My Story

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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[nelliepooh]

I have been a long time lurker on this forum and I decided it was time to tell my story instead of just reading messages to comfort myself with my decision to leave the church.  Much of my reason to leave doesn't have to do so much with what happened to me as to a member of my family who is still a part of the church and I saw what could happen to me if I stayed and did not question the leadership.  Much of my story is probably really personal and self identifying and being that i still have family in the church i am going to be careful about what i say.  I attended a GCM church from 2004-2006 roughly when I moved to go to college away from home.  I had family that were in the area and attended this church so i figured it was a good place to go, not to mention a lot of the Christians i met in college went to said church.    It was really good for the first semester because i made some friends and i felt like i had a group of people that i could study the bible with and grow in the lord in college.  I continued to go and attended a summer leadership program that I was part way involved with because i was also working at the time.  I started to notice that the messages were getting to become very similar and they were definitely elitist, anti dating, and all to focused on being submissive to the church and being a part of it for life.  I was growing uncomfortable because i already knew a lot about the bible and the bible study i was attending was not helping me to grow.  This was because the material that we studied was much like the sermons, batched together scripture that was taken out of context to mean what they wanted it to mean.  I suggested to my leader that we branch off and study other things.  I was reprimanded and told that would be going against the authority that god put in our lives because the pastors were the ones who chose what everyone should study (everyone was doing the same study).  I still went to the church because I felt that leaving would make me look like i was not  a Christian, which my family member in the church seamed to question for some reason too.  I was shocked to say the least.  I left after my family member was re-baptized and changed their major and decided to go on staff with the church and his life has not been the same sense.  He is a different person and i don't think in a good way.  I hope to help people to see that leaving the church if it is not helping you to grow in your faith is a good decision.  Also I hope that someday i can convince my family member to leave the church, but they have so much of their life invested that it seams they are stuck. 

[BTDT]

Hi, nelliepooh - thanks so much for sharing the part of the story that you felt you could.  For what it's worth, I think it's wise to not "self-identify" right now, since you still have a family member in GC and I'm sure you don't want to strain that relationship if you can help it.

The relationships in many GC churches are strong (not always healthy, but strong).  That, more than anything else, is what kept me there as long as I was.  I thought it was evidence that God was working strongly among them, and it sort of validated their message to me. That same dynamic may be working in your family member as well.  Remember, what you're seeing is what's on the outside, the actions GC approves of.  He may very well have a warning flag or two flying in his head somewhere, but he's been taught that it's a "spiritual attack".

Keep on praying for him; God will continue to work in him.

Keep sincerely pursuing God, and growing in Him.  Over time, as your family member sees the true fruit of the Spirit in you (along with the absence of GClichés), he'll come to see things a little clearer.

[everythingchrist]

I hope the best for you and will say a prayer now on your behalf.  The most telling and repeatible problem is the GC reading into the Word and not from the Word.  Take an opinion and add Scripture to make it support your opinion.  converts to opinions and not to Christ.  This is to some a subtle thing since many people in GC began there as newly saved and don't know any better.  If there's no Holy Spirit dependence, there's no gift of discernment there either.  I saw no mention of the Holy Spirit's power at the GC church I attended.  He (HS) was an afterthought only.  This is scary and a clear indicator of GC's major theological problems from the get-go.

 Best to you on finding where God wants you to worship and fellowship.