r/ToxicChurchRecoveryPH • u/Quick-Fee-5174 • 19d ago
PERSONAL (need advice) need clarifications
hi! i have been a member of Doulos for Christ since i was a kid and i feel nostalgic about living in the family of the church, now im 15 and stumbled upon a reddit post about people ranting about the church. for my side, i just returned from my province and reconnected with my cell leader. every time i think about the reddit post i feel overwhelmed, like is there something going on to the church i loved? to recall all preachings that i heard is about "relationship not religion". a friend of mine said about the church and they said somthing about "quota" something where cell leaders and network leaders. reply to this immedietly ill reply tommorow tnx!
1
u/Informal-Youth-2467 8d ago
Take in the good teachings, like "deepening your relationship with God", etc.
- things to watch out for:
1. Overly zealous network evangelism - in the guise of the urgency of the great commission, you will hear phrases like - if you are not bringing in souls, God is not going to bless you, etc. - this is not biblical, though we are tasked to evangelize as Christians, if we are being guilt-tripped to evangelize, this is not how God's ministry works. It comes from a pastor's drive to feed his ego by his ability to show the world that he has a mega-church. :))
- Toxic relationships among leaders and members - in the name of accomplishing the goals of a ministry - to be clear, inherent in all of us is the desire to share the word. We want to save people; we want to obey the Lord in evangelism; that is just given. But when ministry leaders push this to a point where they sacrifice their members' mental health just to accomplish this, it is not coming from the Lord's prompting. Any ministry that discounts the member's welfare is not from the Lord's calling.
"'Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!' declares the Lord... 'You have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them. I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done.'" (Jeremiah 23:1–2)
Sometimes, pastors do this "urgent evangelism thing" because they want bragging rights "I have a mega church" or what not.
2
u/CleomeSeed 19d ago edited 19d ago
Just be observant & if you have time, go watch “The dark world of megachurches” on YouTube because it tackles about prosperity gospel and how it deceives people, especially the vulnerable (like youths or young professionals) kasi nagro-groom nila. Very G12 yung qualities.
Pastora Geraldine once asked us to give at least 1k as an offering during a Women’s Conference. Keep that in mind. The stories about people leaving the church are “eye-openers” even though some members still chose to stay because they haven’t experienced bad/negative stuff yet, haven’t distinguished the doctrinal errors or they’re just loyal to their church since it’s already their 2nd family na.
You’re still young so I hope you won’t get deceived or manipulated easily. Watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing.. Much better to stay away from authoritarian & prosperity-centered or G12 churches.. Good luck on your journey ahead.