Recently, I have had several conversations with a survivor of another group. The similarities between the control measures used in Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) and the survivor’s former group have been nothing short of amazing and sad. It is regretful that the results have been eerily the same. During one conversation, this survivor said there “stolen intimacy” as a result of the control measures of the leader of that group. This person had lost their family relationships over their discontinued church membership. Yes, really- it was the same as many cases from WOFF. As I listened and began to understand their situation, I realized it was not so much “stolen intimacy” but rejected intimacy. Let me explain.
During my time at WOFF, it was an acceptable and actually a required practice to be denied contact with members that had left WOFF. As warm-up for that practice, when a member was on “church discipline” or in church discipleship, you were expected to allow God to deal with their heart and not talk to or “fellowship” with them. Certain ones in leadership or a spouse may be able to talk to them and allow that person to “open their heart” and share where “God was dealing with them”. All of these phrases were code talk within WOFF and after a short period of time, you began to get the meaning and became aware of the penalties for crossing the boundaries or breaking the unwritten rules. You may cross the line once- but, you would soon be told how to act toward those on church discipline.
What “sin” could have you put on church discipline? Whatever violation Jane thought was too severe to allow you to “walk among God’s people”. The “sin” could be one you were warned about before or a new one you were totally unaware of as being “sin”. If you were “listening to the spirit of God” and in tune with Him – you would know what actions or thoughts were sin and what were not “sin”… Really? This seemed so spiritual when you were in WOFF. I believed and acted upon that notion for a long time while inside WOFF. It seemed perfectly justifiable to me within the confines or parameters of the sub-culture we lived in. Now, I see it as a power play from Jane and the leadership to keep the regular members always unsure and fearful to do ANYTHING without “checking things out with leadership” to “see if they were hearing God”. Can you say – dysfunctional grace? Since the rules were unwritten and the code of conduct at times so elusive, then it allowed Jane her own interpretation and ability to make the rules what she wanted them to be at any given moment. If she decided to change things, then we were walking in a higher place in God (while still being “so full of sin it made her sick!”)and/or “God was trusting us more” or the individuals had heard God for that situation, but it was not certain everyone else would have that liberty.