Timothy Rude

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[IWishToRemainAnonymous]

Founder of Walnut Creek in Des Moines

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kcci.com/amp/article/des-moines-metro-pastor-charged-with-criminal-mischief-walnut-creek/38873207

[Janet Easson Martin]

The pastor in question on this thread was significantly involved with the inner workings of Walnut Creek Community Church. WCCC was planted by the GCx [alias GCI, GCM, GCAC, GCC, Collegiate Church Network, Reliant Mission-GCM] Church Organization and founded and led by its own discipled “elders”. WCCC with multiple campus locations (including Drake University); has been under the same administration and influence for most of it’s history though the group may claim they are basically independent. Only until very recently may changes have been made as to it’s “official” affiliation with another organization. However, it seems the leadership personnel have not changed.

It is very important in the case of GCx Churches (current or former ones) to be informed of their spiritually abusive history and lack of public repudiation of the original founder, James (Jim) D. McCotter. He is the key figure who deceptively and erroneously mentored these men; or their “superiors,” and appointed them primarily on their loyalty to him and his very questionable church “empire” scheme.

Reading posts from real people who were nearly all in Walnut Creek Community Church [or its other alias’] may open your eyes to what goes on behind its church doors. These are excerpts from their posts on this site.



I started attending Walnut Creek in the summer of 2010. I was already aware of GCM's history but at first glance WCC seemed "normal". After 2 years I became a community group leader (aka bible study leader). I began to develop more and more angst over several issues (the lack of emphasis on spiritual gifts and the sovereignty of God being my biggest concerns) and had attempted several times to start conversations with other leaders. ...

It became incredibly obvious that any opposing views were simply ignored, and when they could no longer be ignored were castigated as "divisive". I became convinced that if Walnut Creek was ever going to have a legitimate shot of becoming healthy, the culture of secrecy and control had to be destroyed. ...

My concern is that it's an attempt to stack the deck with leadership that will continue to support WCC leadership and help silence legitimate concerns. I hope I'm wrong, but I haven't seen anything that would suggest that WCC leadership is on the path to humility and repentance.  …

I'm just starting the healing process after being at Walnut Creek for 5 years. It sounds crazy and overly dramatic to me, but I really don't know how to adequately explain my experiences without calling it spiritual abuse.
-TJ, 2015


The interesting thing I found is that GCx has been made aware of the practices for a long time, by many others and that they have disregarded and hidden the cries of others. It was interesting for me to find out (after I left) of the Statement of Weakness paper put forward years ago, where GCx had initially recognized their error. To my surprise, the same exact things which they claimed to have repented of as a movement were still being practiced.

...in Des Moines, they still try to control whom people date and when they can date them, they still ask for life time commitments to their church alone, they still counsel people to never move from Des Moines and leave their church, they still look down on other churches who "just don't get it", they still preach controlling messages from the pulpit...

I spoke with several former leaders of the church I was at who had left and to a person they all said that they tried to help leadership (the ones given charge of protecting God's flock) see the misguided practices and weights and burdens they were putting on others. My point is that they have had ample opportunity to change.
-DevastedTC


I have been wavering about posting about this for a while but I stumbled upon a blog that a former leader of wccc campus fellowship that was utterly revealing and I won't provide a link to it at this point but basically the leader is apologizing for all of the wrong doing that may or may not have happened from their involvement. ... I had wondered why this leader had left and why it was so hush hush but I know now the reason. I do wonder now about how it all went down, there seems to be a lot of secrecy. ...

I am very familiar with Walnut Creek church and I would like to say that it would be best for your daughter to stay out.  All the things the other person said about living together, not valuing education and the weaknesses of GCM are blatantly present in this church. ...
-nelliepooh


I am very concerned about what my freshman daughter is getting herself into with this church and being pushed to attend the Faithwalkers convention in December in Nebraska. (I said NO).  Any information would be greatly appreciated about Walnut Creek Community Church in DesMoines...good and/or bad.  I just want to be informed!
-Sarah


I too, became involved with a GCM church when I was a freshman in college. Something didn't feel quite right to me after a few months, but I could never put my finger on it. My parent were concerned because I wasn't myself when I came home for Christmas. They asked me for doctrinal statements from the church and wanted to see what I was being taught. Everything I brought home seemed in line with scripture and they were frustrated because they could see me changing, but couldn't figure out what was wrong.

By spring term, I was a mess. I would get headaches when I tried to study, I was highly anxious, and where previously I loved God, I was now scared of Him and of doing anything "outside of His will."

When I came home that summer of my freshman year (I lived in another state), I was distraught, depressed, and didn't know which end was up. Like your daughter I was strongly encouraged to go to the summer training program. If I had gone, there is no way my parents would have been able to help me leave the group. Because they had me home for a few months that summer, I was able to figure out something was seriously wrong and I decided not to go back to college in that state. ...

Like others have said, the church may try to encourage your daughter not to listen to you, and that she needs to make a choice between church and family. That happened to me.
-KT


One I will say is that WCCC does support single mothers and such. I can only say this from experience of attending church there for many years.  I will also say that you need to be very careful not to get sucked in there. I would go as far to call it an occult, but you won't see it right away. Its latent. So be warned after doing much reading I would stay away from GCM churches and find a healthy one. ...

Everything that I have read on here and on GCM warning list really seems to fit Walnut Creek [Church]. ... You hear the same messages over and over. You are not encouraged to ask questions to the leadership and when you do they shoot you down. I would say that most of the things I have read about dating and such really applies to there DTC campus in downtown Des Moines. Walnut Creek has 4 campus' now.
-Godalone


Not to go off-topic, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one, Godalone.  Tolerating single mothers and allowing them to do the hard work that makes the church run is not the same as supporting them.  I attended WCCC [Walnut Creek Community Church] for several years along with my single mother.  The disparaging attitudes towards single-parent families in that church may be subtle, but they are pervasive.  No one in that church ever once showed my mother the respect and admiration she deserved.  In fact, when I identified myself as someone who grew up in a "Christian family," I was told that I didn't "really" grow up in a Christian family because my parents were divorced.  I know for a fact that our experience was not unique.  WCCC is a toxic environment for single-parent families.
-Cossette729


I'm sad to report that I have recently been told of several more kids from the Des Moines [GCx] group who have either dropped out of college or who have changed career paths to make themselves more easily "movable" for church plants and available for church work.  I have no way of know if this is true without pinning down people that I don't know and asking, but the person who told me is reliable and I trust her.  If this is the case, this is very sad.

Young adults need to be investing in the gifts God gave them, achieving their potential, and using their whole selves in life.  I'm crushed to think of the talented young people who have quit developing their God-given gifts and interests and who have channeled them in to GC pursuits.  Once committed to GC, the trade is the rest of your life (your full decision on who you marry, how you parent, where you live, your time, your resources).  GC is a jealous lover that takes and doesn't give a whole lot in return.
-AgathaL’Orange


I went to Walnut Creek and left. ... I mentioned helping serve in other ministries around town, but they only wanted me to serve there. ...

I spoke with a friend and there are lots of people leaving. They aren't being told the truth why people left. I think people in there should talk to people who left and see if they get a different story. Before I left, I talked with my friend who left before and asked why she left. She told me of how she was controlled and gave examples. She was confronted by a leader and asked to commit to the church for life. When I told my bible study leader about this, I was told to talk to the pastor. He put a spin on it and made it sound like my friend was the one with the problem. ...

My parents spoke with the pastors and were told there was nothing to worry about. It is wolf in sheeps clothes.
-upthecreek, 2010


...I would offer my experience for those trying to leave WCCC [Walnut Creek Community Church - a GCx Church in Des Moines, Iowa]...
My experience was that it only took a few months away from it all to really begin to see all the controls that were upon my life. I spoke with a young person who was warned by a bible study leader that if they studied abroad or went home for the summer, they would be vulnerable to the devil and could fall away... The culture put pressure on people to follow these patterns, even though none of them can be found as mandated in scripture. It is interesting to note that a person in GCx can flat out deny that any of these pressures exist if you were to confront them. For instance, when I confronted leaders that these pressures to not date existed, they would deny it and point to the two couples in the student group who were dating (even though they had tried to break them up).
-MarthaH


Some time ago I was active in campus fellowship [a ministry of Walnut Creek Community Church] at Drake University. During this time there was excessive abuse of power. People were told who they could and could not date and told others not to spend as much time with specific people of the opposite sex. Reasons for these measures usually lacked any biblical support other than the good old "I am your elder. I am telling you this. You must submit me" mantra (1 Peter 5:5). There was a concern that if dating was permitted that it would tarnish people's ability to evangelize. [b{Throughout the years, Drake CF continued to use strict control measures on others. People were forbidden from leisure activities if they had not completed their quota of verse memorization, bible reading time, or evangelistic endeavors[/b]. I will concede that while these experiences may be true for me, they were by no means true for everyone there. People experienced these abuses to varying extents.
-Alex


Here is one piece of information you should be aware of: Tim Rude is the pastor of that church and he was a good friend and a disciple of Jim McCotter who founded GCI and the GCI church in Ames where Tim devoted a lot of his time, energy, and money during the 70s and 80s. You can read the litany of documentation about all the problems with that organization by going to Wikipedia and other sources referred to in this website.
-newcreature


Incoming freshmen are easy prey to these people. Please advise your daughter to read through everything on this website, and anything else she can find about Great Commission churches.

This movement was founded by people who have practiced deception, on a daily basis, for so long that they are unaware when they are doing it. I would find it difficult to believe anything told to me by current members, because they are either (a) practicing deception, or (b) thoroughly deceived.

Drake is a wonderful university, and you can rightfully be proud of your daughter for studying there. Please encourage her to investigate other local churches and youth groups before letting herself get sucked into the quicksand of anything GC-related. It can take years to pull yourself back out again; and by then, you've wasted some of the most precious time of your life.
-ISU Alumna


I got involved with WCCC and Alive when I first came to Drake a few years ago. As an international student, a lot of efforts were made to help me by members of WCCC. ...

I remember a person I was really close to leaving my second year there. I understood their reasons and thought it was perfectly natural for them to make a decision like that. But I soon learned that it wasn't wise for me to say that. An "older person" met with me to make sure that I understood it was bad (almost a sin) that this person had left. ...

I didn't stay on for very long with the church. I didn't leave on bad terms with anybody but [bjust leaving was enough for me to be labeled all the negative things that people who leave get labeled[/b]. I don't have a lot of friends from the church despite the long list of people who claimed to be my friends and brothers and sisters when I was a part of them. A lot of my friends now are people who have left.
-carolused2b


I was also involved with WCCC... I just wanted to say that I experienced similar things in my time there. ... It's helpful for me when people like you share their stories because it just confirms that something is actually wrong at WCCC. I was taught for so many years that people who left the church did so because they had fallen into sin, so it's refreshing to hear from people who also saw troubling teachings and practices at WCCC.
-GB

[Huldah]

I've never met Timothy Rude so I have no idea whether or not this incident is out of character for him. Elsewhere on the forum, it has been pointed out that he had a brain aneurysm just a few years ago. Serious brain injuries have been known to change a person's personality, and not for the better. This is not to excuse his behavior in any way, or to minimize the damage to his victims. At the very least, Tim Rude and the other perpetrators owe full financial restitution to the victims for property damage. And what a tragedy it would have been for everyone involved, if a homeowner had assumed it was a home invasion and defended himself accordingly. The perpetrators were putting their very lives at risk for some mean stupid prank.

[Outtathere]

I was notified of this news, and my initial reaction was mourning.

Huldah, you are right that an aneurysm may have been a contributing factor in all of this. Also, everyone is due their day in court and is, in the eyes of the law, innocent until proven guilty. I will point out that a verdict of "not-guilty," does not in and of itself mean that the person is therefore innocent, but that there was not enough to convict a person of a crime.

While WCCC is no longer my concern, I would encourage my friends still in WCCC to use this as a call for transparency. My understanding is that WCCC is now part of the SBC. I would encourage WCCC to continue to bring things to light to allow healing. Since leaving, I have heard several people bring up the issue of abusive leadership. My opinion is that if people felt the freedom to talk, WCCC or a third party may uncover a lot more. While this may lead them down the rabbit hole, I would encourage them to do so in the spirit of bringing the truth to light so that restoration may take place.

I have recently been encouraged by some conversations with friends who have remained at WCCC and who have not felt the controls that I felt, which eventually led to my leaving. I think that there is no longer a disdain for leaders to receive formal training, and several leaders are pursuing seminary teaching. That said, there is still a long way to go and I do not believe that WCCC has acknowledged the abuse that took place in the past. I am unsure how it was vetted before they joined the SBC. My hope is that they were TRULY vetted. However, the SBC proceeded to let them join even though many of the concerns that have been raised over the years and can easily be found. I am curious if any concerns were raised or addressed during their onboarding.

All to say, it seems like things are coming to light. It wouldn't surprise me if more things come to light (and when is that ever a bad thing?)...and there is still an opportunity to repent and change. If that ever happens and is truly meant, I am willing to forgive them as is my Christian duty, and in my heart I do not hold a grudge.

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Tim, I have prayed and will pray for you. I forgive you as I am commanded to do and as I can not hold that anger any longer in my heart. I do not have confidence that you are a believer. I believe you are, by definition, a wolf in sheep's clothing. I pray that your sins be fully brought to light for the sake of the believers in WCCC whom the Lord holds dear to his heart with a jealous love. It is his church, and I pray for you your sake that you will repent.

[Linda]

Obviously there is much more to this story. What stood out to me was a an older pastor driving his son AND his son’s friends around 24 times in 4 days to inflict thousands of dollars in property damages on homeowners. Not very winsome. If my dad had suggested I go with him to damage property, I would have said, “Dad, this is a bad idea,” and not participated. From reading the article, it doesn’t sound like he did the damage and it sounds like the defense is poor thinking due to a brain aneurysm 6 years ago, but there were other people involved. The news did not mention them. I wonder why?

[Huldah]

From reading the article, it doesn’t sound like he did the damage and it sounds like the defense is poor thinking due to a brain aneurysm 6 years ago, but there were other people involved. The news did not mention them. I wonder why?

The news article says it was "a group of kids." I don't know how old Rude's son is, but if he and his friends were underage, their names wouldn't be mentioned. But likewise, if they were underage, then their parents (including Tim Rude) should be held financially responsible for the damages.

The fact that Tim Rude didn't actually do any damage himself may not be legally relevant. In bank robberies, for example, getaway drivers have been convicted even if they didn't participate in the actual robbery. The exact culpability of a driver probably varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

And assuming this story is accurate (because we know that not everything we read in the news is always right or complete), then in addition to the legal consequences, I believe that Rude may need further medical evaluation. Head injuries are a bear. They can leave permanent effects in ways you'd never even think of.

[Huldah]

Outtathere, thank you for your thoughtful and well-balanced post on this. Your posts on this forum, though few in number, are always well reasoned with grace extended to all parties.

[Janet Easson Martin]

Outtathere, I agree with Huldah. Thank you for your gracious and honest post. Really helps to get input from someone who is familiar with both the pastor and the organization that he was “trained” under.

I commend your forgiving attitude.

Quote from Outtathere

During my time there we never had budget meetings, which is common in most churches. Also, people who were deemed out of line by questioning leadership were often addressed from the pulpit. The statement put out by WCCC on Tim did not surprise me. It gave room for the excuse (and perhaps valid reason) that his behavior was based on an aneurysm. However, from my experience of his controlling nature, spiritually abusive behavior, and the lack of accountability in the WCCC structure, they may very well be using it to gaslight their congregants. While not condoning his behavior, they will probably use a subtle spin to tell people to pity an old man and that he is of a bygone era and we have moved on.

[Outtathere]

I would like to update the forum that since my last post, I was notified of a response made by the pastors of WCCC to their congregants. What was read to me indicated that they took immediate action to remove Tim Rude and did not try to hide what transpired from the church by bringing the issue to light immediately. While my concern for Tim remains, I have no issue with the initial steps taken by leadership at WCCC and applaud their steps. There is no indication of gaslighting as it relates to this incident with Tim Rude and I will remove that portion from my previous post. I will believe the best for the current pastoral team and feel no need to further comment on this incident. If I choose to speak at a later time, I will attempt to speak the truth in love.

[Janet Easson Martin]

Danger In

Walnut Creek Church

This is a continuation of reports (from a post above) about Walnut Creek Church, nearly all from those once inside. There is obviously great concern over the spiritual, emotional, and mental health of members who are tragically exploited, erroneously persuaded, and relentlessly exhausted by ungodly pressure in Walnut Creek Church. Sadly, this has been characteristic of most GCx Churches for their 50-plus year history. Though the group “officially” ended their National Board in July 2020, remaining churches seem to continue to follow their very unhealthy MO. Nearly all have merely changed their names to lose the bad press that constantly follows this group; making it challenging to research them. Even Walnut Creek Church dropped the label “ Community” in their name. It also has other aliases if you trace their history.

Here is what former members (their friends and immediate family) all too familiar with this particular church have to say about it.



I've only recently became aware of the danger of Walnut Creek [Church] from a friend of mine...

... [he] began to feel like something wasn't right and began to do his own research on the history of GCx movement, and asked me to do the same (which we did, leading us to this site and others). He has been asked by more than one leader on numerous occasions to give up his promising career in professional golf, which of course takes him out of town frequently (where he does frequently share his faith). He's also heard leaders claim they are the only church "doing it right" at a recent mens retreat.

The term "cult" is used a little too loosely these days (by some) and I still don't consider WCCC or its branches a cult in a strict sense. But there is definitely a very pervasive and enduring core element in the leadership that do cult-like things, as MANY seem to have experienced.
-stayalert, 2013


Leadership would take good things...wonderful things that are gifts from God, intended to help us know his heart more... and they turned them into sacrifice!

Another example is accountability. ... to place someone in a group and have mandated accountability such as asking them questions like, "how pure were you this week?" and "how many times did you read your bible?" These can quickly and often lead to control and abuse by shepherds.

I believe that our common experience can be categorized as spiritual abuse. The "abusers" are for the most part poorly trained, poorly educated and young.
-thrutheyrs


The elitist mindset that Walnut Creek-ers have was one of the things that made me start feeling like something was not right. WCCC is viewed as being ahead of the pack in reaching people for Christ. ...

Work, school, family, friends are all secondary to evangelism. If you miss work or classes because of the mission trip that you're on, it's all good. But if you miss a church event because of work or school, you weren't committed enough. You took the easiest classes you could to get by so you had more time for evangelism. Woe to anybody that took a job outside Des Moines. They are basically considered selfish, worldly people unless of course you chose a job in a city where there was a sister church. International students are held on to by any means rather than letting them go home. ... And everybody that the church helps to stay in town, local or international, is basically indentured to the church.

More, more, more. That's always what you need to be doing in order to stay in the "in group" and to be viewed as a committed member.

...WCCC isn't all bad. There are good people there that really do love the Lord and want to serve Him with all of them. But the system is flawed from the top and as a result, it's not a healthy place to be in.
-France


I was a part of WCCC for a few years as a college student from Drake and also as a young adult after graduating. I finally left the church after years of feeling that something was not right and disagreeing with things that were taught at church and at various conferences.

I've worked through a lot of the hurt and anger that I personally felt but I am still seeing people experiencing a lot of things that are not right and wish that I could do something about it. ...

What's up with the whole rebranding that's going on at Walnut Creek? I recently noticed that they are moving from Walnut Creek Community Church to just Walnut Creek Church?
-Wcccleaver


I have been involved with WCCC since my freshman year at Drake. I became a Christian a couple of months into the school year and have been involved with the Campus Fellowship group since then. I guess I have the same story as most Walnut Creekers. I got really involved with bible studies and outreach events, lifegroups and mission trips. If there was a service project, I was there. ... Convinced countless people to come to our big group hangouts. Shunned those who left the church, acted like every word out of the leaders' mouths was gospel truth, felt like we had got church right and nobody else did. You name it, I did it.

I thought that I would spend my life serving this church in Des Moines or anywhere else that they wanted to send me. I pledged loyalty to this church over my family and friends and myself (even if I didn't know it then).

Fast forward four and a half years of this, and I find myself questioning if loyalty to your church for life is right. I find myself wondering if the desires that I have to serve God elsewhere could possibly be the right thing for my life. And as I work this out, I realize that I have been placed in the same category as people who are misguided and not following God's will for their lives. I haven't even left yet and already I am being shunned and avoided, already I hear the whispers and see the looks. ...

As someone who is in the process of leaving Walnut Creek, I was wondering if anyone else would be willing to share their stories and any difficulties they encountered. A lot of my "friends" want very little to do with me and I sometimes wonder if I'm doing something wrong. I would really appreciate hearing other peoples' stories and any advise you may have for me.
-liberated, 2012


I left the church after 3.5 years at Drake.  BEST. DECISION. EVER.  Your answer as to whether or not to leave came in the form of your "friends" ignoring you.  The same thing happened to me.  A loving church family is loving to all people, whether or not they go to the same church as you do.  I grew up in church...sometimes people would decide to worship elsewhere.  It was completely acceptable and would be completely out of line for one to shun a fellow Christian for choosing to worship elsewhere.

... Re-consider spending your money at an expensive, private institution if your student has become involved with this group.  The level of involvement expected does not allow for any extra time to be spent in other extracurricular activities, and a high level of commitment to their education will be discouraged. ...

I would also recommend NOT speaking with a church leader until you have had some time to do some research and learn more about this group.  They tend to "smooth things over" and hush-hush your concerns before you even know what you are thinking.  And you should really be thinking for yourself.
-trthskr    [left ~2008]


I officially met many key members of the Westown Church [branch of WCCC]. ... I already was feeling recruited, like a notch in someone's heavenly belt of new followers. ... I wasn't as cool with the WCCC and Westown Church. ...

I saw how women were often treated, like they were meant for matronly duties only. I saw how my friend dropped out of community college because her passion for the group was getting in the way of schoolwork. I saw the misinterpretations of the Bible, the blatant disrespect for people who were different than them, the fake charm and fake friendships that I had formed. I moved to a new city in 2011 and decided to stop contact with most of the members, except my closest friends. Not surprisingly, they never tried contacting me at all after I moved or checked up on me after I moved, despite our friendships. Even [my friend] stopped texting me, unless I texted her first about coming back into town to visit. That's when I realized that she had been advised by other members to stop talking to me all together...
-mchammer401


...I was a part of Campus Fellowship at Drake for my entire college career upon graduation I left the church due to many reasons. The group is great at bringing people in, especially freshmen because they will make the new students feel welcomed and loved. Progressively, they will talk about being more committed and soon enough nearly all of free time is spent within the group doing "the Lord's work". The group/church is very legalistic and very passive aggressive in their control over people. Guilt is [used] a lot to get members/attenders to serve and spend all of their time/money for the benefit of the church. If parents object to their child being a part of the group, the student is usually told that the parents "just don't understand" and convinced that everything they are doing is for the sake of the gospel. In my experience, I was never enough. They take scripture out of context to maintain control over the group for whatever reason, example: favoritism: you can't date or like someone because that would be showing favoritism and that goes against the Bible...

The group/church is very deceiving, it looks good from far away but the closer and closer you look, you can see how destructive it is and how flawed their teachings are. My suggestion, warn her to stay at a distance, do not let her go to FaithWalkers or let her stay and participate in the summer program called epicenter. As Christians, we are free from the bondage of slavery to sin, we have freedom in Christ to LIVE, not just freedom from sin but freedom from legalism. My advice? stay away and safe yourself from a lot of pain and trying to be good enough and just live in the freedom of the saving Christ.
-free


Here are three other recent posts by other parents who were also concerned for their own college-aged students. The last link was posted by Sarah who also asked about WCCC/DCF. She called the University and they encouraged her to trust her instincts and steer her daughter clear of the group.
-newcreature


For the last 2 years, [daughter] has attended...the Downtown Church in Des Moines, Iowa. Since attending this church, she and I have had a weaker and more embattled relationship. She is with "church people" at least 4-5 days/nights a week. She has said angry things to me I have never heard come out of her mouth... she came home and announced she was moving, that she and I aren't close, have never been close and will never be close. She left and I haven't heard from her since. I hope she is okay and have been questioning for the last year or so if this church is a cult. It seems that she is becoming brainwashed and I don't know her anymore. I love her and am scared. Any ideas and/or assistance would be great. ...

if the pastors at the church could see how damaging this is to many young people and their families it would be helpful.  My daughter is a good person, but sort of a born follower.

...when the church did their first "Mission to the City". I asked her at the end of a day what did she do that day to contribute to helping the city and she said that she and others in her bible study painted the church. I was shocked to say the least and asked how painting her own church could be considered a mission to the city, that it sounded pretty self-serving to me and a little bit hypocritical.

My heart is aching. I have encouraged the few friends she talks to occasionally (who used to be her best friends) to not lose touch with her, to try to get together occasionally.  I am afraid that she will be completely sucked up by these folks. ... Dropping other people she has associated with all of her life is not typical. Intense anger and defensiveness regarding her beliefs is scary.
-wjaes


I wanted to share my experiences and observations at Walnut Creek.

I've been attending Walnut Creek for a few years. I got involved with Campus Fellowship at Drake and eventually with Walnut Creek itself. It's pretty much a given that once you're a part of CF, you will be a part of Walnut Creek.

People are not given time to grow before they are thrust into positions of leadership. This makes for spiritually immature leaders. Leaders of the college ministry are often people that have only been Christians for a couple of years or so. ... I just don't think it's the best, especially when the people that they are leading are young people that are at a crucial stage of development. ...

People are encouraged to keep busy so that they will not be idle, and thus tempted to sin. ... there is an unspoken pressure to go to as much stuff as you can. And if you don't, then your loyalty and commitment is questioned. A leader (he was out of college for maybe a year or two) once gave a message at ALIVE (the weekly campus service) and one of his points was "A disciplined Christian is regularly exhausted; a lazy Christian stops when they have given their all." People feel like they have to push themselves to the point of exhaustion before they have done enough and people that don't are not doing their part.

People are encouraged to surround themselves with other people from the church. Choose classes together, live together, hang out together, eat together. The only time it is alright to do things with outsiders is when you're outreaching to them. ... If you are close to people from other churches, you're not loyal to the church. None of this is taught or preached but it is the underlying attitude of a lot of people, the unspoken opinion, the opinion that is shared between close friends. ...

Bad teachings at regional conferences are not contradicted by leaders in the church. ... If somebody (pastor or not) feels like they want to not date or they want to stay at one church for the rest of their life, I think that's fine. But it's not fine when those things are taught as the right way or the best way to do life. ...

Most people that leave the church are viewed as disloyal and probably struggling in their walk with God. Basically there is practically no way that someone can leave the church and remain in good standing. When people leave, they are either not committed enough, not willing to live the Christian life, selfishly pursuing their ambitions, not following the will of God, etc. ... it doesn't matter your real reasons for leaving, people will eventually come up with a story of how you had been struggling with something and how you had been sinning.  If you leave, you're considered a traitor and will have minimal interaction with a lot of the people in the church.
-Ruth

[Janet Easson Martin]

If you or someone you care about has undergone significant personality or mood changes since becoming involved with this Church or another GCx affiliated one (former or not) please read the many similar stories on this site to become educated about what goes on inside this group’s doors. It is not apparent from an outside glance.

Innocent members begin their trek into it’s considerable isolation by subtly cutting ties with those outside and become increasingly codependent on those inside. They begin to cling to members there through a charade of the group’s love-bombing, inauthentic friendships and very false promises. They are likely not aware of it’s very unbiblical and oppressive system.

You don’t have to make any immediate decisions, just be willing to learn the truth. Other mature and caring believers outside this church can reflect who Jesus really is to you. Ask God to send them to you. As you hear things that are questionable, scary, or demanding write them down for yourself so that you can honestly and critically process them; and perhaps talk them over with other Christians you know (outside the church.)

Don’t make rash or quick decisions or commitments. Take time away from the group to think about the red flags you thought you observed and don’t cast them aside. The behavior of the leaders and the group members and how they treat others is much more important to consider than what they profess. Don’t miscount strange reports you hear from more than one person. Sadly, there are at least a thousand counts here of spiritual abuse from real people who have left and continued on in their faith (though you may be told they fell into sin.) That was to keep you from really listening to what they had truly experienced there.

Did those who have shared negative views (about this group) with you care about you and demonstrate love and trustworthiness to you? Even Jesus allowed people to question him and doubt him. He did not shun them. If you are ever told to trust a man’s word over God’s —run!

Unfortunately, it seems more members than we realized suffered breakdowns as a result of being in this group, of which I am one.

[Janet Easson Martin]

Walnut Creek Church and The Dangers of GCx Leadership

This site contains much documentation of real spiritual, emotional, and mental harm done to those in this church and other GCx Churches by GCx disciples in leadership. None of these stories were allowed to be openly shared in GCx Churches. In fact, if it is discussed even between members in private, those speaking of such things will be reported, rebuked and condemned. If they don’t cease from “talking” they are shunned out of the church usually with bad false reports slandering them.

Here at this site, we finally have a place to break the silence, voice the wounds, express the pain, be heard by others for support, and begin healing. We may even start to figure out just exactly what hit us where and when we weren’t expecting. These stories are critical to understand the vast damage this group has caused to so very many; to inform those inside, and to warn those who might be considering membership in this group.

Below is a link to telling statements by former members. Their full stories can be found by searching their “post names” on this site.



A Great Wounding of God’s People in GCx Churches

http://forum.gcmwarning.com/general-discussion/a-great-wounding-of-gods-people-in-gcx-churches/msg21542/#msg21542

[PietWowo]

I've never met Timothy Rude so I have no idea whether or not this incident is out of character for him. Elsewhere on the forum, it has been pointed out that he had a brain aneurysm just a few years ago. Serious brain injuries have been known to change a person's personality, and not for the better. This is not to excuse his behavior in any way, or to minimize the damage to his victims. At the very least, Tim Rude and the other perpetrators owe full financial restitution to the victims for property damage. And what a tragedy it would have been for everyone involved, if a homeowner had assumed it was a home invasion and defended himself accordingly. The perpetrators were putting their very lives at risk for some mean stupid prank.

That's really weird... It must have been a brain aneurysm. His name sounds rude.... But I knew him back in 1980... He's very, very laid back... The last person on earth that you would expect to do something like that. Very midwestern Iowan couple. I'm not saying that elders aren't capable of doing that. I'm just saying that is totally out of personality for him to do that. Something flipped... But then I really haven't talked with him for decades... So, he could have changed... But let's wait for the verdict is in court. You want to see things from all angles... But I knew him well in 1980 and that would be totally out of character and personality for him.

[PietWowo]

Walnut Creek Church and The Dangers of GCx Leadership

This site contains much documentation of real spiritual, emotional, and mental harm done to those in this church and other GCx Churches by GCx disciples in leadership. None of these stories were allowed to be openly shared in GCx Churches. In fact, if it is discussed even between members in private, those speaking of such things will be reported, rebuked and condemned. If they don’t cease from “talking” they are shunned out of the church usually with bad false reports slandering them.

Here at this site, we finally have a place to break the silence, voice the wounds, express the pain, be heard by others for support, and begin healing. We may even start to figure out just exactly what hit us where and when we weren’t expecting. These stories are critical to understand the vast damage this group has caused to so very many; to inform those inside, and to warn those who might be considering membership in this group.

Below is a link to telling statements by former members. Their full stories can be found by searching their “post names” on this site.



A Great Wounding of God’s People in GCx Churches

http://forum.gcmwarning.com/general-discussion/a-great-wounding-of-gods-people-in-gcx-churches/msg21542/#msg21542

If you haven't healed by now, get professional help...

[Linda]

I do know people who have been so damaged by WCCC that they have had to seek professional help to process the trauma of spiritual abuse that happened there.

I sense a mockery in your tone. I hope I am wrong, but I do know people who have been helped through counseling and it's nice of you to encourage it.

This site serves to warn people about damaging beliefs and practices within GCC and its affiliates. Since you were not damaged by your involvement, this site is obviously not for you.

[Janet Easson Martin]

Thank you, Linda, for declaring that so well for the victims and viewers of this site.