Dear Wounded Sheep,
I have kept my head down throughout this entire situation. I don’t like confrontation, but I will confront when necessary. It’s now necessary. We have been called liars, ungodly, sinful, and apostate. Meeting people at the grocery or in a restaurant can be very awkward. I wonder which friends will have nothing to do with me from now on. These are but a few reasons people are hesitant to come forward and talk about their experiences. We essentially draw a large target on our own backs for speaking the truth about what has happened. That is changing, however. People are writing out their experiences to post here, despite the great personal exposure and risk of losing relationships and reputation, in order for the truth to be heard. Please think about the personal cost. Why would anyone be willing to put themselves on the line, at such great a cost, for a lie? It is necessary for me now to address some things.
I have heard that people aren’t sure who wrote the report. Anna Kitko is the author of the Professional Analysis report. She earned a Master of Biblical Studies degree from Reformed Theological Seminary and a Master of Science degree in the Psychology of Coercive Control. She is a regional director and chapter director for the international Christian apologetics ministry Ratio Christi, and is their Cults and New Religions Specialist. She is also a clinician specializing in caring for people who have come out of spiritual abuse situations.
Mrs. Kitko did not write the following blog post, but I did ask her to clarify a few points for me as I was writing. She did not create the website or have any input into its content. She has not distributed the report, but left that fully to the discretion and legal right of the clients for whom it was written. She was not paid a single penny for her time and effort in writing the report. I’ll write more about her credentials, experience, theology, and work in a separate post on another day, so check back soon.
We are a sizeable group of former congregants who have come together with the combined goals of communicating the truth about issues we have encountered at GCC, having our voices be heard, helping others who are in similar situation, and offering hope, resources, and connection to those who may want them. Individually, our concerns may be easily brushed aside and overlooked. When each person’s experiences, like puzzle pieces, join with all the other puzzle pieces, we get a much clearer image of things than when we can only see our own little piece, or even our handful of puzzle pieces. We’re laying all the pieces out on the table, fitted together so we can all look at the big picture.
During our time at GCC, and particularly as many of us were leaving, we brought our concerns to the elders. The concerns were largely dismissed, explained away, brushed off, told they would be dealt with but nothing happened, and often we were shamed, criticized, dismissed, occasionally lied to, and sometimes simply walked away from. We will make some of those personal accounts available here in the future.
Please consider 1 Timothy 5:19-20. “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”
The leaders at GCC recently wrote an email in response to the report. They completely ignored most of the specifics in the report. They utterly disregarded the statements about so many former congregants being harmed and wounded by leadership at GCC. Some of what they said was deceptive or simply false. I do not intend to continue responding point-by-point to what they say after this. The purpose of this website is for the healing of those who have experienced similar things at GCC, but truth must be understood for this to happen. Therefore, I do want to make a few things clearer for everyone by offering this perspective and context.
“Dear Faithful Congregation,
On Tuesday of last week a report was published on a newly established website (gracemaryvillewarning.info/academic-report) purporting to expose Grace Community Church as a cult led by a narcissistic tyrant, Chris Riser. We believe it is important not to give this report more credibility than it deserves due to its vitriolic language, factual errors, and situational distortions. However, due to the public nature of the report, its slander of our own leadership and congregation, and its rapid-fire dissemination on social media, we believe it is prudent to provide a measured response as a backdrop against which to regard the information presented on the website.”
If they are going to accuse us of defamation, it’s not slander; it’s libel. Slander is spoken; libel is printed. Either way, by legal definition, defamation is sharing information that is known to be false. This is true information, given by multiple witnesses and corroborated, and much of it is documented. The vast majority of events mentioned were brought to or discussed with an elder at the time of the event or before the congregant left the church. Therefore, this report does not meet the qualifications of defamation.
Rapid-fire dissemination on social media? Word certainly spread like wildfire, faster than we ever imagined. On our end, it was just a website and three people who were initially brave enough to post it on Facebook so that our side of the story could be heard. More people followed suit.
“First, we should pray for the Lord to be honored and glorified in this entire situation for the ultimate good of His people, the growth of His church, and the exaltation of Christ.”
Yes, we all should pray for the Lord to be glorified in truth, in love, and in righteousness.
“Next, it is important for us to respond well as a congregation. Personally, we must be careful to guard our own hearts against anxiety, anger, or inappropriate judgment. Several verses are appropriate:
Php 4:6–7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Jas 1:19–20 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Jn 7:24 ‘Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.’”
The author of this email suggests that the congregation might have reason to be anxious, angry, and judgmental, yet there has been no attack on the congregation whatsoever. The congregation was never threatened, involved, or implicated at all; that is Anna Kitko’s strict personal and professional policy. Telling people to see things that are not there is the definition of gaslighting. It creates fear, uncertainty, and a feeling that one must defend against a non-existent threat. In this context, it cultivates an us-versus-them mindset.
“Third, as with any criticism, we should examine our own hearts and lives to acknowledge our own failures and to learn all that the Lord would teach us. In every situation, we are to seek to be more conformed to the image of Christ.”
Yes, we agree. Elders, please examine your hearts. We have been forced to examine our hearts and our lives before God throughout the entire process of deciding to leave, and through our journey of healing.
“As regards any kind of direct response on social media we would offer the following cautions:
The words used must always conform to the Biblical standards of truth, discernment, wisdom, love, kindness, compassion, gentleness, patience, and humility (Eph. 4:15, Col 3:12-16). Any form of expressed anger or personal attack is inappropriate and unproductive.
It is generally unwise to pursue public debate on any social media forum. Tone, intent, and even content are not well expressed in this format.”
I agree with these points. Despite this caution from the leadership, people who posted about their experience have received angry, vitriolic, personal attacks and have been cut off from long-time friendships. Truly, these attacks are neither appropriate nor productive. In making our experiences public, we have put a great deal of consideration into ensuring that we address these serious concerns in a way that conforms to Biblical standards of truth, discernment, wisdom, love, kindness, compassion, gentleness, patience, and humility. Read again the actual statements people have made. They are not expressing anger and bitterness. They are expressing Christian concern and compassion for the health of the Body of Christ.
Does “It’s unwise to pursue public debate” actually mean “don’t talk about it”? While the words themselves are indeed true, the way they are being used here seems to suggest that the elders do not to want people discussing these concerns. That is the modus operandi of the GCC leadership, and is characteristic of High-Control Groups. If congregants talk about the concerns they have, then they would quickly realize they are not alone. Talking productively about one’s own true experience is not gossip, and it helps to put together pieces of the puzzle.
“Finally, as you read the report or hear others talk about the report, please keep the following points in mind. It is important to understand that this is not an attempt to respond to every accusation made in the report as this would go far beyond the limits of an email. We are fallible men who readily acknowledge our potential for weakness and failure in shepherding the church. However, the fact that a particular accusation is not addressed does not in any way indicate our agreement with the accusation.”
So, they aren’t going to address everything, and we shouldn’t mistake that for agreeing that it’s true. Okay, that’s fair, but please don’t mistake it for being false, either. They did not respond with specificity to many of the accusations at all, really.
“The author of the report did not meet with, or make any formal attempt to meet with, Chris, or any current elder or deacon of the church, in order to verify the information stated in the report. This violates multiple principles of Scripture as well as all viable research protocols. Perhaps most telling is Proverbs 18:17, The first to plead his case seems right, Until [sic] another comes and examines him.”
The author, Anna Kitko, introduced herself to Chris Riser at Vienna Coffee House. Yes, that was an informal but notable meeting, during which she said that he would be hearing from her. She later attended a service and stood conspicuously at the back of the sanctuary throughout the entire service. She attempted to meet with Riser after the service, but he made a hasty exit and was nowhere to be found. She spoke at some length with two people at the Welcome Table about wanting to meet with the pastor. They said it would be difficult because he was going to be traveling. After allowing sufficient weeks for him to return from the trip, Anna tried to call the church office on two different days, but there was no answer and no way to leave a message. After the three attempts, she stopped trying to make contact. (She did, however, think the bookstore area was full of excellent resources.)
Mrs. Kitko wasn’t pleading a case or researching a project. She was explicitly offering her analysis of the plight of those under her care. She is not a member or attendee of the church, and she has no personal grievance with Chris Riser or any of the GCC leadership. The cover page of the report clearly states that the report was written for her clients to help them understand what had happened to them during their time at GCC and to offer suggestions for care to mental health professionals and future ministers. It was not written to the elders. It was not written to the church. The report is a clinical analysis of the therapy sessions and the testimonies and reports of around ten counseling clients, verified by interviews with current and former congregants, and reading through the materials posted on the GCC website and in the bookstore area. She has absolutely no obligation, Biblically, personally, or professionally, to speak to anyone in the GCC leadership in order to make a professional analysis about her clients’ care.
As for violating “all viable research protocols,” the accusation does not even make sense. Viable research protocols? What does that have to do with anything?
The verse quoted from Proverbs 18 is certainly relevant, though not in the way that the elders imply. Their side of the story is the only side that remaining members at GCC have heard until now, so yes, Proverbs 18:17 does apply. “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.” After we left, some of us were lied about, people were told we were sinful, and that we were probably not actually believers. It is our turn to be heard so that the truth may be known.
“The charges of cultic characteristics and behavior are manufactured by the author through a combination of pseudo-technical jargon, ad-hominem attack, hyperbolic language, unresearched allegations, one-sided accusations, innuendo, and guilty-by-association tactics. This kitchen sink approach never rises to the level of a truly reasoned discussion with verifiable evidence. This is not a minor issue. There certainly are churches that harm and bully their members. However, GCC is not one of them. It is slanderous, highly irresponsible, and intellectually dishonest to label GCC in this way.”
The cultic characteristics and behaviors described are standard, accepted, scientific terms in the study of high-control groups and coercive control. The resources listed on this website contain further information on these terms and the behaviors associated with them. There is an entire field of study on coercive control, which includes some Christian Integrationists who aid individuals caught in High Control Groups to get out and get care.
Without the elders giving specific examples of what they consider to be ad-hominem attacks against them, I cannot address those concerns. However, when an issue being discussed is not an abstract principle but a person, then addressing those issues does not qualify as ad-hominem. Are the elders conflating strong statements with hyperbole? Where was there innuendo? The innuendo was more likely in their perception than in the actual words of the document. It would be interesting to know what they interpreted that way.
Regarding unresearched and one-sided accusations, please refer to the above paragraph. Guilty by association with whom? Since they made these claims against the legitimacy of the report, it would be helpful to have an example or an explanation of the issues they raised. If anyone would enjoy a high-level, “truly reasoned discussion with verifiable evidence,” Anna Kitko would be thrilled for the elders, or anyone else, to reach out to her. Her professional information is available in the reference section of this website, and contact information will be included at the end of this post for convenience. Mrs. Kitko is willing to stand up to scrutiny, as stated in the Author’s Note at the beginning of her report.
Clearly, multiple witnesses believe that the leaders at GCC have harmed and bullied some members. The report made that point quite eloquently. Most of these issues have been brought to various elders in the past. Again, it would be libel if it were untrue, not slander. But it is true, so it’s neither.
“Elder rule church polity is simply drawn from the pages of Scripture. The author’s claim that it is inherently cultic is flatly false and contains no significant interaction with the Bible itself. There are numerous churches today (and throughout church history) who have operated under this form of church government. Every form of church polity is open to abuse, and has been abused in the course of history, due to the noetic effects of sin.”
Church positions and qualifications regarding pastor/teachers, elders, and deacons are drawn from scripture, but have also been fleshed out in the tradition of the church for centuries as polity that offers the safeguards of accountability. Mrs. Kitko does not claim that the leadership structure at GCC is inherently cultic; she states that it is used by cults ad nauseum because there is no accountability, and it frees the leader to do whatever he wishes under the false perception of accountability. To whom is the leadership of Grace Community Maryville accountable? Is there any attempt at objective, impartial oversight? In a New Members class (I attended two entire series with various members of my family), Chris said the affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention was basically a technicality because they needed the credibility of a denomination. Once the church was well-established, it left the SBC. Who actually holds the leaders accountable? How many decisions have been made that might not have happened that way if the leadership had proper safeguards and accountability? Is there anyone people could go to for help if their concerns are continually disregarded? Yes, every form of church polity is open to abuse. Therefore, having no structural safeguards against the noetic effects of sin is especially dangerous.
“The report is full of factual errors concerning the nature of elder qualifications and training of the men on the current elder board. No elder has only gone through “Riser” training schools. Paul and Andy have never attended SI, XL or any GCC based training. Andy has two years of previous seminary education. Paul was a teaching pastor at another church for many years, Ron has his M.Div from Reformed Baptist Seminary (and is a certified ACBC counselor), Jay was an elder at a previous church, and Justin was initially trained and discipled at GIBC in Jupiter, Florida. This is not to say that training and raising up leadership in our own church is in any way inappropriate, such training is in fact, the mandate of Scripture. 2 Ti 2:2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
Mrs. Kitko never claimed that elders “only” go through Riser training schools. She said that every appointed elder is required to go through Riser’s specific training programs. Andy was an elder prior to Chris Riser being hired as pastor. My understanding from discussions with congregants who were at GCC at the time is that Paul returned soon after Chris arrived and was rather immediately appointed as an elder. Therefore, both Paul and Andy were grandfathered in before the “Riser training schools” were established as requirements. Since then, prospective elders have been required to complete the training program before being appointed to a leadership position. Training and education are not wrong and are usually beneficial, but Scripture does not require men to attend the Shepherd’s Institute or XL Ministries in order to be elders. Furthermore, this extra-biblical requirement is not made known publicly before people might attend or join the church. There are also biblically-qualified men currently attending, with seminary degrees, wisdom, and experience, who are not “invited” to be elders. Are they not qualified? The current elders’ pedigrees are respectable but extraneous to the point made.
The use of 2 Timothy 2:2 as a proof text for the current policy by calling their training a fulfillment of a “mandate of Scripture” is inappropriate, and subtly distorts the context of the passage to imply an extra-biblical meaning. The Apostle Paul is writing to Timothy in this verse, setting out a mandate for his student to pass on the truth of the Gospel as preached to the public and to the church. It is about the truth of Scripture, received from God Himself. The individual called to “entrust these [things] to faithful men” is Timothy, a student of an apostle. It is not a call for any individual elder to take control of the education of his peers, as appears to be happening in practice with SI. Comparing what is described in that verse to a supposed mandate for Chris Riser to ensure that his personal wisdom is received by all candidates for eldership at GCC, that is absurd. This egregious mishandling of the Scriptures calls to mind two other verses I believe to be relevant. 2 Timothy 2:15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth,” and James 3:1, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgement.” I encourage you to look at the context of these verses to ensure that they are, indeed, applicable here.
Again, training and education of elders is not wrong, and is beneficial in many cases. The issue here is where the supposed mandate for requiring this training is adding to and distorting Scripture, as is demonstrated in misusing the proof-text above. We do not expect to convince people who are already of a mind that the GCC elder structure is completely legitimate and appropriate, but for those who have already personally seen the misfunction of this structure, we endeavor to explain why this is happening.
“The charge that the gospel is not preached at GCC is directly refuted by the multiple baptisms held each year with those who proclaim that they put faith and trust in Christ as a result of having heard the gospel from the pulpit, in children’s and youth ministry, at a youth camp or event, in adult Sunday Schools, and in a host of other areas. These are matters of record. The gospel is clearly stated on the website (just click on the word “Gospel”) along with a sermon clearly preaching the gospel from Ephesians 2:8-10.”
Was the GCC website changed after the report was published to add a rather complex rendition of the gospel? When Anna told me about the Gospel not being there, I went to check. I could not find it. At least three other people looked for it. No one found any explanation of the gospel. Perhaps there was a website glitch. See the appendices of the Report for the confused statement on the Gospel that was on the website when the report was being written. Be sure to look up those Bible verses that talk about preaching rather than presenting what the gospel actually is. To be fair, though, I did go to the Wayback Machine, and the same thorough outline of the gospel that showed up after the report was published has been there at other times historically, so it is possible that I and others simply couldn’t find it due to technical issues.
Anna did not state that the gospel was never taught. She stated that the gospel was never presented in the many services viewed online or attended, nor in the resources made available to the public by the church. She did not investigate Kingdom Kids; I do believe the gospel is presented there much more often than to the adults or youth. Personally, I cannot remember a time that I heard the gospel presented in nearly six years of being involved in the youth, but my experience is not definitive. I would encourage members to listen for the gospel to be preached in the future to both adults and youth.
“The report is full of factual errors concerning the training of counselors and the conduct of counselors at GCC. Currently, the church has 14 certified ACBC counselors and is a certified ACBC training center.”
What exactly did the report say about the training of counselors? What are all of those factual errors? Why did the elders depart from ACBC’s definition of abuse by altering it to suit their own views? Is ACBC aware that GCC, as a “certified ACBC training center,” is publishing policy not in accordance with the ACBC standards and guidelines? This was stated in the endnotes in the GCC Statement on Physical and Emotional Abuse posted to the GCC website.
“The counselors and leadership of GCC are in full agreement and compliance with the reporting regulations for abuse, including marital rape, as they apply to a religious organization and comport with Tennessee State law. The idea that our statement on abuse fosters a culture of sexual abuse is slanderously inappropriate. The opposite is the case. We published the statement on our website to be clear that any harm to a spouse (whether physical or emotional) is taken seriously and we work hard to deal with it in the most appropriate, biblical, and thorough way possible.”
Perhaps people have different personal ideas of what constitutes abuse. When believers and unbelievers alike read the quotes from the published GCC Elders’ Statement on Physical and Emotional Abuse in Marriage document which say, “To engage in rough sexual behavior that is not desired or to use greater strength to continue in sexual behavior that is not desired,” and, “To refuse to stop a sexual encounter if lack of desire is communicated (sexual coercion),” every single person has said without prompting, “That’s rape!” The document says that these behaviors “may be considered abusive” as long as it happens only occasionally. How often is it okay to rape your wife, then, before the elders deem it abuse? How severe does the violence against your wife have to be before it is reported and she is helped? I am grateful that later on, the document says that “to force sexual behavior when it is being actively resisted” is a Level 3 offense, and is classified as dangerous, and would initiate church discipline and the authorities would be immediately contacted. But what actually constitutes the difference among these three forms of rape? The law considers all of these behaviors to be Class A Felonies of Sexual Assault, Rape, or Aggravated Rape. It is illegal. Marital rape is illegal. Raping someone, including your wife, will get you arrested. Would it be okay if someone raped your sister or your daughter once, or maybe a few times, as long as it was considered to be just “occasionally?” Why do the elders state that it acceptable to rape your wife? Does that represent Jesus well? Are they saying that the wife should be expected or encouraged to subject herself to that sort of treatment because Jesus expects her to? May it never be.
One male former congregant said, upon reading the Statement of Abuse, that if someone perpetrated most any of the listed behaviors against a co-worker, a neighbor, or a stranger, he would be arrested. Why, then, is it tolerated with “a warning and possible counseling” to slap, violently shake, or shove your wife to the ground, or to “engage in rough sexual behavior that is not desired, or to use greater strength to continue in sexual behavior that is not desired,” as long as it doesn’t happen too often? We most assuredly have a blog post coming which will go further into depth discussing the culture of abuse that seems to be tolerated at GCC.
“The author’s contention that we have mishandled finances or acted out of accordance with our constitution and by-laws in monetary matters is demonstrably false. We strive, at all times, to promote transparency, accountability, and wise financial practices.”
If the allegations of mishandled finances are “demonstrably false” then can it be demonstrated to those currently in the congregation? If a member goes to the elders and asks to see the financial records, will the elders provide them? Will they provide all of the records with full transparency? That is what would be required to make good on the statement that the allegations are “demonstrably false.” Personal experiences of multiple concerns by multiple people indicate that finances were mishandled. Several questions and concerns were brought to the elders. Some incidents affected the congregation as a whole, such as redirecting designated funds, and the manner in which the buses were purchased as was discussed in the report. Other incidents were private in nature, and this is not the forum for that information to be shared.
“The report is full of factual errors concerning the nature of events purported to take place on youth events and activities. There are eyewitness accounts and testimonies of multiple leaders and parents of teens readily available to directly contradict or provide a truthful explanation for every one of the accusations made. The majority of the leadership in the youth ministry is, and always has been, made up of the parents of youth.”
Again, what are all the “factual errors?” Most of the clients who talked with Mrs. Kitko have been to summer camp and other youth events at least once, and in several cases, multiple times. Eyewitness accounts and testimonies of multiple leaders, parents of teens, and the teens themselves, attest to the youth events mentioned in the report plus many more. The witnesses were there in attendance. Many parents don’t know a lot of the things that happened at youth summer camp and at other events. Many of those events were great fun. Aspects of them were fantastic. But there are lots things that happened that many parents would find horrifying or terrifying, mixed right in with the great fun.
The brain-eating amoeba thing was real, although most of the students and parents were unaware of the situation at the time. Chris Riser was contacted by a parent and told of the danger of the contaminated water and the news reports about it well before they arrived at the Whitewater Rafting Center. The parent’s cautions and urging not to allow the kids into the water were brushed off. When parents who were there asked other leaders about the situation, they were told not to worry about it. Another parent/leader approached Chris with information about the contamination, and he was curtly dismissed. The media were reporting from the facility when the GCC youth arrived. When an 18-year-old girl died from the amoebic infection a few days prior, she had gone underwater only one time. The fatality rate of infection is 100%. That information was given to the leadership. The Health Department shut down the rafting center within 24-48 hours of our visit. Neither the students nor their parents were told until later. There was no consent. My children were told about the risk by their father, and we were able to tell them not to go into the water. Not all parents had that choice.
Some of the GCC young people say that the way the report described different events was not the way it happened. I understand that. They were kids, they were busy having fun, and they were often exhausted. Remember, kids generally aren’t aware of everything that goes on among the adults and behind the scenes. From their perspective, the youth events were awesome. From an informed adult’s perspective, caution and safety were frequently disregarded. We will have more to say on this another time.
“The standard for being a “Founders church” is that we are in agreement with The Abstract of Principles which is drawn from the 1689 London Baptist Confession. Our statement of faith is, and always has been, word for word, the Abstract of Principles. Our pre-millennial distinctive in no way contradicts the eschatological statements of the 1689 London confession. As the author pointed out, our pre-millennial stance does disagree with aspects of the Westminster Confession of Faith, which is only to be expected because we are not a Presbyterian church. We reached out to Founders and discovered that they had dropped our church's name from their list when they reorganized their website. They reviewed our doctrinal statement and distinctives and have given us permission to keep the “founders” label on our website as we fill out the form required to be placed back on the official list of Founders churches.
The author's strident attack against dispensationalism and pre-millennialism reflects a significant lack of understanding or awareness of the full range of Biblical thought on these issues. The elders hold carefully informed positions within our doctrinal statement and distinctives which range from a more classically dispensational perspective, through progressive dispensationalism, all the way to historic premillennial positions.”
The posted GCC Statement of Faith does quote the Abstract of Principles, but Tom Ascol, the President of Founders Ministries, in a phone conversation with Mrs. Kitko, verified that a church which teaches Dispensational Theology, regardless of how “carefully informed” their dispensational positions are, is incompatible with the Second London Baptist Confession (1689) and the Westminster Confession of Faith. Again, Mr. Ascol would direct you to Chapters 7 and 19, and the beginning of Chapter 26 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession, as indicated in the report, to show that what is taught at GCC doesn’t actually line up with the 1689 Confession that the Abstract of Principles is drawn from, which they say qualifies them.
The elders’ mention of “pre-millennialism” in their response either reflects confusion about the theological issues at hand, or is an overt red-herring to avoid the true concerns presented in the report. Mrs. Kitko never even mentioned pre-millennialism. GCC’s pre-millennial stance isn’t the actual issue; Dispensationalism being incompatible with Founders’ Reformed/Covenantal doctrine is. Pre-millennialism can be an aspect of reformed theology, covenant theology, or dispensationalist theology. If anyone would like to discuss the doctrinal differences between what is taught and what the Founder’s Ministries embraces, Anna Kitko would welcome you to reach out to her. She has also presented a thorough lecture on Dispensationalism, which can be found on her YouTube channel. You may also find it here: Ratio Christi Community Night: Dispensationalism.
What an organization puts on their website does not always match what actually happens within the organization. That is likely why Founders Ministries adds a disclaimer at the bottom of the page which reminds the reader that they are not able to evaluate and endorse each church individually. Why would “Founders Church” be written in quotation marks on the GCC website? Either you are, or you are not. The question remains, why claim to be a “Founders Church” while regularly teaching doctrine that is fundamentally incompatible with Founders’ Ministries?
“The information that is said by the author to be withheld from the congregation by the leadership of GCC is readily available on our website and open to all GCC members and the general public.”
Anna Kitko stated in her report that the full Elder Requirements, teaching of dispensational theology, and perhaps other information that I’m not remembering right now, are not available on the website. After exploring the GCC website again, I did find statements about Israel in the “Pre-Millennial” page which show the integration of dispensationalist views, disqualifying GCC from being a Founders Church. I could not find any further applicable information that they might be referring to as being “readily available.” This blanket statement does not actually address anything; it simply says “you are wrong” as if expecting that should be enough. If there is relevant information available, more precise direction of what it is and where to find it would be helpful.
“If you have any further questions concerning the report please contact any elder or leader at GCC and we will be happy to discuss them with you. May we continue to be guided by the principles of Philippians 4:8,
Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
With Much Care,
The Elders of Grace Community Church”
To the elders: Much care? What about care for over 200 wounded sheep who left your flock? Not a word about them? No? I didn’t expect so.
Sincerely,
Pam Krahwinkel,
with contributions from Lauren Krahwinkel
For questions or high-level doctrinal debate, please contact Anna Kitko.
Ratio Christi Cults & New Religions Specialist, Regional Director (TN & SC), Chapter Director (University of Tennessee)
904-347-8036