Bill Bryant Johnson (born July 18, 1951) is the senior leader of Bethel Church, a Charismatic megachurch in Redding, California. Under his leadership, the congregation reportedly grew from approximately 2,000 members in 1996 to almost 9,000 in 2026. Johnson promotes beliefs related to revival, faith healing, and supernatural manifestations—topics, which are central to the Bethel movement and have influenced contemporary charismatic Christianity.
In 1998, he co-founded the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. Johnson is also an author and itinerant speaker, appearing in Christian media and documentary films. His ministry has attracted both widespread support and criticism, particularly in relation to theology, charismatic practices, and political involvement. Johnson has also gained recognition in popular media, appearing in documentaries like Father of Lights and American Gospel: Christ Alone, and in interviews with CBN and Charisma magazine.
Politically, he has expressed conservative views, endorsing Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 due to positions against abortion, same-sex marriage, and globalization. Johnson opposes homosexuality as a sin, aligning with Bethel Church's stance on heterosexual marriage. The church actively supports the practice of conversion therapy.
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Biography
Johnson is a fifth-generation pastor and has held the position of senior leader at Bethel Church since 1996. His ministry is associated with a charismatic movement emphasizing revival, healing, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. According to Christianity Today, Johnson holds "considerable influence among charismatic Christians all over the world". His father, M. Earl Johnson, previously served as Bethel's senior pastor from 1968 to 1982, during the church's affiliation with the Assemblies of God. Before joining Bethel, Johnson and his wife served as the senior pastors of Mountain Chapel in Weaverville, California from 1978 to 1996.
In 1987, Johnson attended a "signs and wonders" conference led by John Wimber in hopes of advancing healing ministry, but later expressed disappointment: “They had fruit for what they believed. All I had was good doctrine.” He identified this as a turning point, stating that embracing “faith”—understood as taking risk—opened the way for reported healing manifestations in his ministry. In 1995, he traveled to Toronto, Canada to attend some of the Toronto Blessing revival meetings, where he described being significantly affected by the spiritual atmosphere and shifted toward a stronger emphasis on charismatic gifts and supernatural ministry in his leadership.
In 1998, Johnson, along with Bethel Senior Associate Leader Kris Vallotton, started the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. The school has over 2,000 students from 57 countries. Johnson is also part of the Core Residential Faculty at Wagner University in Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
Brenda ("Beni"), the wife of Bill Johnson, died of cancer on July 13, 2022.
Bill and Brenda Johnson have three children including: Brian Johnson, Eric Johnson and Leah Valenzuela.
In July 2026, Johnson announced his engagement while speaking at Kenneth Copeland's Southwest Believers' Convention, despite being on sabbatical at the time. He had proposed to Linda Francoeur on his 75th birthday and married her the following month in a private ceremony officiated by fellow Bethel Church senior leader Kris Vallotton.
Ties to the New Apostolic Reformation
According to scholars Holly Pivec and R. Douglas Geivett Bill Johnson is a key leader in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), a religious movement characterized by a belief in modern-day apostles and prophets, who are supposed to receive revelation, prophecy and lead the church; a belief that church and state should not be separated, according to the Seven Mountain Mandate, a form of dominionism; and a belief that miracles such as healing and prophecy are within the reach of ordinary church members (signs and wonders).
Christianity Today, an evangelical Christian magazine, says "Bill Johnson is regularly listed as an NAR leader." The Christian Research Institute, an authority on evangelical religions, says: "The vanguard of the NAR is Bethel Church in Redding, California, led by the charismatic (in both senses of the word) pastor, Bill Johnson, who has stretched Bethel's influence over the entire globe through the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM)." Salon magazine describes "Bill Johnson's Bethel Church in Redding, California" as one of the NAR's "star megachurch ministries". A 2022 dissertation from the Theology School of the University of Otago in New Zealand, titled "From Peter Wagner to Bill Johnson: The History and Epistemology of the 'New Apostolic Reformation'" also affirms that the teachings of Bill Johnson and Bethel Church are representative of the New Apostolic Reformation.
Pivec and Geivett point out that Bill Johnson's teachings at Bethel strongly align with core NAR beliefs:
Bethel treats Bill Johnson as an apostle and Kris Vallotton as a prophet, each having special ecclesiastical authority and believed to receive divine revelations. Pivec and Geivett consider this the core issue in identifying NAR beliefs.
Bethel believes in an end-times "billion soul" harvest ⏤ "Johnson, like many other NAR leaders, teaches that the largest revival the world will ever experience is about to occur, fueled by unprecedented miraculous signs and wonders to be performed by the apostles, prophets, and their followers."
Bethel believes in "signs and wonders," e.g., their BSSM (the Bethel School for Supernatural Ministry) claims to teach students how to cure ailments spiritually and to make prophesies.
Media appearances
Johnson has appeared in multiple documentaries, including Father of Lights and Holy Ghost Reborn, produced by Darren Wilson. He has also been interviewed and highlighted in several CBN news stories. He was featured on the cover of Charisma magazine in August 2016 with a story titled "Born for Revival." Johnson was also a guest on Sid Roth's It's Supernatural in October 2016. He was later featured in the 2018 documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone which criticized aspects of the prosperity gospel and portrayed Johnson as a key figure within that movement.
Political and cultural views
In a 2016 Facebook post, Johnson explained his decision to vote for Donald Trump, citing concerns about abortion, same-sex marriage, and globalization, which he described as contrary to biblical values. His wife, Beni Johnson, also expressed support for Trump. Johnson reaffirmed his endorsement during the 2020 presidential election.
Bill Johnson opposes homosexuality calling it a sin and "violation of design". In a Facebook video blog he elaborated on the issue stating that "God did not make those human bodies to come together, to fit, in that way". Bethel Church later published an official statement affirming its belief that sexual intimacy belongs within heterosexual marriage—but also expressing compassion and respectful engagement toward LGBTQ individuals.
In 2018, Bethel Church publicly opposed three bills in the California state legislature that would have restricted conversion therapy, expressing concern that the bills could limit their ability to provide ministry to individuals seeking to change their sexual orientation. The church released a public statement, submitted letters to lawmakers, and encouraged congregants to contact legislators. These efforts included a sermon titled "What Would Jesus Do in a PC World?" by senior associate leader Kris Vallotton, who also tweeted in support of individuals who had "come out of homosexuality".
After Joe Biden's victory Johnson stated in an interview with the David J. Harris Jr. Show that he is "100% confident it [Biden's victory] was done by fraud".
Published works
When Heaven Invades Earth (Destiny Image Publishers, 2003) ISBN 0-7684-2952-8
The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind (Destiny Image Publishers, 2005) ISBN 0-7684-2252-3
When Heaven Invades Earth Devotional & Journal (Destiny Image Publishers, August 2005) ISBN 0-7684-2297-3
Shifting Shadow of Supernatural Power: A Prophetic Manual for Those Wanting to Move in God's Supernatural Power (co-author) (Destiny Image Publishers, August 2006) ISBN 0-7684-2369-4
Dreaming With God (Destiny Image, December 2006) ISBN 0-7684-2399-6
The Supernatural Ways of Royalty (co-author) (Destiny Image Publishers, 2006) ISBN 0-7684-2323-6
The Supernatural Ways of Royalty Leader's Guide (co-author) (Destiny Image Publishers, 2006) ISBN 978-0768415810
The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind 40-Day Devotional and Personal Journal (Destiny Image, September 2006) ISBN 0-7684-2399-6 ISBN 0-7684-2375-9
Here Comes Heaven!: A Kid's Guide to God's Supernatural Power (co-author) (Destiny Image, October 2007) ISBN 0-7684-2502-6
Face to Face with God (Charisma House, 2007) ISBN 978-1-59979-070-1
Strengthen Yourself in The Lord (Destiny Image Publishers, 2007) ISBN 0-7684-2427-5
A Life of Miracles: A 365-day guide to prayer and miracles (Destiny Image, February 2008) ISBN 978-0-7684-2612-0