Dear brothers and sisters,
I am sorry for all the wrongs which you have suffered and none of them surprise me. First, I would like to say that APOSTLE Mike Neville who founded Praise Chapel though never properly call so, had clearly stated over the pulpit in front of God and the congregation and it was recorded and sold on tape cassette as well that he intentionally wished to brainwash all of us. He explained that he wanted us to be too busy to become idle as in idle hands are the devil's playground. He wanted us to be at church all the time and influenced by other believers than at home or any where else where we could be influenced by unbelievers. He called TV the one-eyed demon and so I did not even own a TV. He had a vision to reach the world and he did it. Apostle Neville was a great man that I loved and respected and he fulfilled his father's business and is in Heaven with Jesus and will never suffer again.
As for all the sin and corruption from leadership; it's ALL of our faults. We all have bibles and we all have the duty to "study to shew ourselves approved unto God". WE have and had the responsibility to address any issues that conflict with scripture by following scriptural guidelines. Confront the individual(pastor or whoever) alone. If they won't repent, then you grab some elders in the church and confront them. If they still don't repent, then you take it to the church(body) and if they still won't repent then the body needs to kick them out. And if the church is in sin and won't kick out the pastor or whatever individual then WE need to leave that church and shake the dust off our shoes and go find another church that is obeying God's Word.
Now we've all been hurt by people in the church and we cannot use that as an excuse to stop serving Jesus. On the judgement day that line "so and so did me wrong" will not fly as you will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity.
Lastly, scripture instructs us that WE OUGHT TO OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MAN. Apostle Neville also stated over the pulpit that if you don't like the church, there's the door. So if you don't want to continue in sin, then you need to leave that church, because if you continue in what you know is wrong, it is sin unto you. So here I would like to bring to light a subject that most PC'ers ignore. "HOUSE CHURCH"
Rather than complaining and luking out or backsliding over what's going on inside the commercial buildings; go home and start your own church in your own house. I know that seems crazy and un-traditional, and that's exactly what house church is . . . . . it's not traditions of man. We most likely got saved in a commercial building and had church in that commercial building for years. That was the tradition passed down to us and we ignorantly followed it.
Luke 5: 19 shows us that Jesus had church in a believer's house. Acts 2 says that the promised gift of the Holy Spirit was first ushered in from the upper room of a believer's home. Paul the apostle who wrote the majority of the NT had church in his house as a pastor while also being an apostle over all the other house churches in Acts 28: 30-31. Philemon 2 states church in their house as well as many other NT references to house churches. When Paul the apostle wrote letters to the church in whatever city; he was not writing a letter to a synagogue, or a temple, or a commercial building, but he was writing to a group of house churches scattered throughout that city which was most likely overseen by a bishop(a lost position in the church today which needs to be reinstated).
Furthermore, God told his people in 1 Chronicles 17:5 that he does NOT want buildings. He wants to be with us in our homes(tents) where we live daily. If Jesus were to step inside these commercial church buildings today with their business names, logos, and slogans, business permits, reseller permits, articles of incorporation, corporate board of directors, 501c3 tax exemptions which are compromises with Cesar, business insurance, business checking accounts, business accountants, and of course their servitude to mammon which is a business's "bottom line" in order to stay in business......Jesus would make a whip, kick over the pulpit, whip the pastor and board of directors, go into the church office and make it look like a tornado hit it. Then he'd climb onto the roof and knock off the church name sign and graffitti the word ICHABOD in it's place with a can of spray paint because they have turned his house of prayer into a den of thieves. The pastors have become hirelings addicted to that corporate paycheck. Which is why Paul the apostle was a tent maker by profession for the very sake that he could not be accused of being a hireling nor be tempted by the money flow.
Jesus told us that where ever 2 or 3 are gathered together in his name, there he is with us. So just 2 or 3 believers can be a church. Then as God gives the increase from our sewing and watering, then Jesus will fill in the offices which he gave us in Ephesians 4 such as evangelists, pastors, teachers, deacons, presbytery, and so on. So if and when you decide to leave those four walls and start a church in your own home, beware of the elder doctrine which has drowned out the house church movement. They claim everyone is either a babe in Christ or an elder. Along with that they claim to be democratic where every one is equal as a form of christian communism though in practice they do the opposite. They reject in whole the leadership titles and roles which Jesus gave us in Ephesians 4. They have thrown out the baby with the bath water because they were wronged by a commercial church pastor.
With that said, all of us will have a line put in front of us by Cesar. The public commercial churches will soon be subject to Cesar's new world order and dictates which conflict with scripture. Choose you this day whom you will serve! Stay in Cesar's den of thieves or go into your homes and start your own church



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2013 01:25AM by rrmoderator.

b4u:

"I would like to say that APOSTLE Mike Neville who founded Praise Chapel...had clearly stated over the pulpit in front of God and the congregation and it was recorded and sold on tape cassette as well that he intentionally wished to brainwash all of us."

Wow! That's an incredible and revealing admission.

But blaming the people victimized by a group as somehow responsible for the abuse they endured is "victim bashing".

Please don't do that as it is against the rules you agreed to before posting here.

The simple truth about abusive groups is that the leadership most often has no meaningful accountability to the congregation through a democratically elected board that serves fixed terms and can fire the pastor, as mandated by the organizational bylaws. Typically an abusive group also doesn't disclose salaries, all compensation and expenses paid out through a detailed budget, which is independently audited and distributed annually to all contributors.

You know what they say, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". When a group doesn't have meaningful checks and balances it's little more than a dictatorship. Paul warned about such corrupt leadership in Galatians.

BTW-- preaching (according to the rules you agreed to) isn't allowed here. The issue is not beliefs, but rather behavior. And church leaders that behave badly should be held accountable. Jesus said that many would come in his name, but he would not know them.

Thank you for the information about the pastor actually admitting that he was engaged in "brainwashing".

The title of this thread was changed to reflect that very significant and relevant revelation

BTW--by definition people that are "brainwashed" are under undue influence, which means that their ability to think critically and independently has been impaired.

B4U

You seem to have some very strange ideas of what church is and what it should be. I admit I've never met this man Mike Neville or been to the church but I have been to an abusive controlling church and this thing of the leader wanting to brainwash people is a common theme. Surely as a Christian it is up to the leaders to teach and the Holy Spirit to change people as they study the bible and choose to conform to what it says.

As for your idea that the sin and corruption of the leaders is the fault of those in the congregation, are you serious? The Bibole says that leaders will be judged more harshly than others because they will be called to give an account for those they were called to lead, that they did the best they could for those under their care. Nowhere in the bible does it say that a church member wil be called to give an account for the sin and corruption of the leader.

Regarding house churches, as with any church there are good ones and bad ones. Historically the early churches met in peoples houses because they were largely forced underground due to persecution. The mainstream Jewish faith generally refused to have anything to do with the Christians, in most cases actively persecuting them (remember Saul of Tarsus?) so they would not have met in the Synagogues. To build a Christian church in those days would probably have been illegal and most certainly suicidal for those believers.

I realy do worry for you and others if you are going to start a church on the basis of some of the things you have written here. Brainwashing is never a good thing, It is never ok. Give people the tools they need to study and follow God, whilst thinking for themselves. I left a very controlling church and I have never looked back. I am now in a church that provides sound theological teaching, encourages free thought, expression and questioning and is lead by men and women of excellent character and conduct who try their hardest to bring out the best in each and every individual, enabling to use their gifts and talents to serve God. House church or not, this is how I think Jeses meant church to be.

God bless

Hi B4U

First I'd like to say "Totally well said, CovLass" and can I just add another thought.

Quote

He wanted us to be at church all the time and influenced by other believers than at home or any where else where we could be influenced by unbelievers.

What kind of Christianity do you practice, B4U? Souls are not saved by closeting yourself inside four walls whether a church or a house - souls are ONLY saved by actively MIXING with 'unbelievers'. This is what the Bible tells us so I don't know where you get your beliefs from.

You cannot grow in the holy spirit unless you use your talents to help those around you and show them the grace of God working in your own life. 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself'. This means all of humanity and not just your family and next door neighbours. God didn't command the disciples to stay closeted in the upper room - he sent them out across many cities and countries to SPREAD the word of God.

It seems to me that your apostle Mike is looking for full control of his 'flock' and that's when you know corruption has already set in. This man is treating you like a puppet and teaching you in a completely un-Biblical way and you are happy to give up your own identity and your need for a personal relationship with God, for a charlattan control freak?

My advice is, read the Bible for yourself and do some research and learn the TRUE word of God instead of following a human being who quite obviously has a very warped idea of what the Bible teaches.

Much love and hugs
God bless
xxxx



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2013 05:13AM by cbarb.

Hi Everyone,
Couldn't help but notice this new thread. Also see: Praise Chapel...a cult?, and the ones that have Potters House or Wayman Mitchell in the the title.

Michael Neville was my pastor (and i am being generous) from 1987 until his death. I went to pc huntingtonpark ca for over 20yrs.

The brainwashing statement was merely a play on words in a few sermons over the years kinda like a joke in response to outsiders calling us brainwashed. He would say that yes indeed we were brainwashed that our brains had been cleansed because we were their in the church 24/7.

In my opinion he was not an apostle or a pastor or a preacher. He was just a man who from birth had been groomed in the tent revival era/bible belt to be a pastor/preacher with no credentials, education or accountability. He and his brother Larry came straight out of pottershouse/wayman mitchell. Albeit both of them have more charm and charisma than wayman. Split or no split praise chapel is a carbon copy of CFM/potters house. He and his brother were/are salesmen who made this pentecostal pyramid scheme lucrative for themselves and many others who do not have a conscience about living on others peoples money.

People were so devoted to him that even a comment like this brainwashing one almost became doctrine. What really blew me away the most; is he knew exactly what he was doing and knew about everything that was going on in the church but acted like he didn't and had nothing to do with it. He let his acolytes do the dirty work and take the heat. He had a whole group of people that he would compensate to do so. So he could maintain this image of being this peaceloving, friendly and righteous man of god. He knew exactly how seriously people took even the most so called benign statements; so if he was ever called to the carpet on anything he could say it was taken out of context or he was just trying to lighten the mood.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2013 04:32AM by silentnomore.

The issue is not beliefs, but rather behavior. And church leaders that behave badly should be held accountable. Jesus said that many would come in his name, but he would not know them.
Thank you for the information about the pastor actually admitting that he was engaged in "brainwashing".
[forum.culteducation.com]

"APOSTLE Mike Neville We never called Him Apostle Mike Neville, it was always Pastor Mike Neville and so it is today, we At PCCF H.P. still call him Pastor, I am suspicious when people call him "apostle" because he never called himself Apostle, but he called himself Pastor---I should know I've been a member since 1978!

Here's another misinformed person. Pastor Mike Neville preached Win one, Build One! He never preached separation from the world , only a separation of the old things and walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus, Mind washing ? yes my mind been washed by the Blood of Jesus and gets daily renewed by the word of God. He never admitted to brain washing anybody, you think you heard him say that but he didn't! Come up with a unedited tape of pastor Mike Neville saying this --You cannot! Remember I've been a member of Praise Chapel since 1978, so it looks like I need to visit this site alot more to set the record straight. I'm not here to argue but to correct the lies that are being told about my Pastor.
Sincerely Pastor Jerome H. Weymouth

pastorJW:

Again, the key issues are meaningful accountability and financial transparency.

A safe healthy church has democratically elected government. That is, a board elected to fixed terms by the general membership. This should be mandated through the church constitution and bylaws and also evident within its corporate filings as a nonprofit with the state. The board would have the power to hire and fire staff, including the pastor, and to manage church funds.

Financial transparency means that there is an annually published budget is distributed\, which is independently audited by an outside accounting firm. The budget is distributed to all contributors every year and discloses in detail all salaries, compensation and expenses paid out from church funds.

If you don't have democratic church government and meaningful financial transparency as described above, then the church has no meaningful safeguards and is potentially unsafe.

I can't say that I "knew" Mike Neville. I knew his Mom and Dad quite well, and through them got to spend some time with Mike on occassion.

As JW says, I never heard him called Apostle. That is to say that from the first time I enterned a Praise Chapel church and heard Mike Neville spoken of highly, he was never, ever, at any time called an Apostle. When he did get to the church I was attending and preached and held revivial meetings, he was never, ever, at any time called an Apostle. When he eventually had a church conference at the church I attended, even then, he was never, ever, at any time called an Apostle. In convesations with others at church, he was never, ever, at any time called an Apostle. He was Pastor Mike or Pastor Mike Neville.

I had heard the whole "My brain was dirty and needed to be washed!" before I ever entered Praise Chapel. I had used it myself quite a few times in high school. Back in the 80's it was a well trod Christian trope. There may have been a few t-shirts sold at the time, too.

Some of what B4U said, in my experience, is relatively accurate. There was a lot going on at Praise Chapel. Prayer meetings, Bible studies, Men's/Woman's get togethers, outreaches and witnessing, street preaching outings, a few protests against sin, community outreaches, dramas, mid-week service, Friday night service, Sunday morning/Sunday evening service, etc. And the idea of keeping busy with the things of Christ so as not to get entangled in the things of the world is not something exclusive to Praise Chapel. There are many other churches and Christian organizations that operate on the same idea. It is, at it's heart a fundamentally good idea, however can be easily abused.

Also the tv thing has been around for decades. Many more Evangelical luminaries than I care to mention have complained about believers having a tv and called it the one eyed devil. Recently at the church I now attend a slightly older woman pointed that David Wilkerson had said that having and watching a tv is idolatrous. It is is idolatrous because viewers sit and stare at it, enthralled. I stifled a laugh and had to keep myself from leaving. I had realized that while the Pastor would be preaching and teaching we would also be sitting and staring at him, enthralled.