Dear pastorjw,

i am not dwelling on my hurts i am trying to move past the past and move forward in Christ. i would be lying if i said that it no longer affects me what happen it does. it is going on a year now and i am still saddened by what happen. i share my experience because if there is anyone going to a church that controls them through guilt and fear they need to find another church, praise chapel or any other church doing this to their members is wrong.

what amazes me the most is how i dedicated my time energy and love to our old church. doing anything and everything my old pastor asked us to do. we stayed up late nights remodeling the church, took care of their children and everything else. even when it involved not spending time with my family. believing in the saying that the blood of Christ is thicker than the relationship that i have with my biological family. that we were the body of Christ a family. For them to turn around one wednesday night after church and tell us that they are letting us go.


i want you to imagine that one day you have a meeting with pastor larry neville and he ask you to leave the fellowship. stating that he does not care where you go but to forget about him and every one you have grown to love and consider family more than your biological family. and on top of that you lost your home church and your family and you have no place to go. basically u are with out a spiritual home. on top of all that your spouse no longer wants to have anything to do with other christians. he just wants to go to church pay his tithe and offering and leave as soon as service is over. when he use to love the Lord and care and reach out to the lost who needed a Savior

that is what i feel everyday. me and my husband no longer live in the los angelas area we moved to san bernadino. thanks for your time God bless

Mr. Ross:
The school in Huntington park is acreditaed but offers an associate in theology only, I don't know if in the future if there is a plan to add for the Bacheror Degree. The Paramount CV. church has their program going and is in the works for the accrediation. I believe it is through California system, Would there be an acceptance by Moody or Fuller, we to be honest i wouldn't know until i investigate it. So give me some time and I'll get back to you..PASTORjw

pastorJW:

Please don't post contact information and/or solicit for your church here, i.e. suggest people contact a pastor affiliated with a church that you recommend.

Mr. Ross; 10-4
sincerely Pastor JW

I am glad I stumbles upon this message board. It makes me feel a little better about what I went through at a Praise Chapel. I thought i was the only one that experienced the hurt but I guess I am not alone. There are a lot more people out there. The only thing that saddens me is that this kind of treatment is occurring all the time in different Praise Chapels. and the people who are hurt have no voice and can not stop the machine that is controlled by dictatorial pastors . I had a horrible experience at a local Praise Chapel, i was involved in a lot of ministries and spent a lot of time with my "quote" on "quote" spiritual family. But in the end when there were things I did not want to participate in they got mad at me and said I was being rebellious. All I can say is that I think that Praise Chapel is a destructive church it destroys peoples lives and faith in God, it leads them down a road of control under the guise of love. if you are reading this message board. Please dont believe everything you hear in church especially at Praise Chapel. read the Bible if the pastor is not speaking what the Bible says take your family and leave the church.

I would like to have part of this conversation. Firstly, I will tell you, I pastored 12 years for Praise Chapel, I was saved in Praise Chapel and wasted most of my youth following a selfish doctrine, of manipulation, control and deceit. I would like to state the facts in regards to Praise Chapel's cultish tendency, which are prominate throughout the fellowship.

In 1979 I got saved in a praise chapel in Arizona. I wound up marrying our pastor's daughter, and was thus initiated into the insanity they still call dicipleship. ( now let me stop right here and say, I believe in the discipleship principle Jesus taught, and not the one the fellowship expouses to). I wasted the years of 1979 thru 1986 in this so called discipleship ( brainwashing) training.

In 1986 I became an associate pastor in praise chapel Orlando Florida, under my same jacked up pastor, (Again I guess misery loves company lol) I spent two years trying to reverse the everday insanity and destruction of his pasotoral ways.

1987 saw me working as an evangelist in the fellowship, preaching in our southern california churches, working out of Mike Nevelle's church. Oh what an experience, when those baby pastors began to share with me their feelings and utter lack of support from their mother churches. ( I use the term mother, liberally, as they do not as much nourish, but more likely abandon once those pastors are sent out).

1988 I chose to go to West Sacramento California and pioneer my first church. I was bound and determined to break the cultish ways of the fellowship and pastor from a place of position, rather than position, ( Which by the way, most praise chapel pastors conduct church management). God blessed and we had a real move by His hand. In 1990 I discovered that my wife while we were in the Kingman Arizona church had several affairs with the leadership of that church. It was also discovered that the kingman church along with our mother churchf ( Mike Nevelle) and the Potter House fellowship had chosen to cover this up, to spare themselves any embarressment, as one of the affairs involved a high profile hand picked man, that the fellowhship was grooming for great things.

Upon learning of the affairs, I contacted everyone involved including my pastor mike nevelle and all persons involved in the affairs. I was told to forget about, as that was business as usual in the fellowship ( Mike Nevelle's words).

I drove to my mother church along with my now ex wife and had a meeting with my pastor in regards to this dishonesty and outright lies. Mike Nevelle's exact words to me and the exent of his counsel to me was " forget about it, it was a long time ago". Needless to say I was devistated and made a decision to leave the pulpet.

1990 I left my church, as I did not feel worthy of the pulpet, not to mention everything I had ever been spritually taught became a lie. I chose to go to Casper Wyoming and try to get a new start pioneering a new church for the fellowship, I thought the change of logistics would make a difference. Upon getting to wyoming with my family, I received a phone call from neville who informed me I was on my own and the fellowship was done with me. ( Sounds like cultish tendencies to me, but you make up your own mind). I worked two jobs long enough to move my family back to california and stay with an Assembly of God Pastor friend of mine, along with my family for a while.

I tried for another couple of years to resolve the problems and issues with my fellowship, but each lie and cover up turned into another. So I finally left the ministry all together in the late 90's and never returned to the pulpet.

In 2003 I lost my daughter my youngest to suicide, which I beleive was a direct result of the trama suffered at the hands of praise chapel fellowship, and 2004 I divorced my wife of 24 years.


Now secondly, in regards to the question of financial responsibility. There is none, the guys talk of sending their gold sheets ( financial reports) to their mother churches, what happens to the money 10% of church income, is unknown, All I know is the pastors in leadership in Praise Chapel live well, driving new cars, eating out all the time and live in big houses. ( You make up your own mind on this).

Mike Nevelle, had a motto he used to tell all of pastors, Him with the gold, makes the rules, ( things that make you go hum).

These are the facts they are undisputed, I have not given spiritual belief's or opinions, only the facts as I know them to be true. By the way, the fellowship does tell you what, how, when and why to think. Just go to one of their harvester homecomings or mother church meetings you will see it for yourself.

And I am not afraid to print my name,

Jeff Watkins
Former Cult member

Jeff,

Your post contained language which I am aware of is also used in the Potters House i.e. "the fellowship", "pioneering", "mother church" and others.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, Mike Nevelle's name is familiar.

Is Praise Chapel connected with the Potters House/Mitchell in some way?

Yes sir, Mike Nevelle was the head of Praise Chapel up to his death, his brother Larry Nevelle now runs it, and yes it is distictive, as When I came up in Praise Chapel the Potters house still ran us, so you are right on track my friend,

jeff watkins

Yes, I believe Praise Chapel is not only a cult but also a Pyramid Scheme (MLM). Its taken me a long time to put into words what I have allowed to happen to me as a member of Praise Chapel for over 20years. For years I have struggled to either stay in denial or leave. I can't believe its taken me this long and even now as I am typing this I still struggle with the reality of my situation.

Is Praise Chapel a destructive church? In my opinion, Yes.
Is Praise Chapel still alot like CFR/Potters House? In my opinion, Yes.
Is Praise Chapel a Pyramid Scheme (MLM)? In my opinion, Yes.

I started attending Praise Chapel in 1987 in East LA. I was under 20yrs old and am now in my 40's. Its the Mother Church and is now located in Huntington Park. The Pastor is Donna Neville. The Head of the Fellowship is Larry Neville. I have experienced and seen a great number of things; not all bad. There was a time when if I heard any sort of criticism I would never have believed it.

Let me start by saying that this is very difficult for me because there are several people I care about that still go there and they mean well. I love these people. However, I can no longer stay there or be silent. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that Praise Chapel is a Business. Its also a franchise. The Neville family business and whoever wants to be under their influence and in their inner circle.

At a leaders meeting about 2years ago Ron Simpkin made a statement: "Your life's goal should be to make Donna Neville a Success..."

I use this as an example to start due to the fact that I can't seem to get this out of my head even after 2yrs. And I realize now that its due to the fact that it is truly the Motto of the entire Felllowship. Donna Neville, Your Pastor, the Pioneering pastor, Global Harvest, All the leaders of the fellowship - everyone but the little people that make up the congregations and are supposed to give until it hurts.

And believe me, we all have and many continue to do so believing that they are doing if for the good of the lost.

I have more to say but this is a process and right now this is about all I can get out right now. I hope to post again soon.

Quote
silentnomore
Yes, I believe Praise Chapel is not only a cult but also a Pyramid Scheme (MLM). Its taken me a long time to put into words what I have allowed to happen to me as a member of Praise Chapel for over 20years. For years I have struggled to either stay in denial or leave. I can't believe its taken me this long and even now as I am typing this I still struggle with the reality of my situation.

Is Praise Chapel a destructive church? In my opinion, Yes.
Is Praise Chapel still alot like CFR/Potters House? In my opinion, Yes.
Is Praise Chapel a Pyramid Scheme (MLM)? In my opinion, Yes.

I started attending Praise Chapel in 1987 in East LA. I was under 20yrs old and am now in my 40's. Its the Mother Church and is now located in Huntington Park. The Pastor is Donna Neville. The Head of the Fellowship is Larry Neville. I have experienced and seen a great number of things; not all bad. There was a time when if I heard any sort of criticism I would never have believed it.

Let me start by saying that this is very difficult for me because there are several people I care about that still go there and they mean well. I love these people. However, I can no longer stay there or be silent. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that Praise Chapel is a Business. Its also a franchise. The Neville family business and whoever wants to be under their influence and in their inner circle.

At a leaders meeting about 2years ago Ron Simpkin made a statement: "Your life's goal should be to make Donna Neville a Success..."

I use this as an example to start due to the fact that I can't seem to get this out of my head even after 2yrs. And I realize now that its due to the fact that it is truly the Motto of the entire Felllowship. Donna Neville, Your Pastor, the Pioneering pastor, Global Harvest, All the leaders of the fellowship - everyone but the little people that make up the congregations and are supposed to give until it hurts.

And believe me, we all have and many continue to do so believing that they are doing if for the good of the lost.

I have more to say but this is a process and right now this is about all I can get out right now. I hope to post again soon.

I was wondering have you found a new church or has it been hard for you to go to another church without thinking about going back to praise chapel. when I left i had a hard time letting go of praise chapel because there are a lot of good people there who do not see the way they are being used and abused,