Pytches was heavily influenced by the founder of the Vineyard Church, John Wimber, who had held a number of conferences through the 1980s, leading to increased interest in the charismatic movement in the United Kingdom.

The first New Wine Christian Conference was held in 1989 at the Royal Bath and West Showground, Somerset and attracted nearly 2,500 people.

In 1993 a separate conference, called Soul Survivor, aimed at teenagers and young adults was established by the evangelist Mike Pilavachi, which ran until 2019.

The conference has attracted a number of speakers prominent within the evangelical movement in the United Kingdom and the United States, including Baroness Caroline Cox, Jackie Pullinger, J.John, Heidi Baker, Bill Johnson, Francis Chan, Ken Costa and Brother Yun.

It states its purpose as "working together to change the island of Ireland through a network of church leaders, our summer conference and training events.