Over the years, members of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) who stayed and were faithful would learn that there was no good reason to leave. During earlier years,  there was a WOFF Bible school and the stated emphasis was on going ” to the nations to preach and teach”… As time passed and the Bible school ended, many of the students would go to work and later get married to other members in the church and have children. The songs proclaiming the “call to the nations” would not be sung as often. The music cassette tapes produced by WOFF leadership would wear out and not be replaced. There would be talk of another music tape, but nothing came of it. Jane Whaley would coordinate and write new songs, but sending folks out was not the goal any more. Somewhere in those years, the evident purpose of WOFF changed.

     Now, don’t be confused. There was still the outreach to the prisons and to the nursing homes. Jane Whaley would share about helping local folks who called WOFF, with money for electric bills and food.  But, going “to the nations” was not preached as often. In fact, the early songs had good words. They made for good presentation when sung either inside or outside of the church.  Anyone who has attended WOFF for a special music or heard the Youth sing at a “Charles Taylor Prayer Breakfast”; has heard these songs and others.  Songs would speak of going out to fulfill the “Call of God” and going “to the nations” to preach and teach. It kept the goal in front of the members.

     Over the years, there were trips to Brazil and Africa. Jane Whaley and her leadership group would hold “Youth Seminars” in Brazil in conjunction with weddings many times. Jane was the one to perform or oversee the wedding ceremonies locally and overseas. These trips, in reality were to carry the messages that Jane and had taught in America to these churches. There would be opportunity in the youth meetings for young WOFF members to share “what God had been showing them”. For sure, the message you were allowed to speak had to “flow with what Jane had been teaching” or you were stopped. In other words, I never heard anyone get up and share about “Freedom in Christ”, being free from legalism and man-made rules. That was just not a theme in WOFF messages. If you were allowed to speak- you may be asked “what you had to share” before the meeting. For sure you had to “stay on message”. The message was the gospel and practice of the gospel- according to Jane.

     In hindsight, only three couples that I remember were “sent out”. One couple was sent back to their country in Africa. This was an outreach that still required support and WOFF has helped that couple, tremendously. Another couple was sent back to their country because of their visa issues. A third couple went back to their country and floundered, as far as I know. Nothing more was ever mentioned of them after the first few months. These are the ones I remember over 16 years of attending services. There may be more. But, for sure there was not the practice of regularly sending folks out to start churches.

     The Greenville church had the stated purpose of starting other churches in the early 90’s, when I joined. The leaders wanted to start a church in every county that touched Greenville County, SC. That meant 8 churches. That vision seemed to fade as the intensity of the Jane Whaley’s WOFF message of deliverance was taught and practiced. And it made “sense”. Why would anyone be sent out with “devils” in them? Who could ever be “free of all their devils”? Who could be trusted with the message of deliverance as Jane Whaley preached it? After hearing the message taught at WOFF, the Greenville church never completed their vision.

      In fact, over the last few years, Jane Whaley and her lieutenants have helped consolidate other churches or church members into WOFF. The church in Greenville was not the first. Folks came from Connecticut, Oklahoma, Illinois, Montana, Wyoming, Texas and California, as well as other countries,  previous to 2002. One church from the coastal region of North Carolina was merged in about the time my tenure at WOFF was over. Another church from that area refused to follow Jane and be merged. That church has disbanded or dwindled down in numbers, as far as I know.  Jane Whaley had an encounter with a church from Morganton. They attended a few services, but they did not join up with WOFF. There was contact with a church secretary from a church in Gaffney, SC that asked for help; but nothing long term came of that, as far as I know. There was a church from Michigan that came to WOFF for a while. That group stopped coming. (That is a post for another day…)

     In summary, it appears that as the message of “deliverance from devils” and the blasting prayer that went along with it took center place at WOFF, it was accompanied with a fear-based message of “devils are in you and will take you over if you leave!”. So, does the message deliverance and methods that accompany it work? Do people “get free” or “get fears”? From living inside the group for many years, I can attest to the fear-based message that I heard over and over! After the initial message of “we can help you” and “we love you”, the WOFF message turns to instilling fears of “devils”, fear of being kicked out, and fear of making Jane angry. Jane’s “corrective wrath” could change your direction in WOFF, in no time. Every decision of consequence – flowed through Jane.

     Steven Hassan in “Releasing the Bonds” (copyright 2000) explains the use of emotional control in mind control groups. “Fear! Lots of fear! Although the group’s message starts out with love and idealism, (“To the Nations!” WOFF message…) once a person gets indoctrinated into the inner levels, his world becomes one of fear-…fear that he will lose his spiritual connection, fear that he will be possessed by the devil.”  He goes on..“Indeed phobias can rob people of free choice, and in mind control cults, phobias are methodically implanted to keep members from feeling they can leave the group and be happy.” (page 53)

     More from this same chapter, “In a destructive cult, the locus of control shifts to the group or its leader. The new recruit abdicates his ability to make decisions. A pseudo-identity is created which suppresses the authentic self and surrenders control. Individuality is submerged and free will subverted. People are kept in the dark, and the very processes that influence them are made to seem mystical or spiritual. (page 55)

     The suttle changes that accompany a member’s thinking in a fear-based group, often happen without any recognition of the change taking place. In order to continue in the group, there is the gradual migration of the control of their will to the control of the leader. This passage helps explain to folks that ask me how can people see the fear-based control that takes place in WOFF, and yet stay. This is at least part of the answer. The seductive changes happen so gradually, the member does not see or recognize or understand that changes have taken place.

     The following passage instructs that the gifts will build up the church. It does not appear that “the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints” includes the fear-based message that flows so freely from Jane Whaley and the leadership at WOFF. But, maybe I am working under the wrong assumption that Jane wants people to “hear their call and go out to the Nations” and teach others?

Ephesians 4:11-13 (Amplified Bible)

¹¹And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.

    ¹²His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church),

    ¹³[That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [^[a]full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.

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