Poor Theology in GCx Churches

Welcome to De-Commissioned, a place for former members of the Great Commission movement (aka GCM, GCC, GCAC, GCI, the Blitz) to discuss problems they've experienced in the association's practices and theology.

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[Janet Easson Martin]

Some of the topics seem to come up in sermons over and over. I feel like I've heard a lot of the principles on leadership preached over and over. Not to exaggerate things, but it is like a broken record (other topics like evangelism come up more often than they do when I read the Bible, for instance).

... a lot of teachings on these areas of leadership seem to be done from a defensive position. ... my observation is that the message really did vary from the text and added a lot of preference and applications that went well beyond the scriptures. Whether or not it was ALL correct, I cannot say. My concern is that some of the applications COULD allow people to not critically think through some issues. ...

My being on the forum is to voice true experiences that are not my own interpretation of the events so that people who have been hurt by the exact same abuses know that it is not due to an ignorance of leadership. I tried to stay "united" with the people as far as I could. However, as a Christian, my first obligation is to be united to the Word of God. The abuses brought forward in GCx ultimately boil down to a misapplication of the scriptures. Scripture divides, for important reasons. If scripture tells shepherds to lead the flock and gives specific instructions of what a good shepherd does, and then a person in the role begins to put heavy burdens on people, what does scripture have to say on that?

-DevastatedTC

[Janet Easson Martin]

I am current GCC member. The topics that my pastors have discussed, usually end up being repeated several times. I have noticed that sometimes they target people or are used to make examples of others. I would agree that the topics usually come from a defensive position. I have seen that they use it to control, not trusting that God will work in our lives, and like a parent they need to have faith that believers will follow the foundation laid.

-curious,   2012

[Janet Easson Martin]

Since I have left GCM, I have started to learn that our sole purpose in life is not just to see people saved. There is more to our own salvation than sharing our faith. God wants to heal and restore us to him, not just use us to promote the basic teachings of the faith. He wants to grow the fruits of the spirit in us, partly so we are more effective at sharing our faith (which we should do), but also just for the sake of growing us. He wants us to be more like him, and that does not just entail sharing our faith with anything that moves. GCM seems to forget this important aspect of salvation.

-araignee19

[Janet Easson Martin]

I was saved in a GCM college church plant in the mid '90s but by the grace of God outgrew it and left within a few years. I am writing this only to detail some problems which, as far as I can tell from the great distance of both time and growth in discernment, remain problems with some of the people I knew who still abide within GCM circles. ...

Shameful confession to others of deep abiding sins was promoted as a means of victory over besetting sin. Of course it didn't work because, as stated earlier, the believer's identity and position in Christ and subsequent need to reckon himself dead to sin and alive to God in His Spirit was never, ever explained nor emphasized, much to my deep, lasting regret.

-musterion,   2013