’s struggles….and the struggles of the Church. People are carrying around weights and burdens, deep pain and anger, and our Lord wants us to receive healing, forgiveness, and freedom. Denying or repressing the pain we’ve experience cannot lead to freedom. Only Jesus’ healing, loving presence leads to freedom. He is the way, the truth, and the life. With Him, we can look back at our past and not be afraid. This gives us joy in the present and hope for the future. When we remain unresolved to our past, we will not be fully alive in the present and can remain scared of our future. There are people all around us who could be blessed and delivered through this ministry. This is heart-breaking and hopeful. In the mist of the immense brokenness in our families, churches, and communities, I believe the ministry of inner healing and deliverance is a powerful means of grace and way of engaging in the heavenly fight for people’s souls.

As spiritual leaders, I want to encourage you to consider investing in this ministry for the future of your church. Joe is currently part-time so he can travel, pray for and with leaders, and equip the church for inner healing and deliverance ministry. Could God be leading you to connect with what God is doing in Joe’s ministry? Is there anyone in your community that God could be calling to become equipped to bring people into the healing presence of Jesus? Who in your church is the Lord raising up for future leadership training at the Master’s Institute? I am so thankful for the surprise of this ministry in our lives. Why wouldn’t we want others to experience more of the love, healing, and freedom that Jesus wants to bring?”


If you’d like an ARC Ministry Team to come to your congregation to conduct a teaching/ministry seminar, contact ARC Director, Mike Bradley at: safeplacemb@gmail.com


If you’d like to contact Joe Johnson on teaching and ministering on Inner Healing at your church, you can connect with him at: jjohnson@gracehb.org, cell 714-756-0088

As Director for the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC) and a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fridley and Coon Rapids, MN, I (Mike Bradley) am very excited to announce that my home church has recently joined the ARC. Debi and I love being members of this church and greatly appreciate the leadership of senior pastor, Dave Glesne and his leadership team (pictured left to right): Harley Scmidt, John Niewald, Grace McClure (a pastoral intern from The Master’s Institute Seminary), Dave, Jason Deshaw, and Eric McIntyre.

Dave writes: “We are living in an historical moment when God seems to be shaking His Church. There are realignments taking place in the American Lutheran landscape of which Redeemer is a part. In this time of shaking and realignments, I think it important that Redeemer align itself with new networks and associations for mutual support and partnership in God’s mission in the world. We see an association with ARC as just such a support and partnership.”

Furthermore, I’m excited to announce that our 2012 ARC Midwest Gathering, “People Under the Word,” will be held at Redeemer-Fridley next Nov 1-3. Welcome aboard the ARC, Redeemer!