David Wilkerson was born in 1931 in Hammond, Indiana, and was a renowned author, a devoted pastor and an evangelist. He schooled at the Assemblies of God and trained as an evangelist. He then served and ministered in the Assemblies of God but left the denomination after 35 years. Several people are always interested to know why he left the Assemblies of God and where he is now. So, why did David Wilkerson leave the Assemblies of God?
David Wilkerson departed from his long-term denomination of the Assemblies of God because the church had strict requirements that made it difficult for some trained pastors to be ordained. He asserted that strict adherence was detrimental to winning more souls to Christ and that many would serve God even without the degree requirements so long as they were trained and ordained as pastors. Based on this reason, he left to form another ‘transnational’ church named the ‘Times Square Church’, which would accommodate all people he stood for.
So, what did David Wilkerson believe? How did his vision contradict the Assemblies of God church? Where did David Wilkerson go after leaving the Assemblies of God church? And where is he now? Keep reading through this article to get the answers to these questions and more.
What did David Wilkerson believe?
Through his many years of service to God and ministering God’s word, David Wilkerson, just like other Christian Protestants, believed in the Holy Trinity. Meaning that, God existed in three forms the father, the son, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit. He professed the belief of baptism by the Holy Spirit, which is greatly shown by speaking in tongues.
He consolidated his faith in God, that Jesus died for our sins on the cross and that Jesus defeated death and rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. It is important to note that Wilkerson did not leave the Assemblies of God over doctrinal disagreements; he still had the same denominational belief of the Assemblies of God.
David Wilkerson was quoted saying, “We are ordaining young men who have come through the drug culture and would not be eligible for ordination in the Assemblies of God denomination.” Majority of those he was advocating for within the church did not have the relevant official education required by the denomination. They also preferred to be ordained by the Times Square Church rather than the Assemblies of God as it was a more accommodating church. David Wilkerson was crying after he came across the picture of seven New York gang teenagers in Life Magazine.
The column in the article detailed the trial of these teenagers and their murder charges. These boys were members of a notorious teenage gang called Dragons, who were accused of viciously attacking and murdering a boy with polio named Michael Farmer. This was the round turn of David Wilkerson’s thoughts on his denomination as he sought to preach to them about holiness and to live a righteous life.
David Wilkerson’s most controversial teaching was the prophecy he had on the future worldwide calamity on 7th March 2009. He wrote that he felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to send an urgent message to all on their mailing list and to friends and to the bishops they have met all over the world about the impending global calamity. He said that many cities across America would experience riots and blazing fires.
However, his vision and prophesy about this global calamity were received negatively all over the world. They questioned his authority on such a controversial issue. This led to a massive rejection and fall out from his own denomination of the Assemblies of God Church and some of his colleague evangelists.
How did David Wilkerson’s vision contradict the Assemblies of God Church?
In his book “The Vision “, published on 28th November 1980, David Wilkerson unfolds the vision God gave to him regarding the world’s future. He warns of an earth-shattering calamity that would cause fires in some cities in America and across the world. However, this contradicts the vision of the Assemblies of God in which David Wilkerson served as an evangelist and pastor for 35 years.
On the contrary, the Assemblies of God share in the vision of salvation, baptism in the Holy Spirit through speaking in tongues, total divine healing and the anticipation of the second coming of Jesus Christ.
After his prophetic revelations, many Protestants and believers of his word across the world rejected his vision.They washed their hands off his prophecy and distanced themselves from him. David Wilkerson was widely condemned as a fanatic and faced total rejection as his words went contrary to that of the Assemblies of God. Many people, including most of his denomination of the Assemblies of God, criticized his prophecy on how he was teaching about holiness and leading a righteous life leading people to Christ, who wishes the bad for his people by sending a shattering calamity on the entire world.
However, Christians are challenged to keep the line of focus on God as they practice their faith in God. Our actions and way of life today impacts the future. God will hold each of us sufficiently accountable for our past actions. Christians should lead a holy and righteous life to overcome God’s wrath and punishment in the coming future.
Where did David Wilkerson go after leaving the assemblies of God church?
David Wilkerson departed the Assemblies of God church not because of denominational conflict but because his vision did not align with that of the Assemblies of God. He moved on to open his own church ‘Times Square Church’ which he described as ‘trans-denominational’, meaning people from any denomination could join, attend and serve in it. People from all walks of other denominations; the Baptists, Catholics, and even the Protestants, were all welcomed to fellowship. The trans-denominational church came to being in the year 1987 and it first occupied an auditorium in Times Square then later moved to Mark Hellinger Theatre in 1989, which it has operated from ever since.
Furthermore, David Wilkerson did not represent any denomination in his preaching. He suggested that his church does not align to the doctrines of other denominations, its doctrines are neither of the Assemblies of God nor the Baptists and the Methodists. David Wilkerson likened his denomination to Holy Ghost people who just believe in the book (The Bible). Wilkerson and his wife moved to New York City in 1987.
Where is David Wilkerson now?
David Wilkerson died in 2011. David and his wife had just moved to Texas in 2010. The next year on 27th April 2011, he and his wife drove on US Route 175 east of Texas when they collided with an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer. He was reported dead on the spot. The wife was rushed to the hospital; she died a year later from cancer.
David Wilkerson was 79 years of age during the accident. A private funeral was held on 2nd May at Rose Height church. Family, close friends and evangelists attended it. People viewed a video tribute during the funeral service. His body was buried in Lindale, Texas.
References
What did David Wilkerson believe?
Where did David Wilkerson go after leaving the Assemblies of God?
How David Wilkerson’s vision contradicts the Assemblies of God
They say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, right? Being raised by Christians significantly impacted my life since I started professing Christ from a young age. My passion for the Christian faith made me pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology. I am a believer and pastor dedicated to spreading the word of God. I have been in the Christian ministry for over a decade and am currently ministering in Life Christian Church. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Please check the About Us Page for more details.
