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STOCKTON - Chad Taylor has put his money where his message is.

The 36-year-old started a ministry, Consuming Fire, in Georgia. But Taylor, a Washington state native, recently moved its headquarters to Stockton, taking up residence in a storefront near Hammer Lane and Interstate 5. He said he's here because God told him in no uncertain terms that a great Christian revival is taking root in the Central Valley and soon will spread throughout California.

Taylor is part of a controversial but growing phenomenon within Christianity called prophetic ministry. Like biblical figures found in the Old and New Testaments, its proponents believe they have been given specific instructions from God - via dreams, visions, audible words or a combination - aimed at comforting, consoling and confronting individuals, churches and denominations.

The movement began about 20 years ago, said Jerry Banks, who runs an Internet-based prophetic ministry from Jacksonville, Fla., and has gained steam in the past five years through conferences and individual ministries. He said prophets are part of the fivefold ministry positions St. Paul enumerated in the fourth chapter of Ephesians. Christianity as a whole, however, has been trained to accept only three ministry positions: teacher, pastor and evangelist.

"You find resistance, because prophets and apostles cause a stir," Banks said. "Whenever a new revelation comes to the church, it meets with resistance until the church is inundated with that gift, and there becomes a comfort level."

Prophetic ministries are loosely organized, usually individual and certainly outside the Christian mainstream. Prophetic ministers have varying levels of education. Some are seminary- trained; many are not. Few, if any, have the backing of a mainline denomination.

"It's not an official call by men. It's a call from God," said Pam Clark, who runs North Carolina's Trumpet Wind prophetic ministry. "There are prophetic schools and many different types of ministries."

Taylor is known throughout the prophetic movement, Clark said, because he has spoken at conferences, published articles and essays through the Seattle-based publishing house Elijah List Ministries and written a best-selling Christian book, "Why Revival Still Tarries."

During the summer, Taylor posted two lengthy stories about Stockton on the Elijah List Web site as well as his personal site, www.consumingfire.com. In one, dated Sept. 4, Taylor mentions hearing the words "Delta River Revival" repeatedly and seeing a red circle covering an aerial view of California highlighting the revival zone. He said he heard an angel declare: "The youth are coming. The youth are coming."

The vision, he said, came after a series of Friday night meetings at The Father's House, a nondenominational church at 3436 W. Hammer Lane.

"It really came to a head in May of this year," Taylor said. "I flew in from Georgia and, after ministering at The Father's House, went down to Miracle Mile and really saw some signs of life. We had some dramatic encounters with young people. God was on the move."

One pastor who agrees that Taylor might be onto something is Josh Kehler of the new church Reality Stockton. Kehler said his desire to start a church in town was based on a visionary experience he had 23 years ago at age 7.

Kehler said his parents were considering a move here when they spent a night in a motel on Waterloo Road. Kehler said Jesus appeared to him there, took his hand and walked him through Stockton, where people fell on their knees repenting and worshipping. He said he knew then he was called to be a part of it.

Other reaction to Taylor's statements of a prophetic word from God is decidedly mixed within the Christian community.

"If God wants to bring something in prophetically, I wouldn't be against it at all," said Eddie Green, pastor of Bethany Community Church. "And if God wants to do something in my city, I'm all for it. My first reaction is, praise God!"

But Monsignor Harmon Skillin of the Stockton Roman Catholic Diocese said he takes words such as Taylor's with great caution.

"I get a little nervous when I hear of these, because it bears to mind the old 'trust Jesus or die' movements," he said. "So, I guess it's all in the approach that's used."

Taylor said he welcomes doubters, because all great revivals manifest themselves in different ways than people may expect.

"People have the right to be skeptical and ask, 'Is that really happening? Are the predictions real?' " he said. "I would just say to them, 'Come, watch and make your own observations.' "

Contact reporter Rick Brewer at (209) 546-8294 or rbrewer@recordnet.com.