Catch the Fire World

History

Pastors John and Carol Arnott founded the church around 1988. It later joined John Wimber's Vineyard movement and was known as Toronto Airport Vineyard Church, meeting in rented locations until the early 1990s when it found a permanent home near the Lester B. Pearson Airport. In January 1994, Vineyard pastor Randy Clark was invited to preach; John Arnott had heard Clark attended a conference with Rodney Howard-Browne and was greatly impacted by his ministry. The revival began during Clark's two-month visit and continued after he left.

Some religious leaders criticized the church and revival over teachings and manifestations. Wimber initially defended the Airport Vineyard, stating that nearly everything seen—falling, weeping, laughing, shaking—had been seen before in revivals worldwide. Nevertheless, the church withdrew or was expelled from the Vineyard; Wimber explained in a Christianity Today interview that the revival was changing the Vineyard's definition of renewal and that the Vineyard withdrew endorsement while the church resigned. After the break in 1995, the church was renamed Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship and founded Partners in Harvest, a group of churches sharing similar beliefs.

In 2006, the Arnotts resigned as senior pastors to pursue a new ministry, Catch the Fire, succeeded by Steve and Sandra Long. The Arnotts became Founding Pastors, and the church was renamed Catch the Fire Toronto in 2010 to reflect God's fire spreading to other congregations. In September 2015, John and Carol passed leadership to Duncan and Kate Smith. In 2019, pastors and leaders from Partners in Harvest and Catch the Fire announced the integration of the two movements, aiming to be stronger together and fulfill their destiny to invest in leaders, strengthen local churches, and resource missional initiatives.

Beliefs and Practices

At revival services, worshippers exhibit unusual behaviors they attribute to encountering God and the Holy Spirit. Common behaviors include holy laughter, weeping, deep bowing, shaking, drunkenness (referencing Acts 2:13-15 and Ephesians 5:18), being slain in the Spirit, and speaking in tongues.

Less common behaviors include producing animal-like sounds, such as roaring like lions. The Toronto Blessing is described as a transferable anointing that overcomes worshippers with laughter, weeping, groaning, shaking, falling, drunkenness, and behaviors likened to a cross between a jungle and a farmyard. The church is also the site of the prophecy of the golden sword.