Jack Deere is an American

charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects. Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...

pastor and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He was an associate professor of

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

Dallas Seminary Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension cam ...

. In the late 1980s, he abandoned his earlier theological position, announcing that he had experienced the charismatic gifts for himself through the ministry of

John Wimber John Richard Wimber (February 25, 1934 – November 17, 1997) was an American pastor, Christian author and musician. Initially ordained as a Quaker minister, he became an early, pioneering pastor of charismatic congregations, and a popular tho ...

. From 1988 to 1992 he pastored a

Vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

church, and pastored a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

from 1994 to 1996. He remained in Montana for several years while traveling and speaking, and then moved back to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex where he was pastor of Wellspring Church in North Richland Hills, a church now pastored by Michael Rowntree.

''Surprised by the Power of the Spirit''

Deere's first book, published in 1993, ''Surprised by the Power of the Spirit'', details his journey into charismatic Christianity, arguing against the cessationist position that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit have ceased. He deals with the arguments of

B.B. Warfield Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (November 5, 1851 – February 16, 1921) was professor of theology at Princeton Seminary from 1887 to 1921. He served as the last principal of the Princeton Theological Seminary from 1886 to 1902. After the death o ...

and John MacArthur, among others. A companion book, ''Surprised by the Voice of God'', argues for contemporary prophecy and supernatural revelation. He speaks about his experience of the

Kansas City Prophets The Apostolic-Prophetic Movement (AP movement) is a Christian movement that believes that they are restoring elements of what they call the Five-Fold Ministry. This movement is rooted in the Charismatic movement, and is seen in Charismatic, Penteco ...

and the ministry of Paul Cain.

''Surprised by the Voice of God''

Using biblical and contemporary examples Deere argues that it has always been normal for God to speak to His children both from the Scripture and in their daily experience. This book was originally slated to be a chapter in Deere's first book, "Surprised by the Power of the Spirit", but Deere had so much material to cover, a second book was needed.

''The Beginner's Guide to the Gift of Prophecy''

C. Peter Wagner said this book “is the new operator’s manual for those who want to be participants, not just spectators, in today’s prophetic movement. This book will help you put it all together, get it up and running, and troubleshoot whatever problems arise.”

Biography

Deere was reared in Ft. Worth, Texas, the oldest of four children. When Jack was twelve years old, his father unexpectedly took his own life. The sorrow and great impact of this loss (which included great financial strain on the family) impelled him at first to be a rebel for a time, but then at age 17 to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. The profound change in him revealed a bent toward scholarship, so he attended

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

in Fort Worth, where he majored in Philosophy. While there, he started working with the ministry of Young Life, leading high school students to the Lord. After graduation from TCU in 1971, he attended Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) concentrating in Greek and Hebrew study of the Bible, and earning both a Master and a Doctor of Theology degree. In 1976, he was invited to join the DTS faculty, teaching Hebrew and Old Testament. During his tenure at Dallas Seminary, he started and pastored two churches. In 1986, after a thorough re-examination of the scriptures, Deere reversed his position on the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit (such as healing and prophecy), arguing that all the gifts of the Spirit are for today, and did not cease with the formation of the New Testament canon. Later on, this experience became the basis of his two companion books, ''Surprised by the Power of the Spirit'' and ''Surprised by the Voice of God''. At the end of 1987, Deere left the Dallas Seminary faculty and joined the staff of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Church in Anaheim, California, pastored at that time by his friend, Vineyard movement founder

. In 1992, Deere left the Anaheim Vineyard for Montana, where he began a ministry as a writer and conference-speaker. Tragically, in December 2000, his 23-year-old son Scott, who was home for Christmas, ended his life in the family home after many years of struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. This led to an almost immediate relocation back to Texas for a long period of recovery. In the spring of 2004, Deere began Wellspring Church in North Richland Hills, Texas, a church he pastored for many years. In his book "Even in Our Darkness," Deere writes at length about his wife Leesa's struggle with alcoholism and his own personal failures. More recently, he relinquished all leadership positions to be able to devote himself to full-time care of his wife, and they moved from Colleyville, Texas to Tennessee. The Deeres have two grown children, Stephen and Alese.

References

Books

* Deere, Jack, ''Surprised by the Power of the Spirit'' (Zondervan, 1993) * Deere, Jack, ''Surprised by the Voice of God'' (Zondervan, 1996) * Deere, Jack, ''The Beginner's Guide to the Gift of Prophecy'' (Regal, 2008) * Deere, Jack, ''Even in Our Darkness: A Story of Beauty in a Broken Life'' (memoir, Zondervan, March 6, 2018) Sermon given January 13, 2012 at the 12th Annual Winter conference of the Anglican Missions in the Americas (AMIA) Morning Worship, Houston TX: "The Three Distinct Phases of My Life With God." http://www.virtueonline.org/houston-tx-three-distinct-phases-my-life-god

External links

Jack Deere's church website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deere, Jack Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American Christian theologians American Christian mystics 20th-century Protestant theologians 20th-century Christian mystics Christian writers American Charismatics Protestant mystics Dallas Theological Seminary alumni