Prominent Figures with Direct Links to the Toronto Blessing

0. or the Root Figure. Rodney Howard-Browne

The Connection: The 1993 Tulsa Impartation

Before the "Blessing" broke out in Toronto, its future architect, Randy Clark, was a discouraged pastor seeking a breakthrough. In August 1993, Clark attended a pastors' conference at Kenneth Hagin’s Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where South African evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne was ministering.

1. Bill Johnson (Bethel Church)

• The Connection: In 1995, Bill Johnson traveled to the Toronto Airport Vineyard specifically to "get what they had." He has publicly stated that his ministry at Bethel was radically redirected by the "impartation" he received during that visit.

• The Result: He brought the "Toronto model" back to Redding, California, making Bethel a global hub for the same physical manifestations (gold dust, "fire," and spiritual drunkenness) popularized in Toronto.

2. Heidi Baker (Iris Global)

• The Connection: While suffering from ministry burnout in 1996, Heidi Baker visited the Toronto Airport Vineyard. She describes a "radical encounter" where she was physically pinned to the floor by the "power of God" for hours.

• The Result: Baker credits this specific event as the source of the "anointing" for her ministry in Mozambique. She remains a regular speaker at "Catch the Fire" (the rebranded Toronto church) conferences.

3. Randy Clark (Global Awakening)

• The Connection: Randy Clark was the guest speaker on January 20, 1994, when the "Blessing" officially broke out. He was the human instrument through whom the revival began, having himself received a "transfer" of anointing from Rodney Howard-Browne earlier.

• The Result: Clark spent years as a primary leader of the Toronto move and founded Global Awakening, a ministry dedicated to "imparting" that same experience to other pastors worldwide.

4. Todd Bentley (Fresh Fire Ministries)

• The Connection: During the 2008 Lakeland Revival, John Arnott (founding pastor of the Toronto Airport Vineyard) appeared on stage to formally "commission" Bentley.

• The Result: This was a public, documented passing of the torch. Arnott’s endorsement served to identify Bentley’s revival as a direct "outpouring" and continuation of the "River" that began in Toronto in 1994.

5. John Kilpatrick & Steve Hill (Brownsville Revival)

• The Connection: Steve Hill visited Holy Trinity Brompton in London (which had "caught" the Toronto Blessing via Eleanor Mumford) just before the 1995 Father's Day service at Brownsville Assembly of God.

• The Result: This link created the Brownsville Revival (Pensacola Outpouring), which was the most famous "daughter revival" of Toronto. The manifestations and theology were identical to the Toronto model.

6. Nicky Gumbel (Holy Trinity Brompton / Alpha Course)

• The Connection: In May 1994, Eleanor Mumford shared her Toronto experience at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London. Nicky Gumbel was "slain in the spirit" during this meeting.

• The Result: Gumbel brought this experiential focus into the Alpha Course, particularly the "Holy Spirit Weekend." This effectively exported the Toronto Blessing's theology into thousands of mainstream denominations globally.

7. Ché Ahn (Harvest Rock Church / HIM)

• The Connection: Ché Ahn traveled to Toronto in 1994 with Lou Engle to receive the "impartation."

• The Result: This led to the planting of Harvest Rock Church and the formation of a network that eventually became a cornerstone of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), moving the Toronto experience into the realm of "Apostolic" government and Dominionism.

8. Rick Joyner (Morning Star Ministries)

• The Connection: Joyner was one of the first major prophetic voices to visit Toronto and publicly validate it.

• The Result: Through his "Morning Star Prophetic Bulletins," Joyner provided the theological and prophetic defense for the manifestations, helping the movement gain legitimacy in the wider Charismatic world.

• 9. John Arnott (Catch the Fire / TACF)

  The Connection: As the senior pastor of the Toronto Airport Vineyard in 1994, Arnott was the primary "Host" who invited the movement in and refused to provide biblical restraint.

  The Result: Arnott institutionalized the "Toronto Blessing" by developing the "Soaking Prayer" method—teaching millions to "stop praying" and "turn off the mind" to receive spiritual impartation. This led to his church being removed from the Vineyard movement for its lack of biblical oversight.