BY IAN WILSON

Destiny is not a matter of chance: it is a matter of choice.

Destiny is not to be waited for:

It is to be pursued.

IN PURSUIT OF

DESTINY

The Life Story of

Wayman Mitchell

Table of Contents Page

1. "THERE'S GOLD IN THEM THERE HILLS" .. 1

2. EARLY YEARS . .4

3. CONVERSION AND THE CALL TO PREACH ........ . .7

4. FOLLOW ING THE CLOUD 9

5. LINCOLN STREET AND REVIVAL AT LAST 15

6. THE BIRTH OF A VISION . . . ........ . 21

7. OPPORTUNITIES AND OPPOSITION . . . . . . . . .27

8 . BRANCH ES OVER THE WALL; GOING INTO ALL THE WORLD . .33

9. A MILITANT CHURCH WITH A RADICAL APPROACH 39

10. NELDA - PARTNER IN ALL THINGS . . . . . . .44

11 . THE MEDIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......... ......... . .. .49

12. MITCHELL: THE MAN AND HIS METHODS. . . 63

13 . GROWTH WITH DISAPPOINTMENTS .72

14. NEW DIMENSIONS . ..79

15 . WORDS FROM THE FAMILY ..... ... . ..87

16. "THE BEST IS YET TO BE?" 93

 INTRODUCTION

In the spring of 1995 I happened to be in San Antonio, Texas.

Richard Rubi had invited Pastor Wayman Mitchell to address a
discipleship class for men .
During the first session on prayer, Pastor Mitchell remarked that no
matter where he had lived he always had found a place to pray. "In
one house it was so crowded that I prayed in an outside shed. It was
hot enough to fry a lizard in there."
The description struck me with such force that, in afterthought, I
realized that the treasures of wisdom and experience in Pastor
Mitchell should be captured and, if possible, passed on to those who
might not be so fortunate as to meet him personally.
Shortly thereafter I wrote to him and phrased the letter thus:
'I feel that the Lord is leading me to write your life-story, if I don't
hear from you within a month, I'll assume that you have no
objections.'
Silence reigned, and from it came this present volume "In Pursuit of
Destiny.'
Recently I read this quotation from a leadership book entitled 'A
Vessel of Honor':
"Most vessels of honor are known only to a small
company of their peers. Always pouring out and then
seeking to be refilled only to pour out again, vessels of
honor are a true blessing. The source of their greatness
and the secret of their victory lies in their commitment
to go to God first and then to the people. They are thirst­
quenchingly special."
In my opinion this description well fits Wayman Mitchell. What
the definition fails to cover, I trust the following pages will supply.
As you read on you will doubtless arrive at a similar conclusion to
my own that, in Wayman Mitchell , God has seen fit to raise up a
truly remarkable man .
 Chapter 1

"THERE'S GOLD IN THEM THERE HILLS"

" I fear nothing in God's will" - lY.M.

The roar of two thousand voices raised in fervent praise slowly

subsided and a burst of spontaneous applause began to spread
across the congregation. From where I stood I could see an array
of faces upturned - Hispanic, Caucasian, Oriental, African - a
colorful spectrum of the human family, united in joyful worship.
Above us, the yellow and white stripes of the big top undulated
gently in the warm Arizona breeze. Flags from nations of every
continent on earth hung in silent testimony of people now
reached with the good news of salvation. Their silks of red, blue,
yellow, green, white and crimson seemed to ripple in unison with
the cadence of praise that still rolled forth across the vast
assembly.

Prescott
To the left, through the open wall of the tent, the dark outline of
the Arizona hills shimmered in the July heat and, closer to hand,
the highway miraged in sunlight, bent its way towards distant
rocky outcrops. A truck rumbled by headed for the city of
Prescott. Distracted, I followed its journey in my mind's eye, past
the orange humps of Granite Dells and the picturesque waters of
Watson Lake, to the valley head where the streets of this small
Arizona town begin to fan from the highway into the pine-clad
bluffs that encompass Prescott on all but its eastern flank.
Early History
This town, founded in 1864, had history to it. Once it was the
territorial capital perched over a mile high in the Southern
Rockies. No doubt its citizens were only too glad to live there and
find relief from the searing desert heat a short journey to the
south. Prescott had been a major stopping place for the stage to
the west , but later, engineers had forced steel across the desert
plains and had conquered the buttresses to bring the Santa Fe
railroad to Prescott before the close of the eighteen hundreds. In
the surrounding hills, miners had burrowed for copper and had
eagerly panned the stream beds for gold.
A piece of the Wild West
A succession of Wild West characters had passed through
Prescott in the closing days of the last century. Their arduou s
journey is eloquently recorded in markers up the winding trail
from Phoenix, Horsethief Basin, Bloody Basin, Bumble-Bee
Canyon , Dead Man's Wash. The place names tell their own story.
Most of these travellers were hopefu l pilgrims on their way to
California. Others had elected to stay in Prescott. Their portraits,
yellowed in sepia, stare from the walls of local restaurants and the
city museum, drooping mustaches, battered Stetsons, cheeks with
hairy sideburns and women folk dressed in long, faded denim and
bunned hair, faces stem as the cou ntry they sought to subdue .
Rip Van Winkle arrives
By the late 1920's, Prescott had seen it's heyday. The status of
State Capital had passed to Phoenix , veins of ore petered out and
the main road to the west now ran through Flagstaff, 90 miles to
the north . Rip Van Winkle came to town and fifty years of sleepy
seasons were to pass before a second wave of visitors began to
arrive in the city of Prescott - this time young people , hippies, in
their scores began to appear in the square of the city, long hair,
bedroll s, beads - California bound. With their advent was to dawn
a most remarkable era in the history of this sleepy Southwestern
city. A visitation of God was at hand.
"Please shake the hands of a few people near you, and
tell them you're glad that they are here."
The voice cut across my driftin g thoughts. Behind the
microphone stood a figure of medium height, in blazer and
slacks. Wayman Mitchell had come to the pulpit, at the front of
the large platform. Bespectacled, with receding hairline, and in
his mid sixties he scarcely fitted the image that one would expect
from a leader of a world -wide movemen t of God . Nevertheless
his voice had a timbre and tone of authority to it. He spoke again,
"would you please be seated I have a few announcements to bring
to your attention." I found myself musing once more, a face that
could be lost in a crowd in a place that could be lost on a map,

2.
and yet God had brou ght both together to trigger one of the 20th
century' s most amazin g revivals.
An unknown name in the largely unheard of place of
Prescott , Arizona had witnessed twenty five years of contin uous
growth and unparalleled blessing from God. The scripture from
Paul's letter to the Corinthians came to mind.
"God hath chos en the foolish things of the world to
confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the
world to confound the things which are mighty, and the base
things of the world, and the things which are despis ed, hath God
chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things
that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence."
Truly God was at work and was fulfilling His Word,
choosing to do so by the most obscure vessels in the most obscure
place
The ensuing chapters of this volume will seek to tell how
God took hold of one of these obsc ure vessels, Wayman Mitchell,
and by His sovereign power and mysterious means, raised him up
as a uniquely prepared servant to spearhead a spiritual revival that
has encircled the earth.
It is a book that we have chosen to call "In Pursuit of Destiny" .
The life story of Wayman Mitchell - a man sent from God.

3
 Chapter 2

EARLY YEARS
"People are serious about the non-essentials of liJe"-lf.M.

It was after the conclusion of the

Sunday morning service at the
25th Reunion that I had spoken
with George Mitchell. He was a
white-haired ge ntleman who
bore a faint resemblance to his
broth er Wayman . I later found
that he was the elder brother in
the Mitchell family, now a man
in his mid-seventi es . In a qui et
voice he filled in the details of
the early days in the state of '
Arkan sas and helped trace some
of the event s that led the fam ily uo;:..;.....J;::::-'--:
from the town of Mitchell to the Corporal Mitchell Guam 1951
- Doing his duty ­
city of Prescott in Arizo na.

Arkansas to Arizona
Coincidentally, the tiny town of Mitchell had been named after
earl ier forbears and it was here that the Mitc hell fam ily eked out
a meager living as sharecroppers. As the years of 1920's drew to
a close, life for the Mitchell s and multitudes of others living in
the So utheast, became a struggle for existence. There were surely
places where jobs could be fo und and a fam ily raised without
hovering above subsis tence level every day. Mitc hell Sr. dec ided
to make the trek west, and in 1933 he and his famil y arrived in
Prescott , Arizona. There were five children, Wayman being the
baby.
Here in Prescott Steve Mitch ell Sr. worked success fully
as a mail truck driver but, within a short time , he applied for a
private contract delivering star route mail. He was to keep this job

4
for 11 years, running a rambling route through the Arizona hills
and tiny villages and mining towns , some now ghost towns of
yester-year.
Unfortunately, during this period, mother and father
divorced and it was left to the father to raise his children after
Mrs. Mitchell departed to Phoenix. By the advent of World War
Two, the two elder sons had joined the military and the sisters had
married and moved. Only Wayman was left with his father who
in 1946, passed away.
After a brief spell with his mother in Phoenix he returned
to Pre scott to complete his schooling. He was now old enough to
follow in his brothers' footsteps. So off to the recruitment office
he went. It was 1948.

Private - First Class

Init ial tra ining was in Texas and Illinois and , with bootcamp and
schoo l behind, it was off to Gu am . While working there on the
gro und crew for flight line aircraft, the Korean War broke out.
Tours of duty were frozen and enlistments were exte nded
as the Army went into battle preparation. Men in senior rank were
gone at a moment's notice on their way to the Korean theatre of
war. Within six months, Private Firs t Class Mitchell found
himself in charge of the whole ma intenance shop on the tiny
island of Guam.

Doing his Duty

It was here, during th is period of isolation. that God began to
work on aspects of Mitchell's character. He was not a Christian
and had never made church going part of his life, but God was
using this period on a remote Pac ific island to form conv iction s
in the young man 's soul. Away from family and frien ds, and with
the responsibility of millions of dollars worth of eq uipment and
mens' lives depending upon the exce llence of his performance,
Mitchell decide he was go ing to do the job to the best of his
abili ty. He became deeply conscious that his j ob was a vital
contribution to the war effort.
Prom otions had ceased. Pay was pegged at the vast sum
of $34.0 0 per month. His civilian superv isor was usually drunk­
so he supervised the boss. He gave himself to excellence of
service and to studies beyond his job , knowing there wo uld be no
reward and little appreciation. He was motivated to do his job
well since duty required that he should.
Doing the task assigned to him to the highest level of
ability would be his incentive although, to all intents and
purposes, nobod y would ever recognize or remember what was
going on in this tiny U.S. base .
By 1952 he had returned to the States and, to his surprise,
discovered that his labor in Guam had not gone unnoti ced. He
was given two promotions to Staff Sergean t and offered a
candidacy at officer trainin g school.
But destiny was moving him elsewhere. The Bible
declares that
"The King 's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers
and waters, He turneth it whithersoever he will."
God had put in place the necessary disciplines - pattern s
of work and study that were to remain alive in His servant's heart
for the future years of labor and ministry.
To this day, Pastor Mitchell is a strong advocate for
military training. He says that any pastor with a military
background is immediately observable. In the absence of
conscription he has incorporated the principles learned in his
early days into his discipling of men, but more of that in coming
pages .

 Chapter 3

CONVERSION AND THE CALL TO PREACH

"Everybody would pray if it didn't take so much time" - If.M.

The year was 1952 and, after being discharged at Big Springs,
Texas, young Mitchell, a strapping twenty three year old, headed
back to Phoenix. He was soon found in one of his favourite
haunts, The Riverside Ballroom. Here he met Nelda Henderson.
She was the sister of an old friend. He had paid no attention to her
before he left for Guam but now, as an attractive girl of eighteen,
she caught his eye. Love blossomed and, after a quick courtship,
they were married on February 7th 1953.
Joys and Sorrows
The young couple settled in Phoenix. Here Mitchell pursued his
trade as a flight line electrician. Both he and Nelda rejoiced when
they learned that she was expecting their first child. She arrived,
a lovely baby girl. They named her Terry, but joy was short-lived.
God was seeking to break into Mitchell's life and to apprehend
him for his life 's work . He had other things in mind than
maintaining aircraft. Towards the end of 1953 Mitchell found
himself out of work, unemployment was widespread, jobs were
hard to find and frustration began to build in the life of the young
man who hated, above all things, to be found inactive. Another
blow was to follow. Ten months after her birth, Nelda entered into
baby Terry's room and found the child unconscious in her crib.
She was taken immediately to the hospital, but the cold mornin g
light found both paren ts stricken by the death of their child. She
had died in the emergency room.
Not only were the young coup le left bereft at the death of
their daughter, but they were now facin g fune ral bills that they
had no financ es to meet. What was to happen?
Elder brother George, who had been thoroughly saved
was now attending The First Foursquare Gospel Chu rch in

7
Phoenix. With the love of Christ in his heart he signed a blank
check to his younger brother Wayman to take care of all funeral
expenses. God was beginning to open the heart of this bereaved
father. At the graveside serv ice a furt her softening took place as
their parents said their farew ells to thei r tiny daughter.

"At the Cross, at the Cross"

George now followed with an invitation to church and, within a
month, Wayman and Nelda found themselves responding to an
altar call . They rose to their feet wonderfully saved. More was to
follow. Later that year in a meeting the preacher laid hands on
Mitchell. He was powerfully filled with the Hol y Ghost.
Recounting this experience he recalls ­
"I was aware of a rushing wind. The day was calm, but I
thought somebody had left the doors and windows in the church
open. Suddenly I found myself overpowered in a mighty
baptism of the Holy Ghost. I was overwhelmed by the pow er
of God and consumed by a burning desire to give my life to His
service and to preach the Word."
That day everyone left the church but Wayman Mitchell still knelt
at the altar prophesying and weeping under the power of the
Spirit. The keys were left with Nelda as she patiently waited
while God deeply and radically deal t with her husband. After an
hour or more passed, Mitchell arose to his feet transformed and ,
from this moment on , he burned with a passion to preach the
Word.
Forty years later Mitchell sees this as the de fining
moment of his life. All else was now secondary to findi ng and
fulfilling God's will for his life .

 Chapter 4

FOLLOWING THE CLOUD

"Well, I'm a pastor! • Ha! Big whoopee! «, If.M.

"I want to preach"

Once baptized in the Holy Ghost and fire radical and immediate
change took place in Mitchell 's conduct, in his hunger for the Word
of God and in the focus of his life ambitions. He went to the pastor
of the Church as soon as he could and said "I want to preach."
Since there was a Bible School of sorts in the church,
Mitchell began there. He exhausted the course within a few
months and, consumed by hunger for a deeper study, demanded
more . The only route that was left open was full time study at
Bible School.

Embalmed not Empowered

From 1957 to 1960, Wayman and Nelda lived in Los Angeles while
he studied at the Foursquare L.I.F.E. Bible College, where he
succes sfully completed the course. Mitchell, forever after, was left
with a deep skepticism about formal training at such seminaries.
He had arrived at the College on fire for God and left three years
later with his cutting edge largely gone, blunted by an academic
system that emphasized knowledge and protocol rather that the
passion and power of the Spirit. In reflection, Mitchell says,
"The pathway that led me to Bible School was, in reality, a
detour. I came away convinced that God's plan is the
simplicity of moving a person in His will who can preach and
work. Most of the students who go off to Bible School get their
head full of homiletics and hermeneutics and are embalmed in
denominational deadness. They leave Bible School, not as
powerful preachers of the Word, but as Christian educators.
They are filled with knowledge and deader than a hammer.
Then they wonder why they can't experience revival."
Frank words.

9
Out in the Field
Returning to his church in
Phoenix Mitchell assumed the
role of youth pastor. He accepted
the job with enthusiasm but
quickly found that he was the
youth baby sitter. His unwilling­
ness to tolerate the ungodliness
of the young people, who were
aided and abetted by their par­
ents, got him in trouble. Shortly E==~iiii~~.3I• •
thereafter he was offered a Wickenburg - The preacher killer
' preacher killer' pastorate in Wickenburg, Arizona. He arrived to
find an old bui lding with an old house and an equa lly ancient
congregation.
Whi le Bib le schoo l might have been over, Mitchell was
still well and truly enrolled in the schoo l of God. It was 'knocks'
college and the colors were black and blue. Here was anothe r
training ground, and here Mitchell headed, fully believing that
churches can be built by picking up welfare cases and thinking
that a strong church can be founded on what he calls the 'Sunday
School thing .'
He gave himself to the Wickenburg church with great
zea l. Not wanting to be a burden on the church exchequer he
worked as a repairman of laundry equipment for one day a week .
He had made it clear to the District Superintendent that he didn ' t
intend to be bur ied in some remote Arizona mining town , so after
two years and some success, he asked to be moved.

More 'Preacher Killers'

Courtney, on the Vancouver Island, was made open and, with the
love offering of $200.00 from his home church, he and Nelda
headed north with four kids and all their posses sions in a four feet
by six feet trailer box. Just over the California border a head
gasket blew on the car. Repairs set him back $170.00. Two days
later he arrived at Cou rtney to begi n a new venture with precisely
$35.00 in his pocket.

Growth but no Transformation

The church he took over had had a moral problem in the
leadership. It was another 'preac her killer.' He began to work at

10
Scottsdale, AZ
-A growing
family
rebuilding. Courtney was a small town with a large memory. It
wasn't easy. Believing in the wrongly quoted scripture "that a
little child shall lead them," he began the business of rebuilding
the Church at the Sunday school level. Almost a year later the
Church broke an all time record for Sunday attendaf1ce at 250 .
Mitchell had seen numbers grow in the church but had seen little
or no transformation among its members. There were no visual
dynamics of revival, no conversions and church experience was
no more than a recycling of old saints.

A Long Ride Home

He was depressed and had come to the uneasy conclusion that he
"didn't have the goods ." Not wishing to be dishonest with himself
or with others , he resigned the Church and, with heavy heart, hit
the dusty trail back to Phoenix.
Determined to have done with full time ministry, he got a
job with his old finn and settled into an independent church on
east McDowell Road, but 1Ir.""--- - - - _ !"""Ol"
within a month had been
conscripted to teach an adult
Sunday School. To his con­
sternation he found financial
misdemeanors with the pastor
and his wife, and a heavy mani­
pulation of the congregation.
Encouraging signs
Providentially, he met a former
Foursquare pastor who was
attending the same church and
had seen the same discrep- Emmet, Idaho - The Mitchellites

11
ancies. Together they decided to start an independent church in
Scottsdale. There happened to be a large house for sale and, since
there appeared to be no buyers , Mitchell and his associate took
over the building on a month to month basis . Incredibly, the
opening service saw over a hundred people turn up. Within a
month, walls were being torn down and, shortl y afterwards, they
built a new extension over the courtyard to house the people who
were flocking to the meetings.
The church was booming and Mitchell was beginning to
taste the revival his soul was longing for. More trouble was
coming his way, however. This pioneer church had been built on
the model of The People's Church in Toronto. It had missionary
endeavor and missions support as a key goal. It was after several
offerings for missionaries had been taken that Mitchell found that
only part of the money taken was really going to the suppo rt of
mission s. It was an issue he wanted settled. His partner being of
one mind , and he being of another, he left Phoenix and, this time,
arrived in Emmet, Idaho .
This time there were differences. Instead of four
children, there were now five, and there was now a steady
determination in Mitchell's heart to persevere in the ministry
until he saw the revival for which his soul longed.

Lessons Well Learned

He had abandoned the idea of building a church on a children's
Sunday school. True , a little child might lead them, but a child
would not and could not lead an adult church into revival. That
would take a preacher filled with the Holy Ghost and with a basis
of God -given wisdom and experience to solidify a church of new
converts around a clear, God-given vision . Mitchell's experience
had been growing. It had come with great cost over a period of
eight difficult years filled with trial and error and personal
hardship for Mitchell and his wife. Yet, as the year 1966 dawned,
they were still there, and still believing that God would grace
their endeavors and grant their heart cries for a Holy Ghost
revival.

A Natural Orator
In addition, Mitchell's preaching ability was being honed. He was
a natural orator. He spoke in power laden sentences laced with
candor, common sense and insight. He related well with men and

12
he had an innate ability to make spiritual principles clear to his
audiences. As Mitchell observed the effect of his preaching, he
decided to make the Wednesday evening service a preaching
service instead of a prayer and Bible Study night. Attendance
tripled . Some lessons had been well learned. He was thoroughly
disenchanted with church politics and knew that the variety of
method s and programs that were in vogue in the 60's were surely
not going to cut it. If the church was to be built it would be God 's
way, God 's men, God 's Spirit, and God 's Word being delivered
by God's power.
Friends in the Ministry
All of these convic tions he took into Emmet, Idaho. It was here
that Mitchell invited John Metzler, a Holy Ghost evangelist, to
preach revival. Metz ler was a colorful character, with a wardrobe
of equally colorful suits. He was an anointed but somewhat
eccentric preacher. He also displayed an arsenal of spiritual gifts.
In his meetings, Mitchell saw the supernatural power of God at
work.
There were gifts of healing and clear words of know­
ledge coming from a vessel filled with boldnes s. From this time
on, revivals and revivalist preachers would become part of
Wayman Mitchell's scheme of things.
The church grew in Emmet, but since they were a
sparsely populated region , Mitchell knew that he had gone as far
as he could . He needed to put into practice in a larger sphere the
principles he had learned in earlie r years .
Eugene - Good News and Bad News
Resigning the pastorate was not easy, but the Hand on the helm
of his life was charting a change of course.
The next place was Eugene, Oregon . Here Mitchell
immediately launched into preaching revival. It was 1968. The
church was another preacher-killer. The last pastor had been gone
three month s and no one seemed willing to take up the challenge.
With the aid of his friend Metzler, Mitchell set to work. The
'hippy era' had dawned and the long-haired and bearded ones
began to arrive at the services. Lots of them. There was
consternation amon g the members of the congregation. They
didn 't like what was happening.

13
"Lift your hands and praise God!"
Mitchell had, by this time, learned the power of praise. Praise was
a means of releasing God 's presence upon a congre gation. This
was not the traditional praise of singing from a hymn book and
then sitting down. The hymn, prayer, hymn, prayer sandwich that
so many were familiar with. No, Mitchell's praise service was
loud , boisterous and not too melodious. Mitchell led the way
himself and would actively encourage others to praise God . It
was in such a meeting in Eugene that he moved out among the
congregation laying hands on young and older members to
release them to worship God. Standing there was an old lady
Pentecostal preacher with her hands thrust doggedly down by her
sides . "Sister, lift your hands and praise God" exhorted Pastor
Mitchell. He had just put his pole in the hornet's nest. Using her
auspices and long-standing influence, this formidable little lady
stirred an uprising among the board members. She didn't want
any upstart young preacher telling her what to do.
The end of a long trail
Wham! Suddenly, an enthusiastic pastor had a split on his hands.
After informing the District Council that he was leaving the
church in the care of Roy Hicks Jr. (which later thrived under his
ministry) Mitchell's cases were packed once again and the old
car, loaded with Mitchellites, headed south. His ten week visit to
Carson, California, put the final exclamation mark on his nine
years as a transient pastor. The small church was a hen roost of
female converts from an evangelist called Slim Boatright. The
feathers were still flying when Mitchell pulled out of town and
headed home for Prescott. As they breasted the rise that led to the
city of Prescott, the familiar peaks around which his father had
previously carried the mail pouch twenty five years earlier, stood
before his eyes, and the sudde n feeling of the inevitable Hand of
Destiny came over his soul. God was about to pour out revival in
Prescott.

14
 Chapter 5

LINCOLN STREET AND REVIVAL AT LAST

"Preaching to society should cause a riot or revival, or both"- If.M.

Hard Reality
When Wayman Mitchell arrived
in Prescott in 1970, the wheel
had turned a full circle since he
had left to join the forces in
1948. Then he had been a
nineteen year old untried,
untested and unsaved. Now,
twenty two years later, he was
returning to his hometown
married , with five children, and r:~!!~~~~~::~j
with ten years experience in the t
rough -house of ministry behind Linco ln Street Curch 1970
him. At forty years old he was a _-Where the fire f el/­
seasoned campaigner, who harbored no illusions about what the
work of the ministry involved . He had seen some success as a
preacher, but he also had tasted the bitter fruits of failure and, if
he was honest, the failures at this point were outweighing the
successes.
He also knew that, if he was going to see his dreams
fulfilled in the years of ministry that lay ahead, it would be by the
grace of God and his own consecration to doing God's will. He
was going to get precious little help from his denomination, who
had only supplied him with a series of jaded pastorates since
1960.
The church at Prescott was the latest in line with that
definition. With the Mitchell family of seven, the Lincoln Street
congregation numbered twenty nine. Its pastor had left after a
moral failure and now the beleaguered congre gation wondered
who God would send along next to administer comfort to their
depressed souls. The y were about to find out.

15
Witnessing on PreSCOII Plaza

Starting from the ground up

The first order of the day for Mitchell was survival. The bare facts
were that he had a wife and five children to feed, and perhaps it
was time for the tumbleweed to hit the fence. He wondered within
himself if he should abandon the dream of revival. Perhaps he'd
been expecting too much; perhaps he should settle down, behave
himself and minister to the needs of his tiny flock. Perhaps God's
destiny for his life was no more than this. Such were the broodings
of his soul as the year of 1970 dawned. In February of the same
year, Johnny Metzler, his trail mate, came for Revival.
Mitchell and Metzler once again
The little congregation were startled by this loud, extroverted
evangelist, but they were also stirred to life by his fervent
preaching. A young man called Ron Burrell came to the services
and he and his wife were wonderfully touched. Burrell had
friends and, as Spring warmed the Arizona hills, a succession of
young people began to visit the Lincoln Street church. No major
breakthrough had occurred, but there was enough activity to keep
hope alive in Mitchell's heart.
A Prophetic Voice
Towards the end of summer, Mitchell heard of a meeting in the
Foursquare church in Cottonwood where a man with prophetic
ministry was preaching. He drove over one evening and, in that
service, was called out by the preacher-a man called Bob
French .

16
 "Be encouraged" was the message, " a new and a greater
dimension of power and result is going to come in your ministry."
Whatever it was, Mitchell was open to it, and invited French to
come to Prescott.
It was during his visit, a week or two later, that Mitchell
learned from French of a mighty work of God that was going on
in California among young hippies. Mitchell stored the
information. French had spoken of music scenes, concerts, and
unusual ways in which outreaches were being conducted. Why
not try something radical in his own city? Since he had one or two
converts fresh from the streets and recently weaned from
marijuana, he decided to do an anti-drug seminar. A young man
named Jack Harris, Ron and Susie Burrell, a girl called 'Fat
Linda,' and Janet Payson were to sit as a panel and answer
questions, and tell the audience how Jesus was the answer - not
dope. The Lincoln Street building was packed out with young
people, many of whom were stirred. Some began to attend church
services.
California Bound
At the same time a sharp young Assembly of God youth pastor
called Ron Jones spoke with Mitchell. They decided it was time
to go and scope out what was happening in California. Mitchell
took him and Ron Burrell with him. It was three days of spying
out the land . First, a trip to Calvary Chapel where Chuck Smith
was preaching to about four hundred raw hippies , then to another
interview with Hollywood papers (a hippie publication), and
finally to a small coffee house scene in La Habra. It was here that
Mitchell was struck by the power of God working among the
young people. No gimmicks, no gizmos. The tiny building, of no
more than forty feet long, was packed to the doors with
barefooted kids with beards and braided hair listening to songs
and sharing testimonies of the power of Jesus to change lives.
They were doing the ministry themselves!
"We can have this" said Mitchell to himself. He spoke to
Don Madison, the young brother who ran the meetings and
arranged for him to come to Prescott.
Going out on a Limb for God
In preparation for his arrival, Mitchell rented the Prescott Boys
Club , which was in an abandoned high school building. Publicity
was sent around the city.
When Madison arrived he only had two others with him,
no equipment and only a couple of acoustic guitars. Quickly,
Mitchell jerry-rigged some speakers, and enlisted the help of
Walter Portugal and a local hippie to help play in the band
(neither happened to be saved at the time!)
Two hundred and fifty kids came out that night. Ron
Jones gave the altar call and twenty five gave their lives to Christ.
Hallelujah! The wave of revival was beginning to break!
It was only a matter of a few weeks and Mitchell had
opened his own downtown coffee house. In a building seventeen
feet wide by thirty five feet long, run by Jones and Burrell, the
Gospel began to go forth. Night after night, kids with bare feet,
beards, beads, and long hair would sit on the freshly carpeted
floor and listen to music, testimonies and the Word delivered by
young men who, only a matter of a few weeks before, had been
raw sinners themselves .

Eden - A Wild Scene

It was at this time that Curt McKiney and his band Eden arrived
on the scene . They were given instant success by God and
remained a powerful feature of the Prescott revival for a number
of years . Each Friday and Saturday night their thunderous music
loosened the tiles on the ceiling of the Door Coffee House.
From seven until eleven on these evenings it was non­
stop music, testimony and preaching. Eden was one of the
principal driving forces during this first wave of revival. Their
widening field of influence eventually led them to Australia
where, in a whirlwind schedule of schools, churches and open air
meetings they saw over 600 young people saved.
Mitchell maintained a low profile . He made it clear that
this was not the church. These kids who packed out the buildi ng
and who were getting saved by the droves were leery of anything
institutionalized. Mitchell was watching amazed as God's power
moved. He wasn't abou t to touch the ark.

18
Li ving Waters - Prescott Plaza 1973

Li ving Waters -Aieli' years later

While all this was going on at The Door Coffee House , the church
on Lincoln Street was now jammed to the doors. Word had got
around town . The arrest of young converts for preaching at the
County Fair and the subseq uent front page headlines only poured
fuel on the revival flames. More people flocked to his church.
Formerly, it was packed at 75 peop le; now walls were knocked out

19
and on Sundays 200 or more jammed into the building, some
standing, others sitting on the floor clear up to the platform.

The wave breaks

Reports of the work had spread throughout the vicinity and coffee
houses suddenly became vogue in area churches. The Phoenix
Four square Church did a coffee house concert with Eden, and
Living Waters , a girls ' group began to tour far and wide, with
Mitchell's proviso that they be in their home church on Sunday.
Living Waters had begun as a few girls singing
impromptu at the church. When Mitchell heard them one day he
said "You're singing for me on Sunday." From there a successful
ministry was launched. Several of the group were eventually to
marry pastors in the Fellowship.
In this exhilarating mix of outreach, preaching and soul-
winning that was now in full swing , there was an ingredient that
taxed Mitchell's mind . He had seen scores of young people saved
but often the out- of -town converts would go back to churches
that were dead and devoid of the life and vigor that marked the
work in Prescott. Why, thought Mitchell, should we be directing
our converts into churches where they would lose their fire and
probably backslide? He did not realize it but, being birthed within
his heart , was the concept of Church planting and discipling that
would become the hallmark of his ministry for the rest of his life.
We will trace this vision in the coming chapter.

20
 Chapter 6

THE BIRTH OF A VISION

"I shake hands with people every Sunday who have been
talking about me all week" -If.M.

Eden and Living Waters

The term 'guerrilla team' was
born in the Prescott revival era.
As has been mentioned, music
was a major component in all of
the revival services. It was loud,
upbeat and, as far as the church
scene was concerned, it was
unconventional. Nevertheless, the
young people loved it. They
argued that God 's favorite
musical instrument was probably
an electric guitar, not a pipe
organ. Who knows ; they may
have been right. What was certain
was that upbeat music, lively
testimony and powerful preaching
were the basic ingredients of a
brand new move of God . The two
bands prominent at this time were Bobbi & Curt McKiney
Eden and Living Waters, the girl 's (Original members of Eden Band)
group. They were in constant demand and were eager to answer
the call wherever it might lead. On one outreach with Eden in
Phoenix, supported by a band of Mitchell's new converts, one
hundred and ten raw sinners came in and nearly half got saved.
To this meeting came Mitchell's older brother George who, on
looking round the building at the wild set of kids, seriously
thought that Mitchell had lost his mind. His daughter, who had
come along for the evening, looked deeply into her uncle's eyes
and said ...

21
 "I sure hope you know
what you are doing!"
An honest reply to that
comment would have been,
"I haven't a clue, but God
knows what He's doing and I'm
just following Him ."
Forming a New Strategy
It was beginning to crystallize in
Mitchell's mind that a strategy was
necessary to preserve the fruit of
his outreach meetings. Perhaps the
answer would be to send one of his
more promising young men to
found a church to which the new
converts could be directed and, in
turn, discipled. Discipleship, he
knew was Biblical. He thought of Pastor Mitchell Early days in
his own Bible School experiences Prescott. "Dig that hair style"
and promptly decided that he was not going to submit any of his
converts to the same ordeal. No. The local church would be the
forum where training and preparation would take place, and it
would be from the local church that men would be sent to preach
and to plant new works.
Once Mitchell had become convinced that something
was of God, nothing would sway him. He was becoming
convinced that the pathway ahead was the shaping, the training
and mobilization of his new converts to preach the Word, without
the help of a Bible School. A vision had been born.
Three great truths - impartation, involvement, and
spiritual dynamics
Three truths were illuminated to his heart. All were grounded in
good scriptural soil. Firstly, discipleship meant impartation. The
Holy Spirit quickened the Scripture of Paul's pastoral letter to his
mind. "And the things that thou hast heard many witnesses, the
same commit thou unto faithful men, who shall be able to teach
others also" 2 Timothy 2.
Mitchell might not have grasped everything that God was doing
at this time, or where it was all going to end up, but he did know

22
what God had done in him . For 16 years he had been banged on
the anvil of God' s will. Some things had been knocked out of
him-traditional theories of pastoring, innocence about what was
involved in ministry and a theology of God's sovereignty that
removes human response and responsibility. These had gone and
other things had been forged in their place. He now had a solid
trust that, if the simple Word was preached, God would confirm
it in the lives of those who believed; he also knew that one man
filled with the Holy Spirit and faith would accomplish more than
a hundred merely brilliant and gifted.

Early Concerts - Midnight Criers

He was a pragmatist. If a thing didn't work, don't waste time

trying to make it work. This ability had allowed Mitchell to ditch
the old outworn methods of yester-year and open his heart to new
ways of outreach and evangelism. Yet his pragmatism functioned
within a framework of simple, scriptural orthodoxy that
constituted Acts 2 Apostle' s Doctrine. His family life was as solid
as a rock. Nelda had stuck to him like glue, and seen to it that the
nomadic existence of nine years on the road had not disrupted the
raising of her children or embittered them against the ministry. A
model had been shaped by the hand of God in Mitchell's family
and, in himself, God had made a vessel that was uniquely fitted
to guide, train, instruct, correct, and disciple the scores of young
people who now milled around The Door Coffeehouse, and who
packed out the Lincol n Street Church.

23
2 Tim. 2:2
As a basic tenet for his discipleship, Mitchell began to impart the
simple fundamentals of the Christian life into his converts . He
concentrated on character building sermons that brought
disciplines and structure into a bizarre crowd of loose , free-
spirited kids , that in God 's inscrutable plan, had put them under
the hand of a wise master builder. Wha t they were unable to grasp
in their mind s from Mitchell's sermons, they were able to see
bein g exhibited in daily living from a man who had learned how
to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

Involvement
The second revelation that was
given to Mitchell in his work of
discipling was that of involve-
ment. He had been educated in a
Socratic way, particularly in Bible
Sc hoo l, where knowledge was
conveyed passively to students
who sat, with pens poi sed in
hand, ready to take notes, pass
tests at the end of the semesters,
receive diplomas at the comp- Jesus People Weddin g
letion of the course, and perhaps Harold and Mona Wam er
do nothing for the rest of their lives. Mitc hell saw that Jesus'
method of teaching involved gathering men around him in
relationship, instructing them in the prece pt and practice of His
own life, and then sending them out to do what they had seen
Him do. In other words , men of God were made in the sending.
It was such a simple mode l in the
scriptures Mitchell wondered how
he could have missed it for so
long . Nevert heless, he now had
the principle firmly in his mind
and began to apply it to his church
of eage r converts . If there was
instruction, there was assignment;
if he gave precept, then he saw to
it there was practice; if there was
exhortation. he saw to it there was
opportunity for action. The single "/ do " - Greg & Robyn Johnson / 972

24
most vivid memory of his trip to La Habra Coffeehouse in
California was that the young people were doing it themselves.
Mitchell was bound and determined that his converts were going
to be involved and learn in the doing of it. He knew that there
would be mistakes; he was prepared to correct them. He knew
that there would be some horrible failures; he believed that the
gloriou s succe sses would outweigh them. He had momentum
going and, knowing that it is impo ssible to steer a parked car, he
was settled that he was going to keep in forward motion by the
full involvement of his people. If there was outreach, they
organized it; it was they who formed their own bands, they who
preached in the plaza, they who piled into cars and took off on
expeditions to neighboring towns, they who led their friends to
the Lord and, eventually, it would be they who would go out and
plant their own churches. Over all, Mitchell kept his hand on the
helm, the throttle open , and prayed that God would keep
everything on the road.

Spiritual Dynamics
The final point of discipleship that Wayman Mitchell had learned
was that of Spiritual Dynamics. A key verse had struck him out
of the Boo k of Acts 9:31.
"Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and
Galilee and Samaria, and were edified, and walking in the fear of
the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."
Above all else, Mitchell had seen and clearly unders tood
the preeminent place of the local church in God's master plan of
the Great Commission. In this he differed from multitudes of
others who emphasized evangelism without urging commitment
to the local church. The ecclesia, the asse mbly of the saints, the
spiritual koinea had become the love of Mitchell's life. He saw
the church as the apple of God's eye and saw that no lasting fruit
cou ld be achieved, apart from the local assembli es of God' s
people. Paul's inju nction to Timothy he imbued in his own
disciples.
"But if I tarry long, that thou maye st know how thou
oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God , which is the
church of the living God, the Pillar and Ground of Truth ."

25
The Pillar and Ground of Truth
The pillar and gro und of truth (the verticals and horizontals of
right living) were to be found in no other place than the church.
The church was the house of God. Learn how to behave yourself
there because no where else will you understand the principles of
right behavior. On the Lord's Day it was CHURCH mornin g and
evening. On Wednesday evening it was CHURCH- and not for a
Bible study and prayer meeting in favor of a preaching servic e.
He had seen the poorl y attended mid-week service leap in
numbers to rival Sunday morning when he began to preach mid-
week and, from then on, he incorporated the third preaching
service into his weekly cale ndar. Every one of his disciples
learned from the first day that meeting with the assembl y of
God's people was paramount in their spiritual growth . If they
weren 't there, the Body lacked .When they were there, the Body
was made fuller and enriched.
The Comfort of the Holy Ghost
The comfort of the Holy Ghost was upon the Church asse mbled.
That was more than a nice feelin g. The 'comfort of the Holy
Ghost,' Mitchell taught, was a powerfu l spiritual dimension in
which truth was made living and quickened to the hearts of the
Assembly. In that atmosphere God' s people understood, learne d,
and grew quickl y in the things of God .
It was therefore critical that they be in church. It was not sur-
prising that within months of the outpouring of revival in
Prescott, young men had alread y begun to aspire to go forth, not
only to preach and evangelize, but also to plant new churches.
The era of church planting was about to dawn.

7ivo of Prescott 's fin est - Bob Leppenn an & Rodney Olmstead

26
 Chapter 7

OPPORTUNITIES AND OPPOSITION

"The ultimate demand of the christian life is
discipleship" - If.M.

The phrase "walking in the fear of

the Lord and in the comfort of the
Holy Ghost" Acts 9:31 has al-
ready been enlarged upon in a
previous chapter. We saw that the
rapid spiritual growth of
Mitchell's disciples emerged
from the dynamics of a church
body filled with the Holy Ghost.
In that spiritually charged
atmosphere the word of God
made double impact. The reve-
lation , demonstration and edu -
cation of the Spirit spoken of by
Paul in the Corinthian letter saw
young converts quickly raised up
under the tutelage of the Holy Serving GOD can be a hairy
Ghost and apostolic ministry. experience. - Adrian & Maureen
Zava la, 1I0 W pastoring ill lndio.
Set Back
Within an incredibly short time men, filled with youthful zeal but
also endowed with revelation beyond their years , were ready to
be sent out.
Harold Warner, a convert of the first revival days, was the
first to go. An ailin g congregation in the small town of Kearney
had asked for help. Off Harold went ready to meet their request.
He was not the sort of help that they were looking for. His
passionate preaching and directness took the congregation by
surprise and shook them in their lethargy. Pastor Mitchell decided
to call him home. It was on his return journey that tragedy struck.

?7
His car lost control on the winding
highway and plunged over the edge.
When it had finished rolling Harold
Warner was permanently paralyzed
from the waist down.
Since the human min d
operates comfortably with solutions,
all sorts of unansw erable questi ons
now began to be raised. Many of the
questions were from within
Mitchell's own congregation.
Why had this happened?
Why? Ha rold Warner - Early days
Some wrongly concluded that God was not in the business of
church planting. If He was then He would not have allowed this
terrible thing to have happened. Better abandon the whole idea of
sending people out.
The Work Goes On
Mitchell stuck to his vision and Warner stuck to his. After his
recovery he was sent out to Tucson , Arizona where he now
pastors one of the largest churches in the Fellowship.
It was Mitchell's first Lincoln Street convert , Ron Burrell, who
was next on the launching pad. He went off to Wickenburg ,
Arizona the scene of Mitchell's first pastorate.
Next it was Jack Harris on his way to Nogale s, Mexico,
and in one sense, to plant the first International church .
In those days Mexico seemed so distant it was almost
like going to the ends of the earth.
Ron Jone s, the Assembly of God pastor, who had been a
right hand man to Mitchell, was next on his way to Flagstaff.
As Mitchell generously sent forth his best men, God also
graciously began to raise up others who, in their tum, would form
the prodigious stream of preachers that left, bags packed, hearts
braced for adventures from the tiny city of Prescott through the
coming years .
The larger account of this history is chronicled for us in a
book called 'Unto The Ends Of The Earth.'

28
Larry Monteith preaching on the Plaza -late 1970 's

Trouble at H.Q.
It should be noted that not everybody was rejoicing about the
booming growth of the disciples and churches from the Prescott
centre.
Headquarters of the Foursquare Church was initially
favourable to the news of what was happening in the small
Arizona town. After all, numbers of their older churches were
being infused with the zeal of young pastors eager for revival and
passionate for souls. They were also prepared to labor and to
support themselves. They were glad simply to have a chance of
preaching the gospel regardless of how remote their city and how
small their congregation.
Mitchell himself was not a popular figure in the
Foursquare Church. His blunt speech and habit of speaking his
mind did not endear him to the upper echelons of the leadership
but, there again, he was not aspiring to be promoted. He had
come up the hard way, held no illusions about denominational
church life and was not about to curry favour with anybody. He
was in the business of gospel preaching and discipling men, not
playing politics.
He had innovated some successful ways of reaching
souls, but he was conspicuously overlooked at national confer-
ences where others were asked to preach and testify. Little credit
was afforded to Mitchell until the numbers of new churches being
planted out from Prescott finally had to be acknowledged.

29
Stirrings in San Diego
At the national conference Mitchell's
converts were given a chance to
testify and Mitchell himself spoke at
the large conference at San Diego.
His message was on 'pride' and the
conference body, largely comprising
of pastors, was so stirred that the
following session was cancelled to
allow men to continue at the altars.
Later, at an international
conference in a pastor's workshop,
Mitchell was asked to share on a panel
on evangel ism. As final speaker his Pastor & Mrs . Mit chell - Late 1970 's.
time was squeezed down to a meager HolY 'bout that suit?
five minutes. Nevertheless, in that brief time, he succeeded in
bringing tumult in what had been an otherwise orderly session.
Mitchell had made his mark and nobody was sure whether they liked
it or not.

A Lunch Meeting in Phoenix

Some time later the phone rang and an innocuous invitation was
given to the Mitchells to attend a lunch meeting in a high class
Phoenix restaurant. Here two of the national leaders awaited
them . Preliminaries being over, the two leaders ob served with
satisfaction the growth that had taken place and the evident
ble ssing of God upon Mitchell and his men.
They continued:
"It is clear that with the work growing the way it has been
you are well on you way to building your own district. Obviously,
you would be the one put in charge of it."
At that moment Mitchell saw that the possibility of being
district supervisor was open to him. He also saw that, if he
accepted, there would be a restriction of his influence to within
the Arizona bo undaries.
Not wis hin g to allow further spec ulation, he addressed
the two leaders.
"I'm no t interested in pro mo tio n in the ra nks of

30
Foursquare. I'm interested in follo wing the will of God , wherever
that might lead me."
It was manifestly clear that here was a man that could not
be bought nor enticed with the offer of a position . Thereafter the
meeting rapidl y adjourned. Furth er conversation was irrelevant
and both parties knew it.

Increasing Tension
From this meeting in the Fall of 1977 thing s continued in a state
of uneasy peace. The denomination was both happy and unhappy .
On the one hand they did not like the turmoil and aggre ssive
evangeli sm that provoked lethargic congregations and intimi-
dated older pastors. On the other, the infusion of zeal and life
from Mitchell's discip les and the number of new churches being
planted were undeniably of God. If only it were possib le to
contain it all.
So, for a numb er of years , the tensions con tinued;
radicalism and traditionalism seeking to live in the same house.
By 1981 things began to unravel. Mitchell had gone to
Australia still working within the Four Square framework. The
old Foursquare wineskin could not stand the powerful fermen -
tation of the new wine of revival that was being poured into it.
The stitch es, already strained, began to break .
The splits ran along two seam s......
Fir stly, Mitchell was going far beyond his Arizona
borders in church planting. Numerous neighboring states now
had Mitchell 's men pastoring churches in their territory . They
were out of the South West district but still related to Pastor
Mitchell for oversight and direction. The Headquarter's policy
was being violated and this must not be allowed to continue.
Secondly, the Fell owship had now planted several works
overseas. Mitchell had tried to funnel support through the
channels at Headquarters but found them clo gged with
bureaucracy. Cheques were arriv ing late. Mitchell, always
impatient with officialdom, by-passed the proces s and began to
send finances directly to his men on the field. He found that by a
simple phone call a worker could explain his problem and, if the
situation was deserving, finances could be on their way with in a
matter of hours . (That type of flexibility and ease of
communication mark his mission procedure to this day, where
workers are supported out of a local church instea d of by some
remo te bureaucracy.)

Glorietta and Au Revoir

By Spring of 1983 at the denominational conference in Glorietta,
New Mexico, the seams of the wine -skin finally gave out.
For two and a half hours Pastor Mitchell and Nelda heard
one delegate after another assail him, his work and his methods.
There was an open demand for him to either get in line or get out.
At the luncheon held after the morn ing session, Mitchell and his
wife found that while the rest of the delegates ate roast beef they
had the cold shoulder! The time had come to make his departure.
The cloud was lifting but before he could follow it the question
of the tabernacle needed to be settled.
Most of Mitchell's men left the Foursquare buildings and
rented new accommodations. The Ruth Street churc h, which had
been built after the old Lincoln Street building reached capacity,
was a differen t story.
It had been erected at great cost to the the local con-
grega tion and had also been added to. It seated , at capacity, over
five hundred people.
That question was answered when, in two stupendous
offerings, the money was raised to purchase the half million
dollar facility. Mitchell had literally bought his way out of the
denomination. The way was now open to press ahead with a
vision that would see the gospel taken unto the ends of the earth.

32
 Chapter 8

BRANCHES OVER THE WALL;

GOING INTO ALL THE WORLD
"Even a blind hog can come up with an acorn
once in a while" -If.M.

Unto the Ends of the Earth

We have already mentioned that in the 1970 's Mexico , as far as
the perspective of world evangelism was concerned, was almost
like the ends of the earth. Jack Harris had gone down to Nogales
and begun a church there, but the focus was primaril y upon
Arizona and the adjoining states. No serious thought had been
given at this time to overseas works. In 1977, a Foursquare
preacher called Fred Cowan, had invited Pastor Mitchell to
Western Australia to preach to the Foursquare churches and also
minister at a convention there. It was during this trip that Mitchell
sized up the larger picture of the need in the nation, and came to
the conclusion that what he had done back home in the U.S.A.
could be uniquely propagated down under in Australia. With that
rare gift of insight, he also perceived that this nation was

Conf erence in Mt. Lawley, Australia - 1982

strategically placed to reach the
underbelly of Asia with the
gospel, if God should be pleased
to give a strong home church
there. Accordingly, in 1981, he
returned with Mike Mastin. Mike
Mastin had been the youngest
disciple ever sent out from
Prescott. He had married
Mitchell's daughter Sharon and,
at the tender age of twenty-three,
had already pioneered and
pastored churches in Tempe and
Yuma. Together the Mastins and
the Mitchells headed for
Australia. Mitchell had left Greg
Johnson in charge of the home
church in Prescott. During his two
year stay in Australia, before he
was recalled to stabilize his home Pert h, West Austra lia - 198 1
church, Mitchell was to see the establishment of four new
churches in Australia-Adelaide, Alice Springs, Geraldton, and
Port Hedland. It was an exhilarating start to the work. Perhaps
even more important, Mitchell gained a sense of globalism here
in Australia that, rather than diminishing, was only to grow
stronger as the years passed. In 1979 he had taken a group to the
Philippine Islands and had seen the fields of Asia white unto
harvest. Now, with his own overseas tour added to his portfolio of
experience, he began to urge his men to the far off foreign fields.
Churches in Abundance
Every conference since the mid-eighties couples have been sent
forth into the nations. The Mastins, once having left for Australia,
embraced the land as their own, eventually taking Australian
citizenship. Mitchell's intuitions proved correct, for currently the
Perth congregation has sent forth over one hundred and thirty
churches, many of which have been planted overseas in lands as
far away as Argentina, China, Africa, the Philippines, and Russia.
It has been a breath-taking expansion. Also, flags from many
nations hang from the roof of the Tucson Church where Harold
Warner, in replication of Prescott, has seen men launched
overseas. Other churches, as they established roots also put forth

34
branches, and also have sent workers overseas. From the tentative
first steps of the 1980's, there are now five hundred and fifty
international works! These have been planted in nations too
numerous to mention in this volume. The fellowship mailing list
tells the story as does the array of silken flags that line the huge
Prescott tent at conference times.

Nairobi, Kenya

Zwolle, Holland

35
'Few Rich Young Rulers'
All of the mission endeavor has been at a colossal financial cost.
It is expensive to plant out a church in the United States but when
couples are sent overseas the cost soars . There are airfares for the
couples, vehicles to be bought, equipment costs, building rent,
and the accommodations for the pastor and his wife. Mitchell has
long contended for his people and is adamant that his workers
would not live at subsistence level as they labor in far off lands.
This often happens in other organizations. Let us also note that
the money that has been raised to send out these workers has
come from local congregations that are far from affluent. We have
had very few "rich young rulers" saved, says Mitchell . "The
financial base of our fellowship comes from the liberality of
working men and women who tithe, give offerings and, at
conferences, give yet again to see workers sent out. It is
something that is unique. We have the most wonderfully liberal
people on earth in our churches."
Local Church - Co-operation the secret
The giving of each congregational body to world missions has
had the effect of implicating local churches in World Evangelism.
Their contributions are not dispatched off to a Mission
Headquarters, but are given to support people they know, who
they have seen discipled and sent out from their own midst. The
Bible Conferences held at Prescott and other places are not
pastors ' conferences. They are conferences out of a local church
which keeps the heartbeat for world evangelism alive within that
local congregation. There is the genius of simplicity at work.
Running concurrently with the support of local church members
is what Mitchell calls "intra-church cooperation." By this he
means the building together of dozens of smaller churches to
undergird the financial burden of worldwide church planting. No
tax is levied on these congregations, but as their pastors have
been gifted with the vision of world evangelism, they have passed
that passion on the their own congregation , who give beyond
themselves to press forth the Kingdom of God.
National Churches - National Pastors
With the exponential growth of overseas works, a policy of
making these National churches self-supporting was begun in the
early 90's. "From the moment we enter a country," says Mitchell,
"we begin working towards an indigenous, national work."

36
 In the Philippine Islands for example, where there are
over one hundred and thirty works, only two American nationals
now pastor. They will be shortly withdrawn, leavin g the whole
Philippine work supervised and led by Filipinos. It should be
remembered, when Mitchell first went to the Philippine Islands in
the late 70's the Foursquare supervisor had told him : "These
people are like children. You cannot treat them as adults. You
must treat and talk to them like children." That comment
enc apsulates what has been the traditional western church
attitude towards native workers. The thrivin g Philippine Church
under the leadership of national workers has exploded that theory.
The Mexican church with over a hundred works is self-
supporting and fully indigenous as is Malaysia where Joe and
Connie Campbell had pioneered in the eighties. They handed the
work over to Sam Sivarajah who has a thriving church in Kuala
Lumpur from which other works have blossomed. In Ho lland,
Rudy Van Dierman heads a national work and England is
working towards becoming a church with British leaders hip.
South Africa - an open door
Currently the continent of Africa is under Mitchell 's scrutiny. He
sees that the newly independent nation of South Africa is the key
to reaching the vast continent to the North . He finds all his
intuitions alive to the door that now stands open for the plantin g
of workers in South Africa. "I feel the same way about South
Africa as I did about Australia in the 80's. The population already
speak English, so we don ' t need interp reters. They are not a third
world country, and their affluence means that we can rapidly
move towards self-supporting churc hes. They are also highly
responsive to the gospel. Because of our years of working with
ethnic peop le we are peculiarly equipped to reach this nation.
When we have planted churches there we can look north, and
send South Africans to reach the rest of Africa.

We can beat Khadaffi to the pu nch

Since Mitchell is no theori zer, he has alread y dispatched Dale
Reece to Cape Town where, in a matter of a few months, he has
seen a church of over two hundred establ ished . More recent ly the
Kearns from Edmonton have been sent by the Tucson con-
gregation to Port Elizabeth and, as of this time of writing, Jon and
Colleen Overson and John and Erin Maiolo are applying for visas
to preach in South Africa. "If Khadaffi can send millions of

37
dollars in oil revenues dow n to So uth Africa to win the land for
Islam, we can bea t him to the punch," says Mitche ll. "God's
goi ng to make this land one of ou r most fruitfu l enterprises ." In
Matthew 13 the expansion of the Kingdom is likened to a
mustard seed. A small seed growing to a mighty tree . A seed of
revival planted in Prescott in 1970 by 1995 has put five hundred
and fifty branches over the wa ll into the nations of the Earth.
Count upon it; many more will follow.

Glen Cluck - preaching ill The Philippines

Afri can Harvest Fields - 1987

Malaysia with Joe Campbell Malaysia - 1991

and Sam Si varaj ah

38
 C hapter 9

A MILITANT CHURCH WITH

A RADICAL APPROACH

"If we are going to be right with God, we will be wrong to

many men. Revival doesn't come by making excuses for sin."
-If.M.

Perhaps the greatest distinguishing factor of the Fellowship

Churches founded by Wayman Mitchell is the ir militancy.
Mitchell, himself, has a military background, but that is not prime
cause behind the militant stance of his own church and those that
he has helped to found.

The Eternal Conflict

The answer lies directly from his insight into the Scriptures and
how he has taugh t and motivated men over the years . Let him
speak for him self.
"The whole Bible is a military treatise. We see light and
darkn ess in conflict, good warring against evil. The devil and his
forces at war in pitched battle against God and His forces. I don't
think that should be difficult for Christians to understand. The
Jews certainly see it. When I was in Israel, I went to the Museum
of the Book. The central feature is a large monument. It is made
of black and white marble that symbolizes the conflict of Good
and Evil. That's the heart of Bib lical revelation. It precedes Eden.
The prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel tell us this conflict began
before the foundation of the earth. Anyon e who is born again
recognizes immediately that they have been caught up in a
conflict. The Church is involved in a war and, if it is a war, it
means that is has to be fought with military strategy and military
prin ciples . Throughout their writings the apostles pull out
military illustrations to appl y to the Churc h and her present role
on earth. Everything, our relationships, prayer life, evange lism,
attitudes towards the world and even our own flesh, everyth ing
swirls around this central image of battle.
I had one of my critics write me a letter. In it he bemoaned the
fact that all the men who I have discipled are militants. I was
satisfied to some degree when I read that. Of course we're
mil itant ; the who le church of Christ is supposed to be at war.
We're not a bunch of chari smatic pansies skipping our way to
heaven or splitting our sides laughing. We're an army on the
march. The book of Revelation describes the conflict of the devil
and the forces of hell arrayed against God and His saints. It's
plain for all to read. Furthermore, WE WIN .

Outreach on the Plaza

Fourth of July Parade - The Pale Horseman & his friends

 We also read that God's in charge of His army and there
is a clear chain of command in His Kingdom. His Kingdom is not
a democracy, neither is it a
republic. It is a spiritual company
of the Redeemed with clear
structures of authority and a chain
of command that leads all the way
to God Himself. That's what I
Cor. I I is all about.
This battle is being fought out in a
public forum. Paul says 'our
warfare
. is. not against
. . people; it's. Shoot-out on tne
I Pi
aza
agamst wicked spmts and demonic Mugs)' Paulino & Scarface Hum
forces .' Knowing this helps
regulate our responses to individuals and institutions that oppose
us. We understand that behind the human faces is a spiritual
orchestration.We are not pitted agains t peop le; we are pitted
against the powers of darkness that control them."
He continues.....
"The Book of Daniel gives us the true picture . He shows us the
figures at work in the heavenly realm that were at work in people
like Nebuchadnezzar and other Kings . Even Gabriel could not get
through immediately with the answers from heaven because he
was hindered by the Prince of Persia. We read of similar events in
the Book of Esther where spiritual warfare is being played out.
It's all there for us to read if we want to take the trouble.
Much of the public assault that our Fellowship undergoes
has identical orchestration--it's the old alliance between
Government structures and demonic forces. Nothing makes sense
until we see it in this light.... the light of Biblical revelation.
Our Fellowship is militant because the church of Jesus
down thr ough the ages is milit ant. Th ere will never be
appeasement between the devil and God's people. The only time
there will be peace will be when the devil is thrown into the Lake
of Fire. As for radicalism, that did not originate with me.
Everything we do has history to it.
In many ways I'm a conservative sort of person. But in
the early days of Prescott , I found myself with a bunch of young

41
radical hippies on my hands who were ready to use any method
so long as they won souls to Christ."

Concerts, Dramas and Haunted Houses

Mitchell continues...
"The first concert held at the Prescott Plaza was not my
idea. It was Ron Burrell's. He and some others put this thing on
in the park and to me it was horrible, but it brought a crowd and
people got saved . We began to have concerts regularly as part of
our outreach. The young people ran them and I did what I could
to facilitate their efforts. The same with music. The music of
these young hippie converts was radical. It shocked a lot of
church people, but it sure attracted the younger generation.
Again, I'm not all that musical, but I did what I could to help. On
several occasions I took out bank loans from my own account to
buy speakers and othe r stuff. Most of these kids did n't have a
nickel to their name. In those days I was standing behind it all in
support, but it was their creativity, insight and expertise and, yes,
it was radical stuff."

Vsing all means to win some

"Drama is as far from my experience as heaven is from
earth, but Don McPherson, who is now pastoring in Ogden, Utah,
got some skits together and put them on in public . They were a
success, and we've been using them in the church ever since.
It was the same with street preaching. On my trip to
California we had gone down to the beach . A converted convict
called Larry Reed was holding a meeting. When we arrived there
was a crowd of fifty or sixty people listening to the Gospel. When
we got back to Prescott, the young people began to take to the
streets. That's what they were doing when they were arrested at
the County Fair.
Everything was new back then and most of it was radical.
Not everything we tried was a success. Some things crashed and
burned but it didn't deter those young people. They simply went
ahead and tried something else. As far as I can reca ll, it was Rick
Bucholz who ran the first Haunted House in the Fellowship. That
was a success and we've had hundreds since .
The church back in those days thought all movies were

42
from hell. It was totally opposed
to a film projector in a church
building. I had seen some T.L.
Osborne films and knew that
films could make an impact on
people. So we began showing
films. We were doing that for
years before other churches
worked through their reservations
and began to show movies.
In those days the 'Big
Three'-Distant Thunder, Thief
in the Night, and The Mark of the The Grim Reape r
Beast were standard fare in - Don't mess with him
outreaches. People think they are corny now, but they sure drew
the crowds and many people were saved.
We have done, and still do, things considered to be
radical, but we do them as a means of proclaiming the gospel
more effectively, not to start a riot. Paul said" I become all things
to all men, that by all means I might gain some." I guess that
pretty well sums it up. We are supposed to try anything if it will
get the message across. I've often said to our men-'do what it
takes to create a forum for the gospel, and then preach.' It's the
preaching of the Word that saves people and that's what we are
all about."

Taking it to the public

43
 Chapter 10

NELDA - PARTNER IN ALL THINGS

"Love and marriage... love is a choice. How we chose to
perceive one another is how we will love one another. Love
is a renewal; the past is gone, it cannot be changed, but
our choice can be renewed. Love is respect. Love is
romance - romance is to a woman as heroin is to a
junkie. Love is to repent - no woman ever shot her
husband as he was helping with the dishes. Oft repeated
deeds go beyond good intentions."-lf.M.
The man behind the pulpit is
Wayman Mitchell. The woman
behind the man is Nelda Mitchell.
She has been a true help-meet to
her husband for over forty years.
Unlike some of the T.V. ministry
couples that we see, where the
woman holds the microphone and
has as much air time as the man
while she bats her false eyelashes "'-_
at the camera, Mrs. Mitchell is
the person who works quietly
behind the scenes. Nelda - Queen in her kitchen

Nelda - a mother and preacher's wife

She admits that the idea of being in ministry did not thrill her in
the beginning. After her husband's salvation everything was
fairly normal. She had gone to church some as she grew up and
the thought of becoming part of a church was quite okay. After
all, it would be a good thing to raise the family in the faith. It was
after Mitchell's baptism in the Spirit that she realized that routine
Christianity would never be part of her husband's life, nor part of
her's. "I want to preach." said Mitchell, and that could only mean
one thing, she was going to be a preacher's wife. Nine years on
the road moving from church to church proved her mettle. The
family continued to grow until the small parsonages overflowed

44
with five kids. They were so crowded that the only place Mitchell
could find to pray was the bathroom with his elbows resting on
the toi let seat.

Sacrificing fo r the ministry

Money was never plentiful. Yet Nelda always managed to make
ends meet at the end of the month. She made the children's
clothes working till late at night on a sewing machine. She
stretched the food supplies with every means she could find. Her
job was to be a keeper of the home even though the home might
be a ramshackle parsonage that had scarcely seen maintenance
since the day it was built. The attitude of some church boards
towards their pastor was "you keep him humble, Lord, and we'll
keep him poor."
Sacrifice was a daily
constant for Mitchell an d his
family and yet, with Nelda's
quiet, uncomplain ing spirit,
Mitchell was able to get ahead
with the task of preaching while
Nelda looked after the things
back home. When another move
was announced, it was everything
in boxes again, load up what few
possessions they had in the trailer,
kids in the car and off to the next
challenge. Week by week the kids
sat in church, neatly clothed,
clean and fed. It was by Nelda's
motherly hand. Since the preacher
works from the model of a family
that is in order, it is critical that
his wife and fam ily demonstrate
in the assembly of the church and Early days in Prescott
the wider society beyond, what he is preaching from the pulpit.
The wife has much to do with making this happen.
The Family Model
The fact that two of her daughters (Sharon and Rhonda) are
married to pastors and that her son, Greg, is a preacher shows the
extent to whic h Mrs. Mitchell has fulfilled the role of pastor's

45
wife . Another daughter, Karen, lives in Prescott with husband
Paul, where they are involved in gathering footage from Pastor
Mitchell's crusades around the world to put together a confe rence
video every six months.
With her children now grown and gone from home, she
has been able to give herself more to the practical work of the
ministry. It is Mrs. Mitchell, with the help of other ladies, that
carries the bulk of organization for the conference. She operates
from the basement of her home where a computer is set up to
keep abreast with fellowship mailing lists, busin ess letters and
church accounts. The basement is demarcated. At the other end is
Mitchell's office (or his workshop as he describes it). This is
sacred territory.
I was speaking with the Mitchells in a local restaurant
when Nelda remarked on her husba nd's administrative habits.
"His office used to be in our bedroom in one of our parsonages.
There were pieces of paper and magazines everywhere. He used
to read books and leave them on the headrest until they were piled
high. One night when we were in bed they all fell down on us. I
drew the line at that. Now he has his own territory" goes on
Nelda.
" His office is the opposite to Mike Mastin's in Perth." (I
knew what she meant having seen Mike Mastin's office at the
Perth church), I'm only allowed to dust the telephone; the rest is
out of bounds."
At this point Mitchell protested that it was still well
organized! After the book avalanche at his other house, Nelda had
piled everything in boxes and it had taken him months to get
everything straight again (whatever that might mean).
"Now," continues Mitchell. "I know where everything is."
"Mostly on the floor" adds Nelda.
"That's true" agrees Mitchell. "I subscribe to about a
dozen magazines and I have them for reference by my desk. My
clippings go in files with the subject on them and they are on the
shelf. I have my book s there as well, and I don't want anybody
touch ing anything. It's my workshop! Whenever the girls get to
dusting, they mess things up."

46
Feeding the Flock at a church picnic
It occurs to me as incredible that a worldwide moveme nt
can be run out of a basement with at least one part of the office
that appears to be in chaos. Mitc hell assures me that the chaos is
an organized one.
He's an impatient man
It is apparent that the Mitchells, after 43 years of marriage are
still deep ly in love.
"He's an impatient man." says Nelda, pointing at her
husband. "He doesn't like to wait."
"That's not quite true," protests Pastor Mitchell, "I just
don' t like to waste time."
"In the days when we only had one car," says Nelda,
"he would get upset if I didn't return on time and kept him
waiting. Then he would take the car and I didn't know when he
would be back home . That's how I came by my car, he bought it
for me, and he doesn 't have to wait anymore."
Obviously, an excellent arrangement. Mitchell changes
the subject.
"I have great respect for my wife. In the days when I was
making far less than a journeyman trades man, she budgeted our
household finances. She has always handled money well. I left
the bill pay ing to her and never gave it a second thought. I had
other things on my mind than bill paying . Now things are not as
tight, but my wife still goes shopping for bargains and comes

47
home and tells me when she has found one."
The administration of all the church finances used to be
Nelda's job. But with an annual budget of two million of dollars,
responsibility has now been shared, although Nelda still has
signing power ( and is officially the church secretary).
Ordinary people doing extraordinary things
The Mitchells are absolutely meticulous about finances-both
their own and the church's. Over the years we have become all
too familiar with the misappropriation of money by preachers and
leaders of religious organizations. The Mitchells live frugally.
There is no ostentation in their lifestyle. The cars they drive are
not overly expensive. Their house, bought twenty years ago, is
still not paid for and is not lavishly furnished . Pastor Mitchell's
only known pastime is to drive to the desert in his jeep and shoot
jack rabbits. Nelda happens to be good shot too! Mitchell wears
no expensive rings or jewelry, nor does Mrs. Mitchell. They are
an ordinary American couple who, in the power of God, have
done extraordinary things. In that fact lies the hope for the
hundreds of ordinary young couples in the Potter's House
Churches that God will use them in that way too.

"Nelda, these airline peanuts are lousy!"

48
 Chapter 11

THE MEDIA
"Christianity works best full throttle, an unrelenting
assault on hell." If.M.

The Printing Press for the Gospel

A brief history of the development of the printing press will tell
us that it was invented and developed in Christianized nations for
the propagation of the gospel and the quicker dissemination of
Christian literature. What had formerly been laboriously hand-
scripted by scholarly monks on vellum or parchment was later
made available to the general public by virtue of the printing
press. Within a century of the Guttenberg Bible , the scriptures
were being commonly produced and given a wider readership.
Newspaper pamphlets and plays were rolling from the presses by
the 1600's, as a renaissance in literature and literacy followed the
Reformation.
A liberal mind-set
Into the 19th Century the media (which wholly comprised the
newspaper industry) were to some extent, on the side of the
Church and, in a loose sense, could be termed "Christian." In
Victorian England it was fashionable to print the sermons of
Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker in the London papers. In the
United States newspapers, Finney 's and Moody's sermons were
consumed and discussed by an eager readership. It was not until
after the second World War that a hostility was to be openly seen
on the part of the media towards the Church and her mission . (A
liberal mind set was soon firmly entrenched, that was inimical to
everything that upheld the traditional values of America; and for
the past fifty or so years the evangelical wing of the Church has
endured constant derision, belittlement, misrepresentation, and
mockery from most media sources.) This is yet another indicator
of the shift away from the godly foundation upon which our
nation was formed.

49
Lies and Half Truths
It comes as no surprise that the Potter's House ministry and its
founder, Wayman Mitchell, has come under assault by the press,
radio, and T.Y. alike . To be noticed by the media is to be attacked
by them-at least in gospel ministry. When I spoke to Pastor
Mitchell about this he said he was hard-pressed to recall more
than two or three articles that had been truthfully written about
himself or his ministry over the last 25 years. Ironically, one of
the more favorable articles was written by an independent Jewish
journalist who interviewed him and sold photos and story to the
Prescott Courier in the early 80's. Since then, true to form, it has
been the predictable stream of half-truths and wrongful
insinuations from both secular and 'Christian' sources.
"How much money do you make"
The question that inevitably cropped up in the days when Pastor
Mitchell gave interviews to T. V. or newspaper journalists was
"How much money do you make?" His stock reply was "about as
much as a journeyman electrician." This reply has rarely satisfied
his critic s, who would dearly love to say that the Fellowship's
finance s have been misappropriated for personal use. As the
fellow ship has grown larger, the attacks have increased.
Cult-buster busted
In 1987 self-professed cult-buster Rick Ross, a "de programmer"
(kidnapper) of 'Cult Awareness Network' honed in on Mitchell as
a 'dangerous cult leader.' He interviewed one or two malcontents
who had left the fellowship churches and, without seeking to
verify their testimony, broadcast wild accusations of Pastor
Mitchell as a religious guru who had thousands of young people
under his control. His sniping continued for six or seven years but
since 1995 he has grown strangely quiet. Currently he faces two
multi-million dollar lawsuits for wrongful abduction. The Cult-
buster himself is being busted!
"Pea-brained and illiterate"
Of course, there has been no apology from the media who have
so liberally quoted Ross in their assault on the fellowship.
Mitchell's comments on the media, in general, and journalists, in
particular, are terse and to the point. "They are not interested in
giving honest accounts. By and large they are pea-brained,
illiterate and lazy. They come with pre-conceived ideas and a pre-

50
arranged agenda and look only for a sound bite that will help nail
down what they want to say. This is not honest, investigative
journalism; it is interpretive reporting, where they interpret
everything you say to support their own wicked bias . I have no
time for them. They are deceptive as well. They do not identify
themselves when they arrive . They come into the Church, as one
lady did from the Boston T. V. station, with hidden cameras and
microphones. They hope to pick up one sentence or phrase, and
use it entirely out of context to cast you in the worst possible
light. If we know who they are, we stop them at the doors ." He
goes on to say "It's the same with the book writers." William
Enroth, who featured me in 'Churches That Abuse' never even
spoke to me. He interviewed somebody out in the Mid-west and
put an uncorroborated testimony in his book. The man who was
interviewed later wrote the following letter to which Mitchell
gave one of his rare replies.
July 4, 1991
Wayman Mitchell
Potter's house
Prescott, AZ

Dear Wayman Mitchell;

There was a beautiful clock with double doors and

a fair face-plate. It was God's clock and, for
whatever reason, it's time ran out.
The Lord opened the doors and began pulling
parts out disassembling his clock. There were
little people in the clock who, as the clock began
to run down, would jump up on the gears
attempting to make it work . While it was a valiant
effort, it failed. Finally, one man grabbed a hold of
the clock hands and tried to move them by force
but it was futile.The clock stopped keeping time.
Dnder human effort, the arms sort of moved
erratically, but the ordained purpose of the clock
was finished.

51
I pray the Lord, even the Spirit of Truth, would
speak his wisdom to your heart.

Your servant in Christ,

Bryan L. Hupperts
1201 Quantock #
St. Louis , MO 6312 5

July 18, 1991

Bryan L. Hupperts
1201 Quantock #4
St. Louis, MO 63125

Dear Bryan Hupperts,

There was a beautiful clock with double doors and
fair face-plate. It was God 's clock and contrary to
men 's opinions its time was not run out.
Men opened the doors and began taking parts out
and disassembling God 's clock. There were little
people in the clock who were confused and
terrified and for a while it appeared the clock
might not be able to run. Some of these little
people were thrown out of the clock by the men
who were attempting to stop this beautiful work of
God; and many of these little people were lost to
God's great purpose.
Wonderfully, the one who said "I will build my
church" intervened and the beautiful clock began
to function more brilliantly than before and all
men began to praise Him who does all things well.
Men saw that "ex cept The Lord build the house ,
they labor in vain that build it" and "except The

5:2
 Lord keep the city the workman worketh but in
vain."
Since January 199 1, The Fellowship has seen the
planting of 96 pioneer churches, and many are
seeing a new wave of revival sweeping hundreds
into God 's Kingdom.
I pray the Lord, even the Spirit of Truth, would
speak his wisdom to your heart; and you not be
presumptuous about men 's word s and surmisings,
but seek truth from those who have a history of
integrity and truth.

Your Servant in Christ,

Pastor Wayman O. Mitchell

Distortion from Secular and Christian press

The subje ct of the media is enough to kindle the light of battle in
Mitchell 's eyes-the glint probabl y seen when he goes out on
days off to shoot jack-rabbits in the Arizona desert! He growls
"Even the Chri stian press is riddled with bias .We've had
people contact us from Charisma Magazine and Chri stian
Research Institut e but neither outfit would come and sit in our
serv ices and talk with our people.We invited them to. I gave Lee
Grady from the Charisma Magazine the names and numbers of
five of our leaders and said if you don 't believe me, talk with any
of them .....but he didn' t. He phoned Pastor Warner, but was only
interested in a sound bite. That's the sort of dishonesty we have
lived with for years."
Warming to the theme , he tells of going to Australia
where they have their own appointed custodian of the truth,
Adrian VanLeen .
"When he came to see me, " continued Mitchell, "I
invited him to talk with anybody in the church, but he wanted to
talk with me about the Script ures. After about ten minute s of

53
fruitless discussion, I closed my Bible and said there's no point in
prolonging this discussion . Later, I read the article which said 'I
lost patience with him and slammed my Bible shut.' It was a
co mplete distorti on of the facts. Small wonder I have no time for
them. I co uld spe nd half my life answe ring meaningless
question s and never get down to preaching the gospel."
I asked him if he ever had support from the commu nity.
"Yes, there are some good folk in Prescott. There was a black
businessman, a builder, who stated publi cly that he had read
about me and the Chu rch. He said " I don' t know Wayman
Mitc hell personally, but I know one thing , that our plaza was
filled with drug-users and loafers, and Wayman Mitchell cleaned
it up. He's doing something right.

Media and Municipalities

In the Book of Acts the early church was in frequent conflict with
city officials, government authorities and other ruling powers.
The reason is not hard to find. Wherever the Kingdom of God is
proclaimed it insists that the throne of God stand s above all other
earthly principalities. Paul concluded his Mars Hill sermon by
saying
"God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:
bec ause He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the
world in righteousness by that man who He hath ordained."
It is not only drug addi cts, criminals, pimps and other
obvious sinners who must repent, but Kings are commanded to
bow their knees , as are rulers, rich men, politici ans, and the high
and mighty. "All men everywhere" says the word of God. Small
wonder our gospel puts us on a collision course with existing
struc tures of authori ty.

Arrests and Other Encounters

The Prescott revival had not been long under way when the first
shot was fired by the city. Som e of Mitchell 's young converts
went off to the County Fair, lifted up their voice s and began to
preach . Why not? It was summer, the crowds were out and it
presented a perfect opportunity to proclaim their new found faith.
Before long the police were called and the zealous young
preachers were arre sted. The charge was that of disturbing the
peace. Immediately, Mitchell stepped in in their defense. He
contended, quite rightly, that freedom of speech was a protected

54
constitutional right for all Americans, and that the arrest of these
young people was a violation of their rights. Furthermore, he
contacted the Civil Liberties Union who relished the thought of a
conflict over such a clear cut issue . The City quickly backed
down and the charges were dropped, but not before the Prescott
Courier had reported the incident on the front page of their paper.
It proved to be excellent publicity and more youn g people
flocked to the meetings. This was where the action was. All went
quiet for a time, but the following year the issue of the use of the
Prescott Plaza arose.

'No preaching on our Plaza'

The Prescott Courthouse Plaza is a public park in the center of the
city, and provides an excellent venue to witness and preach to the
numbers of people who sit beneath the leafy trees . One man on
the Park Committee made it clear that the city's central park was
not going to be used as a preaching platform. He had no similar
objections to the park being used by drug pushers and other
unsavoury characters, although he was a church man!
So, permission to hold an open air concert and pass out
gospel tracts was denied. With his usua l method of dealing with
situations head on, Mitchell informed city officials that the Park
was the property of the people and taxpayers of Prescott. He was
a resident and his congregation paid taxes, therefore they had
right of use. If they were not given permission for the concert,
then the city could expect a law suit, and the city could also
expect to lose. Again, the municipal body conceded and the
concert went ahead .

Behind closed doors

For a time all was quiet, but behind closed doors heads were
together. New rules were being formulated to deny the Potter's
House Church access to the annual parade. New regulations were
also being drawn, up with the help of legal advisors, to exclude
the church from use of the plaza. Things came to a head in Pastor
Mitchell's absence in Australia. Jack Harris, his assistant pastor
in Prescott, conceded to the city that no preaching would take
place in the Fourth of July parade that year. He ente red a non-
religious float which won first prize . Clearly the city officials
were pleased, and comforted themselves that a troub lesome
probl em was solved, but their joy was short lived.
"Is that so?"
On Mitchell's return to Prescott, and upon hearing the news of
capitulation, he was infuriated. His first task was to arrive at the
county park and recreation office and ask upon whose authority
his church had been banned from preaching in the parade and on
the plaza. The County adm inistrator said he was the man and the
consulting attorney had told him he was in line with Arizona
Statutes. "Is that so?" declared Mitchell "then you can expect to
lose , because you don 't even know your country's co nstit ution ."
With documents in hand, Mitchell strode over to his attorney's
office and, after a brief consultation, filed an action against the
city of Prescott. Battle lines were set.

Mormons and Baptists in the Fight

The final confrontation came at Hendrix Auditorium where, in
front of an audie nce of severa l hundred peop le, the case was heard.
Among Mitchell's supporters was a Baptist pastor who stood up
and told the assembly that the Potter's House was doing what every
Baptist church should be doing in its public witness for Christ. A
Mormon elder, who also knew his constitutional rights, spoke out
in support. Suddenly the tables were turned. The county's
restrictions were considered unconstitutional, freedom was given
to the church to continue to preach and, in the aftermath, the
administrator who had begun the whole affair was fired. "So
mighty grew the Word of God and prevailed." Acts 19:20.

Battle over the Big Top

Now, since the devil only departs for a season, there continue to
be regular skirmishes with the city of Prescott and its environs.
When the Conference moved to a tent on the Airport Road
neighbors, in collusion with county officials, filed an order to
prevent the church from holding meetings under the Big Top
(even though the property was theirs and all regu lations had been
met.) Mitchell rose to the challenge. The case went to Arizona
Superior Court in Phoenix where the woman judge ruled in favor
of the Ch urc h, stating that they had right of lawful assembly and
tha t, if all fire and safety regul ations were met, they had a perfect
rig ht to use their tent for whatever mee tings they wished. Another
victory, althou gh at $26 ,000, it was a cos tly one .

56
More arrests
Also a costly victory was Pastor Mitchell's defense of a young
woman who was arrested preaching in Prescott a year later. Eight
young people were apprehended for street preaching by an officer
who hates the church. Seven were released, but the young lady
(who happened to be black) was charged with disturbing the
peace. Mitchell phoned the Police Chief and city officials but to
no avail. The City Attorney, also hostile to the church, said that
the charges would stand. Here was an instance where not only the
ACLU could be summoned to assist, but also the powerful
NAACP. Mitchell called both. With adverse publicity raging, the
mayor called Mitchell and asked for a truce. Too late.
"You should have listened to me earlier." said Mitchell.
Again, to the embarrassment of the city, the young woman was
found 'not guilty' .... but not until thousands of dollars of
taxpayers and church finances had been wasted. Nevertheless,
Mitchell says ''There is a price to pay for freedom." It is a price
that he has paid a number of times over the years. He will,
without doubt, be paying it again before too long.
Experience has taught him well. Now, whenever he
applies for the use of the Plaza, a booth at the Fair, a place in the
Parade or use of a civic facility, he asks for a copy of the
certificate of approval to be receipted and sent to him. He
remarks "it is amazing how the City manages to lose copies of
their permits the very day when our concerts and outreaches are
due to begin."

57
 The e

D School district
Judge orders Prescott school district t
By GREMLYN BRADLEY
The , Daily Courier ,
' The Prescott UniIied School Dis-
triet WlI3 ordered by' a fedaaI COUlt
judge to pay $60.000 in auomey's
-fees to the Potter's House Olurch.
In 'a ' decision handed down this
week, Judge Roben C. Broomfield
iwarded the fees and approximately
" ~' $4.000 worth or legal costs to the
. church, whichspent the money on a
civil-rightS lawsuit against the dis-
trict d~ the past two years.
AP PhOlD
at
"Weeenainly wouldhaveliked to
have gained more of our fees,..,said
PastOr WaymanO. Mitchellon Wed-
nesday. ," But this sends a yay clear
-statement to school board officials
' and supervisors that you can' t deny
students their Constitutional right of
freedom of speech wilh impunitY...
. Although Mitchell called the lili-
galion "unfortunate," he alsosaid he
was not sorry the churchhadpursued
it because. "This is clearlya victory
for all students, whatever faith they

ider of the
\rmy's po-
.2. : CHiJR CH --~~---
.From Page 'iA main focus of the case.
i aks at a
e in New hoUr.
.a y .. The The church's ,lawsuit against the School officials warned the stu-
' after d _ . dents that a district policymeanttheir
rns, on a district arose stu entsat severai beh d I ' disc' lin
lkable for PJesCou .schools began "witness- avior co~ resu t III IP . e or
ecades , " ing," or telling others about their e~ expulsion fromschool, Mitchell
two days faith; onschool groundsin Fall 1991. " saul
iouuctan While many schools were in- .The school's policy was changed
5. volved, PrescottHighSchool wasthe and forbade proselytization. includ-

58
 e' ~

.ouner
hI. The CoUrier. 1994

y, Arizona" now in our 112th year

Volum~ 112 Number 29

pay local church

lit $60,000 in legal fees to Potter's House
"There wasn't any kind of an ef- the case, . •
I the church had been fort in the court's order to compare Lewis said the Phoenix firm hand- :
'lOximalely 5112,000 the number of hoursspent on the two led the case from March23,1992 un- :
:es but added that the sides," Lewis said. til August 1993 and spent about 135
nt is "a pretty good "It was a 10-10-1 ratio on the dol- hOUlS. In addition. he said Yavapai :
':~ lar amourit and a 5-10-1 ratio on the County deputy attorneyVictoriaWilt '
s, an attorney for the hour amount" - - spent about 130 hours.
rm of Jones. Skelton Lewis was referring to the Ona case that bothsidesare fight-
which represents the 600-plus hours that David Palmer. ing, Lewis explained, the number of
said Wednesday that the attorney for the Potter's House. hours spentshouldbeabouithesame.
dnted with the ruling. claimedhe had spent on the case and Palmer was awarded 565 hours
dng at the possibility the approximately 265 hours that the wonh of fees at a cost of 5150 an _
, he said. . school district's lawyers had spent on See C/{lIRCH, Pace -SA -

or the distribution of

- su bsequently was
The school district's
i>WS students to pass
r witness on the high
-senior patio and on
ounds before 8 a.m.
111.

59
Despite protest, Po
BY KATHY Q'HALLERAN
The Prescott Sun
The Potter's House will have
its float in tomorrow's parade,
despite an attempt by a private
citizen and possibly the Prescott
Chamber of Commerce to bar the
entry.
Prescou legal secretary Bobbi
Root requested the Prescott
Chamber of Commerce on No-
vember 14 consider banning the
charismatic church organization's
float. The float depicts a manger
scene on one side and Jesus
Christ dying on a wooden cross
on the other side.
Root wrote _ to . Prescott
Chamber of Commerce President '
Paui Venuti. "Many peop le were
outraged during the Christmas
Parade last year because the
POtter's House had been allowed a
float that was disgusting and not
celebrating the joy of the holiday
season," Root wrote. ~Why
should unsuspecting people ha-ve
to look at that type of float? "
1be same float was also entered
in the Fourth of July Parade this
year.
Root said she checked with
three attorneys whose opinions
were that . the Potter's' House
would have n-o grounds for suing
the chamber if it decided not to
allow the float in the parade, .
since the chamber is a ' private
organization.
"If a governmental body were
in charge, there might be ' a
problem," Root stated. "Surel y
60
the chamber could set specific
guidelmes that had to be followed
by any group wishing to enter a
float. What if an organiza tion
entered a float with nude
dancecs'?"
Apparently , the Prescott
Chamber of Commerce did
approach the Potter's House
about the matter.
According to a Paller's House
official who wished to remain
anonymous, the chamber told
them they could not be in the
parade . "The y said they found the
noat with Jesus on the c ross in
poor taste and felt it would upset
so me peop le in the crowd," he
said . "We said we wanted it in
(the parade ) 'as is' and we felt that
it would be appropriate. It depicts
t~e birth and death of Christ."
The Potter's House spokesman
said the church has every right to
be in the parade. "Basically they
said we coul dn't and we said we
could." .
Root said she was contacted
later by lo cal attorney Bill
Whittington , on behalf of the
chamber. She said -Whiu ington
told her the float would no t be
banned from tomorrow's parade.
unde r fire f
According to one member of . took out a
the parade committee , a aUowing he
recommendation had been made to ' p icke t t
earlier that floats entered in the ha unted h
event be j ur ic d, so that House" held
inappropriate entries could be
kept out o f the parade. Howeve r,
that proposal wa s turned down.
This is no t the first time mat
the Potter's Ho use has come
r's .House in parade

stmas parade kicks off at 1:00 p.m. tommoro.w. CourtesyPhoto

plays, Root brainwashing techniques.... I was destroyed lives.

G>cLober to appalled at the violence, the bad
~r protestors taste, the anti-gay, anti-Catholic, Root has pledged to picket the
:,h's annual haunted house again next year .
anti-intellectual, and anti-abortion
'e n t- " Hell enactments... Upon learning that Potter's
alloween. House would be allowed to enter
Potter's House Pastor Wayman its float in tomorrow 's parade.
iuntcd house D. Mitchell at the time of that Root said she was disappointed.
thro ugh the controversy defended the church's but plans to continue exploring
experienced tactics, saying that the depictions lhe legal aspects of the issue.
he standard ' show people the rca lit y of
•
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 Chapter 12

MITCHELL: THE MAN AND HIS METHODS

"Truth cannot be dissociated from emotion and zeal.
Christianity lives by the foolishness ofpreaching.
Preaching is a peculiar calling and it demands an
immediate response." l¥.M.

Nobody knows the physical appearance of Jesus. We do not know

what his height and weight were, of his features , the exact color
of his skin or his hair style there is no record. God obviously
thought such things to be unimportant. Paul, speaking in II Cor.
5: 16 says
"Henceforth we knew no man after the flesh: yea though
we have known Christ after the flesh , yet now henceforth know
we him no more ."
It is more that likely than he had seen Jesus in his earthly
mini stry, but he felt it unnecessary to speak about his earthly
appearance.

Revival in Prescott '95

A preacher happy at his work..
Wayman Mitchell is a man who could be lost in a crowd . Unlike
Saul of old, he is not head and shoulders above the rest. With
sandy, receding hair, spectacles, and five foot six inches, he is
somewhat below the rest! His unusualness begins when he opens
his mouth . The voice is arresting; his manner is without the
preaching affectations that are often the mark of T. V. preachers.
He gets to the poin t immediately. Preaching is a jo b to be done
and therefore the preaching style is businesslike. "This is what
the Word of God says.Th is is what God means when He writes."
All the amb iguity is taken out of the text.
As the Word is expounded the illustrations begin . The opening of
the sermon is frequently an anecdote or a pithy quotation to gain
audience attention and mark the target. Thereafter scrip tures and
homey illustrat ions follow in quick order with no break in the
flow of oratory as the arm waves and chops the air. Notes are only
briefly referred to; they are printed on the inside page of a small
Bible, which is usually carried around or sometimes left for
reference on the pulpit. To add to the illustrations, come humor
and drama. The digressions from the text are usually brief. This
is the time for construction. "The words of the wise are as goads,
and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails , given by one
She pherd." Ecclesiastes Ch . 12: 11. To listen to Mitchell's
sermons is to hear the hammer pounding as the nails are driven
home . One is aware that this man is happy at his work . His

The Power of the Altar Call

 business is nailing truths into his
heare rs' hearts and he goes to
work with a will. Nobody leaves saying" I wonder what he was
talking about."
While the truths he preaches are often hard, there is a
grace in the delivery which allows the truth of the message to
detach from the personality of the messenger and, thereby, gain
its own objectivity. The hearer is left with the consciousness that
God is speaking to them rather than Mitchell getting at them. It is
a rare gift.
Great plainness of speech....
His messages, while they have
intellectual content, primarily
appeal to the heart and conscience
of his congregation. They are
given with passion and
earnestness but with the emotions
firmly in check. Mitchell is an
expounder, an exhorter, a
beseecher, a straight shooter and
occasionally a shouter, but not a YOII can ma rk it down
weeper. He delivers from his heart using 'great plainness of
speech.' Those he has discipled do the same. Out of the pulpit he
speaks quietl y. There is a brevity in words that distinguishes busy
men. When he listens, pale blue eyes fix the person's gaze and the
impression is given that what is being said is understood . A short
reply is usually given. He doesn't waste time- his or anybod y
else 's . Much of his business in the Fellowship and with his men
is carried in his head. If some further action is required, a small
pad of paper stick-ons is his memory aid. Notes are written and
Getting down to business - preaching in crusades

The cleansing of repentance

stuck in his Bible for further reference. His ability to recall
minute details of previous conversations some years ago, is a
constant source of surprise to those who work with him.
No secretary - no answering machine!!
Mitchell does not have a secretary. In this regard he bears
resemblance to Sam Walton of the corporate world. Everything is
simple and deliberately kept that way. If he is in town and at
home he answers the phone himself. There is no automatic
answering machine . Pastors calling from across the earth can get
to the chief immedi ately and personally. Their names are
rememb ered and used in conversations that enhance the sense of
family that pervades the fellowship. There is absolute economy in
the administrative structure of the Christian Fellowship
Ministries that boggles the mind. Other enterprises, religious and
otherwise, spend large percentages on administration, offices,
secretaries, and other types of bureaucratic help. Mitchell spurns
the oak and leather office image. He is a man among his own
people and refuses to fence himself off. Having said this, it must
be mentioned at this point that people rarely see Pastor Mitchell's
study. I can understand the reason why after a clandestine visit
one day when he was away preaching. His son-in-law Jeff Rens
allowed me to see the basement office in his home.
'The holiest of all'
His desk was barely visible beneath a mound of paper. A narrow
track between magazines on the floor led to his chair. Behind,
shelves reached to the ceiling. Some were bent under the weight
of bundles of files kept together with elastic bands. In these files,
were thousands of illustrations from thirty years of preaching .
There was no computer. The computer is Mitchell's mind and
memory. To supplem ent the other shelves of books which
covered an entire wall, bricks supported boards laden with
additional volumes. More recent publications were heaped in
precarious piles ready to give to his preachers when he goes on
tour. Somewhere in the chaos was hidden 'The Ark.' Two
cardboard boxes crammed with three inch by four inch cards.
These are Mitchells sermon notes of the last decades.
Rens told me in hushed tones that he was once given
charge to take a box of sermon notes to Australia with him when
Greg Mitchell was living there. Added to his instructions to guard
them with his life was a further reminder that, if he lost these
cards, he might as well take poison, because life would no longer
be worth living for him. I nodded in sympathy and we departed
quickly before Mitchell arrived back from the airport.
The Power of the Altar Call
Whilst the care of hundreds of other churches rests upon him, he
is a pastor at home with the Prescott congregation. Each Sunday
he stands at the door with his assistant pastor and greets the flock
by name, shaking hands and sharing a story with a smile or nod.

67
How can he manage to oversee his flock of several hundred and
look after the rest of business. The answer lies in the pre-
eminence given to the altar call at the end of the serv ice. When
the word is preached, people are taught to respond to God
themselves. The place of deal ing is on their own knees at the
front of the Church, where hearts are searched by the Spirit of
God, wrong attitudes are rectified, and problems and burdens left
with Jesus instead of being dumped on Pastor Mitchell's desk to
be counseled away.
'Don't be too sensitive' .
He is not a touchy, feely person . The people who wish for a
touchy, feely pastor find their way to other churches. Ruth Street
is not the place for them. It pays not to be too sensitive or
insecure around him. I recall being given an instruction by one of
the workers at a busy time at conference. I briefly glanced in
Pastor Mitchell's direction. "Wha t are you looking at me for? "
came his reply. "You're just a blip on my screen passing
through!" I found that reflexive remark hugely funny, but I could
imagine a more sensitive soul retirin g to his room saying "Pasto r
Mitchell doesn't love me." The hard and soft properties of Pastor
Mitchell's personality can be bewildering. They can be both
expressed within the space of a sentence or two. The charge of his
critics and those who have left the Church is that he is unfeeling
and dictatorial and uncivil.
A strong personality....
Such charges I have concluded are a matter of perspective. They
probably came from those who would be far better off in the
recovery wards of God's rehabilitation programs than in a
movement that has world evangelism as its goal and a militant
general as its leader. If Pastor Mitche ll has a weakness it may be
here, insofar as he genuinely cannot understand what all the fuss
and whinin g is about when people recoil from the weight of his
words or the brusq ueness of his manner. He is a strong person
and tends to attract strong peop le to him. Fragile souls find it
difficult or even impossible to relate to his personality and
preaching and usually find their way into gentler expressions of
the Body of Christ.

68
A non-stop pace.....
His sheer pace of living is a source of amazement. He creates his
own energy field . At sixty -five his day is jammed with
appointments and demands of every sort.

Prayer first, then breakfast...

Prayer is alway s the first order. As he sits cross -legged behind the
chair on the platform at the Ruth Street Church, petitions and
plea s rise in sonorous tones.
"Lord bless your work; give favor I pray to our workers .
Let them preach the Word in power with signs following . Let
your hand be on' the church in Salt Lake City. I bind the Spirit of
Mormonism and the false prophet in that city. Give grace to the
workers there. Help Glen and Donna Cluck. Assist their ministry
with power and anointing. Let your Healing Hand be upon ."
And so the prayers roll forth attended by the background
rumble of thirty or forty of the Ruth Street intercessors. Promptly,
around the hour of eight , it is off to breakfast with his assistant
pastor and any evangeli sts who happen to be in town . Mitchell's
breakfasts are a source of education and entertai nmen t. At any
one of a number of local restaurants, he and six or seven other
men descend. The coffee cups are filled and ju st about anything
take s place. Hilla ry and Bill Clinton are assailed for their
ungodliness and deceitful ways; there is general agreement that
they should be "o ut of there." Mitchell 's bumper sticker used to
read "Impeac h the President, and her husband also."
Lots of laughter. .
Politics now gives place to the daily news. Perhaps it is the latest
medical fad of transcendent al med itation to heal blood pressure.
Everybody has an opinion, but all agree with Mitchell 's final
comm ent that it is no more than New Age witchcraft. The subject
turns to the local college where lesbian professors have found a
foothold. At this point there are some appropriate male comments
and the whole restaurant is shaken with peals of laughter from the
preachers' table. The bacon and eggs are now served. Mitchell
points to one of the men and grace is briefly said to a chorus of
"amens,' Conversation briefly gives way to chewing and then it
is business. Word s are addressed briefly to the assistant pastor or
other staff members. The ir calendars are opened and they are
writing notes.

69
Don't flatter yourselves....
The evangeli st j ust returned from the field gives a report. There is
intent silence, and general prai se when victory is reported . Now
Pastor Mitchell gives some practical advice to the evangelists.
"Don' t think one word of knowledge from you is going
to fix every problem in that church. That pastor's been laboring
there for year s. You are not going to wave a magic wand and fix
eve rything in one meeting or with a couple of word s of
knowledge or prophecy. Don 't flatter yourselves. The
congregation may tell you you are a hero, but when you're gone
the pastor has to take up where you left off. Make his job as easy
as you can ."

Hard-won experience
Now there are questions; others join in and the conver sation
becomes general. When Mitchell speaks again, voices subside.
He 's talking about money being poured into Africa, and hardly
anything to show for it. There are more word s from hard won
experience and more laugh ter, and an anecdote from Kenya is
told. The time has gone and when Mitch ell 's book is closed, the
signal is given to move on. It's on to the day.
The Post Office is alwa ys after the restaurant. Letters to post and
mail to pick up. Mitchell jumps out of the van as it draws up
outside the Ma in office on Cortez St. He runs up the sloping
ramp, disappears, and returns several letters in hand with a quick
stride. Nothing is done at half speed. Again, Mitche ll does not
understand how anyone cann ot maintain his blistering pace of
life. "These young men ; they get to forty and they 're already
talking about retirement."

Sunset refrain .
"Incidentally, in the last five years Prescott has becom e the
retirement capital of America," says Mitchell. "Old folk come
here to retire . They buy a lot, pu t up a brand new house, spend
two years putti ng in shrubs , sidewalks, and fences . As soon as
they have the home decorated and the garden landscaped, they sit
on the porch and look at it for a mon th or two, and die. They 've
got nothing to live for. In God 's work you always have something
to live for. There is the challenge of the task . Hav ing purpose
gives a vibrancy and a dynamism to life. At sixty-five I've just

70
begun to get into my stri de. I tell
you, being involved in a healing
ministry has a constant rejuven-
ating effect upon me . I come
home from international crusades
and I get off the plane feeling
divinel y refre shed ." He concludes
"Being involved with what God's
doing is the Elixir of Youth. The
secret of keeping you ng is not
drinking Geritol or popping
Enrich tablets ; it's in doing the
will of God ." Looking at his dai ly
schedule and trying to keep up
with him raci ng towards the
restaurant, I wasn't going to
argue .
Pillars of the Prescott Church -
Bob & Sharon Allen

The Big Top at Prescott

71
 Chapter 13

GROWTH WITH DISAPPOINTMENTS

"Faithfulness minus recognition, minus resentment,
plus time equals ministry." If.M.

"It is good"
As the 1980's came to a close, Wayman Mitchell could look back
on two decades of sustained growth and success in the work of
his ministry and the Potter's House churches. From the 1970
outpouring of the Spirit in Prescott thousands of souls had been
saved, from them disciples had been raised up and sent forth and
churches had been planted across the earth. It was as if the Lord
surveyed the breadth and scope of the work and said " It is good."
It was also good that some of the men, who were raw converts
twenty years before, had matured to become able practitioners of
the gospel. Several pastored churches with congregations in the
hundred s and had put out men and associated works in
impres sive numbers.
Danger in success
Herein lay a potential danger that was about to manife st itself in
its most ugly form . The archives of history are filled with
instance s of men who, having tasted of the wine of succes s,
become intoxicated with a sense of their own importance, and
cease to think or see clearly. The Bible chronicles some such
events for our admonition.
Towards the end of 1989 Pastor Mitchell had felt it
necessary to addres s some discrepancies within the Fellowship at
large . He wrote a letter reminding pastors of their obligation to
pay tithes back to the mother church to send in their monthly
report sheets and to observe the rules concerning overseas works,
namel y that if mother churches had overseas works , support
should be sent directly to them instead of using the Prescott
Church as a clearinghouse for finance s. He added that, if these

72
rules weren't conformed to, then
the pastors who were discrepant
would lose some of the privileges
of association. It was fairly
routine stuff. Pastor Mitchell had
sent similar notifications over the
years in order to keep things
running smoothly. All the senior
pastors in the fellowship knew
how thing s worked, since they
had grown up within the churc h
and knew why the rules and
guidelines had been established
in the first place. There was The Rushes Wedding with the Aulsons
nothing new. However, in reply to this general letter, one of the
leaders sent a reply challenging the core principle of pay ing tithes
back to the mother church. A note of discord had been sounded.
Spreading Discord .
Pastor Mitchell did not address the issue immediately. He wanted
time to pray and consult with other area leaders. Leavin g the
matter in abeyance, he went on a short trip to Australia where he
found Mike Mastin facing a similar problem. He began to see that
the telephone had been ringing. On his return towards the end of
the year, he called a meeting in Phoenix to discuss a course of
action before the annual leaders ' meeting. Among the eight men

Partying in Egypt

73
present was one of his early converts who had been a trusted
disciple and was a very able preacher. At one time he had been
left in charge of the Prescott congregation. As the subject of the
dissen ting letter was opened up, Pastor Mitchell discerned that
two of the men present also held to the opinion that the standing
rules of tithing should be changed . More disturbing to Mitchell's
heart were some of the comments that were being expressed.It
was clear that there was some thing deeper going on than a
disagreement about the tithing.
Clarifying the issues
Clarity began to dawn in his mind. The question of tithing was a
foil behind which stood the far larger issue of headship within the
Fellowship. A challenge against his own leadership was in the
offing. Agreeing to discuss the matter again at the annual
leadership meeting in the New Year, the meeting was adjourned .
Mitchell, however, was now on full alert. He phoned north to the
pastor with the initial problem and told him to come to the Prescott
leadership meeting and discharge everything that was on his heart.
Meantime, Mitchell had been phoned by men in other parts of the
nation and had begun to calibrate the extent of the problem. There
were certainly more than two or three pastors involved.
The Prescott leader's meeting
When the Prescott leaders hip meetin g was opene d, all other
leadership matters were tabled in favour of the current dispute .
Throughout the day men shared their opinions and views, but
during the proceedings Pastor Mitchell observed that the
principal person said very little . As the day's discussion closed it
was agreed that matrix churches having more than twenty five
works would tithe to Prescott while they received tithes from
their own works. On the second day, as a clear portent, the leader
with whom Pastor Mitchell had experienced most difficulty and
two others were absent from the final discussions. These men had
clearly made up their mind to break from the Fellowship. The
question was how many would they take with them.
Mitchell charge d all the pasto rs present that, if they broke
the cohesion of the Fellowsh ip into which they had been birthed,
and which had been such a channe l of grace to them, that they
would suffer the consequence s in their own churches . Some men
were of the opini on that if some churches decided to pull out of
the union , let them go with God's blessing. Mitchell, with
foresight born of experience, saw, that if that happened, a
program of recruitment would continue as those who left tried to
lobby other pastors to follow them. There would never be a
resolution.
An Electric Atmosphere
When the conference opened on Monday evening the assembly
was electric with the cross -currents that were flowing . News had
filtered out that men were in the process of defecting. Most of the
pastors arriving from distances had little idea what the issues
were, or who were the men who were driving them, but they were
bright enough to know that there was trouble in the family. That
night, immediately after preaching, Pastor Mitchell's leaders
assem bled for a meeting together in the church basement. The
chief dissident was not present; it turned out he was in a nearby
hotel waiting for the sound of the bomb, that he had helped to
detonate. He was also awaiting the damage report. Mitchell had
made up his mind , and there was general agreement among the
other leaders , that to pursue a policy of appeasement would make
matters worse. The men who had challenged the authority of the
Church leadership should be marked, and all the issues made
clear to the assembled body of pastors the next day.
Everything on the table
As planned, the following afternoon was given to the issues that
had been raised in the previous closed sessions. As various men
stood and declared their positions, shared their views and, more
importantly, stated their allegiances, it was as if a seismic shock ran
through the assembly. To most present, it was incomprehensible
that anyone would wish to challenge the leadership of the man who
God had graciously used to bless them. Why, they asked, should
we discard the principles that had brought the fellowship such
singular blessing over the years. Angry voices began to be heard.
Mitchell sat back. He wasn't about to intervene. The work was
God 's work; the church was Christ' s church.
Hebrew s 12 says "All thing s must be shaken in order that the
unshakable thing s remain." The shaking had come!
Richter Force Eight
It proved to be a force eight on the Richter Scale. Prominent men,
who had obviously been in collusion for months before the

75
meeting, fired angry discharges. Others, contending for the unity
of the Fellowship, and in loyalty to Pastor Mitchell took up
defense and returned fire. What was patently clear was that
because the structure of the fellowship was nuclear, there would
be nuclear heat generated as relationships were tom. The meeting
was a critical test for Pastor Mitchell. He had more than once
thought
"Who needs this? I can pastor the Prescott church and let
every man work out his own destiny."
But the iron of his soul did not allow him the option of
withdrawing. As the sides divided, he had already settled in his
heart that the work would go on and the way was forward.
The end ofAct I
When the shaking finally ended and, over the ensuing days the
tally came in, it showed that around one hundred churches in the
United States and overseas had decided to defect from the Union.
It was a bitter blow to Mitchell's heart to see his own children in

Prescott Church Members

76
the faith desert him. It was also a measure of the man's stature
that, in the face of a full frontal assault on his ministry and
leadership, he was able to keep his hand on the helm and find
grace from God to get fresh bearing s and press on. The curtain
had come down on Act I; it was about to rise on Act II.
A Challenge against World Evangelism
Through all the assault of those dark days of 1990 Mitchell had
discerned one crucial factor-that the demonically engineered
attack was focused not primarily against himself, but against
discipleship, the work of church planting and world evangelism .
The genius of his leadership came forth with this insight. Girding
himself, Mitchell sounded a rallying cry to the many pastors who
were now disoriented and almost paralyzed from the shock of the
split.
"The work goes on ! Let's kick the devil in the teeth; we
are going to plant more churches and take more nations that ever
before."
The people who had left hit the telephone s trying to
subvert others with their own versions of events .
With microphone in one hand and telephone in the other,
Mitchell explain ed, encouraged and confirmed his pastors (and
anyone else who wished to ask questions.) He had already
remarked to Joe Campbell that it would take five years to work
through the consequences of the split. Two of those years he
spent on the telephone responding to endless quest ions.
Perseverance and Faith
Truthfulness and perseverance paid off. As the months of 1990
passed, it was clear that the unity of the core of the fellowship
was, in some senses, stronger that ever. The shaking that had
shaken some out had shaken others together. "They were pressed
down, shaken together.." As the year of 1991 dawned, the
fellowship began to "run over" again.
New and greater growth
From the area conferences came news of new works being
planted-many of them overseas. Russia began to open up, China
also, and reports of tremendou s revival on the African continent
and in the Philippines stirred the hearts of those who read the

7i
Trumpet Magazine or attended conference . A fresh wind of God 's
power was blowin g and, to every unbiased mind, it was clear that
it was behind the sails of the Fellowship Churches. Time was
proving where the seat of God 's favour lay.
The test ofAaron's Rod
In the days of Moses a challenge had been made again st God 's
leadershi p-against Moses and his brother Aaron. The response
of the Lord was to say.."Bring your rods into the tabernacle and
lay them before me." The following morning, the Word goes on
to say, Aarons' rod had burst forth in blossoms of fragrance and
fruitfulness. The other rods were as dry as the previous night,
made to look only the deade r because of the fruitfulness of
Aaron 's rod. That rod was to go into the Ark of Testimony to be
carr ied on all the journeys of Israel as proof of God's
endorsement of His leaders.
Five years was the time Pastor Mitchell had given to Joe
Campbell. Five years of increasing fruitfulness for the fellows hip
with a number of churches at home and worldwide now
numbering around nine hundred. For those who depart ed in anger
at the January 1990 conference, there have been years of wasting
and barrenness. Of the hundred pastors who left, 90% are now no
longer in the min istry. Church doors have closed, signs have been
taken down and congregations, sad to say, have been scattered.
Ruefu l comments have been made from those who left that, if
they knew what they knew now, they would have had no part in
the rebell ion. God's final comment on the affair of 1990 has been
the seal that only He ca n give - T HE SEAL OF
FRUITFULNESS .

The Seal ofApo stleship

The seal has not only been upon the Fellowship Churches, but
upon the Fellowship principles. The reco rd of scrip tures is
patentl y clear that God blesses chosen vesse ls, not committees.
Wayman Mitchell point s out that there was no vote taken at the
Red Sea. One man had the mind of God, and one person the rod
of authority -Moses. The work of the fellowship over twenty
five years of increase has flowed out of apostolic authority and,
to the unprejudiced mind , that Apostolic mantle throu gh times of
trial and triumph, through trouble and success, has set firmly
upon the shoulders of Wayman Mitchel l.

78
 Chapter 14

NEW DIMENSIONS

"We are spiritual beings in physical bodies, not physical

beings animated by spirits. When we understand this,
healing takes place." - If.M.

The fifties and sixties witnessed a renewed interest in divine

heal ing, crusades, and miracle evangelism. Men like Tommy
Hicks, Ora l Roberts, A.A. Allen , Jack Coe, Clifton Erikson, and
T.L. Osborne were prominent evangelists when Wayman
Mitchell was a new convert. He had attended some of their
meetings and had felt the force of their anointed preaching and
had seen with his own eyes the miracles, signs and wonders that
followed the preaching of the Word . As a young preacher he had
believed that miracles were for today . Was not "Je sus Chri st the
same yesterday, today, and forever .?" If so, then a man who
preached the whole counsel of God in simple faith should expect

Healing in Hong Kong In the Name of Jesus Christ

79
to see 'Book of Acts' results . However, two things worked to
suspend the supernatural side to Mitchell 's preaching ministry for
a number of years. Firstly, he had attended a Bible College whose
theology taught that sickness and its attendant suffering was a
mean s of refining character and ennobling the human spirit. If it
was God 's will to heal a person , He would do so, but, since this
happened on only rare occasions, it was clear that most of the
time He preferred to see His children suffer. To argue otherwise
was to challenge God's sovereign will. It was suggested, that
those who really knew God could resign them selves to their
physical affliction and "wait upon the Lord." Only the
presumptuous would fight against their circumstances or attribute
their sickness to the work of the devil.

Sickness - a blessing?
Clearly such theology was filled with contradictions. If it was
God's will that a person should endure sickness, then why
counteract His will by going to a physician to become well? Also,
if it was God's supreme will to permit His children to suffer with
sickness, then to even pray for wholeness was to deny His
'blessing ' to us.

Evangelist Har ry Hills Mi racle Healin g Crusade - Kenya

80
Is healing a special gift?
The other aspect of healing that was confusing was that of the
endowment of the spiritual gift to a chosen few. It was taught, that
the men who were being so mightily used at that time in the area
of divine healing, had a special gift from God. They were the
ones gifted with the I Cor. 12 gifts of healing. It was undeniable
that they had been so divinely endued; but, it was also equally
clear, that the rest of the preachers who didn' t have their results,
hadn't been given the gift of healing and therefore should confine
their ministry to the preaching of the Word only, and forget about
praying for the sick. There were those that had the gift of healing,
and there were those who didn't.
Notfor me
Mitchell decided he belonged to the second group and stuck to
the preaching of the Word. Nevertheless, troublesome thoughts
persisted and these would surface a few years later when Pastor
Mitchell accompanied a young preacher called Jack Harris, on a
miracle healing crusade in the Philip pines. Here is an account
from Pastor Mitchell's book on Healing:
Turning point
Our Fellowship was experiencing a time of rapid growth in the
late 1970's and early 1980's. Jack Harris was, at that time,
ministering in crusades on the foreign field and was seeing great
results in converts and miracles of healin g. Still influenced by
Bible School traditions, fearful of excesses and thinking of
healing only as a 'gift', I was, nonetheless, thrilled with the
results . As I watched these things I was moved with a growing
sense of excitement over the grea t vehicle that miracle crusades
provided for preaching to masses of people and something else
began to happen . I came to the conclusion that this minist ry
would work for anyone . After all, I knew Jack and the other men
involved in miracle minist ry as no-one else knew them and was
sure they were doing what anyone else could do. I finally decided
that I would try it.
Psyched out by Satan
The opportunity came in Oton, a small town outside of Iloilo City
in the Philip pines. Jack was ministerin g in a crusade and had
phenomenal crowds and miracles. Over seven thousand people
were gathering nightly with hundreds converted and healed

81
Jack developed a severe case of pink-eye and I decided to preach
the crusade that night. Just as we started, the heavens opened and
it began to rain tropic style. It poured. We hustled into a nearby
home and between filling the living area and the carport (where
people could still see and hear what was going on inside) we
gathered about one hundred and twenty five people. I preached
the message God had given me, called for converts and then for
the sick. I prayed a mass prayer ( a small mass to be sure) and no-
one was healed . In fact, no-one felt even remotely better. This
event did such a 'ps yche' job on me that I did not again minister
in a crusade setting for seven years. I know now it was a 'ps yche'
job of hell to defeat the ministry God was wanting to place in our
Fellowship .
A second opportunity with results
Thankfully, and to His glory, God does not simply quit or give up
on His purposes. In those seven years I noticed God did bring
significant deliverance to people whenever I preached faith
sermons . Then in Mexico I had a word of knowledge and some
healings occurred in a mass prayer during a conference service.
Again, I became stirred about the healing ministry. Early in 1988
I was to preach in Mexico City. Just prior to leaving Prescott I
called for the schedule of services, and to ask what my part would
be. I had assumed it would be a conference setting, but learned to
my amazement, that I was the featured speaker in the crusade.
Rather than shift or change my role in the meetings, I decided to
preach the crusade. The first night, after preachin g and calling for
salvation, we got about thirty five people who needed healing
into the altar area . I instructed them in the dynamic s of the mass
prayer. First, lay your hands on the part of your body where you
are sick. Second, repeat the prayer of faith in which I lead you.
Third , when we finish prayin g lift your hands and begin to
worship and thank God. Fourth , and last, as you praise God,
check your body and see if you are healed. After instructin g them,
I led them in a mass prayer and then in praise while those sick
checked themselves for evidence of healing. I then asked for
testimonies. One man, thrown from a horse twelve years earlier,
suffering pain from a head inju ry, was healed. A severely crippled
woman, suffering for five years from painful arthritis in her
hands, was healed. There were ten other significant healings. This
provided me a great insight. I knew that I had done nothing
special . Without question, what I had done was not operate in any

82
special 'gifting,' but simply obey the revealed will of God to
preach healing in Jesus name."
Bringing the 'goods' home
With this stamp of God's approval upon praying for the sick,
Mitchell became further emboldened. If God could heal in
Mexico, He could heal in America . He left for home with a
renewed determination that, from that day forward, he was going
to contend for the supernatural and encourage his men to do the
same . In his first service back at the Ruth Street Church, he saw
healings among his congregation. A rally had been scheduled in
Denver that same week. Mitchell recounts the events.
A widening sphere
"On the plane while travelling to Denver, I felt God give me a
Word of Knowledge that He was going to heal crossed-eyes and
a shoulder injury. The rally was attended by about 650 people.
After preaching, calling for salvation and then assembling folks
in need of healing at the altar, I instructed them in a mass prayer.
Lacking boldness and confidence to specifically call for
particular diseases as a Word of Knowledge, I mentioned what
God had spoken to me on the plane as I instructed the people in
prayer. After prayer there were a number of notable miracles.

Healing Crusade in Zwolle

83
Several deaf ears had opened, a woman with crippling and
painful arthritis of ten years was healed, and a number of other
people with various infirm ities were healed. Also, two people
with crossed-eyes were healed. One was healed as he stood at the
altar and prayed the mass prayer, and the other was healed as he
stood in the congregation and prayed. The Word of Knowledge
had triggered his faith. The shoulder injury was also healed. It
was a man who had been seriously hurt in a sports accident two
years earlier. He had recovered, but until that night in Denver the
pain had never left. In that rally I gained anothe r valuable insight
to healing ministry. I knew a 'gift' ministry, either in healing or
Word of Knowledge, could trigger and enhance people's faith.
Putting It All Together
Not only were the results he had prayed for being seen, but
enlightenment was coming to his heart which allowed him to
grasp the principles behind the healings he was seeing . This
ability to analyze, understand and seize upon truth has been a
distinguishing feature in Wayma n Mitchell's life. His unrelenting
pursuit after the keys of spiritual knowledge has ensured that,
over the years, he has been kept on the cuttin g edge of effective
ministry, always daring to push forward into new dimensions of
God's Kingdom power.
Apostolic Mantle
Coupled with this ongoing exploration of the supernat ural, is a
grace that uniquely rests upon his life, and that is the ability to
bring others into the realms of knowledge that he enjoys. This
constitutes what must be described as an Apostolic mantle. While
the men mentioned at the beginning of the chapter carried a
divine unction in their ministry for which we shall ever be
grateful; while they pushed forward into spheres of revelation
that had been largely lost since the Book of Acts, their work and
influence hardly extended beyond their own lifetimes. Tommy
Hicks saw a mighty work of revival power in Sout h Americ a but,
after this outpouring, was scarcely heard of again. A.A. Allen
Miracle Crusades touched multiplied thousands but, after his
untimely death at fifty four, his organization crumbled, and
Miracle Valley now sits in the Arizo na desert as a sad memorial
to former days of glory. Jack Coe, a mighty and bold protagonist
for supernatural healing, also died an early death and passed

84
nothing on to posterity save a few tapes that lie largely forgotten
in the libraries of those who were touched by his ministry. Oral
Roberts, almost a household name in America in the fifties, left
the Miracle healing circuit and was diverted into building a City
of Faith, and a huge medical facility that led him into bankruptcy.

An Existing Structure
The grace that differentiates Wayman Mitchell's ministry, lies in
the fact that he incorporates the supernatural aspects of divine
healing into a larger vision of world evangelism and church
planting. What he has received from the Lord, he has taught by
demonstration and by doctrine to a host of faithful men, who
propagate miracle ministry throughout the earth in the network of
CFM churches. This structure of churches existed prior to
Mitchell's own excursion into the realm of divine healing and
miracle evangelism. They were the churches, PLANTED AND
PASTORED BY HIS OWN DISCIPLES, and a structure was
therefore in place, out of which streams of fresh understanding
and life could flow. His unique ability to instruct, imbue , and
inspire others in what he himself has received has ensured that
the gospel message, attended by signs and wonders, has been
propagated throughout the earth in CFM churches.

Unto the ends of the earth

Even as you read these pages it is highly probable that, in anyone
of the five continents, a banner flies from a Big Top announcing
a ' Miracle Healing Crusade.' Somewhere, perhaps on the streets
of Rio De Janeiro, the Esplanades of Spain, or in the crowded
thoroughfares of Malaysia, hands pass out flyers that invite
people to come and witness the miracle power of Jesus to heal
toda y. It is a repetition of Acts 8 where Philip went down to
Sam aria and ' preached Chri st unto them.' A Christ who not only
can save, but heal and deli ver also. At this moment, across the
earth, evangelists and pastors from CFM are standing behind
pulpits with Scriptures open at Mark 16:17 declaring the Gospel
of Christ and seeing God confirm his Word with signs following.
Multitudes are responding to their gospel of deliverance.
Fruitful and exciting days are here with the promi se of
greater demonstrations ahead . Characteristic of the desire to
teach others, Mitchell has enshrined his understanding of the
principles of divine healing and his experiences in this realm in a

85
sma ll volume called....."HEALING: Commission, Confrontation
and Compelling Witness."
It has been written in conjunction with John Gooding, and is
strongly recommended for further reading on this most crucial of
subjects.

Pastor Mitchell with son Greg Mitchell at Miracle Healing Crusade

86
 Chapter 15

WORDS FROM THE FAMILY

"It is hard to speak in real nice terms and get the
message across.. You need to take a spiritual 2X4 and
bash them a couple of times."-lv.M.

The Prescott Conference is a fascinating melange of individuals.

They come from every walk of life and, for two separate weeks
each year, are drawn from all parts of the earth to be preached to
under the Big Top.
Break times offer opportunity to stand in the Arizona sun
and talk (the experience of fellowship is a close second to the
preaching of the Word at conference). I chose such times to invite
people to share feelings and perceptions about Pastor Mitchell
and to speak of his influence upon their lives.
Nobody was without an opinion. Everywhere there was
an eagerness to say something about a man who, for over twenty-

Healed in Jesus' Name

87
five years of faithful leadership, has won the deep respect and
admiration of those who have worked with him and sat under his
ministry.
"I louve 'eem"
In a heavy Spanish accent a Mexican pastor tried to convey his
thoughts. He began slowly but his emotions quickly surged. "I
louve 'eem; I louve 'eem ee es bin like a father to oss." The words
tumbled forth expressing gratitude for Brother Mitchell's care for
the Mexican people: for the men he has sent to preach, for the
financial help given, for bringing them to conference and for his
visits to Mexico to preach revival.
I abandoned the idea of taking notes and listened to an
out-pouring of appreciation. I did not understand every word but
I got the message. The love in the man's heart was undeniable.

Daily dedication
Another senior pastor from the international counsel spelled
things out more slowly. "Vision and undeviating commitment to
what he believes God has told him to do."
A five minute synopsis followed of twenty some years of
experience of working with Pastor Mitchell . He spoke of his
consecration to the ministry and of an unflagging energy and
level of performance he had never seen excelled.

Man rejoices in Healing - Danderong Tent Crusade

88
 He finished with the observation that , because Pastor
Mitc hell gives this daily dedication to God's work, he cannot
understand why others could ever be satisfied with less than the
same degree of commitment.
"I considermyselfto be given to God's work but, quitefrankly, I
have neverexcelled to that degree:' I left him with his thoughts.
Leadership by example
One of the brothers who has stood through years of conflict with
Pastor Mitchell spoke in military terms .
"Leadership and example ," were words that more than
once came forth as I listened to an account of two decades of
fighting the Lord 's battle togeth er.
"I have never seen Pastor Mitchell back down once he
was convinced that he had the mind of the God. To me," he
continued, " that is a unique qua lity and that type of absolute
conviction has won my deepest respect."
He goes on to recoun t the dark years of the fellowship
when an exodus of over a hundred churches took place in 1990.
"I had a chance to observe Pastor Mitchell closel y. He
was going through the fight of his life but he never lost his focus
of discipling men nor did he deviate from the mission of world
evangelism. To endure and to press on through personal pain like
that is a unique quality." It inspired all of us. To me that is
greatness."

Redemptiveness
Another man, also close to Pastor Mitchell, reminisces about
what he calls the two clear aspec ts of Pastor Mitchell's dealing
with people that are a paradox.
"You know," he said " Pastor Mitchell has incredible
patience with the men he disci ples. All sorts of patience. There
are some men I would have ditc hed and been glad they were gone
but Brother Mitchell often gives them a second or third chance.
Where he sees a man who has a heart to serve God he will stay
with him through the mistakes and failures. I've seen him burned
a number of times, but he is still redemptive with people.
However, if Pasto r Mitc hell ever thinks a person is being

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dishonest or trying to take advantage of him, WATCHOUT. It's
game over."
'A good Dad'
"I don't know Pastor Mitchell well," said a young pastor from the
north east. "I' ve only spoken to him once over the phone, but I
know he loves his family. When Greg Mitchell was back from
Australia and came to our church to preach he went down with a
bad fever. I thought it was pneumonia. I phoned Pastor Mitchell .
Two hours later the money was there for Greg's airfare. Pastor
Mitchell flew him home the next day. I had to finish the revival
on my own, but I never forgot that time. He's a good dad."
I have chosen to call this chapter, "Words from the
Family." These unsolicited testimonies help give insight into the
person of Wayman Mitchell by those who have seen him from
view points other than a pew facing a pulpit.
Ouch!
"He chewed my butt real good when I was a disciple at Prescott,"
said one pastor. "I knew two things. First, I needed the correction
and second , that I sure didn 't want it to happen again."
An ability to read people
Another seasoned campaigner shared some different reflections.

Miracle in Af rica

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 "He reads people well. Men who I woul dn't have thought
would have made it, Pastor Mitchell stuck with, and they have
proved to be fruitful workers. That's insight. He can usuall y spot
phonies. I guess that comes from experience. He has learned the
hard way, but his assessments of people are usually right on."
"Generous. That's what comes to mind when I think of
Pastor Mitchell. He's super generous."
When I asked him to say more the man said, "I' ve seen
Pastor Mitchell sink thousands of dollars into sending couples
out and some times lose the lot, but he's prepared to take the risk
again and again. He has a truly liberal heart . That liberality has
been taught to the whole fellowship by his example."

The hidden man

Over a period of five days at the Winter Conference in Janu ary
1996, mostly in private conversations and sometimes in larger
groups around coffee tables, I formed a mosaic of memories and
perceptions; of intuitions and insights from numerous fellowship
members.
As I assembled these expression s quite randomly, my
mind suddenly flashed back to a heart examination I had
undergone a few years previou sly. I had been made to drink
radio-active thallium and was later scanned by a moving camera.
There, before my eyes in red, blue and green, a picture of my
heart with blood flow ing through the chambers, slowly appeare d
on a large T.V. screen .
I was seeing inside work ings . I had a strange feeling as I
listed the comments about Pastor Mitchell from the men and
women of the fellowship family, that a picture of a heart was
appearing . One that was beating for lost souls and one that was
on fire fo r the Lord Jesus and His church .
" Integrity. I would say that was the word that comes to
my mind as I think of Brother Mitchell," Another comment was
added. The picture became a little sharper. "He' s a man who truly
cares," said another Pastor. "I was brought up in a denomination
where it was nickels, nois e and noses. When I met Brother
Mitchell and first heard him preach I knew that I'd met someone
who was moti vated by a true passion for lost souls . He personally
paid for me to come to conferences. I went back home and

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resigned my church. I've been with the Fellowship ever since."
An Apostle of Christ
Again the focus became clearer. And so the comments continued
to flow. The feelings expressed here were unsolicited in so far
that those who gave them were neither primed nor prepared. They
were offered as spontaneous reflections; observations from
people who were glad to have an opportunity of adding their
brush strokes and color to the portrait of someone who has been
manifestly used of God to inspire their own lives and to press
them forward into their Destiny.
Those who have been around Wayman Mitchell for any
length of time are aware of being around a rare individual. The
previous commentary attests to the fact.
His pulpit manners and preaching style give but one view
of the public man. The fuller and, I believe, the truer picture, is
supplied by the affections and loyalties generated in the hearts of
these who are closest to him, and which, to some degree, have
been given expression in this chapter.
These testimonies (and there are scores of others that
could be added to them) underscore the whole text of this volume
"In Pursuit of Destiny."
They declare with one voice that an Apostle of Christ has
been among us.

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 Chapter 16

'The Best is Yet To Be?'

"It is the business of the church to make God known to
every generation. It is not God's business, it's the
church 's."-If.M.

"The best is yet to be.''These are the oft quoted final words of that
great soul winner and evangelist John Wesley. At eighty seven, on
his death bed, the grand old man could look back on fifty years
of non-stop revival and still declare in his last breath "The best is
yet to be." Can we believe this to be true for the Fellowship?

The twenty-fifth reunion - a silver milestone

In July of 1995 there was a special 25th Reun ion of the workers,
members, friends, and family from all parts of the earth . It was a
weekend of celebration that led into the July Conference. The
walls of the tent were lined with the photos of the old days-
faces of the 1970 converts with shocks of hair, fuzzy beards,
weird clothing, girls with bell-bottom jeans, and strings of beads
gazed out at their living counterparts neatly dressed, well-
groomed, and now a quarter of a century older. The newcomers
to the fellowship could scarcely believe the transformation or the
stories!
What wondrous things God had wrought over the years. Could it
ever get any better than that? Could God ever exceed and go
beyond the remarkable work that was done in the magical days of
the Lincoln Street revival when heaven-sent blessing seemed to
pervade everything, everywhere and everybody? It is Pastor
Mitchell's conviction that what was experienced those short
twenty five years ago can not only be experienced again but also
exceeded. "The wineskin is here in our network of fellowships.
We have God -given principles imparted to us that are timeless.
God has not changed. It is still His intention to pour forth His
Spirit, save souls and spread His Kingdom throughout the earth.
We are in a unique position to be used by God as never before
provided we keep humble, cry out to Him for His help, and
submit ourselves and our own parochial interests to the larger
commonwealth of His Kingdom."
I asked him to enlarge upon this. He continued:
"If the pastors and leaders within our Fellowship see that
in relinquishing some of their own private plans and agendas for
the common good of the Fellowship , if they continue to recognize
each other and prefer one another in love; if they will work
cooperatively instead of competitively, then God 's favour and
increa se will be upon the work of our hands worldwide. We have
a visual mod el given to us in the British Commonwealth of
Nations, and in the relationship that exists between America and
Canada. The working of these nat ions for common good has
brought unprecedented prosperi ty to their peop les. However, in
contrast to the Commonwealth mode ls, we have cont inents like
Africa where fiefdoms, factions and region al interests prevail
over the common good of the African people. Ever ybody wants
to build their own little empire and be considered a chief.
Everybody is putting their own agenda first, and is prepared to go
to war to fulfill it. Neighbors are not seen as friend s but as rivals
or as opportunities for expl oitation, consequently the whole
nation is fragm ented and spoiled by tribal war and horrible
co nflict. There is no understanding of commonwealth or common
goo d-the result is the worst kind of impoveri shment."

Th e Fellowship as a Comm onwealth

He went on .
"Our Fellowship has been built on co mmonwea lth
principles. For years we have followed the principle of brotherly
love spoken of in Philippians, where every man looks not only for
his own good, but for the goo d of others, and God has seen fit to
marvelously bless us.
While that spirit of altruism prevails, we can not but
increase. We will go from grace to grace, and from strength to
strength in the glorious favour of God . The word ' together' is a
key word in the Book of Ephesians, which is the Bible's deepest
revelation of the Church; it continually speaks of being
' together,' seated together, raised together, etc. In our Fellow ship
for twenty five years we have operated in the principle of

94
togetherness. We have shared together, labored tog ether, given
together, been persecuted together, triumphed together. We have
consequently enjoyed together com monwe alth blessings, and we
will continue to , just so long as we live and move with the
common good of the Fellowship-family in our hearts. While I'm
alive, that's the way it will continue to be . After I am gone, only
God kn ows."
Since the prospect of the Fellowship without Pastor
M itchell 's pres ence and he ad ship ha s been discussed by most
pastors from time to time, I urged him to say more. There wa s a
note of caution in his voice.
"Ce rtain th ings have come to me by experience and
others have come by revelation. They amount to the present truths
that I now embrace in my d iscipling of men.
Vulnerability is a very real factor when yo u deal wit h
men.
Jesu s said, " He that dippeth his hand in the di sh hath
betrayed me ." He was speaking ab out Judas.
David sa id, "We took sw ee t counsel and we nt to the
hou se of the Lord tog ether."
He was ta lk ing about the men who later ro se in reb elli on
against him .
No tice in both cases the re was proximity of life . Th e ve ry
togetherness tha t allows for im partati on also all ow s for human
weakness and fl aw s to be seen - unl ess love abounds and the good
of the common we alth is held to , tho se weaknesses and flaw s
which are in every man become grounds for insurrection and
betrayal.
In time success, money, ego, pride, bitterness,
questioning, Kingdom building and personal agenda begin to lay
claim upon heart-priority.
When this happens a reaching into the pool of knowledge
about others' flaws, either real or imagined, become the too ls
and/or, more horribly, the weapons that justify a certain cour se of
action that is at cross purpose with the com monwealth, and the
unity of the spirit is destroyed.
In Acts 20 :28-35, Paul talks of his de parture from

95
Ephesus. He didn't give them good news. He sounded an alarm
and instructed all his leaders to be on full alert . He was referring
to those things that I've just mentioned.
If our men will take these exhortations to heart then we
shall prosper and flow together; if they fail to, then the forces of
self-interest will fragment us."
His final comment was concerning the title of this
closing chapter:
"Take off the exclamation mark and put a question mark
after 'The best is yet to be!' "
As he spoke, an incident from the January 1996
conference was recalled to my mind . Two young converts had
stopped Pastor Mitc hell on his way to the tent. They were thrilled
that he had paused to speak with them. As he left for the platform,
each in turn fervently shook his hand. "Don't worry, Pastor
Mitchell, when you die, we are going to see that the vision lives
on ." Pastor Mitchell recounted this to the conference body that
same night , and with a hearty chuckle he added "don't be fooled,
I intend to outl ive the whole lot of you!"

In Pursuit of Destiny

96
 'IN PURSUIT OF DESTINY'

I have watched the scarlet sunset in the dying of the day.

I have walked beneath a midnight sky where ten thousand
stars hold sway.
I have felt the mighty motion of the ocean's heaving breast,
And seen the jewelled faces of the mountain's highest crest.
I have marvelled at the eagle's flight on wings of majesty,
And in my heart I've pondere d on the call of Destiny.

Destiny, it crieth unto the soul of man,

"If you seek me you shall find me,
You shall know my Master plan.
You shall know my voice to lead you.
You shall know my Hand to guide.
You shall know my presence with you.
You shall know my power inside.
You shall find the narrow pathway
And pass throug h the gate that's strait.
You shall live in lofty places
And achieve a purpose great.

But understand the price my son

Your Destiny to fulfill,
My road it leads to Calvary
And a cross upon a hill.
His pain, His prayers, His nail wounds
Were the Father's currency,
To purchase for the Son's of men
Eternal Destiny."

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