We just held our annual national conference for the United States Alliance for Reformation (formerly United States Apostolic Alliance). It was one of the most significant times I have been a part of. Everyone in attendance that I spoke with said the same. One of the speakers told me afterward, "this is the kind of meeting that 20 years from now we may be saying, 'it began at the USAR conference on '09.'" I agree.

The following is a great summary of the gathering by Eric Reeder, a young leader who shared a powerful word at the conference on "Synergy vs. Succession." You will enjoy his insightful report.
Blessings,
Dutch Sheets

U.S. Alliance for Reformation Conference Report
by Eric Reeder

As this letter is written, we find our nation at the threshold of change. The question is quickly becoming, "What kind of change is this, and who will set the course for it?" We find that a majority of the Church is asleep, awaiting a day of escape, and relegating her responsibilities to some time in the future, while evil presses to advance its agenda.

It is with this backdrop that God is stirring the "Sleeping Giant" of His Church, connecting the dry bones that are scattered, disjointed and separated, causing them to stand as a mighty force in this moment of history. An hour of awakening-revival-is upon us! The demand is to carry this eminent revival through to reformation -- a move of God that endures until a nation is set back on its foundations and heading toward its God-given destiny.

Two Gates

In scripture, we see two accounts, Acts 3 and Esther 4, that can be used to picture the Church at a hinge place, a threshold, a gate. From one we can see the picture of a broken nation at the gate of the Church, and from the other we can see a praying Church at the gate of the government. These two pictures reveal our current situation and the need to accurately respond to the issue of this hour.

In Acts 3 we see a lame man at the gate of an anemic religious system. Like this lame man, our nation is lying broken, disabled and lame at the gate of the Church, taking insufficient handouts from the religious order while they continue on their way of ritual and rhetoric. And just as they did in Acts, the "Apostolic Church" must show up offering what they possess-a power and authority to produce the needed restoration to rise, leap and run again.

In Esther we see Mordecai, picturing the praying/interceding Church, positioned at the gate of government, crying out for the solution to the misguided governing of that day. His efforts brought forth what was needed to release a strategy shifting the direction of government. From sackcloth and ashes, humbling and repentance, came a joining of spiritual and civil government in a partnership that ultimately overturned the death decree set to destroy a nation.

These two hinge moments in scripture provide perspective for our nation today. Our nation is crippled and begging for solutions while most of the Church, like the religious leaders in Jerusalem, offers nothing that produces real change. But God's apostolic Church is arising! And just like Peter and John, this rising remnant won't continue the current operation but will offer something different...real answers to the world's problems. We can no longer continue flowing into our "beautiful" places while a nation is broken on our door step. America is in a position that requires us to arise and offer that which we possess. We must awaken from the religious order of the day to offer the restoration and strategy that addresses our nation's condition. And like Mordecai in his day, we must have the apostolic, prophetic, praying Church of America at the gate, seeking the needed solutions in an hour of crisis.

America has forces of darkness at its gates demanding entrance, with plans to redefine God's institution of marriage, release unrestrained murder of the unborn with a return to partial-birth abortion, cause economic collapse, redefine our history and remove our identity as a Christian-based country. There MUST be an awakening NOW that prepares the way for true reformation!!!

The Launching of a Movement

The USAR (formally USAA) National Conference contained the necessary revelation and communication required for anyone desiring to be a solution in this hour of history. God has converged streams and generations to produce a reforming force. This convergence is creating leadership from covenant-keeping lovers of Christ which will shift culture and take America toward her purpose for God's glory.

This USAR gathering March 30-April 2 was not just a conference, but a launching of a movement! God has set a course for awakening now and reformation in our lifetime. Unprecedented strategy and revelation came and commissioned a movement to reclaim a nation.

From across the nation, those attending saw a new wineskin for awakening reformation the opening night, as Dutch Sheets presented direction through four prophetic words that were released in Dallas on January 2. After each word, a team of three decreed and prayed based on that word. This presented a much needed shift from our typical gatherings to interactive gatherings that strategically release and receive information, activate the people and effectively accomplish something. Rather than scattered thoughts and random ideas, there was a concentrated, corporate, intentional shift in our meeting that had within it the force to shift the entire movement of our stream in this nation.

We moved from escaping the future to embracing and owning it.

We moved from ignoring the culture to engaging it.

We moved from generations separated to generations synergized.

We moved from wishing we could do something about the state of our regions and nation to hearing the voice of God with clear strategy on how to move forward.

This was not just a gathering or a conference -- it quickly became the launching place for awakening and reformation on a national scale. We birthed and launched what was conceived in the Spirit last September at the "Hosting His Presence" gathering in Colorado Springs. It was a more "congressional" form of a Kingdom gathering, versus a lecture hall and note taking format. Preaching, prayer, prophecy, worship and declarations all flowed interchangeably and from all generations in a release of Kingdom power over the nation.

God sounded a call to shift our attention and efforts toward reclaiming a nation through awakening and reformation, both in the Church and the world. With powerful sounds of worship and music, a fire has been set for reformers of today to carry an awakened passion; to turn efforts from simply building churches and ministries to building a nation that glorifies and pleases God. A major adjustment is upon all of us to give ourselves to this awakening and reformation.

The Seven Mountains

Through Lance Wallnau, the direction of God came strongly concerning the requirement for those of God's Kingdom to pursue high places of influence and leadership within the "Seven Mountains of Culture." In the 1970s, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth with a Mission, brought forth revelation concerning culture being shaped by seven "spheres" or "influencers". Lance Wallnau advanced that revelation and redefined the terminology as the "Seven Mountains of Culture." The understanding is that every culture is led and shaped by seven areas of society (mountains) -- government, business, education, family, religion, media, arts/entertainment. Those who rise to the top of these mountains provide the influence and leadership to direct a nation. God is calling His people to pursue these places of influence.

Strategy was presented through Dr. Tim Sheets to have this understanding imparted into all ages. His "ID Culture" material has been developed to enable local churches to awaken a generation to their God-given calling in one of these mountains. This is a heartbeat of God. His people are to build and rebuild nations. There must be those in His Kingdom that seek this revelation, apprehend the necessary strategy and implement that which causes culture to reflect His desires.

From Local Church to Local Territory

Mark Pfeifer brilliantly taught that looking beyond our four walls and projects in order to see that God has given us stewardship of a region/territory is critical. We can no longer be satisfied building our own personal success stories, but must work with those in our region to see the success of that region. God has placed each of us in our territory-not just in a congregation-to develop and bring forth His Kingdom expression. The current paradigm of creating a "one stop shop" ministry megaplex has to move to an understanding that we are set in a region to impact and improve every aspect of that area. No one ministry can accomplish this. Taking on this identity of leading a territory far supercedes the leading of a group meeting in one location every Sunday. This understanding is what senior leaders, pastors, business people, educators and government administrations must come to. As we do, we'll work as one in God's Kingdom to cause a region/territory to continually reflect more of heaven.

This is also being accomplished as greater strategy for citywide and statewide prayer is being developed. Moving from a 24/7 model that is a worship canopy only, into a strategic, tactical prayer company is the direction needed. Tim Taylor shared that developing communication hubs and coordinators in a city/state wide operation center is a potential strategy to move toward. Targeted, ongoing prayer and intercession over the seven mountains in an area is the first step to shifting it toward a Kingdom culture. We must move beyond self-focused, self-seeking intercession to recognizing our strategic part in shifting the authority structures over regions.

Synergy vs. Succession

As we take steps toward implementation of strategy for awakening and reformation, rising to the top of culture so we can lead a nation toward a Godly identity, we will have an accelerated rate of progress as the generations run as one. God is speaking clearly concerning generational synergy. Generations can no longer be separated and self-focused, but must become one, bringing that which each carries to the table of reformation.

The current paradigm of "succession" will not afford us the rate of advancement needed to shift this nation, but rather generations working synergistically like Mordecai and Esther; Saul and David; Samson and the child; Jesus and the boy with the lunch; and Peter and Timothy. Synergy leads to continuity, while succession leads to replacement. Generational synergy will bring forth great succession, but aiming for succession misses synergy. Synergy says, "we will go together now," while succession says, "you will take my place one day." We need everyone at the table of reformation now to secure the future. Every Kingdom work on a local, regional, state and national level must operate in generational synergy to accomplish that which God needs us to do. No longer can a generation gap separate and segregate. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob working as one will bring forth the Josephs that will reach the top of the seven mountains and bring Kingdom solutions to national issues. The generations must now work as one.

Covenant Root States

Through Chuck Pierce, God prophetically revealed that some states have a "covenant root" with God while others do not. Each group was identified, revealing which states currently possess a covenant root that can be tapped into and built upon, and which need a covenant root set in place. This gave insight to the priorities for each state -- work to build upon this root or work to set one into the state.

God and Government

Our nation is at an unparalleled time when a majority of leaders in our government are strongly attempting to erase the Godly heritage and foundation of our history. Len Munsil taught that God desires to have those in government that will acknowledge Him and seek to do His will. The Body of Christ is to embrace our role of holding government accountable to God and His principles. It was emphasized that this is a time demanding a strong priority of focusing on and addressing the state of our government. This is not a political issue; it is a government issue. Nor is this a time to back up in intercession, engagement, involvement, activism, or be lax in keeping leaders accountable to righteous principles. Possibly more than ever America, as it has been historically, is in the balance.

What will God's people do for the righteous governing of this nation? What must we do to win the culture war? Dutch Sheets challenges us to remember our history which makes evident that God had a purpose in the founding of this nation. The writings of our founding fathers and early leaders clearly demonstrate the Godly heritage that they believed in. Understanding our nation's spiritual legacy and our covenant with God is essential as we combat the revisionists and secular humanists that say our nation was never a Christian nation, or that we've always been a mix of many faiths, or that we were at one point Christian, but are no longer.

As an example of Godly government, Dutch read a proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 calling on Americans to humble themselves in prayer. President Lincoln's proclamation is powerful. It speaks of reformation and about a nation being blessed whose God is the Lord. We were all encouraged to honor the anniversary of this proclamation on April 30th by making it a day of prayer for our nation.

Since the conference, Dutch has shared a plan to carry this out. Everyone is encouraged to pray and come into agreement with President Lincoln's proclamation both individually and corporately in prayer meetings and congregations beginning on Thursday, April 30th - then to continue to pray each day leading up to the National Day of Prayer on May 7th. Let's join Dutch and make a statement to this nation, to the spiritual powers that are trying to steal from our Christian heritage, and let's say, "The war isn't over! We are not going to give this nation away and the culture war isn't over!"

A Course is Set

Things in our nation are not at a desirable place in many regards, but God has a people that will not surrender or give up. The enemies in Judges 6 invaded so strongly that God's covenant people retreated into caves and clefts of mountains. It was from that situation that insignificant Gideon was brought forth to call for an army to awaken, align and advance. Just as Gideon viewed himself as insignificant and the least among others, the least likely are becoming the army of the Almighty today. This is an awakening! This is a reformation! A course is set.

There is a response each of us must make for days like these. There are those all over the nation rising as they hear the sound of heaven awakening within them a cause that demands facing all odds in the name of the Lord. Getting the conference CDs or DVDs are a must for all - present or not. You must to be on the leading edge of this movement. All generations are needed. Children, young adults, middle aged and seniors are all needed to come together. Gather in your city, your state and your region. Connect with a movement reclaiming a nation to please God's heart - awakening in our day, reformation in our lifetime!!

Running together,
Eric Reeder