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Author Topic: Faithwalkers 2010 (Or Faithwalkaz, as I like to call it)  (Read 254604 times)
GC No More
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« Reply #100 on: January 06, 2011, 08:50:47 pm »

Has anyone listened to any of the Faithwalkers West messages that have been put up? They seem to have put all of them up, except for the ones that weren't recorded for practical reasons.
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« Reply #101 on: January 07, 2011, 04:32:27 pm »

I listened to a few.  It really sounds like the stuff from last year and the year before and the year before.
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Grace
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« Reply #102 on: January 10, 2011, 12:32:13 am »

Because the men are untrained in proper handling of the Bible and in public speaking, you will so often hear Scripture taken out of context and misapplied and mistakes made like this. This is neither healthy or helpful in growing a relationship with God.

I will use an example from a seminar I attended on being single. So much of it was "personal experience" based on a shallow application of random verses that seemed to be present because they "fit in" with the message. Then, the young man made a statement of "now this doesn't mean you are not a Christian if you don't do this" to kind of cover any offensive statements he made or appease people who may disagree with him. This is NOT teaching me what the Bible teaches on the matter! This is putting YOUR culture upon me!

I don't know if anyone else notices how they do this, but it was throughout the conference. They give testimonials that foster a culture instead of teaching from Scripture properly! I felt like I was at a multi-level marketing presentation. This is dangerous and subtle. I do not think I will be attending much longer. Everybody else was just buying into it. Did anyone else who went notice this?


I think that a lot of the teachings at Faithwalkers aren't wrong but they are also not the only way. The leaders make out like their way is the best and should be adhered to or else you aren't living the Christian life to the max. But what they don't share is that their way of doing church is only one way and that there are others that are doing as good a job as them or better. Messages repeatedly emphasize how loyalty to the movement and sacrificial living has enabled them to serve God better. And that if anybody in the audience wants a chance at serving God, they better do the same. Those that leave have almost no chance of serving God as well or indeed at all.

I think that people that have been involved with GC for a while don't even see how shallow and not scripturally-based the teachings are. People walk away from a conference like this feeling like they have gained a lot and are all fired up to live passionately sold-out lives for the Lord. Countless friends that attended Faithwalkers this year have told me how wonderful it was and how much they learned and how they were very convicted to do things differently. And so much of this is based on experiences and not scripture.
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SarahB
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« Reply #103 on: January 10, 2011, 12:41:57 am »

The message was very cultish. He told people that there were two types of Christians, sacrificial and non-sacrificial. Even though he gave a disclaimer when he said that people may leave the movement and continue to serve the Lord other places, right after that he told people to look to the people next to them and said they wouldn't be here in two or three years (which made me happy). The message that young people will take away is that if they would be quitting in some way if they wouldn't be at this conference or with this movement in 3 years.

There is definitely a very strong implication that people that leave the movement are somehow quitting on God and the Christian life. The loyal are those that are loyal to the movement and not those that are loyal to God. Your commitment to God is only as deep as your commitment to your local church, if your local church is a GC church. GC churches have no qualms about convincing other people (that are already attending bible preaching churches) to join a GC church.
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GC No More
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« Reply #104 on: January 10, 2011, 12:55:43 am »

The message was very cultish. He told people that there were two types of Christians, sacrificial and non-sacrificial. Even though he gave a disclaimer when he said that people may leave the movement and continue to serve the Lord other places, right after that he told people to look to the people next to them and said they wouldn't be here in two or three years (which made me happy). The message that young people will take away is that if they would be quitting in some way if they wouldn't be at this conference or with this movement in 3 years.

There is definitely a very strong implication that people that leave the movement are somehow quitting on God and the Christian life. The loyal are those that are loyal to the movement and not those that are loyal to God. Your commitment to God is only as deep as your commitment to your local church, if your local church is a GC church. GC churches have no qualms about convincing other people (that are already attending bible preaching churches) to join a GC church.

Strongly agree. If you were to bring up the point with a leader they will say that people are free to leave a GC church but it is also strongly implied (if not stated outright) in teachings that to leave a church would be to the detriment of your spiritual walk.
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« Reply #105 on: January 11, 2011, 09:05:45 pm »

Tim Rude's message is online now under the Faithwalkers Midwest Videos.
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Captain Bible
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« Reply #106 on: January 12, 2011, 08:59:35 am »

I was at the first faithwalkers where RW literally begged Jim McCotter to come back and be part of GC again. He asked him in front of the whole group to join his church in Colorado.  I got the message loud and clear, “Jim McCotter is Great!” The way RW was talking to Jim was as a servant would  to the King.

When I talked with Jim afterwords he called me “brother”. This was a surprise to me because the way RW had talked I was expecting to be called: Underling, Slave, Or lackey.

“Faithwalkers is Heaven!” that is what one Pastors wife said to me. Her exact words were, and I quote: "Faithwalkers is a little taste of what heaven will be like."

Every one here is focusing on the teachings. But lets get real, after attending four such events I have a good idea what it's all about: “Only GC Sings!”  Roll Eyes

The GC Mega Rock Concert!  Cool Tickets go on sale at your local church soon!

A packed auditorium of young adults singing and jumping up and down.
It is the modern day equivalent of the old time camp meetings where people got the Holy Spirit. Frankly nothing could be more American.

Yes the teachings are bad because the pastors are working the crowd trying to be funny, to be sexy, to be loud! But frankly, I never remembered the teachings. Faithwalkers is just the setting for a collective orgasm and going home afterword was like one bad hangover. Because after all, it's just about as hectic as a feeding frenzy.   Grin

My last faithwalkers saw me out in the woods for most of the time. I was more interested in trees and perfect quiet than the loud sounds of christian singing. I skipped most of the music and seminars and sat there alone in the Ozark woods. Believe me, it was much better that way.  Wink
« Last Edit: January 12, 2011, 09:12:53 am by Captain Bible » Logged

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AgathaL'Orange
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« Reply #107 on: January 12, 2011, 10:52:26 pm »

Good post.  I used to go away by myself on retreats (very unlike me) and it was because I couldn't stand that closeness and emotional "in your face" ness any more.
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« Reply #108 on: January 13, 2011, 08:21:21 am »

Early on, I'd get all jazzed up at the conferences, and leaving was a big letdown, like coming home from vacation.  In fact, I really committed myself to GC at the '84 fall conference in Columbus.  I had never experienced anything quite like that.  I'm sure most here know what I mean.

At later conferences, I often felt quite sad while I was there. I felt like I was surrounded by friends, but somehow I wasn't quite "with them", like there was something wrong.  Now, I think I see that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me, saying that GC wasn't right, and I was feeling the inner conflict.  It was like one voice was saying, "I need to get outta here", but another was saying, "I don't want to leave my friends; where will I find friends like this?"

-Ed-
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LucyB
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« Reply #109 on: January 13, 2011, 11:13:11 am »

I went to a women's conference in St. Louis in 2003. It was a wonderful conference that focused on the everlasting love of God. It was refreshing and encouraging. I don't remember anything negative about that conference. Were others there?
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Huldah
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« Reply #110 on: January 13, 2011, 11:27:16 am »

There is definitely a very strong implication that people that leave the movement are somehow quitting on God and the Christian life. The loyal are those that are loyal to the movement and not those that are loyal to God. Your commitment to God is only as deep as your commitment to your local church, if your local church is a GC church. GC churches have no qualms about convincing other people (that are already attending bible preaching churches) to join a GC church.

When I was at the Columbus church in the late 70's, one of my housemates was discipling a couple of girls who lived on campus. These girls were new Christians, growing in the Lord, and excited about their faith. But my housemate was grieved over them. Why? Because they were attending a different church. "I want the Lord's best for them," my housemate insisted, making it clear that any non-GC church was a distant second.
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« Reply #111 on: January 16, 2011, 09:35:49 pm »

I was at this Faithwalkers conference and overall I had an encouraging time. I enjoyed the fellowship and the time away from everything else to just refocus on the Lord. My biggest complain would be that the messages don't dig deep theologically, which is something that is perhaps to be expected from people that aren't proficient in theological issues. Messages are very surface level and deal more with our reaction to God, and not so much about God. There were a few things that different speakers said that were obvious errors. I would say that the leaders do have a sincere desire for people to come to know the Lord and for people to grow in the Lord but I think their biggest error is in telling people that they know the best way because I don't think that's the only way that God works. If we can have a personal relationship with God, then I think that the way we come to know Him better and the way that we serve Him is also personal and depends on each individual.
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GC No More
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« Reply #112 on: January 16, 2011, 10:21:00 pm »

I would say that the leaders do have a sincere desire for people to come to know the Lord and for people to grow in the Lord but I think their biggest error is in telling people that they know the best way because I don't think that's the only way that God works. If we can have a personal relationship with God, then I think that the way we come to know Him better and the way that we serve Him is also personal and depends on each individual.

I think my biggest issue with GC was just this. They acted like their way was the best way and that any other way was not as good. I think that the reason I stayed so long even after I realized how elitist they were was that like you, I too felt that they had a sincere desire for people to come to know the Lord and for people to grow in the Lord. I thought that it didn't matter if I grew in my walk with the Lord in a way that was different from the GC model. But I found that any growth on my part was not acknowledged unless I was doing what everybody else was doing. I found this attitude in the leaders more than I did among my peers but eventually my peers became leaders as well and I realized that as they moved into leadership, they eventually took on the same attitude as the other leaders.
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« Reply #113 on: January 16, 2011, 10:30:08 pm »

Quote
There were a few things that different speakers said that were obvious errors.
Please explain.
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I was there
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« Reply #114 on: January 16, 2011, 11:08:26 pm »

Quote
There were a few things that different speakers said that were obvious errors.
Please explain.

These are things that were either factually or biblically inaccurate. A few things that come to mind are Brent Knox saying that Christianity was the only religion in the world that sings and Tim Rude saying that God will provide a job (in context of staying in a certain city to remain with a particular church) and Becky Crane saying something to the effect of getting your friends to come to your church and the singleness seminar being very much about courtship being the best way (which I don't have anything against courtship but I don't think it's the only way). I'm sure these things have been mentioned in this forum already but these are some of the things that I noticed.
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LucyB
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« Reply #115 on: January 17, 2011, 10:34:51 am »

I found that any growth on my part was not acknowledged unless I was doing what everybody else was doing.

This is a serious issue. The body of Christ is to encourage one another in Christ, not just in the church. We should be like-minded because we share in the body of Christ. If we do not celebrate the growth of our brothers and sisters, there is not true fellowship. Phillippians 2:1-2 says, " 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind."
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Grace
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« Reply #116 on: January 17, 2011, 05:48:06 pm »

I found that any growth on my part was not acknowledged unless I was doing what everybody else was doing.

This is a serious issue. The body of Christ is to encourage one another in Christ, not just in the church. We should be like-minded because we share in the body of Christ. If we do not celebrate the growth of our brothers and sisters, there is not true fellowship. Phillippians 2:1-2 says, " 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind."

From my observation, I would say that the phrase "being like-minded" is used to show someones commitment to the church and thus to Christ. Being like-minded means agreeing with what everybody else agree on and not questioning culture, practices or messages within the church and the movement. This is entirely my personal observation and I could be wrong but that's what it feels like.
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Mr. Toad
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« Reply #117 on: January 17, 2011, 06:31:37 pm »

That was our experience, too, Grace.  Because a guy had  left our church for another, we were told not to continue to be involved with the excellent bible study outreach we had been doing with him, because he was not "like minded". In fact, that verse from Philippians 2:1-2 was shared by a gcm staff leader as biblical justification for the decision.  Never mind that he was a man after Gods heart who radiated his love. 
The staff leader was sincere in what he shared.  But his biblical interpretation skills were flawed.  And it's just been recently I've grown in understanding of not taking verses out of context so I didn't know how to respond well at the time.
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« Reply #118 on: January 17, 2011, 06:39:11 pm »

Quote
Brent Knox saying that Christianity was the only religion in the world that sings....

Whose other religions sings???
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Linda
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« Reply #119 on: January 17, 2011, 06:57:29 pm »

Mormons for starters. They have a Tabernacle Choir.
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