I SPY LANC: Seven Mountains Mandate
Who in Lancaster PA connects with the Seven Mountains Mandate?
Welcome to I SPY LANC, a Lancaster Examiner series, where I’ll show you Dominionist symbols, phrases, leaders, organizations or activity in Lancaster County, PA — and, in turn, local readers are encouraged to send tips and screen captures with their own sightings. Together, over time, let’s increase awareness and build knowledge around local dominionist movements, remembering that the goal is not to further division but to shine a light on what is happening related to dominionism on the local level.
Seven Mountains dominionism, in short, involves the taking of dominion or control over seven key spheres of society which are government, arts and entertainment, media, education, family, religion, and business. “Seven Mountains dominionism (popularly abbreviated as 7M) emerged in the 2000s through a campaign in the form of popular books, videos, sermons, and seminars. It has spread like wildfire across Pentecostalism ever since.”
Seven Mountains dominionism is sometimes referred to as the Seven Mountain Mandate, 7-M, 7MM and the Seven Spheres of Influence.
Key Resources:
VIDEO Series: New Apostolic Reformation and the 7 Mountain Mandate, André Gagné, July 21, 2019.
Dominionism Rising: A Theocratic Movement Hiding in Plain Sight, Frederick Clarkson, August 18, 2016.
A Reporter’s Guide to the New Apostolic Reformation, Frederick Clarkson and André Gagné, May 23, 2024.
Resource Directory for the New Apostolic Reformation, Rachel Tabachnick, January 20, 2010.
Here, now, I SPY so very many examples of Seven Mountains dominionism right here in Lancaster County, PA:
Rachel Wilson-Snyder
Rachel Wilson-Snyder, Lancaster’s Moms for Liberty Chapter Chair, is two-for-two within my I SPY LANC series, having previously appeared in the An Appeal to Heaven piece. Wilson-Snyder is a resident in and parent of children in the Warwick School District. (Find a collection of articles - local and beyond - featuring Wilson-Snyder here.)
Rachel Wilson-Snyder referenced the Seven Mountain Mandate on June 4, 2023 in a comment to the Lancaster Patriot's Chris Hume.
Dayspring Christian Academy
Dayspring Christian Academy (DCA) is a private Christian school located in Lancaster, PA. Dayspring emerged from Lancaster City’s Lord’s House of Prayer and relocated a few times before settling in its current location in Hempfield.
Dayspring’s original Head of School, Dr. Mike Meyers, referenced Lance Wallnau and the “seven mountains of culture taken captive by Satan” in the Fall 2016 issue of Dayspring’s “Awaken” magazine. Not surprisingly, Meyer’s article also appears in my I SPY LANC: Appeal to Heaven Flag piece.
Note: Below is the first of many photo “galleries.” Click each gallery to view and scroll through the images.
Ephrata Community Church / HarvestNet International
Ephrata Community Church (ECC)’s origin story lands in 1977. Originally incorporated as “Servants of Love Community Church,” ECC updated their name in 1985. HarvestNet International, Gateway House of Prayer and Thrive Counseling are just a few local entities connected to ECC; it is not a coincidence that these organizations exist on the same property. In ECC’s almost fifty years of existence, they have become a key player in Lancaster County’s circles of the New Apostolic Reformation.
ECC references the Seven Mountain Mandate in Facebook posts prior to and following Johnny Enlow’s 2017 visit. (Enlow, “a self-proclaimed prophet” who believes “Trump will return to office before the next presidential election.”) HarvestNet referenced Enlow and 7MM on their Facebook account the year prior. On September 11, 2019, ECC shares that “Impacting the Seven Spheres of Society” is one of their eight “Growth Groups.” As recently as January 2023, ECC posted about an opportunity to learn about the “seven spheres of influence via HarvestNet School of Supernatural Ministry. (Note: HarvestNet School of Supernatural Ministry often omits the word “Supernatural.”)
Gateway House of Prayer / Bonita Keener / Lancaster Transformed: Street By Street
Bonita Keener “launched” Lancaster Transformed: Street by Street on March 22, 2011 and currently serves as the Director of Gateway House of Prayer (GHOP) where she has served on the board since Gateway’s formation in 2005. GHOP “exists to honor Jesus and transform our region through 24/7 worship and prayer [emphasis mine].” Keener took the director reigns from Luke Weaver, now at YWAM Lancaster, in 2017. As previously mentioned, GHOP is part of the same local campus as Ephrata Community Church, HarvestNet International and Thrive Counseling Services.
Like Rachel Wilson-Snyder and Dayspring Christian Academy, this is Gateway’s second appearance in an I SPY LANC piece.
Seven Mountain Mandate language appears in GHOP’s Facebook posts, Keener’s “Vision” on GHOP’s website and within Lancaster Transformed’s promo video, which you can view after the gallery of screen captures below.
Note: Lancaster Transformed’s website vanished years ago, but you can still view it on the Internet Archive. View the promo video, featuring Bonita Keener, for Lancaster Transformed below. Most importantly, don’t miss the piece on Talk2Action that provides more context on “transformation” and “prayer walking.”
Live With Purpose Church / Live With Purpose Coaching / Joseph Sharp
Joseph Sharp, “a true visionary,” was the “originating messenger” at Live With Purpose Church - a church planted by Overseer Phil Hernandez and In the Light Ministries. Sharp is also the founder of Live With Purpose Coaching. It is worth noting that Hempfield School Board member Justin Wolgemuth is listed as part of the Live With Purpose team as a “mastermind facilitator.” Clients include other people and organizations affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation, notably Dayspring Christian Academy and internationally known Heidi Baker / Iris Ministries. Watch their video recommendations here.
Seven mountain / seven sphere language is bountiful on both the Live With Purpose Church and Live With Purpose Coaching websites.
Youth With A Mission: Lancaster / Luke and Julie Weaver
Youth With A Mission (YWAM) has a long history in Lancaster County, first appearing in Lancaster newspapers in the 1960’s. Founded by Loren Cunningham, YWAM is a interdenominational Christian mission organization that expert Bruce Wilson has described as “arguably” an outfit of the New Apostolic Reformation while acknowledging that it’s muddier than, for example, the National Prayer Breakfast which is demonstrably a NAR outfit.
In 2011, YWAM offered its “School of the Circuit Riders” in Lancaster for the first time. Lancastrian Luke Weaver (then-Director of Gateway House of Prayer, now-Director of YWAM Lancaster) told LNP, "[The YWAM school] usually goes to large cities. It's quite unusual that Lancaster made the list.” At the time, Weaver said, “[YWAM’s] ultimate vision is to see 80 million souls saved and 200,000 sent into mission in another Great Awakening by 2021.”
In the fall of 2023, Clay Township Supervisors approved the next step in an ongoing plan of YWAM’s to create a “campus for its discipleship program” to train missionaries.
YWAM shared messages around each of the seven mountains in 2020 and Luke Weaver shared the same posts via the Facebook account that he shares with wife, Julie.
DOVE International (DCFI) / Brian Sauder
DOVE Christian Fellowship International (DCFI) is an international “apostolic network” that claims to have more 1000 churches in 28 countries. (DOVE stands for Declaring Our Victory Emmanuel.) DOVE has two international centers, one in Lancaster County, PA and one in Nairobi, Kenya. The network was formed and led until 2022 by Lancastrian Larry Kreider, a prominent apostle and one of the early members of the International Coalition of Apostles led by the late C. Peter Wagner. Lancastrian Merle Shenk is now the International Director.
Dave Yarnes, seen below, is listed as a DCFI instructor whose “passion is to see the church empowered to reach all of the seven mountains of influence.” Followers of my Twitter and Facebook accounts will notice other Lancastrians listed as instructors that I have highlighted in the past including Sam Smucker (Worship Center, Worship Center Ministries Network, Rep Lloyd Smucker’s brother), Barry Wissler (HarvestNet), Jake Kail (Threshold Church, Jake Kail Ministries), Jose Jimenzez (Activ8), Kim Zimmerman (CityGate) and Joel Bomberger (ECC, YWAM, Jesus Rallies) to name a few.
7MM is referenced on DCFI’s Instragram account, coursework taught by Lancastrian Brian Sauder, riddled through its website and on the social media accounts of team members.
Watch DCFI instructor Dave Yarnes reference the seven mountain mandate with Brian Sauder at a Dove Hopewell Leadership training.
Joel Bomberger
Joel Bomberger was raised and homeschooled in Lancaster County. He attended the Worship Center as a child but is now connected to Ephrata Community Church. Bomberger has a strong presence on social media, especially TikTok (463.8K Followers / 12.3M Likes) and Instagram (95.6K followers). He might be best known locally for his role in the abundant number of Jesus Rallies in Lancaster in recent years.
Bomberger connects with the YWAM/The Circuit Riders/The Send, HarvestNet International, Dove International, and Ephrata Community Church who “ordained” Bomberger “as an equipping evangelist” in May 2023." Bomberger has been referred to as a evangelist within the five-fold ministry, a feature of the New Apostolic Reformation composed of “Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.” (Read more about five-fold ministry in Religion Dispatches “Statement on NAR & Christian Nationalism Answers Few Questions But Exposes Growing Rifts in the Movement” — and know that the NAR & Christian Nationalism Statement that it references was signed by only around 450 people, including Lancastrians Kevin Eshleman of Ephrata Community Church and Barry Wissler of HarvestNet International.
Bomberger and his family relocated BACK to Huntington Beach, CA earlier this year.
Bomberger affirmed the government mountain in the comments to a June 2022 Facebook posts.
Additional Resources on the Seven Mountain Mandate:
All of the sources referenced above and more can be found on my Google Drive Sheet.