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James River Church (formerly, James River Assembly) is a
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
multi-site
megachurch A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities, usually Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant C ...
based in
Ozark, Missouri Ozark is a city in and the county seat of Christian County, Missouri. Its population was 21,284 as of the 2020 census. The 2019 population estimate was 20,482. Ozark is also the third largest city in the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Area, a ...
. It is affiliated with
Assemblies of God USA The Assemblies of God USA (AG), officially the General Council of the Assemblies of God, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States founded in 1914 during a meeting of white Pentecostal ministers at Hot Springs, Arkansas (with e ...
. In 2019, James River reported an average weekly attendance of 19,000, making it one of the ten largest AG churches and one of the largest churches in Missouri (subsequently Springfield). John Lindell is the Lead Pastor alongside wife Debbie.


Community and international outreach

James River Church hosts a variety of events at their four campuses, including Stronger Mens Conference and Designed For Life women's conferences, holiday events for families and children, and sport teams. James River Church organizes community service events such as an annual service project to paint, clean, and landscape public schools in the area. The church also helps to promote foster parenting and adoption with Cherish Kids. From 1997 to 2010, one of JRC's local events was the annual Fourth of July patriotic program, the ''I Love America! Celebration''. In 2009, attendance for the 13th annual event, which was free to the public, reached approximately 120,000 people. Attendance in 2010 fell to 100,000. James River Church established James River Charities in 2008. James River Charities in a wholly owned single member entity of James River Church, and operates or manages several different areas, including James River Retreat Center, The River Fitness Center, James River Youth, Cherish Kids and James River College.


Controversies

On October 28, 2018, John Lindell stated during a sermon that yoga is a "form of Eastern mysticism that Christians should absolutely avoid". Between December 5–6, 2020, James River Church hosted several large indoor gatherings to celebrate Christmas. Due to the recent surge of Covid-19 infections, the Christian County Health Department issued a notice that attendees should monitor their symptoms for 14 days after the event, and to contact a medical professional if any symptoms arise. In March 2023, John Lindell publicized the story of his congregation's alleged restoration of a woman's amputated toes, saying that people watched them miraculously regrow during an hour of the church service under the power of faith. The church and the woman have refused to provide any evidence or respond to journalistic inquiry, and a website showmethetoes.com was spawned in offer to host any such evidence or eyewitness account.


References


External links


James River Church
{{Megachurches Assemblies of God churches Evangelical megachurches in the United States Pentecostal churches in Missouri Christian organizations established in 1991 Buildings and structures in Christian County, Missouri 1991 establishments in Missouri Pentecostal multisite churches