Way International, The

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Way International, The

The Way International, Inc., is a sectarian Christian movement founded by Victor Paul Wierwille (1916–1985). Wierwille received an M.Th. in 1941 from Princeton Theological Seminary. In 1942 he was ordained as a minister in the Evangelical and Reformed Church and established a radio ministry, Vesper Chimes, which evolved into The Way International in 1974. Wierwille engaged in intensive biblical study through the 1940s. His spiritual investigation and experiences led in 1953 to the Power for Abundant Living classes, the central religious forum of The Way. By 1957 he severed his denominational affiliation to lead his organization until his retirement in 1983.

The Way's theology is rooted in dispensationalism, a doctrine that diminishes the importance of Scripture written prior to Pentecost. The ultradispensationalism espoused by The Way adds an eighth dispensational period to the seven traditionally designated and elevates the primacy of Paul's later epistles. Other tenets that separate The Way from much of mainstream Christian doctrine include rejection of Jesus' divinity, the personality of the Holy Spirit, and Trinitarianism; belief in receiving the Holy Spirit through its nine manifestations, most notably speaking in tongues; and acceptance of Aramaic rather than Greek as the original New Testament language.

In 1957 Wierwille headquartered his organization in New Knoxville, Ohio. Over the next two decades the church established a number of other organizations to further its mission, including The Way College in Emporia, Kansas, as educational auspices; The Way Corps to train church leaders; the Word Over the World Ambassador program to disseminate the church's message; The Way Magazine as its organizational voice; Way Productions to support biblically consistent artistic projects; and annual Rock of Ages Festivals to promote church solidarity. Organizational control is highly centralized through a three-person board of trustees. Wierwille remained church president until 1983, when he was succeeded by the current president, Craig Martindale. The Way is organized on a tree model, with international headquarters (root), regional organizations (limbs), municipal organizations (branches), local fellowship groups (twigs), and individual members (leaves) as the elements. The Way grew rapidly beginning in the late 1960s, drawing on the pool of converts to the Jesus Movement. Peak membership is uncertain, since the church is organized into informal fellowship groups rather than formal congregations. One indicator is estimated attendance at annual festivals, which increased from one thousand in 1969 to seventeen thousand by 1983.

The Way has encountered a variety of conflicts both internally and externally. During the 1980s, organizational conflict led to the exit of several leaders, a membership decline, and the formation of schismatic groups. Upon his appointment as president, Craig Martindale began purging leaders and members perceived as disloyal. Membership plummeted to a small fraction of its peak size, and the organization became reclusive. Protest continues through an oppositional magazine, No Way Out. The church also encountered substantial external opposition during the 1980s. It became a primary target of anti-cult opposition and deprogramming, based on allegations of brainwashing and tendencies toward violence, and of Christian groups on theological grounds. Amid these controversies, the IRS launched an investigation; tax exemption of The Way was withdrawn in 1985 but reinstated by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1990.