LTRJ Note: Marie (a widow) wrote a letter to the editors at Lighthouse Trails in April of this year (printed in the Summer issue of the Journal), warning about Life Church’s highly popular YouVersion Bible app. At the time, she was still an integral part of Craig Groeschel’s Life Church (one of the largest churches in the U.S.). We post her story below because we know many others are going through similar type heart-breaking situations in their own churches. We hope Marie’s story will exhort and edify other believers.
Dear Lighthouse Trails editors and readers:
I was so happy with Life Church in the beginning and was so for years after my husband and I joined. I served on multiple platforms—online and at my local campus. I was in leadership positions and knee deep into Life Church culture. I was invited to multiple Global Leadership Conferences, to Life Church “All Staff” meetings, and campus LC leadership meetings. I was “all in” for Life Church as a respected attendee, volunteer, and leader.
What changed for me? About four years ago when Pastor Craig was out of town, he invited Joakim, the founding pastor at the largest church in Sweden to take the Life Church pulpit. He was a funny guy who told lots of stories and was very entertaining. But he was light on the Gospel and included few Scriptures. While sitting in the audience, I began to research this new speaker to see what he believed and who he was connected with. His website said he was part of the Bethel network of churches. Bethel and Hillsong are connected with the New Apostolic Reformation. Why was our pastor inviting this guy to take his pulpit?
Later, when Pastor invited his friends to take the pulpit for a four-week series titled “Book Club,” I began to research each one of these authors. His great friend was Steven Furtick from Elevation Church. He believes the Trinity is three different presences or forms. This teaching is a heresy known as modalism. So that meant that Jesus when He went into the clouds, didn’t leave, He just changed into the Holy Spirit. Then, our pastor had Robert Morris [the now fallen mega pastor] give a sermon on his new book, The Blessed Life. Morris teaches that if you don’t tithe, you allow demons into your life. The New Testament doesn’t teach tithing; it was instituted in the days after Israel was in the promised land to support the tribe of Levi.
Next, The Bible Project was inserted into the Life Group Leadership training. I was required to view their videos, and we discussed them at our leadership gatherings. As I watched the videos, while I saw the cartoons of the Bible Project as mostly OK, I saw theology that was not correct. Among other errors, Tim Mackie [the Bible Project’s co-creator] thinks penal substitutionary atonement stems from pagan sacrifice rituals. I filed that in my now-growing list of questionable things Life Church was supporting. Then Life Church began inviting Christine Caine to speak, and we were giving her non-profit money. Christine is listed as a Hillsong conference “Apostle” as was Pastor Craig. The problem is when Life Church has a guest speaker, attendees at church think that ministry and that speaker are endorsed by Life Church. The question is, were they?
Mike Todd of Transformation Church, another Book Club speaker, had a sermon based on his new book. Mike, a prosperity preacher, is a motivational speaker who was light on Scripture and heavy on stories about his church. There were other questionable speakers. Should people come to preach from their books or use God’s Word? Was church all about self-help for my life challenges, or was church supposed to be about exegeting from Scriptures? The questions kept coming. Did Pastor know what these friends of his were about? Did he endorse their theology? Did he know?
The Tipping Point
The tipping point came when John Mark Comer’s contemplative-advocating Practicing the Way was promoted as a way to experience Jesus in a deeper way. As a Life Group leader at Life Church online, I was invited to log onto to this website. I began immediately researching the author of this site and what he promoted. I found this was the gateway into learning contemplating prayer. As a reader of Lighthouse Trails, I knew that contemplative prayer was Christianized Eastern mysticism. I thought that this can’t be. But it was.
I had loved and read the YouVersion Bible app for many years. Now my research turned to the app. I had been reading these devotionals for years. Why had I missed what was now being promoted? I found Kenneth Copeland and Joyce Myers as well as many questionable authors who had devotionals listed. How had I missed this?
Now I turned my attention to Pastor Craig Groeschel and what I could find out about him. He came out of the Methodist Church as a young minister and got his degree from Phillips Theological Seminary (a school with a liberal bias). Pastor Craig founded Life Church with his young wife, Amy, in 1996 in a garage in Oklahoma. Life Church is part of the Evangelical Covenant Church (a church group that supports gays and is a very “woke” denomination before woke became popular). Pastor Craig has preached a few woke sermons and is supportive of social justice. All this was just the tip of the iceberg!
I had to figure out what I was supposed to do. I couldn’t unknow what I now knew. As a prayer leader at Life Church online, I had promoted the YouVersion Bible app and sent that link to all new believers as well as to anyone who currently didn’t have the app. But now, how could I endorse the app that promotes and teaches contemplative prayer, Spiritual Formation, breath prayers, and much more? I continued to research and found nothing to convince me that I should stay. The more I prayed about what to do, and the more I sought counsel from friends outside of Life Church, the more I realized I had to leave. How could I support a church that was truly an emergent, mega church that was veering from God’s truth in so many ways.
I took my time as I thought about my future without a church home and all the friends I had made who still attended. I wanted to leave in a God-honoring way without anger or bitterness and with my friendships intact. I began to pray about how to leave gracefully. I felt that God was leading me on my journey, but it was my private journey. I felt I had no need to try to correct the leadership in Oklahoma or argue with my local pastors. I knew they thought they were right, so I left them for God to deal with them.
My plan became to, little by little, step down from each of the areas in which I was involved. I felt no need to try and pull others away from Life Church. As I stepped down, I just told the leadership that I felt God was leading me on a different journey. Honestly, I could say I didn’t know where this journey would lead me. But I knew I had to be faithful to follow God to where I don’t know.
In all this, I hold onto Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Marie
(photo from istockphoto.com; used with permission; design by LT)
Tania,
In many (most?) cases, it does seem the best thing to do as you suggested, but because each situation (and each person) is different, we don’t believe there is always a “right” or “wrong” way to leave a church. It’s usually a very tough time for a person or a couple to leave when they finally make that decision. And from all the stories we have heard over the years, there are a lot of different factors that play into the picture. In the best-case scenario, telling the church leadership and even some of the people attending does seem the most profitable thing to do. But for many different reasons, it is not always possible or feasible. And, of course, as a person or a couple prays for wisdom and guidance, we know the Bible says He will give the wisdom that we ask for, and He will guide us. We must allow the Lord to lead us and wholly trust in Him. But your exhortation is a needed one. It’s important that we not be led by fear of man or fear of disapproval. Thank you for the reminder.
I think it is great that Maria left that church, however, I think, as Christians who have been enlightened by the truth of God’s Word, they should tell the church leaders why they are leaving exposing the false teaching. Also, to tell other church attenders about the dangers of the teaching, as we are told to expose the evil and stand against it. Those people deserve to hear the truth whether they accept it or not.
Very interesting testimony Marie. The problem is that if anyone is involved in a church like that, they must trust the church. Therefore, they don’t read articles that are critical of that type of church. They are saturated in the false teaching and cannot get out. That’s what happened to me. When I read articles that spoke about ‘prosperity gospel,’ I thought, “That’s an exaggeration. All churches need money, otherwise they wouldn’t exist.” It was only by chance I got into a different church that I gradually realized how misleading the megachurches can be. There are millions in these churches. Maybe God knows who His children are and gradually leads them out. It is very concerning how dangerous false teaching is. Clever, cunning, carnal leaders keep people captive.
Thank you for your testimonies, everyone, and Marie for describing a gracious way to leave a church.
I searched for the protocol in Scripture, too, and it was a comfort to know “how” to leave.
I just wanted to share a link to a “church locator” through which I found a Bible teaching church very close to me, where I have been going for almost nine months, now:
https://rockharborchurch.net/grow-connect/church-locator/
Praise God for when He opens our eyes in discernment! His Word is the essential ingredient to a new beginning of truth. Within these dark days, I am completely grateful you can listen to Dr. John G. Mitchell who reached the world for Christ with only the Bible. No radio program comes close to the magnificent teaching of Dr. Mitchell. He taught in opposition to compromise, not being one with this sinful world. He was a man who was above reproach and evangelized around the world as well as being an instructor at a Bible College.
You can listen to Dr. Mitchell daily on this Internet network: http://kccsonline.net The program is entitled “The Unchanging Word.” You can listen to the program at 11:30 pm, PST (Pacific Standard Time) on weekdays; and 5:30 pm on weekends. You can adjust according to your time zone.
To listen to his programs at any time, please link here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unchanging-word0
A message by Dr. John G. Mitchell regarding pastors trafficking the souls of men: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_I4pqDJ9kE&feature=youtu.be
Thank you for that needed exhortation Phil.
Good to hear Marie that you had faith to step out. Far too many are still stuck inside Babylon, wanting to know where they are going to go next before doing so. This is unbelief and disobedience. “Come out from among them… and I will be to you a Father and you to Me sons and daughters” is the promise.
If God’s people would take the first step, He will direct us to new pastures of fellowship in due time
It’s sad to think how many times I have read stories like Marie’s on Lighthouse Trails, but at the same time it is an encouragement to me to know I’m not alone. Thank you all and especially Lighthouse Trails. I pray for strength for our Lord’s true church. Sandie
Well yes, a Mega church is an oxymoron because to be great in the eyes of men you must compromise which all mega churches do.
Jesus turned his 15k mega church feeding the 5k men and families into a mini church over nite after he preached about his body and his blood .
Mega churches are allowed by God for one basic reason . To test us if we know him and his voice !
As kindling is stored up in great barns for a great fire so are blind sheep sent to blind shepherds for the same thing!
And God will send them teachers to tickle their ears as a judgment against them ! 2 Tim
I have that app but I only use it to make images out of the verses and to read it.
However..I’m not sure about the updates they want to give the Bible versions and I don’t click on update. I don’t do anything else with the app, so it seems alright for what I use it for. Thanks for the warning though!
The Joakim mentioned is Joakim Lundqvist of Word of Life Church in Uppsala:
https://www.pastorjoakim.com
You have to dig a bit into the church’s website to find its history, and you’ll find it’s a Word of Faith church, founded by a husband and wife who ended up converting to Roman Catholicism:
https://www.livetsord.se/en/uppsala/about-word-of-life/history/
The first red flag is when they get you involved in leadership, I believe. We were at church every time it was open, basically. For ourselves, our children, youth, teens, children’s ministry, you name it. We have also travelled between Australia and New Zealand to live so it’s easy to say goodbye. It’s hard to leave the dear friends, and many of those dear friends will never talk to you again or reach out to you. Thankfully during covid, two of closestour friends from charismatic church days got in touch with us again and we have enjoyed fellowship with them. They are still charismatic, but sometimes I will say something when there’s a post on Facebook by one of them. I’ll just point them back to the word of God. The other one is not on Facebook. But yes, we have left many churches, including one Presbyterian church in New Zealand where the minister or went to Spokane on his sabbatical and came back born again, apparently. My take on that was that he should have resigned for lying in the first place! However when he said he was going to teach on healing until we all got it, I got it indeed. “Up to here” as they say in Australia which means your hand is somewhere above your head. As in we were drowning in it and I had had enough. My husband was an Elder and went one week after I refuse to go and then said that that was it, he’d had enough as well. Fortunately God had got us into an actual good Bible College and church next door, where we were accepted as members. First church I’ve been a member of ever. It’s funny, but there are times when you don’t want to be a member of a church and you don’t want your name on their book when it’s already in God’s Book of Life. I think that’s a good sign that something isn’t quite right. I hope your husband is standing there with you. And that you’re communication with him is going well. [LT note: Maria is now a widow.]
Good for you Marie and praise God that He blessed you with a double portion of wisdom and discernment to see the error then make the decision to walk away. It’s painful to leave behind friends but as you alluded to, you can’t unsee it.
I thank God for LHTR’s ministry as their information is invaluable. After learning about contemplative prayer and some authors of books being promoted, I saw a friend post online a book by one of these authors. I reached out to her to gently share what I had learned from Lighthouse Trails and attaching the website for her to do her own study. She quipped back, ‘ I love everything contemplative!’ Haven’t heard from her since and that was years ago. But the nugget was planted, and I pray someday that the Lord will lead her away instead of her choice to draw deeper into the movement.
God is really separating the wheat from the chaff in this season and many eyes are being opened, but the majority choose to put their heads in the sand. I thank God daily for giving me such discernment; it’s a gift because who am I? I am a child of God just like you, Marie. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide you daily.
God’s blessings my sister in Christ.
My wife and I have been to all the mega churches in town and have been deeply disappointed. Friends I work with, that go to those churches don’t understand why I have concerns . They say they are a verse by verse church, but they barely touch on a verse or two per chapter. The worship requires ear plugs at some. Things have been slowly changing in the overall church world; many of us are in search of a place God is central and the Word is searched deeply. It’s not about coffee and donuts! We need meat!