Finding this marvellous website has reassured me. I am interested in any negative experiences with New Frontiers International and any of its churches particularly in the UK. I have assumed that the parent organisation was based on decent and religious principles and that there were problems with isolated churches and abusive leadership. Sadly I have been unable to get reassurance from those who might assist and hence this post. The church runs on The "Apostolic Ministry of Men" so that there are only male elders / leaders who are called by God to administer. Hardly surprising that a number of women are being severely challenged in a way that normal western society would not permit. I am aware that those abused are profoundly distressed by what happens to them and tend to carry a low profile due to their effective excommunication and advice not to join another church. I have also discovered financial irregularities in a local setting but not at a global institutional level that I can ascertain. If any one else has experience of this organisation I would be pleased to hear.

Hi
I am aware that the above comment is old, but I do have concerns about the new frontiers movement, I will post my concerns if this thread is still active
Thanks

I was part of a church that recently affiliated with New Frontiers. Church in the Boro of Statesboro, GA, USA. The pastor, Rob Wilkerson, and his right hand man, Alan Ballard, always had authoritarian bents which we laughed off--but we're not laughing now.

Following are my recollections and opinions. When the church came under NF's "apostolic authority" via Carl Herrington of Jubilee Church, another NF fellowship, in Atlanta, GA, it would seem as if the floodgates have opened. Rob, the pastor (now called "head elder") has started directing sermons at individuals within the body who, in his opinion, spread dissent or refuse to come under his authority, the sermons are sometimes angry and vindictive. He told us "you don't own the church, you're owned by the church", "submission to Jesus is submission to local church leaders". Rob disbanded the finance team and told us we must now lay our money at the elders's feet--meaning his feet, because he has total control over finances now. Sermons are now almost exclusively about our money or Rob's apostolic authority. Jesus is almost never mentioned in a sermon anymore, except in reference to His position of submission to the Father in the Godhead and how this should be an example for us to submit to our pastor. Hebrews 13:17 comes up repeatedly in sermons to support their authority, but other verses which balance this are ignored. When a member of the church has concerns about Rob's leadership, they are told they must not share them with anyone, one person was told they'd be "serving Satan" if they shared concerns. This code of silence does not apply to the leaders, who apparently speak freely about members's sin and strategies for getting them in line. A young founding member of the church recently felt he was called by God to move to another city. The leadership team ambushed him with a short notice meeting and told him he was in sin because he didn't submit to their authority in his life or consult them before deciding to move. Rob told him he wouldn't give him a good recommendation if another pastor sought one. They put a lot of pressure on this guy. They put a lot of pressure on anyone who doesn't fall into line with their authority.

This is a very destructive organization, in my opinion. It takes pastors with even slightly authoritarian inclinations and turns them into authoritarian nightmares. I would veer away from NF in every circumstance. They seem to be all about their authority, their covering, of course they ignore the scriptures that talk about Christ being our covering.

Hi to all! My name is Rob and I'm the fella spoken of in the previous post. And I was blown away on account of several reasons. First, we don't have anybody in our church named Carl Kolchak. Second, the information listed in the post is inaccurate. Our website is at www.churchintheboro.com and my messages and sermon manuscripts are available for public viewing. Third, I am not called the head elder now, nor will I ever be. We don't make such distinctions at Church in the Boro. Fourth, I have never directed any sermon at anyone in the body who does not come under authority. Fifth, the statement about "you don't own the church..." is true, but terribly taken out of context. The message manuscript is located here (http://www.scribd.com/doc/27804621/What-It-Means-to-Belong-to-the-Church-1). Fifth, the finance team was only brought together for one express purpose (to form a budget) and they fulfilled that purpose and handed it over to the leadership team. Fifth, you'll find perhaps two or three sermons on money (the first time I've preached on it since beginning the church plant), or any sermon on my apostolic authority. Sixth, anyone's free to listen to my sermons or read my manuscripts and count how many times Jesus is talked about. I could go on, but I trust discerning readers here will get the point.

In the end, the Bible seems clear how we are to handle disagreements with one another. And using a pseudonym on a forum about cults is not one of them. I'm available for talking, and so is any of the other men on our leadership or leadership in development team. Please don't hide behind anonymity. WE can't work things out if we don't know who you are.

Thanks for being willing to consider steps toward reconciliation. WE are serious about our mission statement...especially the part about reconciling people to each other.

I have a policy of not posting my personal name on public fora (due to past bad experiences on the world wide web) as do most of us who post, including most, I beleieve, on this forum. My nom de plume "Carl Kolchak" is the famous TV character, the investigative reporter played by Darren McGavin in the Night Stalker series, the one who bumblingly fought against the powers of darkness. I think it's fitting.

I stand by everything I said in the post. I have neither lied nor distorted.

I've discussed these issues repeatedly with Rob since last year. I was prompted to approach him by a number of people in the church, but the meetings and email exchanges with him regarding the imbalance of church authority and unethical finance system was to no avail, as one would expect given the NF paradigm.

I wrote the May 26 posting less than 24 hours after the young man I mentioned above had been very ill treated by the leadership team. As he was a close friend, to say I was none too pleased is a great understatement. If I acted rashly, I repent. But I will not retract a thing I wrote, because it was the truth.

God Bless,

Mike Wiggins

Dear Mike and Rob,

My ongoing investigation into religious abuse has sadly put NFI churches in the spotlight. Not all of course but some do seem to have an approach that is very challenging. Remember only God fearing, Jesus loving people will be affected. Rob, whether Mike is right or wrong and I note your comments, his story is rather similar to others I have heard.

John Groves in his in house report for NFI " Spiritual Authority in the Church" states: "Rebellion is worse than witchcraft" (quoting Samuel!) He said that Satan laughs when a rebellious person preaches the word and that "obedience is the highest expression of honour to God". Furher quotes include: "Submission is absolute" and to be given Spiritual Authority we need to come under authority.

This is then followed by the view That Delegated Spiritual Authority is gifted by God and that gifting need to be recognised. He says " Leadership is a spiritual gift" and "Leaders then are always a gift from God to the church" I could go on and on about this intriguing document.

Later he deals with Elders, Overseers and Shepherds, he confirms the need for males only to be elders and religious leaders (quoting that there is no mention of a woman elder in the NT. (Thecla has been quietly forgotten etc) Paul of course prohibits women from having authority over men! and remember this was the Middle East 2000 years ago. Consider role of women even today let alone then. Finally elsewhere there is clear reference to any questioning of the Elders only being received if more than 2 or 3 people independently raise the point but here is the problem members are not allowed to discuss with others or it will be regarded as rebellion. I could in fact go on and on about the "complexity" and controlling nature of NF.

Now the critical points; People with complex personalities and in particular Narcissistic Personalities are attracted to Church leadership. They can talk the talk and can be very persuasive when it suits. They get their so called "source supply" from certain individuals who are their victims. They only need one or two people at a time but that satisfies their lust for control. They like misery as normal people like food. These people believe they are always right and everyone else wrong. They become leaders , police officers, lawyers, judges, even prime ministers. If you know you are right and have no awareness of other peoples feelings then having "God" on your side is a remarkably toxic combination. Severe damage will be done to some people who for one reason or another find themselves vulnerable. I have a number of examples where the "offending" person usually female, but not always would be summoned before the elders and effectively castigated forced to leave and told not to join any other church without telling them of their "behaviour" at the NF church.

Who would have believed the chaos in the Catholic Church with paedophilia. All priest of course annointed by God etc Naturally paedophiles were attracted to the church for obvious reasons, some trying to escape their early "urges". They were then put in charge of children and they thought this was a message from God supporting their perversion. The cover up was the real crime as is the "cover up" in NF.

Rob if you are so right then let us have Full Regulation and Annual Appraisal of all ministries and Elders. All members who have left should be contacted to hear the circumstance. Any complaints carefully logged and externally assessed like in all other professions. Of course a vindictive complainant must not be given too much credit but if there is a pattern to the leaving or a similar thread then the problem can be dealt with. If this had happened in the Catholic Church tens of thousand of abused people would have been protected and millions of pounds available for good deeds rather than damages. Are you brave enough to suggest this to NFI leadership etc?

Finally the anonymous nature of the postings - the fact Rob you ask about this shows you have sadly little insight as to the damage that spiritual abuse does to individuals. My persoal advice to devotees of NFI churches is to read books on religious / spiritual abuse and check that your church does not come into this category. When life is easy, going well then little problem for you, when problems arise that is when a true "loving" church shows itself. I have too many people on my case studies who have suffered. Examples, child seen talking to non NFI child in town, Parents castigated ++ and left church. Teenage son of another family advised to leave home for transgression of parent in order to remain pure to God. etc etc I could gon but this posting is already too long. This is howevr a very serious problem for many.

Chris,

I've been in ministry leadership for twenty years. I grew up under a dominating, authoritarian pastor of a father in a life structure and through a set of circumstances that would baffle the ordinary church member and make tens of millions of dollars in profit from a book or movie deal. What I endured under my father's deceitful twenty-five years of ministry as a Southern Baptist pastor was horrific for me personally as a kid, as well as for my wife and four children. I completely and entire understand the inner workings of this type of leadership model, and I want no part of it whatsoever.

But here are two responses for you to consider, as well as Mike.

One: the answer to bad leadership is not no leadership. The Bible does teach that when Christ ascended He gave gifts to the church and they are gifted men and women who lead the church through the gifts of apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, pastoring, and teaching. The Bible also teaches that these leaders are given for the equipping of the body and to mature the saints. These leaders are to be obeyed and submitted to because they give an account to God of the sheep they lead. And if all this occurred in a perfect world, then we'd have perfect leaders and perfect sheep. And then we wouldn't need leaders, since the point of Jesus giving them in the first place was to mature us. There's no mention that they are perfect or sinless. They too are sheep and shepherd at the same time and therefore should be led by other leaders. Being a church leader in no way puts you at the top of some unreachable pinnacle where there's zero accountability. That's why the NT is replete with the necessity of a team of men, or a plurality of elders. That's because they are fallen too. But just because they are fallen too doesn't mean they can't lead. And just because so many leaders get it wrong, doesn't mean we don't need leadership any longer. I don't necessarily get that this is what you're saying. But what you said does seem to imply that as a trajectory.

Two: The reason my dad and I have an awesome relationship today is because of one factor..and it's the factor that gets left out so often in situations like this...and its the factor that Satan hopes more than anything else will be left unnoticed and unimplemented. It's grace. Plain and simple. And it's demonstrated in forgiving and forbearing, just like Paul described in Ephesians 4:1-3 as well as in 4:29-32. Forbear with one another in gentleness and humility of heart. And forgive one another any sins that are committed against one another. This makes the Christian life all about grace. And the fact that God worked that in my heart toward my father despite the horrific things he'd done to me shows me that the gospel is true. Period.

That's what I and the rest of the body here at Church in the Boro have witnessed and tasted first hand in this conflict. They've tasted and seen that the Lord is good in the grace He gives to us, and then commands us to give to others. The answer to bad leadership is grace-filled, gospel-driven leadership. The answer to bad leadership is not distrust, but forgiveness. The answer to bad leadership is not to decry them as heretics or question their salvation, but to oppose then gently, as Paul teaches in 2 Timothy 2:24-25, in hopes that they might be released from the captivity of the enemy. How we treat bad leaders displays what we believe about the gospel. And sadly the fault is as much on those who withhold the gospel from bad leaders, as it is on the part of narcissistic leaders who love power and control. The gospel can change that. It has changed that in me, transforming me from what my dad passed on to me, to someone who loves grace more than anything else in the world.

This is what I've tasted firsthand in New Frontiers.

In closing, let me also pass along another eye-opening and oft-neglected truth, and that's this. New Frontiers is no more a collective hive of automaton apostles than any other organization or denomination. I grew up Southern Baptists and it would be impossible for you to complete any degree of research regarding the sheer numbers whose faith has been destroyed due to pride, rebellion, lust, envy, greed, covetousness, and adultery...not to mention church fights and church splits. We can't anymore cast a suspicious eye on New Frontiers for a handful or two of bad experiences anymore than we can on the Southern Baptist Convention, United Methodist Church, or Assemblies of God because of a handful or two of bad experiences there.

I don't relate to New Frontiers. I relate to a dear brother who is part of an apostolic delegate devoted and dedicated to helping churches build strong biblical foundations in order to expand the kingdom of God and the gospel of Christ. That dear brother relates to another apostolic man whose gifting over the last several decades happens to be in church planting and oversight. That dear brother relates to another man whose gifting is the same, along with others whose giftings are in the prophetic, evangelism, pastoring, teaching, etc.

The point is that New Frontiers is a group of apostolically gifted men, whose passion is church planting, all relating to each other in prayer and support in a common purpose: the expansion of the kingdom of God through making disciples and church planting. The churches they plant, build, lead, and hand over to elders all relate to each other as a family of churches, each of which is autonomous in making its own decisions, since this is clearly a biblical model.

New Frontiers is NOT a cult of brain-washed leaders and churches who operate in some kind of borg collective to control peoples' lives. Remember, I grew up under that and know exactly what it looks like, how it operates, what politics it plays, what it tastes like, feels like, and how it works. Rather, it's a group of fallen men with intentions much like yours and mine...intentions pointed toward making disciples. So surely an entire organization can't be blamed and miscategorized because of the mistakes of a handful or two of leaders.

Our situation here turned out graciously. The young man Mike spoke of is completely and entirely reconciled with me. Do you want to know why? Because I saw my heavy-handedness in dealing with him, much like I feel toward my own children from time to time when I see them about to make a decision that will bring them some hurt and pain. I have a hard time letting go, like many parents. This young man was more close to me than the ordinary church member, seeing as how he helped plant the church. Our conversation two days ago was testimony of what I'm talking about. I clearly acknowledged and confessed dealing with him that did not turn out to be a gracious as I originally and passionately desired. He forgave me. He's in the city where he wanted to go now. And we're still talking, Facebooking, emailing, and I'm mailing something back to him that he forgot here in town...per his personal request to me...on the mobile phone...which he still calls...because he loves me and I love him...because he forgives me and I forgive him...because God's grace is greater than our sin.

Grace should be the trajectory of our desire to help others. And if it's all kept that plain and simple, then the gospel can do its best work of truly saving sinners and discipling saints.

Rob Wilkerson:

"New Frontiers is no more a collective hive of automaton apostles than any other organization or denomination"?

Does New Frontiers have a constitution and bylaws like most Protestant churches and organizations that calls for democratically elected church government?

That is, a board elected by the membership through secret ballot that serves for fixed terms. And if so can that board dismiss members of the ministry?

Is there meaningful financial transparency?

That is, an annually published budget that discloses in detail all salaries, compensation and expenses spent from the ministry funds.

The most typical traits of potentially unsafe groups (some that have been called "cults" or "cult-like":

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.

Ten warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group/leader.

1. Extreme obsessiveness regarding the group/leader resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration.

2. Individual identity, the group, the leader and/or God as distinct and separate categories of existence become increasingly blurred. Instead, in the follower's mind these identities become substantially and increasingly fused--as that person's involvement with the group/leader continues and deepens.

3. Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned it is characterized as "persecution".

4. Uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, cloning of the group/leader in personal behavior.

5. Dependency upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group/leader involvement.

6. Hyperactivity centered on the group/leader agenda, which seems to supercede any personal goals or individual interests.

7. A dramatic loss of spontaneity and sense of humor.

8. Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group/leader.

9. Anything the group/leader does can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.

10. Former followers are at best-considered negative or worse evil and under bad influences. They can not be trusted and personal contact is avoided.

I can honestly say that I've never once encountered a single one of the items you've numbered...no exaggeration...in my relationship with the USA apostolic team of New Frontiers with whom I relate directly.

1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability. (I have only experienced the man with whom I relate experiencing meaningful accountability and discipleship over the last twenty years).

2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry. (I have only experienced a welcome openness to asking questions...including very hard ones).

3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement. (I have only experienced financial disclosure in a very large group setting with the financial director giving a complete report of how much money was given, where it went, why it went there, etc.)

4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions. (This would be quite the opposite in my experience with New Frontiers...there's only a sense of wonder and excitement about the future of church planting all around the world.)

5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil. (Every person I've heard about whose left a New Frontiers church has done so with the full understanding that the Holy Spirit is in those people as well and that God will love them and lead them wherever they go).

6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances. (I have no experience here.)

7. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader. (I've read nothing here.)

8. Followers feel they can never be "good enough". (New Frontiers as I have experienced it is a church planting movement based on God's grace which ultimately obliterates this concept and invests confidence and boldness into churches for the kingdom of God).

9. The group/leader is always right. (No, I'm not. And I'm a leader. The apostolic leader to whom I relate has never acted in this way toward me.)

10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible. (In my experience, the Holy Spirit is always trusted as the person of God working within each Christian to lead, guide, and love them into truth and into God's will for their lives.)

Hope that resolves some things for you. It's extremely unfortunate that some precious brothers and sisters in Christ have found their way onto a forum about cults when the most fundamental underpinning of a cult has always been doctrinal and theological with regard to orthodox Christianity. Perhaps what's going on here is that some bad experiences are being strung together to attempt to create something that isn't fair. Also, perhaps it's possible that so many personality differences, administration styles, leadership methods, etc. are being faulted for some bad experiences so much that they are all being lumped into the category of "cult".

Critical inquiry is certainly admirable. But grace is more admirable. So far there's not been much of it on this thread...at least as much as I can infer. And yet this is the very foundation of Christianity.

Rob Wilkerson:

Thanks for sharing your feelings about the leadership.

But there were some very specific questions asked, which you did not answer.

Does New Frontiers have a constitution and bylaws like most Protestant churches and organizations that calls for democratically elected church government?

That is, a board elected by the membership through secret ballot that serves for fixed terms. And if so can that board dismiss members of the ministry?

Is there meaningful financial transparency?

That is, an annually published budget that discloses in detail all salaries, compensation and expenses spent from the ministry funds.

These accountability features are typically within other Protestant organizations and/or denomination.

Please specifically explain if such accountability features exist at the New Frontiers ministry.