I am having a difficult time going somewhere else - its hard to trust another church. I am seeking God for direction and have a few places in mind that I am going to try. It has been very difficult for me. I realize now that by investing so much time and effort in Praise Chapel for so long that I have alienated myself from my family, community and making friends outside the church. Leaving the only place that I have established long-term relationships eventhough unhealthy is really scary. But now, I am more afraid to stay than to leave. I don't belong there - when you open your eyes and ears and use your brain - you realize how deceived you've allowed yourself to become and you have to go.

I have felt this way for years but always rationalized that maybe I was wrong. One of the best ploys they use is that you are not hearing from the Lord but that you are in the "flesh and rebellion" if you question anything. Headship has no accountability to the congregation. "The so-called Church Board" are hand picked family and friends that agree with almost everything the Head Pastors say and do. The Board Members who do disagree and voice it are ostracized and belittled; so that next time, they will just go with the flow. If you do have a mind of your own and ask questions or know the Word better than the leaders you are labeled a Rebel.

The reason I say that Praise Chapel is like a MLM or Pyramid is that only those at the top are being supported. The baby churches do pay tithes to the mother churches and I some level believe many of the original pioneer works from the eighties and nineties still pay tithes to the Mother Church in Huntington Park.

Many of the pastors have built new homes, gone on expensive vacations, have new cars, remodeled their church offices and send there kids to private school but these are the successful ones that followed the program or have family in the heirarchy of the the fellowship. As opposed to many of the new younger pastors that quit their jobs and move their families far away from their family and friends to do the Work of the Lord. Many have struggled, gone hungry and became alienated from all they know. Many have just disappeared not to be heard from and then years later you may hear that they are divorced or some calamity came upon them.

There are long-time pastors in Huntington Park that have been going to Church there for years but their children haven't. How can you be a leader in a church but you don't have your own children going there? Huntington Park CA and Southeast Los Angeles are two of the most low-income, densely populated and corrupt parts of the United States - the congregation is mostly low income with not a lot of education. Yet, many of the pastors live in middle class neighborhoods and educating there children with financial support from the church; yet there children, many now grown won't step foot in the church. Or if they become pastors they get sent out to a city that is considered middle class; with a group of faithful tithers from the mother church when most of the pioneer pastors who don't have there same connections get no such support.

silentnomore:

The overwhelming majority of churches are safe.

Look for one with a democratically elected church government and financial transparency.

A place where an elected board can fire a pastor if he gets out of line.

And there should be a published budget that discloses how the church funds are used, salaries, compensation, expenses, etc.

Most Baptist churches would fit this criteria or an Assemblies of God church.

The Evangelical Free Church and Nazarene Church also have such safeguards.

The key is accountability.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Also see [www.culteducation.com]

There are some excellent books, which can be helpful too.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Silentnomore

Can I just encourage you to try somewhere else if thats what you feel you want to do. Like the moderator has said, the vast majority of chuches are safe and if you go to a church that is part of a larger organisation such as Assemblies of God or something else then there should be some external accountability if you are not happy.

I was part of a destructive church and it does get you to the point where you think 'stuff it I'm never gonna trust another church/Christian again' Thankfully I left there and got in contact with the minster of another church in the area. I explained to him the difficulties I had had with this destructive church and he was fully aware of the reputation they had and said that he and other ministers in that town had met several people who had also been hurt by this church. He and other people from that church were able to offer me help and support. That church operated as a church should with leaders who were there to serve and shepherd the flock not abuse them or make money from them.

Id encourage you to give it another go. Don't let the negative experience you have had with Praise chapel, rob you of worshipping God and being part of a good, healthy Christian fellowship. Like the moderator said, ask questions about how the church is run etc. Speak to the minister and explain a little of your journey. If he is a caring man of God he should gladly answer your questions. Also speak to other members of the church, maybe arrange to go for coffee with someone and speak to them outside of the church.

I know first hand how scary it is to trust others agin when youve been hurt ut if you find a sound, healthy church with minister who understands what you have been through and can help restore you then it will be worth it

God Bless you and I hope you find what you are looking for

I also want to encourage you Silentnomore, to not be afraid to find a new church. Dont be intimidated by what the people at praise chapel may say about you lies such as, you are not being led by God or the devil is lying to you. I am sure you have heard them before every time someone has left the church. I know I used to hear them. You are important to God and you deserve to be in a church were you can grow and thrive in a healthy, loving environment. It is a little hard believe me I know. Especially since Praise Chapel is all you know. But it is well worth it. There are a number of good healthy churches out there that can help you heal from the past abuse that is under the title of "discipleship". Pray about it and allow God to lead you in His perfect timing. The Lord does not want you to live a lie but to live in freedom, freedom to praise Him and live a life that does not shut out the rest of the world. What I have learned after leaving Praise Chapel is that: 1. God can bring such a healing and restoration to you, 2. there are good churches out there that teach the Bible and disciple correctly 3. that you become a more compassionate person towards other people who have gone through similar situations and are able to help them 4. it is very hard and tempting to go back to Praise Chapel but it is not worth it, they are all the same and they are never going to change

Hello all, my name is Richard and I have gone to Praise Chapel Anaheim/Orange for quite some time while I was living in So. Cal. My earliest experience in a church was the dreaded Catholic services as a kid. Hated all that ritual stuff, but even as a child and through my growing up, there has been a longing to find God. While in the Navy, I even asked the Chaplin on how do I get closer to God, all I got was "pray". That's all fine and good, but if a person does not know that he/she is a sinner and is in need of a Saviour, then it is futile. Through a course of time, I had gotten married then divorced. My ex had contacted me and explained her salvation. I was intrigued, more so in hoping to get back toegther. Well needless to say, my first night at PC was memorable, April 12, 1988 is when I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I continued to go to church and was set on fire. Eventually we became Bible Study leaders. Teaching fit me and I realized that was my gift. We all are given gifts, but God in his wisdom expects to find it on our own, it's part of our Christian matruity.

I am the kind of person, I do not accecpt one's word for anything as being gospel. Even as a former over-the-road truck driver, I did not take a DOT officer's word on regulations unless he/she can show me in the DOT regulation booklet. Anyway, I trusted my Pastor because of his integrity, honesty and truthfulness about the direction of the church and the word he preached. Every year in Jan. he would "open the books" of the church and go over the financial year our church had. Most boring service, but he did not hide anything. I searched the scriptures to to see for myself and find what God had for me in that message. I knew that Pastor did preach anything contrary to the Word of God.

There was no "mind control", deception and rules that were contrary to the Bible. He expected the leaders to be just that, leaders (servants to the flock). People I have encountered that yap about "mind control" fail to allow God to direct their life. Usually those folks were the one's who condemed us for handing out tracts or street witnessing. "Keep it in the church" they would say, my favorite was, "you are giving a bad example about Jesus" something to that affect. Yet those that speak like that never bothered to share Christ with anyone. To my knowledge, going into the world and preach the gospel was what we were doing, I took that point blank.

We were radical and Pastor allowed us to experiment and find ways to reach people. He did not have an iron fist, we were allowed to have fun, as long as we did not break the law obviously.

And yes, it is hard to find a new church aftr PC. I am going through that as I write this. All I really ever knew was PC. That was my life, by my choice. Am I goofed up? NO. I just don't want dead chcurch, a place where all that happens is sit in a pew and do nothing but get a spiritual band aide till next Sunday. But God showed me, grow up dude, PC was then, this is now. So now we will be attending a new church home here in Indianapolis. A church in the Calvery Chapel fellowship.

If you are struggling with that as I have, then get off your rear and onto your knees and seek what God wants you to do. Excuses is an example of being neither hot nor cold, and for those that have read Revelations should know of that. And I am an example of that.

I am greatful for my experience in PC. Without that, I might still be an unbeliever. Who knows but God. I am using it as a measuring stick to what I am looking for. And I found that there are churches in Indy that have not just the same beliefs and service structure, but goals and the growth potential I want. I want to grow and am not afraid to allow God to put me places I would not go to on my own. My trust is in God not the church, but without the church, we can not truly reach out potential. We need a leader to which we can serve and help guide us and discipline us and keep us on tract. We also need a body of believers which we can give our service to as well.

My fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord, I apologize for a long post, but I was offended by PC and cult in the same sentence. PC is far from a cult, my I say as the Lord did to me "GET OVER IT" and move on. Find a new church home and keep the negitive comments to your self. We are accountable for every word we speak, write and read. If PC is wrong, God will bring it to light, but if not, then would not those words (words can kill and be as deadly as any weapon) be like what Paul the Apostle did before Jesus got his attention.

Typical.

Thats great, another typical programmed answer from another praise chapel pastor, I pastored in praise chapel for twelve years, I too knew mike personally, and your pastor phil hernandez. I was there in the beginning my friend, and the answer you give and the way the fellowship operates are two worlds apart. Money in fact does make the fellowship go round, to quote Mike Nevelle's favorite quote, " him with the gold makes the rules".

You have no idea what you are talking about greg, praise chapel is a destructive dangerous organization, I was dumb enogh and stupid enough to get saved in the fellowship and then pioneer 4 churches for them. Loving and kind huh, go ask your pastor about me jeff watkins, maybe phil can lie to you some more about how great they treat their pastors, I gotta call bullshit on this one.

jeff watkins

Just to reply to greg here, oh yea the pastors send in a gold sheet, that is what we called them in the old days to our "Mother churches" that is a joke in itself, there is no mothering only control. What Greg did not tell you is his church is required to send in at leas 10% of its overall tithes to his mother church. Global harvest is fairly new only been going about 15 years now, it is a huge conglomeration of the fellowships missionary arm. The only thing the fellowship is interested in is the tithes. They milk the pioneer churches and then send pastors in the P.C.Clique oversees fully funded.

And yes he is a working pastor, so was I for all four pioneer churches I pinoneerd and pastored. Only those who abide by the entire set of fellowship rules and dont make waves, dont ask questions, get the full boat support.

Ask greg about the high failure rate of the pioneer pastors, they we should talk about how restorative the fellowship rules are, two pastors come to miind that were in the inner circle till they fell, David Riggs and Mike Stevens, you remember those boys, I dont recall a whole lot of restoration there on the part of head quarters.

Again, your not being absolutely truthful here greg, I remember the fellowship and was part of it from the maywood days.

jeff watkins

praise chapel saved your life? funny I thought Jesus was the one saving lives, things that make you go hum?

jeff watkins

Richard,

I know who your pastor is, carl friedrich, integrity huh, really, so go ask your pastor why he covered up affairs for his buddy's in his mother church in Kingman Arizona. And why he lied when questioned about it.

Integrity, He could not leave the kingman church fast enough, he wanted to be a star on the wall of shame praise chapel southern california.

You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into, your pastor was my pastor back in the late 70's and 80's. I see that adam has married into the hyarchy of the nevelle clan and I bet he aint a working pastor huh?

Cult, Cult, Cult, get out run as fast as you can,

jeff watkins