Catch The Fire

Families of churches

The history of Catch The Fire, from Toronto in 1994 to its presence in France: heritages, convictions and the charismatic landscape.

Read the page See the contents
John and Carol Arnott1994

Catch The Fire — the neo-charismatic branch that grew out of Toronto

  • CTF Lyonreligious association, 2017
  • Catch The Fire Toronto and the Catch The Fire World networkMay 2010
  • Toronto Airport Christian Fellowshipseparation from Vineyard, Dec. 1995; name 1996
  • Toronto Blessing1994
  • Vineyard, the “Third Wave”from 1982
  • Charismatic renewalfrom 1960
  • Azusa Street1906
  • Reformation1517
On 20 January 1994, meetings led by Pastor Randy Clark at the Toronto Airport Vineyard — a church led by John and Carol Arnott — open a wave of renewal known as the “Toronto Blessing”. Prayer for healing, prophecy, the theme of the Father’s love, contemplative prayer and various bodily manifestations draw visitors from all over the world within a few months. The movement crosses many denominations and gives rise to significant theological debate, including in evangelical and charismatic circles: its participants see in it a visitation of the Holy Spirit, while others question its manifestations and its fruit.
In December 1995, Vineyard ends the Toronto church’s affiliation: its leaders, headed by John Wimber, take the view that certain manifestations had come to occupy a place that should yield to the central teachings of Scripture. The church becomes independent under the name Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, then takes the name Catch The Fire; the Partners in Harvest network, which grew out of the same circles, is integrated into it in 2019. It is this break that makes Catch The Fire an autonomous network, and not a branch of Vineyard.
The network does not present itself as a centralised denomination but as a relational and apostolic family; in August 2026, its worldwide website lists 181 churches, ministries, missions and networks, in 30 countries and 16 languages, from Montreal to Zurich, Oslo, Sydney or Hong Kong. Local churches keep their autonomy and receive training and support from the network. Its confession of faith affirms the triune God, the authority of the Bible, the divinity and bodily resurrection of Christ, the necessity of the new birth and the present-day reality of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It thus aligns with the shared convictions set out on page 43, while explicitly affirming points that this common foundation does not detail.

Online guide · church families and key points · 2026 edition36 / 49

Catch The Fire in France and in the charismatic landscape

As of 13 August 2026, Catch The Fire Lyon is the only French entry visible in the movement’s official directory; this may change. The Protestant evangelical religious association (an association cultuelle under French law) was formed in January 2017 in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon. The address of a meeting place is not to be confused with the association’s registered office. The congregation also offers schools and sessions on prayer, identity in Christ, inner healing and spiritual gifts. None of the public sources consulted documents an affiliation with the FPF or the CNEF.
Classical Pentecostalism1901-1906

New denominations are born: the Assemblies of God, the Church of God and, in France, the ADD.

Charismatic renewalfrom 1960

Spiritual gifts spread within existing churches, Catholic ones included.

Neo-charismatic movement1980-1990

Non-denominational networks: Vineyard, then Toronto and Catch The Fire.

Key point · Catch The Fire belongs to neo-charismatic evangelical Protestantism and shares its Trinitarian foundation. The sequence Azusa → charismatic renewal → Vineyard → Toronto describes successive influences and contexts, not a continuous institutional lineage. The Toronto church’s affiliation with the Vineyard ended in December 1995.

Further background

Structure of the network

Catch The Fire presents itself as a relational and apostolic family. Local congregations keep their autonomy while receiving support, training and international relationships.

Confessional foundation

Its confession of faith affirms in particular the triune God, the authority of the Bible, the divinity and bodily resurrection of Christ, the new birth and the present-day reality of spiritual gifts.

Its own spiritual emphasis

The language of “the Father’s love”, of identity in Christ, of inner healing and of prophetic listening strongly marks its schools and ministries.

Sources of this supplement: Catch The Fire Global and Catch The Fire Lyon

Online guide · church families and key points · 2026 edition37 / 49

Sources and key references

Bibliography of the journey

  • Sébastien Fath, Une autre manière d’être chrétien en France. Socio-histoire de l’implantation baptiste (1810-1950) [Another way of being Christian in France: a social history of the establishment of Baptist churches in France, 1810–1950], Labor et Fides.
  • Sébastien Fath and Jean-Paul Willaime (eds.), La nouvelle France protestante. Essor et recomposition au XXIe siècle [The new Protestant France: growth and reconfiguration in the 21st century], Labor et Fides.
  • André Encrevé (ed.), Les protestants [The Protestants] (Dictionnaire du monde religieux dans la France contemporaine), Beauchesne.
  • Patrick Cabanel, Histoire des protestants en France, XVIe-XXIe siècle [A history of Protestants in France, 16th–21st century], Fayard.
  • Jean Baubérot, Histoire du protestantisme [A history of Protestantism], PUF, “Que sais-je ?”.
  • Musée virtuel du protestantisme (Virtual Museum of Protestantism) — thematic and biographical entries (in French).

See all the sources of the journey