Reliant mission

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[WoodBern82]

https://reliant.org/about/accountability/annual-ministry-reports/2019

I came across this.  in the report it states that GCM became Reliant in 2015.  It also states how Reliant goes back to 1989 with the founding of GCM.  I know the history of this movement and reinventing the name.  I was in the Evergreen location in 2015... I don't recall anything about the name Reliant back then.  Can anyone shed some light on this.  Is it more of the doing things behind the scenes without letting the congregation know.  I also saw the Greg Larson (formerly of the Rock) is getting support from a Burnsville church I have visited.  Any insights on that would help.  Who is really behind Reliant and does Mark Darling have any role or input with it??  Puzzled for now....

[Huldah]

Janet created a timeline of the name changes a little while ago. The link is http://forum.gcmwarning.com/jim-mccotter-gc-history/gcx-churches-escape-bad-reports-through-frequent-name-changes/msg22801/#msg22801. To summarize that post:

The "Blitz" Movement started in 1970.
In 1983, the Blitz became Great Commission International.
In 1989, Great Commission International spit into two entities: the Great Commission Association of Churches (GCA), and Great Commission Ministries (GCM). The latter changed its name to Reliant in 2015.

I'm assuming (though please correct me if I'm wrong) that ECC was part of GCA rather than GCM. If so, then you wouldn't necessarily have heard of the name change at that time.

If I've got anything in this post wrong, I welcome corrections.
   

[Huldah]

Also, for what it's worth, the name change to Reliant was mentioned on this forum in April 2015, http://forum.gcmwarning.com/general-discussion/gcm-changing-its-name-to-reliant/.

[Janet Easson Martin]

When I typed “Reliant Mission Reviews of spiritual abuse” into my Safari search bar today, this appeared  at the top of the page:

“Public reviews and forums show mixed experiences for Reliant Mission. While some staff praise the supportive internal community, former missionaries and watchdog groups have raised concerns regarding strict, high-control environments, heavy-handed leadership, and the financial and psychological strain of independently raising support. Workplace Culture and Leadership ExperiencesPositive Feedback: Current and former staff members often highlight the strong camaraderie and dedicated support structure provided by the central organization. Many praise the mission's overarching goals. Criticism: Employee reviews on platforms like Indeed Employee Reviews point out toxic dynamics, such as favoritism, lack of professional boundaries, and controlling leadership styles. Perspectives on Spiritual and Coercive ControlHigh-Control Environment: Organizations operating in the broader fundamentalist and evangelical missionary space sometimes face systemic criticism for spiritual abuse. While specific complaints against Reliant are minimal in the public domain compared to larger parent agencies, missionaries in this sector frequently report coercive tactics, including guilt-tripping, financial control, and isolating practices by local partner ministries. …”

(All bold emphasis mine)