In the mid-late 1960s Coombs became involved in the restoration movement that grew around key charismatic figures such as Arthur Wallis, David Lillie and Cecil Cousen.
In Finding Your Purpose In God's Plan Coombs credits DeVern Fromke as a significant influence on the theology he and the wider group were developing at this time.
[3] In the early 1970s Coombs became part of the "fabulous fourteen",[4] a group of leaders who sought to develop a theology and ecclesiology that would guide the restoration of the Church.
Driven by the conviction that the body of Christ is in essence relational and would eventually come to fullness of stature, and influenced by the ideas of British restorationism, Coombs began to gather around him a number of other pastors and leaders with the same vision.
The priesthood of all believers, the cross-centred gospel, the Kingdom of God, a victorious eschatology, and the summing up of all things in Christ are all important doctrines to Coombs and the Salt and Light network.