Andy Byrd
Andy Byrd | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation(s) | Missionary, evangelist, author |
| Known for | Co-founder of International House of Prayer University and The Send |
| Spouse | Holly Byrd |
| Children | Asher, Hadassah, Rhema, Valor and Chanel Byrd |
| Website | circuitriders |
Andy Byrd is an American pastor and missionary, born and raised in California. He co-founded International House of Prayer University, The Send, and worked with a number of organizations and ministries, like Youth With A Mission (YWAM), Fire and Fragrance (part of the YWAM ministries),[1] and Circuit Riders.[2] He lives in Kona, Hawaii, with his wife Holly, and their five children, Asher, Hadassah, Rhema, Valor and Chanel.[3][4]
Stadium Christianity and the pandemic[edit]
In 2016, a great prayer meeting in Los Angeles, named "The Call: Azusa Now", brought together a group of the New Apostolic Reformation leaders, including Andy Byrd, Brian Brennt, Daniel Kolenda, Michael Koulianos, Teo Hayashi, Todd White and Lou Engle. After that, they decided to found "The Send" movement and join forces.[5]
In 2020, Lou Engle prophesied that it will be a year of "Stadium Christianity", and that "a dozen stadium sized gatherings of Christians had been planned for that year". The prophesy came from Paul Cain (died in 2019), one of the Kansas City Prophets, and his followers seem to believe that a new generation of believers will cause a revival. The year started promisingly, with The Send taking place in three stadiums in Brazil on February 8, bringing together around 140 thousand people, and with the surprise participation of the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro.[6]
But, at the end of March, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of all gatherings, including meetings already scheduled in various stadiums across the United States and abroad. At first, the revivalists appeared to accept the restrictive measures, but shortly afterwards, Andy Byrd commented to Engle that,[6]
(...)it is threatening the global advance of evangelism and is determined to stop Stadium Christianity and the sending movement. The Send Kansas City must not be stopped! Other great gatherings must not be stopped![6]
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the protests that followed, gave revivalists a new opportunity to justify crowds, under the pretext of counterbalancing the climate of turmoil and violence with public prayers and Christian music.[6] One of the organizers of these events was Sean Feucht, a well-known supporter of Donald Trump, who appears to have turned his anti-lockdown protests into a lucrative source of income.[7] Feucht and Byrd had partnered on several evangelistic events in and outside the United States, including a tour of South Africa in 2015, which also served as the release of Feucht's new CD, "Victorious One."[8] They also wrote a few books together, including "The Culture of Revival- A Revivalist’s Field Manual: Volume 2."[6]
Israeli support[edit]
Even though religious proselytism is not prohibited in Israel (although there is at least one law in progress in the Israeli parliament, which could change this scenario),[9] surprisingly the country has not become a target for Pentecostal missionaries, accustomed to preaching the Gospel even in hostile countries, or where Christians already constitute a majority (compared to just 1.9% of all Christian denominations in Israel).[10] There are missionaries, however, who periodically visit the country to extend "Christian support of Israel to the next generation of Evangelical leaders and combat the alarming rise in antisemitism around the world."[11]
One of these regular visitors is an American pastor, Robert Stearns, executive director of Eagles' Wings Ministries, an entity that seeks to connect believers to the "roots of their faith and the Jewish people." Used to taking heterogeneous groups to the Holy Land, Stearns welcomed the arrival of the "homogeneous group" of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), which in February 2023 he led on a visit to the country. As a result of the initiative, Stearns hoped to see long-term benefits and "positive interaction between the YWAM people and the State of Israel around the world", particularly in terms of political support for Israeli actions. As stated by Andy Byrd, the visit of his entity's leaders would "disseminate God's heart for the nation across the different bases and communities that we represent" and that this would mean "more focus, more prayer, more energy devoted to what God is doing in Israel."[11]
According to missionary Rachel Dangtaoumda, who was serving in Nigeria with her husband Paul at the time, "the Jewish people don’t have any other place to go to – that is very sad. I understand so much more how to pray for these people." Paul Dangtaoumda, a native of Burkina Faso, said that terrorists had taken over 40% of his country and killed many people, including Christians. But that in Israel, the "Jews fought for their nation", and that this gave him hope that the terrorists could be defeated in his own country.[11]
Selected publications[edit]
- Fire and Fragrance : From the Great Commandment to the Great Commission (with Sean Feucht)
- The Culture of Revival: A Revivalist Field Manual - Volume 1
- The Culture of Revival: A Revivalist’s Field Manual - Volume 2 (with Sean Feucht)
References[edit]
- ^ "About Us". Fire and Fragrance. 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Francis Chan & Andy Byrd live in South Africa". Joy! News. March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "About the author". Amazon. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Andy Byrd". Cornerstone Community Church. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "The Story". The Send. 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "2020: An Unprecedented Year to Schedule a Revival". Medium. April 7, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Dickinson, Tim; Voght, Kara (July 11, 2022). "MAGA Preacher Sean Feucht Scored Millions From His Trump-Loving Flock". RollingStone. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Sean Feucht and friends in Cape Town, PE and Joburg in May". Gateway News. April 17, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Israeli leader halts bill against Christian proselytizing". Associated Press. March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Israel 2022 International Religious Freedom Report" (PDF). United States Department of State. 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c Jansezian, Nicole (February 10, 2023). "YWAM leaders tour Israel with aim to bring back message for the next generation". All Israel News. Retrieved March 11, 2024.