Tom de Wal: “This is simply unacceptable in the Netherlands.”
An honest conversation
Between the Bible and the detention cell: The radical path of Frontrunners
I wrote this article after listening with great interest to the podcast “Dick en Daniël Geloven het Wel” (Dick and Daniel Believe It), hosted by Nederlands Dagblad journalists Dick Schinkelshoek and Daniël Gillissen with Tom de Wal.
Aversion to the church
Tom grew up in a Dutch Reformed family with “very loving Christian parents,” but in a church where hardly any young people attended. “Especially in my teenage years, I actually disliked the church and faith more than I cared about them,” he says. In high school, he and his family were the only ones in his class who went to church. He found it boring, irrelevant, and was full of resistance.
That resistance was only broken when his mother suggested that he take catechism classes. However, that conflicted with his passion for martial arts. “I was very fanatical at the time. Catechism was on Monday evenings, exactly when I wanted to do Thai boxing. Moreover, the pastor and I didn’t click at all.”
Looking for an alternative, Tom ended up at an Alpha course. He had already decided for himself: “I’ll sit through those ten evenings and then they’ll never see me again.” But things turned out differently. “During that Alpha course, I came to conversion.”
The birth of Frontrunners
After his conversion, Tom became a youth leader in a church where many young people came to faith. He regularly received invitations to speak elsewhere. When he finished his college education and his then-fiancée (now his wife) completed Bible school in England, he was faced with a choice. “The church asked if I wanted to work for them part-time, but they couldn’t offer a full salary. I went into prayer and heard God say very clearly that I should start my own ministry. That’s how Frontrunners came into being.”
What made Frontrunners unique from day one was their innovative approach to modern means of communication. “We were one of the first to offer an online Bible school and video teaching. We wanted to provide in-depth and sometimes more radical teaching. Apparently, many Christians were looking for that, because they didn’t always get it on Sunday mornings in their own churches.”
However, the first few years were not a great success. “It was disappointing. You have to work hard to reach that audience,” Tom admits. The breakthrough came in 2020, when his book Touching Jesus was published – right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. “While praying, God gave me the instruction: write a book about how people can receive healing when no one can pray for them. And give it away for free as much as possible.”
Because Frontrunners had been working with video for years, they benefited when all churches went online. “Christians looking for a sermon on YouTube flocked to us. Since 2020, growth and awareness have skyrocketed.”
A troublemaker?
Tom has a reputation for being controversial. On stage, he sometimes says strong, provocative things. Is he a troublemaker? “I am goal-oriented. If I feel I have to fight for something, especially for biblical truths, then I do. But I’m not someone who fights against everything. Choose your battles. We never really respond to what is said about us, and that’s quite something.”
He tries to fight for a greater cause. “If that cause is threatened, I will continue. That was also the situation in Tilburg. In this case, the greater cause was the freedom to pray and to hold a church service without interference.”
The homosexuality debate
One of the labels attached to Tom is “homosexuality.” He strongly refutes this. “I have never done that. That image arose from an evangelism campaign in Zeeland, which coincided with Pink Saturday. A journalist emailed us in advance with questions that had nothing to do with that event or homosexuality. But then the newspaper ran a big headline: ‘Homosexual healing – Tom de Wal comes to Goes to heal homosexuals.’”
He emphasizes that they never pray for it. “We never actually get that question. It has never been asked in a healing service.” Regarding the legislation surrounding conversion therapy, he says: “In my network, I don’t know of any church or ministry that does that. And I know quite a few.”
However, he does have a clear position: “We believe that marriage is intended for one man and one woman.” Could someone in a same-sex relationship work in his team? “That would not be possible with us. At the same time, I advocate freedom: people are free to ask for prayer for any issue, as long as it is not forced.”
The evening in Tilburg
The weekend in which Tom made national news began in Eindhoven. He was supposed to hold a healing weekend at the Evoluon, but that location canceled. A replacement hotel also withdrew after protests and threats from LGBTI+ activists.
“During the course of Friday, we were told: you no longer have a venue for tonight. You only have a few hours left. You can’t just quickly start a lawsuit, so we had to find an alternative location immediately.” That became Praise Tilburg, a friendly church. “Pastor John said, ‘You are very welcome.’ They often hold these kinds of weekends.”
What Tom hadn’t expected was the escalation that followed. “I walked into the meeting, the teams were praying, and there was worship music playing. Suddenly, I heard: ‘Tom, the police are at the door.’” Four officers came in with a clear message: the meeting had to stop immediately by order of the mayor.
Tom’s response was immediate: “That’s not how it works in the Netherlands. In fact, you’re not even allowed to enter here officially. It is against the law for the police to raid a church service.”
Escalation on the street
Eventually, Tom and the visitors were led outside by the police. “We walked out of the church and the police ordered me to turn right. Fine, we did that with the whole group.” Outside, a group of people who had been stopped was waiting. “They were standing there in the snow and rain, waiting to see what would happen.” Tom addressed them: “Guys, what’s happening here is not right. Let’s pray together and then go home.”
At that moment, a man stepped forward from the crowd. “He said, ‘I came here with my wife for prayer. Will you pray for her?’ I said yes and began to pray for her.” The police continued to insist that he move on, further down the street. “As I prayed for that woman, she was healed. An officer came up to me and said, ‘If you continue with these actions, I will arrest you.’”
Tom’s reaction was one of disbelief: “You’re going to arrest me for praying for people on the street? That was the moment I thought: this is just not right.” He offered to go home, but when Omroep Brabant started asking questions, the police intervened. “After the first question, six police officers approached me and I was arrested.”
In the cell
Tom spent several hours in the cell. “It was a unique experience. Without a phone, I couldn’t reach anyone. A classic cell: a steel bed, a mattress, and a blanket. That was it.”
Was he secretly happy about the arrest because it reinforced his story? “No, absolutely not. I find it deeply sad that this is happening. It doesn’t suit us at all; finding locations was already difficult, and this doesn’t make it any easier.”
Persecution of Christians in the Netherlands?
Tom calls the event “persecution.” A heavy word, critics say. “Yes, I believe so. I see the general attitude toward Christians in the Netherlands hardening. Freedom must come from both sides.”
Isn’t it religious illiteracy or ignorance on the part of the government? “No, this was a deliberate action by the mayor to ban a prayer service. Imagine if this had happened in an African country and these images had surfaced. Everyone in the Netherlands would have been outraged.”
In his book Expect Persecution, Tom describes 44 forms of persecution in the New Testament, only a few of which are physical. “There are 40 non-physical forms, such as lying, slandering, and accusing. That’s less serious than being killed, but it’s still persecution.”
Healing and theology
Tom’s conviction is unshakeable: “God always heals. Biblically speaking, healing is part of it. Jesus says, ‘Lay hands on the sick, and they will be healed.’ There is no text in which Jesus says, ‘Maybe it won’t happen this time.’”
But what if people are not healed? “That is the stubborn reality, but it does not detract from Jesus’ command. I now see many more people being healed than ten years ago. Has God changed? No, but I have grown and learned a lot.”
He rejects the criticism that he makes people feel guilty. “That’s a caricature. If people want to, we continue to pray with them and stand in faith. If they say they don’t want to anymore, that’s fine too.” He is clear about medical care: “Do everything you can to get well. Pray and use what doctors can offer you. We never give medical advice or advice on medication; we only pray.”
Future plans
Despite the controversy, Tom continues undeterred. “Ultimately, we want to establish 100 churches in the Netherlands. We have our schools, and our books have now been printed a million times.” A million books is an exceptionally large number by Dutch standards. “On average, 500 are distributed every day. We are very happy with that; it allows us to reach a tremendous number of people.”
Tom sticks to his views, regardless of the criticism. He responds with surprise to the accusation by other pastors that he is difficult to reach for conversation. “I don’t recognize that; I have very good contact with most of them.” He is open to dialogue, even with critics. “That seems wonderful to me.”
Whether you agree with his theology or not, one thing is certain: Tom de Wal will not be deterred. For him, it is a matter of remaining faithful to his biblical mission, whatever the consequences.
@wimvanputten