Themes of Bigness, Success Attract Independent Churches : Ministry: Head of a large L.A. congregation brings like-minded pastors into a loose coalition. Their theology stresses an abundant life for the faithful.

The Rev. FredericC. Price, pastor of the 12,500-member Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles, was holding court for ministers this week at the first conference of his newly created national fellowship of urban churches.

Perched on a tall chair, Price deftly handled inquiries about finances, TV ministries and staff discipline. He struggled, however, to respond tactfully to a pastor from Rockford, Ill., who said that membership at her church had fluctuated between 10 and 125 people over the last 15 years.

“I believe every church should be a big church,” said Price, whose church complex on Pepperdine University’s former campus is known for its FaithDome, a 10,145-seat church-in-the-round.

“But if results are not coming, it is possible you are not giving out the Word (correctly) or that God has not called you, anointed you, to be pastor,” he said.

Indeed, the idea of bigness has always been important to Price. His is the largest predominantly black congregation in Southern California and one of the biggest in the country. Now, he is seeking to expand his ministry on the national level by forming the Fellowship of Inner-City Word of Faith Ministries. The four-day conference, which ended Friday, attracted more than 900 registrants.

The fellowship is a loose association of 210 churches and ministries that share the idea that God rewards faithful Christians with an abundant life--a theology within the charismatic movement that critics label the “prosperity gospel.”

Price said he formed his fellowship in part to lend credibility and support to ministers who are shedding denominational ties in order to head independent, charismatic congregations.

“It fills a void for pastors and ministries who find they need the camaraderie and to learn from ministries, primarily ours, which has a track record of what the secular world calls success,” Price said.

Dues are $100 annually, and the ministers must agree to a statement of beliefs identical to those of the Crenshaw Christian Center. Price, his wife, Betty, and their two daughters fill the four officer positions.

“We have accountability to one another,” Price said. “But it’s very loose. We’re not saying you have to do things this way or that way.”

Price’s fellowship reflects the trend of forming loose quasi-denominations around popular, big-church pastors as old-line denominations suffer from diminishing allegiance by clergy and churchgoers.

For example, the nationwide networks of Calvary Chapels and Vineyard Fellowships include many churches formed by proteges or admirers of the Revs. Chuck Smith and John Wimber, respectively--two pastors who founded burgeoning churches in Orange County.

“It’s fair to say, I think, that these are nascent denominations, but not the same kind of structure as that of the older churches,” said Robert Ellwood, chairman of the USC School of Religion. All are charismatic churches, including Price’s, in which praying for miraculous healing and speaking in tongues are the norm.

“They have a lot of vitality and upbeat music. This kind of religion seems to be uncomfortable in old-line denominationalism,” Ellwood said.

Price is firm about the nature of his new fellowship. “This is not and never will be a denomination,” he said.

Many pastors affiliated with Price’s organization had first encountered the Los Angeles pastor on television. His “Ever Increasing Faith” program has ranked among the top 15 syndicated religious programs for years, and he is the only black minister among the top televangelists.

The Rev. Daniel A. Fernandez had already been a pastor within a Pentecostal denomination when he decided to start an independent congregation--Christian Faith Center in Montebello. “We started three years ago with a handful of people and now we have about 250 members,” Fernandez said.

He is one of the relatively few Latino pastors in the fellowship and sits on the 16-member board, which includes pastors who lead fast-growing churches from Moreno Valley to Fayetteville, Ga.

Fernandez said he sought out Price a few years ago after watching his television program. “God is not partial, not prejudiced. (What Price teaches) ought to work for anybody else,” he said.

The fellowship has provided “a good shot in the arm,” Fernandez said.