A few days ago, a blog reader shared a link to another blog with me. This particular blog was new to me; however, the person writing it had left a group/movement of which I was familiar. The movement was patriarchal based as opposed to Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) which is a matriarchal based structure.  In recent days, the posts on the blog—“Under Much Grace” have captivated me attention. About the time I was introduced to these posts, I had outlined struggles which face those inside of WOFF in a rough draft of a post. In my musings, I began to outline the inward struggles of a faithful WOFF member who has begun to doubt the foundational beliefs of the group or the supremacy of the leader’s gift.

From my notes: The Jane-vow

When WOFF members struggle with leaving — they have a choice; will they privately and publicly deny the one foundational belief inside the group that Jane is the only one who can “speak for God”? Once that unwritten, yet sacred, foundation is denied by members then the “benefits” of association with WOFF– are GONE. These benefits may include camaraderie, protection, provision, fellowship and “friendship.” Breaking fellowship or shunning present members can come by one merely expressing a desire to leave. By doing so, you are in danger of or have already disavowed the one and only reason the group exists- the edification and support of Jane Whaley- the Jane-vow.

The BURDEN of protecting and honoring this Jane-vow is the glue, the cohesion and the “specialness” shared by WOFF members from differing backgrounds, different cultures, different nations and races. It is no secret that the recognition of a common belief or cause, no matter how outlandish or impractical or preposterous it may be; that recognition and commitment can become the moving force and paramount reason groups may evolve into tight knit controlling subcultures. High demand faith groups, as they are now called. Inside of WOFF, the high demands are orchestrated and required by the leader- Jane Whaley. Again, this is not unlike other groups which evolve and form around one central leader in the name of a religion or a central religious theme.

Thus the struggles to stay or leave the group do not hinge solely on physical provisions and the actual physical boundaries. A member struggles with denying the common bonds, the common cause, the “special status” and the resulting rewarding relationships and friendships. Underneath the battle to justify membership in such an abnormal culture, there are the personal stories of families and long lasting friendships many of which have NO COMMON reason to exist except for the Jane-vow. For those who have grown up inside WOFF and only known WOFF-life, there is a daunting task to even consider another way to live. This task is a wall many have no hope to climb over.

There is the illusion that friendships within the WOFF-group have depth. It just simply is not true. The critical mass indicator inside the group occurs when these relationships, as well as family relationships hinge on whether or not each member believes and is willing to take whatever comes – including personal loss– for the leader– Jane Whaley. All of this is intertwined with the basic WOFF supposition that to deny Jane is to deny God and to lose one’s salvation and way to eternal life. As absurd as it may sound, Jane actually gets into the thinking of her members to birth an actual tangible fear that to deny her gift is to deny their only way to heavenly glory. But, this trait is not unlike other leaders, from other groups have accomplished the same feat inside the minds of their group members. We have discussed these similarities in other posts.

I write this now from my insight after coming out of WOFF. The vision is much less clear if one was still inside. The tearing emotions and inward turmoil for anyone just thinking about leaving is intense. For to make that admission and doubt the sacred “Jane-vow”, no matter how deep in your heart, can trigger certain events that place one at the foot of a wall of fear that seems insurmountable. The process of leaving for most is tumultuous at best and can be emotionally challenging and ridden with heartache. But, staying inside WOFF is much worse- believe or not.

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Around the time I wrote these words, the author of Under Much Grace shared a post titled –When your Religious Leader Falls Off the Pedestal In this post, she outlines her experience of being involved in a particular group and the process of leaving that group after being so close to the pastor and a part of the day to day church functions. She has the advantage as I do – of being able to look back and have a clearer picture of the dynamics and forces at work during the period inside her former group. The post is a very good read. I will not attempt to rewrite her story but, I will take out a couple incidents that proved common to my own experiences.

The author and her husband both endured what they called “star chamber” meetings. These were confrontational meetings which included a grilling from the pastor and leadership meant to scold, mold and modify their behaviors which had been deemed as a challenge to authority. Yes, I had my “star chamber” meetings. The most memorable was April 9, 2008. That meeting served for me, as it did for the author, as the beginning of “detaching” from the leader(s) specifically and WOFF in general.

The author talks about her shock at hearing of a member of her church being locked in the basement of her home by her husband and the pastor’s agreement to the actions. The lady called the pastor several times to get help. From the post text- “She was confined at the time of the call, and she was instructed not to call the police to report her husband!” As I read this, I remembered my shock on November 22, 2011 when Michael Lowry first told me about the fourth building and the trauma going on there. No, no one was allowed to call the police from WOFF during that confinement either. But, after the story got out, the rewriting and euphemistic painting of the events began in earnest. The confinement in the fourth building or lower building was not a first-time event. Separate events of “restraint” in years past for WOFF members had occurred and when I was inside WOFF- it was conveyed as “God’s will” and “time alone with God” and “time getting ahold of God.” Does anyone else see this type of treatment as unsafe?

Former members of the patriarchal group were treated the same as members who have exited WOFF. From the post, “He cursed my best friend when she and her husband left the church, weeping on the church steps, because they told the couple that God’s judgement would result in the demise of their children. They’d disobeyed the elders, so God would punish their whole family for going against their “covering.” This came out of the pastor’s own mouth.” The words may not be exactly the same; Jane Whaley directly predicts cancer, murders, jail and all kinds of other traumas on those who leave her group – since it is the will of God to stay with them. If truth be known, from recent information, several inside WOFF have fallen ill. How does that work? You can be sick if you stay and sick if you leave… think about it.

Lastly, the author goes on the explain how many use conformation bias to only see the good and confirming information about a situation or group. In essence, we look and accept only the information which confirms our desires and preset opinions about someone or some group. Looking back, I know that is the process I used when I first arrived at Grace and Truth Fellowship in March of 1992. I had already made up my mind I wanted to be a part of the group during my visits in January of that year. From then on, I was only looking for information that was good and confirming to my decision already made.

From the post:  “This is called confirmation bias, explored at length in this post. It is an aspect of being human, and it is something that is helpful to us, particularly when it comes to having faith. …The problem comes in when we’ve been deceived, and that goodness in our character that helps us believe becomes a weapon that is used against us. Understanding this process helps us recover.”

I have mentioned it before, but, Jane Whaley has been an expert at recruiting those who exhibit the ability to believe her message and submit to her “gift.” Many fall under her spell by the use of confirmation bias and thus setting aside the negative information that the surroundings and circumstances provide for them. We may explore this process and my experiences with it in a future post. I also hope to expound upon more posts from this blog and how they relate to my exit process from WOFF. In my opinion, by sharing her experiences and knowledge gained, the author does a great job explaining the life-changing moments which can lead to leaving groups such as WOFF. Her work is a valuable resource. Do you agree?

And with that, let us remember:

“It is never too late to wake up and leave and reclaim your life!” Steve Hassan

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. Jane told me. 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 450.