The River: A Gathering Place, is both a network and a movement.

The heart of The River will always be about relationship: relationship with one another and with the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The River is people in ministry who desire relationship – relationships which involve personal accountability, validation of ministry, encouragement, resourcing, equipping, and fresh revelation. We desire to create opportunities where we become friends, not just co-laborers (2 Thess 1:3,11-12; Phil1:9-11). The River is committed to recognize, ordain and support the five-fold equippers in the Body of Christ in building up New Covenant People (Eph 4:11-13). Together, we join with Him in seeing His Kingdom established here on earth in power and love.

The River is an apostolic and prophetic network, which recognizes current moves of the Holy Spirit as well as envisioning and declaring God’s further direction in Kingdom advancement. The River is continually looking to what the Father is doing in lives and ministries, whether within the Church, or in the diverse arenas of our cultures today. As a network, we want to connect and resource one another with fresh prophetic insights of the Holy Spirit. We invite new thought, powerful testimonies, and clear revelation while holding to the scriptures that which is good (1 Thess 5; Titus 1:9; 2 Tim 3:14-17). We celebrate and acknowledge the current apostolic streams and welcome interaction as a way to enrich us all.

While our aim is Holy Spirit transformation bringing Kingdom reformation, we are certain that The River itself will change as new Revival movements and young apostles and prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists rise up under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We will not stagnate under denominational or religious influence. Just as a river flows with the current, joined by other streams and rivers, shaping and transforming the land; The River flows with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, making new relationships, strengthening one another and bringing life wherever it goes (Romans 12).

Years ago, Rich Oliver was asked “What is your vision for The River?” “My vision for The River?” Rich replied with a smile. “Well, when you have a sturdy and familiar hammer used in building a house. And at the end of the day, you don’t look at the hammer and say, ‘My, what a magnificent hammer! What amazing things you are going to build’. No, you turn your eyes to the house and its magnificence and beauty. And you are just thankful that you had a hammer to help build it. The River is like that hammer and I am just thankful that we could have a part in building the House.”

AS THE RIVER FLOWS AND GROWS

Exciting Developments, New Challenges, and a Kingdom Direction.
This month twenty-one years ago, The River was incorporated as a legal 501-c3 fellowship. It actually was birthed in April of 1997 as a handful of leaders sat in my office at Family Christian Center in Orangevale, CA and dreamt out loud about birthing an organic fellowship that was founded upon Grace, Kingdom, and all things Holy Spirit. It was also wonderful to have a strong relationship with Bethel Church, Redding, CA and for both Rich and Lindy to be a part of their Apostolic Council.

Today, The River has grown organically, to over 400 licensed and ordained ministers (yes, both male and female) in more than 40 states and 5 countries. We also now have over 40 Key Regional Leaders spread across the States and into Canada and are now holding both a West Coast and East Coast River Gathering.

Paul Swearengin, longtime River Board member has accepted the position of Vice President of our Board of Elders. Paul and I have worked together for years and have a great work and ministry relationship. Also, Paul has total authority to speak into my life and bring accountability, something we all need.

Lindy Oliver will continue as The River Treasurer overseeing all finances. Sharon Bridgeman is our personal assistant, friend, and River Event Coordinator.

Pastors Scott and Charissa Crowder, also long-time board members are our Key Leaders for the East Coast. Scott is a third-generation Pastor who serves with his wife Charissa as Senior Leaders of DreamHouse, a church in Newport News, Virginia. They both have a passion for the Kingdom of God and are graduates of Elim Bible Institute in Upstate New York. Both Scott and Charissa are graduates of Bethels LDP years one and two. Scott also graduated from Bethel’s Supernatural School of Worship.

Eric Gregson is an entrepreneur, supernatural teacher, and Pastor of Tithemi church in Redlands CA. Eric is a key member of our finance committee and brings incredible spiritual insights into the Board and The River as a whole.

We are glad to have three new Board members. First, we welcome Trisha Frost, co-founder and Director of Shiloh Place Ministries (founded in 1991) located in South Carolina. Trisha and her team conduct Healing and Restoration retreats and schools and share on The Father Heart of God. We also are thrilled to welcome Pastors Brent and Suzanne Lokker, who have been Pastors in the Bay Area of California for over two decades. They are the founding and Senior Leaders of Blazing Fire church, a church on fire pursuing His Presence.

And finally, YES, Lindy and I will continue as Apostolic Overseers of The River Fellowship. We are more excited than ever to serve as leaders of this dynamic and growing family. We will continue to press forward with the vision of The River which is to validate and commission (Credentialing), connect and encourage Ministers and their ministries as well as recognizing emerging 5-fold leaders.

Like a river, The River will continue to move forward as Holy Spirit empowers, bringing fresh revelation in advancing His Kingdom. It is a wonderful time to be a part of all that Holy Spirit is doing across this nation and around the World. Thank you for the honor of Leading the River and laboring together with our Elders and Pastors.

Pastor Richard Oliver Apostolic Overseer

OUR BELIEF STATEMENTS

1. We are passionate for God: the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In our times together, we seek to passionately experience Father God, to love and glorify Jesus, and to celebrate the presence of the Holy Spirit. We relate to God’s presence knowing that He is always good and that we are His beloved children.
2. We believe God’s Word is living, revelatory and authoritative. It continues to reveal Jesus and our relationship with Him and our destiny in Him.
3. We believe in life-transforming salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ that encompasses salvation, healing and deliverance.
4. We pursue living a life of worship and relationship with the Lord that carries His manifest presence. We believe in a life-style of prayer. We also believe that worship and a revelation of the Lord can come through a variety of expressions including music, art, dance, mime, drama. We encourage this diversity.
5. We are actively pursuing the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Fivefold graces of the Son as servant leaders to the local church.
6. We believe that relationships and family (fathering), not religion or denominations, are the core and structure of His Church. As a result, our network does not have a hierarchy of control, rather we have many fellowships, which love and support each other and pull on the Fivefold grace on each other’s lives.
7. We believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection provided a New Covenant and removed the Old Covenant of bondage. This New Covenant is the foundation of our new creation identity and freedom. Because of this, we believe in restoring individuals to health and freedom.
8. We have a Kingdom view which focuses on the unity of the Body of Christ in our region and the world, rather than a territorial view, which focuses only on one’s own local church. We desire to resource and strengthen the Church of our region as well as our own local church.
9. Although we believe in ordaining and supporting Fivefold equippers in their unique calling, we also believe that all Christians are all called to ministry. Each of us has a unique identity and destiny in Jesus. The role of the local church is to help children, youth and adults discover their gifts and passions and to equip, release, and encourage them in their destinies.
10. We believe that it is time for the people of God to share Christ outside the walls of the church; that the World has been dying to know the love of Jesus revealed through a supernaturally empowered Church. We believe in the Kingdom advancing into every realm of society and the leaven of the Kingdom leavening the entire world.