Check.Church

Neo-charismatic / independent networks

Pentecostal and Charismatic · c. 1980 · Worldwide — strongest in the Global South

Independent congregations and networks practicing the gifts without classical Pentecostal or denominational identity — the fastest-growing segment of world Christianity and the segment where the great majority of the World Christian Encyclopedia's denomination count lives. The Tier 3 statistical fan-out band attaches primarily to this node.

Neo-charismatic / independent networks was formed around 1980. Neo-charismatic / independent networks continues today. Neo-charismatic / independent networks's institutional line runs back through Pentecostalism, The Holiness movement, Methodism, Church of England, Roman Catholicism to the post-apostolic church. No body on this tree is the assembly of Acts 2; where a body claims that, the claim appears in the claimed-lineage layer.

Between the post-apostolic church and Neo-charismatic / independent networks stand 4 divisions along the institutional line, counting separations and disputed forks, not mergers, renewals or national organizations.

At a glance

Formed
Around 1980
Family
Pentecostal and Charismatic
Region
Worldwide — strongest in the Global South
Key figures
John Wimber, C. Peter Wagner
Cause tags
Doctrine, Governance
Also known as
Third wave; Independent charismatic churches

What it separated from

On the tree

Neo-charismatic / independent networks and its institutional line back to the post-apostolic churchAD 33today1004244314511054153417291835190119601980The post-apostolic church (The spine)The post-apostolicchurchThe spineChurch of the East (Church of the East)Church of the EastChurch of the EastThe conciliar church (The spine)The conciliar churchThe spineThe Chalcedonian church (The spine)The Chalcedonian churchThe spineOriental Orthodoxy (Oriental Orthodox)Oriental OrthodoxyOriental OrthodoxEastern Orthodoxy (Eastern Orthodox)Eastern OrthodoxyEastern OrthodoxRoman Catholicism (Catholic)Roman CatholicismCatholicChurch of England (Anglican)Church of EnglandAnglicanMethodism (Methodist)MethodismMethodistThe Holiness movement (Holiness)The Holiness movementHolinessPentecostalism (Pentecostal and Charismatic)PentecostalismPentecostal and CharismaticThe Charismatic renewal (Pentecostal and Charismatic)The Charismatic renewalPentecostal and CharismaticNeo-charismatic / independent networks (Pentecostal and Charismatic)Neo-charismatic /independent networksPentecostal and Charismatic

Solid lines are separations and unions; dashed lines are renewals that began inside a body; dotted gray lines are national organizations of one communion; a diamond marks a fork event where neither side is drawn as the one that left. Every line runs back to the post-apostolic church; no body descends from the assembly of Acts 2.

Adherents

About 409,425,000 adherents (research-center estimate, as of 2025).

World Christian Database figures run higher than other cross-national series; see the methodology page.

Source: WCD 'Independents' tradition total (CSGC 2025)

Sources

Research compiled July 2026. Page data built 2026-10-10.