Re: Audacious Church Manchester UK
Posted by:
yramta
()
Date: March 31, 2013 07:42AM
I don't know if you will still read this. I'm curious if you (badman93) have attended the church? Earlier it sounded like you wanted more information on it. And in your final post you speak as though you have been to the academy. I, myself, am not an expert by any means on cults, I have studied them some. And what I was told is that the greatest sign of a cult is sex (abuse of it) from the leader. And this is probably why a lot of cults eventually flop, because victims to eventually speak up, and people then get arrested. There are not even the slightest rumors of such going-ons.
I have attended the church about 3-4 times every year for about 4 years. My position is quite unique because I am not involved, I am able to look from the outside. And every time I go to Audacious I find myself encouraged by being surrounded by people who are on fire for God.
The whole money thing is an interesting one. Audacious has just moved into a new building, which cost a lot. But this was necessary as the church was growing so fast. So that is where a lot of money went. Whenever I go though, I never find anyone boasting about how much the church is doing in Manchester, instead they simply encourage people to participate, and they back up that encouragement with verses.
Taking a step back, I think no single church is for everyone. Almost every church is guaranteed to hurt someone, somehow. And it seems that the more charismatic churches do seem to hurt more people, because a lot of people would rather have their arms in their pockets whilst they worship. Heck, I'm not one of the people you will see jumping up and down there. But when they do encourage people to come to the front to worship, they back it up with verses, which I could find if you want. It just seems that a fair number of people have been hurt from audacious too, because of its rapid growing size, compared to other churches in England. I'm in America right now, and I find the churches to lack energy. But at least it doesn't offend people I guess. I could be corrected on this, but to some extend churches should be offensive to religious people. Jesus was offensive to the pharisees. But everything Audacious does it backs up with scripture, and it explains the context of the scripture, so that it isn't out of context.
A church that I would classify as a cult, are the ones I found in Africa (where I spent a large part of my youth). These churches preached this 'prosperity gospel' (which I don't believe to be preached at audacious). But the churches would place fees for people to receive prayer, to get hands laid on them, or to get their prayer request said in church. And yet these churches grew like wildfire.
I know my thoughts may be disjointed, but my final thought is that we are not to be enslaved by money. And one way to get rid of this is, is to be able to give it away. It's not like the church forces people to give money in anyway. They use scripture to show the value in giving money/tithing.
This is mostly food for thought. I'm curious what you may have to say. I want this to be more of a discussion than an argument. If I failed at setting that up, then I apologize.
I have attended the church about 3-4 times every year for about 4 years. My position is quite unique because I am not involved, I am able to look from the outside. And every time I go to Audacious I find myself encouraged by being surrounded by people who are on fire for God.
The whole money thing is an interesting one. Audacious has just moved into a new building, which cost a lot. But this was necessary as the church was growing so fast. So that is where a lot of money went. Whenever I go though, I never find anyone boasting about how much the church is doing in Manchester, instead they simply encourage people to participate, and they back up that encouragement with verses.
Taking a step back, I think no single church is for everyone. Almost every church is guaranteed to hurt someone, somehow. And it seems that the more charismatic churches do seem to hurt more people, because a lot of people would rather have their arms in their pockets whilst they worship. Heck, I'm not one of the people you will see jumping up and down there. But when they do encourage people to come to the front to worship, they back it up with verses, which I could find if you want. It just seems that a fair number of people have been hurt from audacious too, because of its rapid growing size, compared to other churches in England. I'm in America right now, and I find the churches to lack energy. But at least it doesn't offend people I guess. I could be corrected on this, but to some extend churches should be offensive to religious people. Jesus was offensive to the pharisees. But everything Audacious does it backs up with scripture, and it explains the context of the scripture, so that it isn't out of context.
A church that I would classify as a cult, are the ones I found in Africa (where I spent a large part of my youth). These churches preached this 'prosperity gospel' (which I don't believe to be preached at audacious). But the churches would place fees for people to receive prayer, to get hands laid on them, or to get their prayer request said in church. And yet these churches grew like wildfire.
I know my thoughts may be disjointed, but my final thought is that we are not to be enslaved by money. And one way to get rid of this is, is to be able to give it away. It's not like the church forces people to give money in anyway. They use scripture to show the value in giving money/tithing.
This is mostly food for thought. I'm curious what you may have to say. I want this to be more of a discussion than an argument. If I failed at setting that up, then I apologize.
Re: Audacious Church Manchester UK
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: March 31, 2013 07:54AM
[audaciouscult.wordpress.com]
Quote
Abuse at !Audacious Church Cult
by hurtbyacc
I attended audacious church for 3 years. At the start it was something new and i had not really heard their teachings before in any other church. I was confused but persevered and eventually liked the place. As time went on, i discovered that when people said ¡®no¡¯ or disagreed with what was said, they were punished. Maybe for those who are on the outside of the church that aren¡¯t actively involved it might not be like this, but i was at the church 5 times per week, and pretty much knew it inside out. I don¡¯t wish to go into every detail and for the sake and sanity of myself who has to relive these moments as I¡¯m writing, this is going to be kept rather brief.
So i was basically involved in most things the church did, from most important to least important, i was always there to offer my hand of help. The more i did this, the more i became worn out and tired with life and often questioned them. In the end i was full of confidence and knew how to tell the leaders that i needed a break. The reply was nasty and still affects me today. I was told that i was giving up and would become less of a christian and that¡¯s how the devil would destroy me. I just wanted to sit down in the service for once rather than being on my feet. To this very day, i regret doing that as massive problems started after that act.
My wife and five year old daughter loved the church, but i was getting tired. Every week there was a push for the church to give money, and lots of it. The main pastor, Glyn Barrett, was the main culprit of this teaching. Give to God, get rich! It¡¯s not like that in my bible! Obviously i¡¯m only going to take my family where i believe they are teaching a good biblical balance, so i put them to the test and asked them to expand on the whole ¡®money¡¯ situation. Of course, i believe in the tithe and that God blesses people through giving but there was more to it than that. Everything was set up as a way of making money rather than reaching people and sharing Jesus. After i asked a leader in the church to explain more about finances, they asked me to make an appointment with one of the life group leaders. Time went on and i still couldn¡¯t find anybody to speak to over the problems i was experiencing. Eventually i spoke to one of the main church leaders and he told me not to question what is taught from the platform, but to read my bible and see it! I explained that i can¡¯t find what he¡¯s saying in the bible and i was looking in all the right places. The more i looked for an answer the angrier this particular pastor became. In the end he told me that the devil had come inside me and was trying to destroy the church. Bewildered, i got my wife and daughter and left the church. The next week we went back. I got pulled to one side and interrogated about my intentions and was even asked why i had gone back!!! I only went home and hadn¡¯t fully left the church. I sat in my car and waited for the service to finish, when my wife came out of the service she was acting very strange and wouldn¡¯t speak with me. I knew something wasn¡¯t right.
After that day i didn¡¯t go back to audacious church. My wife still went and sometimes my daughter, but i didn¡¯t feel comfortable. So lets get straight to the main problem. My wife went to a conference for women, can¡¯t remember what it was called and when she came home, she packed her bags and she and my daughter moved in with someone a lady from the church that was very close to the pastors. She wouldn¡¯t tell me what she was doing or why she was doing it, all i could get out of her is i¡¯m evil to the core. Three months went by without me seeing my family which i loved and adored with all my heart. Eventually when she answered her phone i persuaded her to talk over a coffee. What i found out sent me insane! Our regional pastor had told her all kinds of untrue things about me, many of which were damaging and slanderous.
That night she and i went our separate ways and i went to stay with some family because i was on the verge of a mental breakdown. As the night went on, i began to weep uncontrollably and was shaking inside. I was scared! All i remember is not being in control of myself and just crying, everything around me was blurred. I got taken into hospital and was told i had a breakdown. After weeks of intense counseling and prayer, the road to recovery was near. My wife has recently stopped attending audacious church and moved back in, she has also been hurt.
Looking back i can see the grace of God on my life. But i can also see how everything could have turned out and it¡¯s confusing to me because i¡¯m not very sure why it all happened. I love Jesus and i was only clearing up why they taught what they did because i could have been wrong and may have needed correcting. Answers isn¡¯t what i am looking for, i just want a chance to tell people my side as nobody from audacious speaks to me anymore as they have all been instructed not to. This church is a cult and if they did this to me, they can do it to you. There was no reason for what they did other than they thrive from control.
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6 thoughts on ¡°Abuse at !Audacious Church Cult¡±
Unknown ¡¤ February 13, 2013 at 1:54 pm ¡¤
I had similar problems but not as severe, i will pray for you friend i know how difficult it gets leaving an abusive church. God bless!
Reply
J ¡¤ February 17, 2013 at 10:39 pm ¡¤
I pray that you and your family are blessed..
Reply
Bally ¡¤ February 21, 2013 at 2:37 pm ¡¤
Hi I go to audacious and maybe I know you or maybe I don¡¯t but I¡¯m really, really sorry that this all happened to you and your family. I¡¯m not on leadership or in any position but I ¡®m sorry this happened.
I completely understand your desire to raise awareness and protect others. To me, like many other churches audacious makes mistakes, it is disorganised in areas, it can burn people out and it has lack of transparency which I think comes from the lack of organisation. Like many churches it has some folk (even those in positions) who act like babies with machine guns when it comes to dealing with issues, but like many churches it also has a whole lot of folks who are just beautiful with beautiful hearts.
the only way I can explain it is¡.it¡¯s like the heart is right but the brain hasn¡¯t kicked in to run the size of body it¡¯s become so the foot keeps kicking itself in the butt which means people get hurt.
What makes me really sad about your post is that you obviously love God and you obviously gave so much of your time and your family has gone through so much that I, as a member of audacious am responsible for. I am really sorry. For all the things you did in your three years, thank you and I hope that you have found a church somewhere that you and your family feel at home in.
Reply
Steve ¡¤ March 8, 2013 at 2:10 am ¡¤
Yeah i currently attend audacious but hate the place. You aren¡¯t the only one saying they treat people like this, i get treated badly by everyone and always get shouted at if i disagree, but from the outside it looks attractive i suppose. Not sure how to leave. What if it destroys me? My family go there but won¡¯t leave so if i do it will cause chaos
Reply
Jannette ¡¤ March 12, 2013 at 7:18 pm ¡¤
Thanks for posting my son is audacious mad he goes to audacious youth and has been for 6 months. Definitely been a difference, he¡¯s stopped eating as much, gone really thin, always talks about them non-stop and obsessed. Always begs me for money to go on another trip with them, he speaks differently, seems to put on a fake Australian/American voice and is really not himself. What should i do please someone i¡¯m fearful of losing him forever he always wants me to go with him there but i think it¡¯s a cult. Save our children!
Reply
hurtbyacc ¡¤ March 12, 2013 at 7:23 pm ¡¤
Jannette, i am very sorry to hear about this. I am not an expert so the only advice i can give you is from my own experience. If you force the issue, it will make him even worse. These kind of places thrive from people like your son because in a way, he will do whatever they ask. Although i can¡¯t really say this because i don¡¯t know the full story. If you are concerned, please contact the police or social services. Thanks
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Re: Audacious Church Manchester UK
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: March 31, 2013 07:57AM
[charityhack2012.azurewebsites.net]
(This is just one site. See if there are other charity watch sites)
[www.christianforums.com]
(This is just one site. See if there are other charity watch sites)
[www.christianforums.com]
Quote
Audacious Church Manchester Cult
Posted 4th August 2012 at 06:48 PM by Save the Gospel
It's happening more than i would like to admit and that is the real gospel is being watered down with some mystical make believe nonsence in that if you can 'imagine it' you can 'have it'. A new church has been set up within the past 5 years which goes by the name 'audacious' in Manchester UK. An organisation that wants your money and isn't afraid to tell you that! Having been there on a few occasions, researching them and hearing horrifying stories from people, i have formed a view that this church is nothing less than a cult; and a very nasty one.
There are two seperate charities which are run by senior leaders Glyn and Sophia Barrett. These charities go by the names of 'audacious church' and 'live audacious'. Yes, both are about the same thing, money. Hundreds of young adults are tricked into emptying wallets into the offering baskets. Families have been split in half because of the devastation audacious has put them through. It doesn't just attract young and naive people as there are hundreds of church members in their 30's and even older. The gospel audacious teach is one that suggests if you give to the church, you will become rich. So, once trust has been established with the leadership, why wouldn't you believe them? Why would you think they are evil if they have love bombed you for years?
Audacious are very calculated in what they do. An example of this is the way they structure the services. get the people hyped up and then ask for money... how original is that method? The aim of this short blog isn't to persecute a church but to let the truth out regarding the corruption within this church.
Re: Audacious Church Manchester UK
Posted by:
rrmoderator
()
Date: March 31, 2013 09:08PM
yramta:
See [www.culteducation.com]
The nucleus of a definition for a destructive cult is as follows:
Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, who wrote the definitive book about thought reform (often called "brainwashing") also wrote a paper about cult formation. Lifton defined a cult as having the following three characteristics:
1. A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power.
2. A process [is in use] call[ed] coercive persuasion or thought reform.
3. Economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie.
See [www.culteducation.com]
Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.
1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
7. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
8. Followers feel they can never be "good enough".
9. The group/leader is always right.
10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.
See [www.culteducation.com]
The nucleus of a definition for a destructive cult is as follows:
Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, who wrote the definitive book about thought reform (often called "brainwashing") also wrote a paper about cult formation. Lifton defined a cult as having the following three characteristics:
1. A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power.
2. A process [is in use] call[ed] coercive persuasion or thought reform.
3. Economic, sexual, and other exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling coterie.
See [www.culteducation.com]
Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.
1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
7. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
8. Followers feel they can never be "good enough".
9. The group/leader is always right.
10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.
Re: Audacious Church Manchester UK
Posted by:
1982rjt
()
Date: August 01, 2017 05:28AM
The roots of this church are in Hope City Sheffield (If you read the bio on the website, that is where the pastor original came from) and that church is just the same. It's all fake. Prosperity teaching, hounding people for money each week, even people sharing how much they are giving from the front of church. The manipulation and control isn't always obvious, it's done discreetly behind the scenes, in one to one conversations. But the set up for the control is done from the front of church, for example 'Those in leadership are wise, they will step in to try and stop you making mistakes, it is good to listen to them.' All subtly laying ground for control. I was on the receiving end of comments like 'You need to learn to submit to the leadership' and 'you need to learn to do whatever the leadership say.' (at Hope City church). This would never be uttered from the front but it was subtly reinforced by relentless praise of leaders and coercing to obey in sermons.
If this church is like Hope City I'm not surprised people are writing these comments. The pastor was clearly at Hope City long enough to pick up their garbage teachings and brainwashing.
Also, Hope City Church had a serious issue with a lack of confidentiality. The people in positions of trust would break confidence and have a way of drawing information out of you so they could use it to control you.
If this church is like Hope City I'm not surprised people are writing these comments. The pastor was clearly at Hope City long enough to pick up their garbage teachings and brainwashing.
Also, Hope City Church had a serious issue with a lack of confidentiality. The people in positions of trust would break confidence and have a way of drawing information out of you so they could use it to control you.
Re: Audacious Church Manchester UK
Posted by:
Dawn Thompson
()
Date: January 28, 2024 08:57PM
Interesting subject. What do people make of audacious church today? Would like to hear any stories of experiences there.
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