Cultish Religious Groups on College Campuses Including GCx Formed Groups

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[Janet Easson Martin]

Cultish Religious Groups on College Campuses

Sucked Into ICOC & GCx

I wish that every older youth about to enter college could see this video, ”I joined a cult without knowing...” on the STORYTIME (ICC/ICOC) Channel. She is someone who was already familiar with the Bible and Christianity going into college. This actually happened to her while taking online zoom college classes at home. She explains very well her experience into this religious cult group step by step. She exposes the manipulative measures taken to suck her in. She says without consulting other strong believers outside the group (family members) she would have believed their incessant persuasion.

Though the group uses different lingo in some cases, the persuasive concepts and dynamics are nearly identical. I believe the devil inspires these harmful doctrines to greedy Christian Leaders seeking notoriety at nearly any cost. People are then “discipled” into their group in large numbers, but further away from real Lord, to Jesus. Below is her VERY HELPFUL experience:

I joined a cult without knowing...  STORYTIME (ICC/ICOC) - 1 year ago
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mgclHSyZcU4



Below also is an important post written in 2015 regarding the same “denominational” Religious Organization that bullies recruits into their group with false “spiritual” threats. It is the International Church of Christ. College Campuses tragically seem the primary target for the ICOC group and the GCx group [GC, GCC, GCI, GCM, GCAC, CCN aliases of GCx], now morphing into new sectors. Colleges are probably where the highest number of recruits have joined both of these organizations.


Hello everyone! I was never a member of GCx, but was a member of the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) from 1998-2006. The stories of shepherding/discipling abuses I've read in GCx and the evolution of its theology and systems of control are virtually identical to the ICOC.

I've recently encountered current and former members of H2O churches in my part of the country (Cincinnati, Ohio) and am greatly concerned that the same kinds of GCx abuses are still occurring in these H2O churches. It's similar to what happened when the original leader of the ICOC (Kip McKean) was kicked out of leadership and a new group took over. The same abuses still occurred (and are still occuring), but not to the levels that they did in the past. However, these abuses are abuses nonetheless. This is my fear with the people I know who are involved with H2O, particularly at the leadership level.

-xray342



I wish I would have invited a deeper discussion with xray342 when he initially posted this (below). It is crucial to be aware and examine the patterns of their cult control. Their method of indoctrination is quite similar to GCx in the video above. Several former members of ICOC have posted here to speak of the startling similarities. Just because you claim to teach the Bible at a college campus group doesn’t make you or your group safe.

This video explains the hurtful oppression the unexpecting recruit was harassed with, disguised as friendship and biblical discipleship. Some may say, “If young adults see that video they are going to stay away from any Christian group so it shouldn’t be spread.” I don’t believe Paul thought that or he wouldn’t have written warnings in many passages on the danger of false and abusive teaching among those claiming “superior Christianity”. I believe he was confident God could defend himself and that it was imperative to warn people inside these damaging groups and those tempted to join.

[Janet Easson Martin]

More On ICOC and GCx

Although I was never part of GCM (I was a member of the International Churches of Christ, which has very similar abusive dynamics to GCM), I did encounter a leader in the H2O Church at Ohio State. …
I asked them several questions in a phone conversation and their response was identical to those I've encountered personally from the ICOC, such as "we're not like that any more", "don't judge us for what we've done in the past, things have changed", and so on. I told them I was concerned about them being involved, but they decided to return to H2O anyway.

I occasionally receive e-mail updates from them and one was particularly disturbing. It was a testimony from a woman who joined H2O that confessed practically all of her sexual sins in that e-mail in detail. This is the detail required from my time in the International Churches of Christ.

…with the evidence provided and my experiences with the discipling/shepherding ministries like GCM and the ICOC, it's best for someone to avoid them and join another authentic Christian campus ministry. …

Although that there's only so much we can see from our perspective as an outsider, there are troubling signs that tell me to avoid H2O entirely.

-xray342,   2016


…she was approached repeatedly in her dormitory by a resident assistant. The assistant, Saniie said, drew her into a group called the "Upside Down Club," a registered student organization. She did not know at the time that Upside Down was a name used on campuses by a controversial group called the International Churches of Christ. . . .

Saniie, the University of Maryland senior, said that after she joined the Upside Down Club, she went through a "sin study," during which she was asked to reveal her most intimate secrets. The process left her feeling, she said, "like the worst person in the world."

-CONCERNED ABOUT CAMPUS CULTS, COLLEGES ARM STUDENTS WITH FACTS, Washington Post
By Justin Gillis; Caryle Murphy
December 9, 1997


Here is the link to the last excerpt. It is a VERY HELPFUL article.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1997/12/09/concerned-about-campus-cults-colleges-arm-students-with-facts/7ea1337e-7987-496a-b9cf-28476ac6afda/



…there was many a situation where I came forth and confessed, willingly and of my own accord, to sexual immorality. I did so out of a sheer desire to not repeat the sin. I was shamed, to say the least, and most disturbingly asked for specific and sometimes explicit detail because I "needed" to feel embarrassed. Unfortunately, on more than one occasion, I was asked these questions in front of my pastor, my parents, and my partner's parents. I said things in front of my father that no father should have to hear.

-Wingless Butterfly,  2018, [Former member of GCx]



…[name of GCx National Leader during Highschool Leadershop Training] asked for all the men (I say men but we were all 12-16 years of age) to meet in the auditorium. We were asked to raise our hands if we weren't virgins. Those that raised their hands were asked to describe their sexual experiences and then shamed for it. Back then I assumed that since all these men were in positions of power and authority that this was part of becoming more spiritual. Now as a parent, I say how dare you talk to my child like this.

-deadprophet,   2018

[Janet Easson Martin]

Cruel Commands in GCx Formed ”Christian” Campus Churches

When young people are just leaving home for the first time as they enter the arena of college they are faced with many and new decisions. They are trying to navigate “the world” on their own. They need to build friendships that are safe, supportive, and encourage their investment for their future. People who don’t just see what’s right in front of them, but the impacts down the road. The Bible says ‘he who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm’. The companions of the blind will be led astray and even into a pit.

Sadly, there are groups of people on campuses that are obviously not safe. But even more insidious are groups that may appear safe because they claim to teach the Bible. But, they are actually harmful because they do not practice the primary commands of God’s Word. They actually discourage loving and trusting God above all others, and practically loving and respecting others as themselves. It is not apparent at first glance because their biggest marketing scheme is to pretend to be your best friend and most loyal fan to get you in. Their groups are bursting with disingenuous friendships. Any later disinterest in their group (not Jesus) will find your friendship swatted away like a pesky fly.

When people maturing their way into adulthood by learning to make good choices come across “Christian” people claiming to live exactly the way God wants them to, without regret; and that the outcome is wildly successful, even more-so than other Christian Churches -it seems quite compelling. They may have just encountered a box wrapped in rich glittering allure, but inside it actually reveals beastly burdens and savage wounding.

These “Christian” Clubs or “Christian” Campus Group (Churches) do NOT actually honor God’s two biggest commandments - Love God first, and love your neighbor (or Christian brother) as yourself. Students are exploited for the seats they fill, the service they exhaustively perform, and the recruits they constantly campaign into the group. Their college studies are not honored and respected, and often suffer. They constantly pressure them through false guilt and fear to set aside or even change their college work.

Their parents who are usually financing them are labeled as unwise. Their role is usurped by the church leaders. Their kids now answer to them, not those who raised them, nor their home pastor, or counselor, or college adviser, or tragically even their own conscience. They are cruelly taught little by little to ignore their conscience especially regarding thoughts that the group is unhealthy or ungodly. They will challenge your children to choose between their family and what they label as “God.” Their leaders and their church become the “god” that they serve. What they represent is not like the God of the Bible. (Except for the literal gospel they may share from scripture to lead someone to Christ. It falls apart after that.)

Here is the testimony of one disenchanted college student in more recent years:



I got recruited into the [GCx] Edge campus ministry at UW-Eau Claire and started attending [GCx] CedarCreek Community Church...

My first year was an absolute dream. [GCx] CedarCreek and the Edge were everything that I had ever dreamed about. They were passionate, community-focused, and seemed to really see and care about who I was as a person. I felt encouraged and pushed in ways I never had. I met some very close friends and had a mentor I adored. That first year I can still look back on with a smile. ...

As I started getting more involved, and as school was starting to get more difficult, I started feeling exhausted. But instead of telling me it was okay to rest, okay to step back, I was told I should be exhausted most of the time, that I wasn't doing enough for God if I wasn't. At Faithwalkers in 2013, there was a sermon preached that told us if we were tired, it was because we didn't have enough faith. No one seemed to believe me when I talked about getting really sick when I got too tired...

...when things got really bad, where my friends and I were so overwhelmed with all the negative things we were seeing, we tried to talk to [RG], who was head of the Edge as well as CedarCreek by that point. ...each concern was systematically destroyed. We were wrong, he said. There weren't problems...  

Though he said he didn't like using the word, he did describe himself as the "dictator" of the Edge when we questioned his ability to not let us control any aspect, even though it was supposed to be a student run organization (except it actually wasn't; CedarCreek views the Edge as a college "church plant" which is why the students get no control. This, however, was the first we knew of it - they never told the students they were in a church plant). ...all of our concerns about burnout, about control...were brushed aside. In the end, we were a bunch of burned-out "less spiritual" students that Satan was using to try and destroy the group's unity. ...

I saw leadership trying to involve themselves and even control personal aspects of peoples' lives that they never had the right to even know about. And I ESPECIALLY saw the shutting down of anyone who tried to question the leadership (yes, we had MANY sermons on submission to leaders, even if they were doing the wrong thing).

-Alexa,  [Left ~2015],  2018

[Janet Easson Martin]

And, here is another from the same spiritually abusive church years earlier:


I was part of a team who started The Edge.  It was never supposed to be a Cedarcreek church plant.  Rob was in charge from the beginning...when we realized he would always have the final say but pretended he didn't.  I actually burnt out and checked out of ministry for awhile--I wasn't pressured to return because...I was beginning to ask questions.  I felt such guilt about that for a long time, because our worth and value were determined by service. I thought God must be disappointed in me and that I had become a "mediocre" Christian.  But I just couldn't do it anymore. ...

I attended [GCx] Cedarcreek Community Church in Eau Claire WI, from 1997-2002 as a single young adult. ... We witnessed or were subjected to everything in the correction statement [1991 Statement of Errors]. ... The problems supposedly addressed in the correction are STILL going on there, including an excommunication for "gossip and slander" in 2010. ... We had a slow recovery from the toxic environment we were in, but continued to experience pain as loved ones and family members have been excommunicated and shunned, to this day.

I know that at Cedarcreek Community Church in Eau Claire leadership is spiritually abusive and continuing all the errors of the past. ... Knowing what a big name Enroth is in the world of spiritual abuse, it really bothers me that they somehow convinced him that they had made significant changes. ...

-Rebel in a Good Way,   2017

[Janet Easson Martin]

Here is the (GCx formed) spiritually abusive “Christian” Group/Church referred to in the previous two posts. Some of the leaders are still the same:


Cedarcreeek Community Church, Eau Claire, Wisconsin and University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire

https://ccreek.org/about/contact-us/

[Janet Easson Martin]

My GComm [GCx] church was the only church I've ever attended where if you tell a leader that you believe God is telling you to do something, instead of encouraging you and helping you fulfill God's will in your life, the leaders will actually have the gall to argue with you about it. Not because they think God is telling them otherwise, but simply because "God hasn't told me anything about that" or "You didn't seek enough counsel!" Last I heard, one of the names for the Holy Spirit was "Counselor." GComm needs to wake up and realize that being higher on the leadership hierarchy does not make you "closer" to God. We are all PRIESTS according to my bible. The whole purpose of a teacher is supposed to be to teach us how to develop our relationship with God so that we can better follow Him, not so we can follow them.

This belief that leaders are somehow standing in between God and us, and that in order for God to work in our lives he will speak to those leaders specifically about our lives first, is NOT BIBLICAL SUBMISSION. It is usurping the role of the Holy Spirit. Anything that usurps the Holy Spirit's role in our lives is crossing the line where "submission" ends.

- Escape From Summitview

[Janet Easson Martin]

This morning these truths I read in Psalm 127 brought the posts of Rebel in a Good Way and Alexa above to mind; in their continual striving but never being enough in their GCx Church. (I just had to post these verses.)

This is a burdensome experience that so many share from their experience in GCx Churches. This burden crushes the joy and peace we were meant to have in Christ. It is a spiritual abuse directed down from leadership in an effort to build up their own reputation and that of the Church and organization.

The pressure may be worse now that they are losing so many members to the truth about them shared on people’s blogs and this site. This GCx culture is building their house in VAIN. Much of it is NOT the Lord’s work as they claim. The verses below conversely describe the work that God does. This, of course, is outside of real circumstances that cause us to suffer. The harmful sacrifices of members described on this site are directed by men and out of dangerous exploitation to build their own “empire.”

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. ...

In vain you rise early and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to a those he loves.

Psalm 127:1a,2   NIV



Come to Me, all those toiling and being burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30   BLB

[Janet Easson Martin]

The GCx formed college group on Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa is currently named Campus Fellowship . Below are people’s stories of cruel control including cult-like commitment in this “Christian” group.



Some time ago I was active in campus fellowship 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. ... You must submit me" mantra...

There was a concern that if dating was permitted that it would tarnish people's ability to evangelize. 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. ...

If you are reading this and are apart of [GCx] Drake Campus Fellowship or a similar organization I hope to exhort you to stay on guard and trust in God during this time. ...we as Christians must always examine the teaching of others through the trustworthy lens of scripture.

-Alex,   2013


The [GCx] Drake campus fellowship might seem edgy, cool, and a lot of fun at first, but it is a bait and switch. They are actually extremely legalistic and will give you guilt trips like you've never experienced. I have friends who go there who have had multiple emotional breakdowns due to this group's overbearing and manipulative policies.  I'm sure there are many other fine Christian organizations at Drake that won't try to monopolize all your free time for church related activities or tell you who you can and can not date.

-G_Prince,  2011


Take it from me..I learned the hard way after getting involved with [GCx] Drake University Campus Group] Alive for 2 1/2 years. Please save yourself from that insanity.  

-trthskr,   2011


..I was a part of [GCx] Campus Fellowship at Drake ...  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. ...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


I've been attending Walnut Creek for a few years. I got involved with [GCx] 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.

... 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. ...

Bad teachings at regional conferences are not contradicted by leaders in the church. ... 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


The elitist mindset that [GCx Church] Walnut Creek-ers have was one of the things that made me start feeling like something was not right. ... 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 have been involved with [GCx] WCCC since my freshman year at Drake. ... 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. ... 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. ...

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 was in WCCC [GCx formed Walnut Creek Church] for years and I've seen this happen countless times. ... All I ever heard is that if you do leave, it's because you have fallen into sin and you are being deceived by the devil. It's the perfect trap because if you do leave and then criticize the church they can disregard everything you say. WCCC was always preached as being superior to all other churches, so there's no reason to leave unless you have become ensnared by sin in your life. ...

I remember being part of Drake's [Campus Fellowship] CF/[GCX] WCCC when many older members were leaving en masse, and one of the leaders got up during a prayer night and announced that the exits were God's way of purifying our group. ... There's a sense of pride in staying when everyone else is coming to their senses and quitting because you feel like you're really committed to suffering for the gospel. The more time that I spend away from the church the more I can see what a dangerous mind-controlling organization it is.

-GB    [left ~ 2013]



In 2019 this college campus group was listed on the Lift Network site under Campus Fellowship. I could not find any organization today with “Lift Network” related to college ministries or churches in Iowa.

But, there is a website for “GCx” Walnut Creek Church. You will recognize some of the GCx loyal leaders names and some of the locations, though they claim partnering with Baptist and SBC. Walnut Creek Church lists three college ministries: Drake University, DMACC Ankeny, and Grandview University. If you select one of these colleges, it will take you Campus Fellowship.com (the link below this one)

https://walnutcreekchurch.org/connect/college/


Below is the website for Campus Fellowship, the same people that lead the GCx formed college group at Drake University.  Manhattan, Kansas group claims they began in 2020. They may have changed their name in 2020, but they have a longer history that is documented by former members on this site. Campus Fellowship lists 9 campuses:

Iowa:
Drake University            (Connected with Walnut Creek Church or “WCCC”)
Iowa State                      (Connected with Stonebrook Church)
DMACC Ankeny             (Connected with Walnut Creek Church)
Grandview                      (Connected with Walnut Creek Church)

Omaha, NE
University of Nebraska   (Connected with Candlewood Church)

Manhattan, KS
Kansas State University  (Connected with Vintage Faith Church)

Providence, RI *
Brown University
Rhode Island College
JWU

*All three of these RI college groups say they are looking to start up.


The quotes below are taken from claims on this site.
https://campusfellowship.com/about/

“Campus Fellowship was founded in 1999 with a small Bible Study at Drake University. Through the humble efforts of students and church members at Walnut Creek Church, Campus Fellowship began to grow.”

“Over the last few years, Campus Fellowship grew to include seven campuses in five cities in the Midwest. By partnering with local churches, who have a passion to reach college students, Campus Fellowship is primed to influence the next generation.”

[Janet Easson Martin]

In light of the slanderous lies that actually malign those leaving Campus Fellowship at Drake University and Walnut Creek Church in Des Moines, Iowa and so many other GCx formed campus groups & churches; I believe God speaks to their abuse:

May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue—
those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the Lord.
“I will protect them from those who malign them.”

Psalm 12:3-5

[Janet Easson Martin]

Walnut Creek Church is closely connected to Campus Fellowship at Drake University. In fact, Campus Fellowship is listed as a ministry to 3 different Colleges on WCC’s website. As you have heard by testimonies here, these “college groups” are not run by current students themselves, but are strictly directed by leaders in GCx formed churches. Here is someone who was involved in WCC for five years and left in 2015. His insights are very helpful.



I started attending Walnut Creek [GCx Church] my in the summer of 2010. …

… I think it's the "fake it until you make it" strategy that is a hallmark of GCx. It's an attempt to weather the storm by projecting strength. I know several of the new deacons and "pastors". They're men I have a great amount of respect for. Unfortunately I think many of the new appointments are ceremonial at best. None of the "pastors" will be preaching from the pulpit, or be on equal footing with the main pastors. They're more like "glorified deacons/elders" than pastors. 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. …

They're sorry to have been caught. They'll do a quick, cold PR campaign and then it's back to business as usual. …  it makes me greatly concerned when those who claim the name of Christ lack any semblance of real humility. …

…unity without the truth is idolatry. That's why it's important to speak out and to shine a light on these issues, because they really are Gospel issues. … For those of us that have been enslaved in a "do _______ to make God happy" environment, we have to return to the Gospel and remind ourselves and others that Jesus wasn't kidding when he said "It is finished". God isn't looking down on us frustrated and angry, He loves us and is still pursuing us. … It's that kind of love that changes us and sets us free. …

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. … This forum has been incredibly encouraging and reassuring as I try and move on with my life. …

-tjlyttle   [Left ~ 2015]

[Janet Easson Martin]

Campus Fellowship at Iowa State in Ames is closely connected with Stonebrook Community Church in Ames. Stonebrook lists Campus Fellowship as a college ministry. Their website page is:  https://stonebrook.org/ministries/campus-fellowship/

Here is a woman who was involved in this GCx Church [Stonebrook] in Ames, Iowa for quite some time. She shares what she experienced and observed and heard from reliable sources, making important observations about the very unhealthy pressure and control so that she might save other members from the shame, heartbreak and disappointment she suffered. Tragically, what she underwent in GCx turns out to be not uncommon for most of those who write here, and many of those who read.

Sometimes, when we read someone’s words, we may forget the pain they felt was very real. Many of people have undergone painful shame and condemnation along with continual harassment and exhaustion. No one can sustain that unless they deny it or stuff it. They eventually become flat - a mere shadow of themselves.

Some of you reading may have been carrying hurt and pain for some time, but have thought it’s your own fault - your lack of devotion. Chances are it may be you’re grieving the loss of God’s unconditional love toward you. You are likely missing the beloved position you were once assured of before God. He nor his love has changed toward you. But, your view of yourself and God has likely been pervertedly distorted!! The same Jesus who was crazy about you when you first came to faith is still the same today and forever. Galatians says there are those who preach Jesus, but distort his gospel of grace - thus teach a lifestyle outside of Grace. This is the different Jesus taught & implied in GCx Churches (including most of those in the new reorganization.) This former member of GCx discusses this “different God” in some of her other posts in this site.

She has courageously held onto Jesus (and not an idol) and learned anew the real character and eternal acceptance of God. She has gloriously kept her faith. Here is some of what she has to say:


I was at a GCC church in the 80's until the early 90's. ... in the Stonebrook church in Iowa. ... for 15 years. ...

I now feel it is my Christian responsibility to warn people (especially new people to the community) about the [GCx] Stonebrook church and no longer call it a "good" church in town. ...

I'm glad for this site.  I think people need to be warned about the problems in these churches and I'm now telling people when they are new to town about our local [GCx] church (Stonebrook). ... I remember when many people left the church after the elders talked about how God is not omniscient -- He limits his knowledge because of man's free will -- this was not that long ago. And there was the time when Christians didn't have a sin nature because of a book that an Elder read.  (that was in the 80's) ...

The singles were expected to help out the marrieds.  I spent alot of my time (weekly) helping a married woman with her children.  I did this for YEARS.  Once I left the church this woman wouldn't give me the time of day although she pretended to be my best friend when I was serving her and her family over the years. ...

I remember feeling dumped too -- when the small groups would switch around friends I thought were going to do anything for me, were suddenly not interested in maintaining the friendship.  ... One leader told a friend of mine that she spent too much time with me. ... She should be out meeting new people, evangelizing, discipling.  Everything is GCC is that one goal.  Friendships are just another way to meet that goal.

... in the 80's they had this belief.  If you left the church you were told you were committing spiritual suicide -- I know of many that were told this. ... I have to say that in my time at GCC -- I was afraid (as were others) of ex-communication by GCC.  One missed step and we were out of fellowship.  That is no way to be involved in a church! ...

I noticed you are in Ankeny, IA.  I'm very familiar with this church and the leadership there and good thing you are getting OUT.  I had a friend who had severe depression in that church and the [GCx] elders counseled him not to seek therapy but to get more involved in leading (he was a deacon).  He was suicidal and eventually needed to be hospitalized.  They shunned him and didn't believe it was anything but sin in his life -- he was told he was selfish.  He found another church and now is doing wonderfully but with no help from that church who he was a part of for over a decade. ...

I knew of a man who was terminally ill and dying and they [GCx leaders] told him he had a bad countenance and should be sharing his faith as he lay dying in a Denver hospital.  I find this despicable. ...

When you have problems at GCI [GCx alias] -- they tend to blame you for any problems. ... There was always something they turned the table on you instead of just seeing that suffering and pain is part of this fallen life which God uses to conform us to His image. ... I remember one woman being ex-communicated because she was depressed (post-partum). ...

I had a [GCx] leader tell me once that he didn't have trials because he did everything God told him to do (talk about arrogance!). ... I wonder what was wrong with ME during those years.  I had no parents to warn me or help me.  I was a first generation Christian.  I have regrets that I spent 15 years there mainly because I didn't know there was something wrong with the church...

I was in the [GCx] Ames church for too long and it crippled my relationship with God and understanding of Christianity... Something you could do better - something you weren't doing right.  Reaching the world was up to US not God. ... There was no focus on God nor our relationship with Him.

[BK] was the one who told me that it wasn't God's will for me to live in an apartment by myself or go to college (after all I would be getting married) or to get a good job since it would be too much time commitment and not enough time to share the gospel. … I was told to accept the leadership over the counsel and advice of my family as well.  I had to seek counsel before even going to visit my family out of town!! ... Don't plan on living with people without getting the Elder's approval.  Don't plan on a trip without getting counsel of the Elder's. ... I've had many friends who have left that church [because of] abuse by the elders in dictating their private lives. ...

Their view of God's Will is wrong.  Their view of Pastor's leadership is unbiblical.  Their teaching on raising children is dangerous and bordering on child abuse (IMO).  ...  And there [is] faulty understanding of the Word on many subjects. ... I left because I became acutely aware of the wrong teaching and cultish aspects of the Church.  

... I listened to John Meyers seminar from 2007 Faithwalkers tonight.  Nothing has changed in over 25 years with this man and his teaching!! ... [Faithwalkers 2010] Full of shame based messages. They induce guilt not love of God.  There is no inspiration to do the right thing. ...  The emphasis always is on what we should be doing -- not on the character of God.  Even our relationship with God seems to be on a legalistic basis.

I'm from Cedar Rapids. I would avoid the [GCx] New Life Church. I have heard nothing but horror stories from there. I have a friend that went there for over 10 years and the dysfunction is HUGE from the leadership.  When they left - they were told to lie about why they left.  Same old stuff that is told on this site.  Too many stories to tell.  

GCC members BEWARE -- these friendships are conditional and are based on your continued involvement with this ministry.  As most of us have reported here -- if you leave you are either shunned, dumped or told to have limited involvement with you.

I used to long for those glorious old days until I recall the continual reproofs, my lack of freedom (couldn't do anything without getting elders counsel), my depression that I struggled with (and haven't since I left this church) and my eating disorder I think I developed from the stress of the Church and difficult relationships based on what I was doing rather than who I was.  This made my self image plummet because I never could do enough for God according to the Church's leadership and teaching.

I'm Glad to be OUT and FREE!!!  Freedom is a wonderful thing.

-wastedyearsthere,   2008-2013

[Janet Easson Martin]

Here is another former member of Stonebrook that became involved through the GCx college ministry at Iowa State. His experience is more recent as he left in 2019.


I attended [GCx] Stonebrook Church and the Rock ISU [Iowa State University] from ~October 2014 until I graduated in May 2019. I also attended Faithwalkers Midwest 2016 and 2017. ...

I wouldn't really call my time in Stonebrook a bad experience per se. I came into college barely caring about God, and randomly getting evangelized into The Rock really helped ignite my faith in a way that it hadn't been ignited in a long time. ... It gave me a big part of my friend network throughout college. ... I more or less liked Faithwalkers as well, even had a fairly positive opinion of Mark Darling until I learned about the scandals.

That being said, while I was never abused or seriously ostracized, there were things that made clear this wasn't a permanent fit.

-I experienced Pressure to be more and more involved in terms of attending the various conferences/trips throughout the year. I did do a lot - I attended two mission trips, two fall conferences (weekend gathering at this place near Des Moines with Walnut Creek), all five spring Retreats (weekend at Riverside Bible Camp), and as I said went to Faithwalkers twice. But there was always a sense that it was never enough.

-In particular, the fact that I always went home for the summer was looked down upon. Essentially, my choice of what level to be involved in things was seen as being in error unless it was to be involved in everything.

-I did see a culture where evangelism was basically a chore, rather than something you do passionately as God calls you. There was a program for quite a while where you were expected to share the gospel 5 times a week and pressure anyone you successfully converted to immediately begin doing the same...

-You also could be expected to recite an application from a verse you read recently at a moment's notice. I'm interested in a real, heartfelt relationship with God, not passing an exam at a Christian boot camp.

-There was intense pressure to conform to exact small doctrine particulars, even stuff that Stonebrook pastors would at times admit weren't essential to salvation...

I'm happy in the Church I'm in now (none of the above issues exist there) and my faith remains strong. I'm glad God isn't confined to the walls of GCM, as I'm not either.

-flitwick   [Left ~ 2019]

[Janet Easson Martin]

StateUniversity.com Informs of Cult Recruiting on College Campuses

The following excerpted portions are from StateUniversity.com Website Page: “Are Cults Recruiting on Your Campus?” What I found most intriguing was their describing a key method of manipulation using the “fascinating psychological principle” of removing anchors highlighted (by me) in red. That is what happens to most members in GCx Campus or off-Campus Groups. Here are this websites very helpful words:


Statistically, college students are at a much greater risk for falling victim to cults. The majority of those who get involved with cults are between 18 and 24 years of age, are single, and have an unsettled lifestyle. ...

The definition of cult we will use is the following: a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing, and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control designed to advance the goals of the group’s leaders, to the actual or possible detriment of members, their families, or the community. ...

These groups tend to dictate -how members should think, act, and feel; claim a special, exalted status for themselves and/or their leaders; and intensify their opposition to and alienation from society at large. ...

Cults operate on a fascinating psychological principle. Your view of reality is defined by certain “anchors”. We use these anchors as points of reference to our individual realities. Cult leaders are experts at removing these anchors. This leaves a person in a state of confusion and distress. The cult leaders then insert new anchors to which the person clings to in order to reestablish their reality. They now have a need for the cult to feel safe. ...


Some of the techniques they use (and things to look out for) include:

* removing people from their normal surroundings and friends

* sleep and sensory deprivation

* development of a deep emotional debt

* public confessionals

* low-risk relationships (unconditional acceptance)

* fear of punishment or damnation for even thinking about leaving the new “family”

* viewing the entire outside world as evil so that any desire to return to it is also evil.



Other things to be on the lookout for are:

* leaders who claim divinity or special relationships with God and insist on being the sole judge
      of a member’s actions or faith

* demands for total control over members’ daily lives

* isolation and exclusion from the surrounding community

* demands for control of members’ finances

* absolutist views toward difficult life problems and spiritual questions

* special (exclusive) promises of salvation or keys to spiritual understanding



To Read more: Are Cults Recruiting on Your Campus? - StateUniversity.com Blog https://www.stateuniversity.com/blog/permalink/Are-Cults-Recruiting-on-Your-Campus-.html#ixzz7uCeLvXz5

[margaret]

Thanks for posting this Janet--very illuminating.

As I was reading this, I wondered if the leaders are entirely cognizant of their tactics?

My initial thought while reading your post, was, "I'm not sure some of these elders were even smart enough to strategize like that." I wonder if he even asked himself (on the list of replacing a kid's anchors) "hmm, how do dismantle this kid's anchors? Okay, I'll employ tactic 1 to get rid of anchor 1; tactic 2 to get rid of anchor 2, etc."

I guess I'm asking if you think the leaders are scheming and maliciously conniving to bring about the desired result of cult-like leading, or if they're just deluded themselves? And they're simply following the examples that were set for them in the infancy of Great Commission?

[Huldah]

I guess I'm asking if you think the leaders are scheming and maliciously conniving to bring about the desired result of cult-like leading, or if they're just deluded themselves? And they're simply following the examples that were set for them in the infancy of Great Commission?

Those are some excellent questions, Margaret! I would also love to hear Janet's thoughts on these questions.

I've noticed that abusive leaders of every sort--religious, domestic, political--seem to follow a common playbook in terms of tactics. To some extent, it seems to be the natural outworking of fallen human nature.

Paul speaks of false teachers as "deceiving, and being deceived." Perhaps there's a spectrum, where some false teachers know exactly what they are while others are more honestly trying to do good.

[Huldah]

Statistically, college students are at a much greater risk for falling victim to cults. The majority of those who get involved with cults are between 18 and 24 years of age, are single, and have an unsettled lifestyle. ...

And no wonder. Young adults are ripe for the picking.

- They're idealistic, willing to go all in on grandiose schemes like "ending world hunger" or "winning the world to Christ in our generation." This is partly because they genuinely want to achieve something of lasting value, and partly because grandiose goals are a welcome distraction from the hard day-to-day work of establishing a functional adult life.

- As part of the normal process of becoming independent adults, they tend to seek out new role models and to distance themselves from their parents. This happens even when the family of origin is stable and loving, but the tendency is magnified when the family of origin has some unreolved dysfunction.

- They don't yet have families (children) to support or other adult responsibilities that would help to keep them grounded.

Even in the animal kingdom, predators tend to go after the young. Inexperienced prey is easy prey.

[margaret]

These are all very good points, Huldah. Thanks for giving me more food for thought!

[Janet Easson Martin]

Both of you, Margaret and Huldah, bring up great points for us to examine. Hope you don’t mind if I respond tomorrow. Wanted to research a little.

[Janet Easson Martin]

I wrote something in reply tonight, but accidentally deleted it. 🙄🙄 Hope to post again tomorrow.

[Janet Easson Martin]

God’s Word has the best guidelines for examining corrupt behavior. We would agree that only God knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart; even though we have been falsely told by many GCx elders that they know the hearts of others in their church - good and evil. What baloney! Turns out that more people were faking their spiritualness in that “infested” body than in most other churches. No doubt faking it extends to the leadership.

Seems a very simplified definition of a cult could be a man or men that deceptively persuade followers to sacrifice everything to a person (other than Jesus), organization, or thing, leading to total control of their lives. Though they may not set out to start a cult, they do demonstrate an increasingly harmful lust for power. They use unethical or unrighteous methods to create a loyal following (though it won’t be worded as such). To maintain such a following, they invent stories regarding those who rightly confront their corrupt means, and put them out of their group with great condemnation. These are all common characteristics of a cult and are also outlined in the New and Old Testaments regarding false teachers.

They have an agenda to be bigger and better than others at the cost of abusing of those under them. Satisfying their own cravings for fame and success they abusively manipulate and exploit their members. The most insidious is those who invoke the name of God falsely to abusively control their people. They cannot be offering acceptable sacrifices to our heavenly Father and abusively intimidating, terrifying and exploiting God’s people. The Bible labels these people savage wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are not serving Almighty God, but themselves and their man-made idol they have welded together that it seems Satan has inspired.

This seems to be the case for those who initiate such corrupt control. Perhaps those leaders under such evil directors are dangerously blind or imposters. Either way, they become Satan’s agents for harm to God’s people. Satan’s primary target is to destroy our faith. God does instruct us to expose these corrupt leaders so that damage to his people is thwarted. As leaders being silent after witnessing the corruption and ignoring the Word and the Spirit’s command to publicly rebuke, they seem to become complicit in the corruption to Christ’s body.

The Old Testament offers many passages on following false gods which include abusive sacrifices. We would not have a hard time calling those destructive practices cult worship. Sadly, even some of the Israelites got seduced into following after these gods. Not unlike myself and others loyally following GCx’s destructive requirements (or sacrifices) we became deaf, dumb and blind —like lifeless robots no longer thinking, hearing, seeing, and speaking for ourselves.

But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see.
They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell.
They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.

Psalm 115:4-8