As the months and years pass, there are memories of events from my time inside Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) that resurface. Some come back clear, others are more elusive and need some help to remember details of importance. This week, I was given a copy of the “Waiver and Release” that members of WOFF were required to sign if they intended to receive “prayer”. As far as I remember, these events took place AFTER the 1995 Inside Edition story. (We will reconnect with that resource video in a future post!) Just exactly when I signed this document I do not remember. If I was given a copy, I do not know where it is right now. If there were different versions, I am not aware. So, as far as I know, the version included in this post is the version I signed. If it is not, JC or someone else at WOFF could email me the one I signed. Certainly, there is a copy in the file being kept on me at WOFF.

    Allow me some more disclosure type statements before we review the document and my opinions on it. I am not an attorney and my limited experience with contracts includes mainly those contracts and agreements that deal with money owed. I also have limited experience with rental contracts and lease agreements for houses and apartments. Over the years, I have signed other contracts as we all do in the course of living in the United States. However, I do not claim to be an expert on documents such as this “Waiver and Release”. This post will include my opinions, reflections and questions; lots of questions.

    Some may ask why even bring this up? And in answer to that I will admit I do not know the specific events that triggered the requirement, but, we were told that some had left and “attacked”. (Yes, not a news flash…) We were told this would protect the church from others making false claims and future “attacks”. Again, we were also told NO ONE gets prayer or hands laid on them without signing the document. Also, I will say that like some other things, this document and the mention of it faded into the lost annals of WOFF history. Why it was not used any longer after a period of time, I do not know for certain. However, I will offer my opinions on that later in the post. Others who were in leadership could probably shed more light on the inner decisions about this waiver. This document came along before WOFF financed, supported and acquired their own in-house legal counsel.   

Click here to view-  WOFF Waiver and Release    (Use your Back button in your browser to return to the post)

   The subject of this waiver was introduced before an upcoming seminar. This was possibly late 1995 or 1996?? We still attended the Greenville church, so the best of my recollection, we were required to sign this document before or after a Sunday evening service. Tables and chairs were put in the foyer of the sanctuary or they may have been in one of the fellowship halls. Members, who were also notaries, were sitting behind the tables with copies of the waiver on the table. As you stepped up, you were given a copy and allowed to “read” it. Let’s stop here and explain this from a regular member’s viewpoint. At this time, we were only “commuter members” so to speak. The whole series of events looked real “official”. It was a foregone conclusion that anyone who was “walking with God” and wanted “God’s will in their life” would sign the waiver! After all, anyone who was “submitted to Jesus” wanted deliverance from devils in them;  this was how you continued to get what you claimed was helping you in the first place- loud prayer, blasting and deliverance. Yes, you knew that “only those in rebellion and defiant against God” would refuse prayer! Looking back, there was great social pressure to conform and “be a part of the move of God”.

    Now, when you are in that atmosphere, you do not recognize it as pressure. For instance when you are swimming in a pool, you may know you are “wet”, but, who does not get “wet” in a pool? It is not even considered as unusual. It was “natural” at WOFF to make decisions within the group social pressures and not realize there was any pressure to make a certain decision to do a certain thing, act a certain way, buy a certain item or use the specified language of WOFF. (Almost) Everyone else was doing “it”, why would you “rock the boat” and hold back? Are you giving to that “independent spirit”? I am giving these examples to help give some understanding of the atmosphere of WOFF. I was asked, “How could you sign this document and give your rights away?” See, that’s just it, at WOFF you had no idea you were “waiving” or “releasing” – Jane Whaley, Sam Whaley or other WOFF leadership from anything. You were conditioned in that environment to believe you were gaining something– not losing anything. You were “gaining” prayer, deliverance, and “freedom from devils”. Really? Yes, really… that is as best as I can put it for now.

   It is here, I must reiterate what we have mentioned before. In Steven Hassan’s book, “Combatting Cult Mind Control” (Copyright©1988, 1990- by Steven Hassan, Park Street Press, ISBN-0-89281-311-3), Chapter 4, “When I lecture in colleges, I usually challenge my audience with the question, “How would you know if you were under mind control?” After some reflection, most people will realize that if one were under mind control, it would be impossible to determine it without some help from others. In addition, one would need to understand very clearly what mind control is.” (page 53 emphasis added). See that is just it. When you are inside WOFF it “impossible” to accurately know that you are under mind control. So, in my opinion from being in that setting, the pressures and dynamics surrounding the signing of this waiver were not fully known when members were signing it. I will come back to this point as we review the document itself.

   Did I read the document before I signed it? What do you think? Actually, I don’t remember reading it in detail; I could have glanced over it. But, I had signed in my mind before I signed it at the table. Dumb? Well, it was at least not bright. Today, as I reread the “Waiver”, I exploded! How could I have been so duped??? I was under mind control. Anyone else remember your thoughts when signing the Waiver? What were you thinking when you gave the person a dollar and then they gave it back? Strange, but, some “consideration” had to be exchanged for the agreement to be legal. Yes, I see it now as a bunch of hocus pocus religious junk…

  The first part of the waiver states the basics and you were required to put in your name. I am not sure what was put in the blank titled –“City”. WOFF property is NOT in the Spindale city limits. So, what did we put there? Next, the one dollar is explained. No one signing as a notary kept the dollar as far as I know. The dollar was always returned ot the person signing. Next, there is more about the legality of WOFF. Number 2 describes the content of church services. Members and participants, “taking part in the worship services at said church, do speak in tongues, do have deliverance, do have healing services, do have casting out of devils services and in most of the usual and normal services as are carried on in charismatic evangelical services:.” If this statement was meant to cast WOFF as a “normal” charismatic evangelical church, I think the facts speak differently. Do the majority of other charismatic evangelical churches in this country have the practices of WOFF? What do you think?

   Next is the disclaimer of warranty. (#3) There are NO guarantees with what WOFF offers. They will not guarantee you will be healed, delivered from devils, no guarantee your soul will be saved or that your mental and/or emotional condition will be cured. Also, “…that the parties of the second part do not hold out that they have any education nor practice whatsoever in psychiatry, psychology, mental counseling, marital counseling, nor are they experts in any field whatsoever that might have to do with the spirit or the physical thing of a person, except that which is taught in the Word of God; they make no claim whatsoever, should a person receive healing, deliverance, spirit filling or any other condition that they will not digress from this condition and return to their old condition; That all the healings, casting out of demons and deliverance are done through prayer and ministry of the Word of God.”  The way I read this, basically no one at WOFF is an expert at anything. Well, this has changed over the years. They have a dentist, several doctors and at least one nurse with a concentration in psychiatric care. There are other nurses and at least one other Family Nurse Practitioner. Do they practice on WOFF property? I would say so. I have had more than one examination by a doctor on WOFF property. I have been given more than one prescription by a doctor while on church property. My children would get at least preliminary examinations on church property. Interesting, huh? I thought nothing of it.

  The waiver then has a part were the member states they were requesting “the blessing that God may have for me through the prayer and ministry of the Word of God, be it through deliverance, healing, casting out demons or anything else which might happen to me during the ministry at Word of Faith Fellowship…”(emphasis added). Anything else?? This was pretty inclusive! I do not remember that part! Why should I?

   The document goes to list what a member who signed this was “waiving”. Can anyone truly waive their rights– either present or future? Especially, if the rights arise from future actions of the second party – WOFF, Jane, Sam and those who act on behalf of WOFF? I am not sure, but, it does not sound right in my opinion as one who signed this document. Remember, I had not heard a peep about this document for the last few years while I was at WOFF. After a while, new members were not required to sign them, as far as I know. Is the copy I signed still valid? I recommend you read it just for reference. If Jane was counseled and considered this a valid document in the past, are there any parts she still considers operational and protecting her and other WOFF ministers? Was the validity of this document ever tested in court?  

   We will review some other parts. It mentions the one who signed it was waiving the right to recover monetary damages for any number of various occurrences. Continuing on, “I waive my right of any action for monetary damages resulting form so called spiritual, mental, financial, emotional, physical, social, or loss, suffered as a results of any ministry given to me by any person associated directly and indirectly with the Word of Faith Fellowship, Inc. including ministry received by me from any visitors.”  Wow, I signed that.

   The next part caught my attention for many reasons. “I understand that in some spiritual atmospheres there may be some mind control involved, however, after witnessing the ministry and atmosphere of Word of Faith Fellowship, Inc., I believe that the pastors and other persons connected with The Word of Faith Fellowship, Inc. do not operate in mind control, they operate in the power and anointing of God.”  There are so many thoughts going through my thinking right now, I hope to be able to express them. While UNDER MIND CONTROL we were told to continue receiving what was in essence the signature practice and “benefit” and “service” of WOFF we had to attest “that the pastors and other persons connected with The Word of Faith Fellowship, Inc. do not operate in mind control,”??? Who among the members of WOFF ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT MIND CONTROL WAS when they signed that paper? I did not. I question if indeed Jane or Sam even knew, or now know, what MIND CONTROL truly is!!! Why? If they did – how could they continue practicing the very things that constitute CLASSIC, TEXTBOOK mind control techniques? If they were ever told what EXPERTS say are the characteristics of mind control and then DENIED that what they were/are doing is mind control- what would that say about them both? Would that require a level of religious self-deception that few ever exhibit?

   Again, how could those under mind control explain to those under mind control that they were all under mind control? Or even that they were NOT under mind control? To quote Jane Whaley, “When you are deceived, you are deceived”. She always referenced others with that comment. Never did she consider herself deceived, why? Would that be because she was deceived? I was.

     We move with yet more from this “Waiver”. “I have discussed this document with the Reverend Sam G. Whaley, Jr. and/or Reverend Jane B. Whaley or an employee of The Word of Faith Fellowship, Inc. and they have explained to me, in detail, what is going to take place. I have been advised by the Reverends Whaley and/or other agents of the Word of Faith Fellowship, Inc. that is it is my duty, if I do not understand this document, to take it to a lawyer of my choice, before executing this Agreement.” Yes. I signed this agreement without taking it to an attorney. “Buyer beware”. Buyer be pressured, buyer be fooled. Buyer was me. Explain in detail? Did anyone ever get a detailed explanation before signing this or before joining WOFF what would happen to them as they meshed with WOFF-culture and were taken into WOFFness? Did anyone from WOFF explain to anyone BEFORE they signed this document why WOFF and its ministers, members or even the visitors did not practice mind control?

  This next statement really sums up the matter for me. “I fully understand this Agreement and what it means. This Agreement is made with my full knowledge of its content and (I) am fully aware of the danger that arises out of any mental or spiritual exorcism.” Really? Who knew the “danger that arises out of any mental or spiritual exorcism” if no one administering the exorcism was trained or educated in “nor practice(d) whatsoever in psychiatry, psychology, mental counseling, marital counseling,”???  How can you as a regular member signing this document know what you are getting into when you are so under the spell of the leader Jane Whaley that you would sign this document WITHOUT fully understanding what it meant/means? I have asked myself how I could sign it except under the same mind control that was denied in the document itself. Does that make sense? It does to me now. Do you have your copy that you signed? We will continue on my experience with loud prayer, blasting and deliverance in future posts. Again, as far as I know, this document is not being required of new WOFF members and has not for many years. Comments welcome.  

   Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.

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       Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, for posts written by John Huddle, any information about WOFF is from his memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be.  Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 352.