Giant Church Incorporated
Giant Church Incorporated is a toxic, destructive system that glorifies power and image. It's not about the size of the church, or necessarily a church at all. It's the way a church, college, Christian organization, or political system operates. The institution is valued over the people in it. I was part of Giant Church Inc and want to tell my story.
Why tell the story? If Giant Church Inc is making a positive difference in their city, if hundreds are baptized each year, if the seats are filled and the people are singing worship songs and listening to teaching they understand, then why does it matter?
Because thousands of people attend Giant Church Inc. The way they think about God, Jesus, others, the Bible, and their worldview is shaped by it. If Giant Church is not telling the truth about who God is, who Jesus is……if they aren’t preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then thousands of people live from lies instead of the truth.
Why I Left Giant Church Incorporated
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Since returning from a men’s breakfast at the church, Johnny paced from the living room out to the porch. Back and forth. Over and over again. I ignored it for as long as I could and finally pressed him to tell me. “Come here,” he said and motioned for me to…
Let’s Make A Deal at Giant Church Inc
In my last post, I wrote about the light bulb conversation Johnny and I had on the porch that ultimately led to us leaving Giant Church Incorporated. Johnny and I saw problems before the day of the men’s breakfast, but rarely talked about it. When we did, I redirected our conversation away from anything negative,…
The Great Escape From Giant Church Inc
I ended my last post with more red flags. Even after I resigned my position with the church. Even after God allowed me to love my pastors more than before. Before I knew what I knew. The red flags did not go away. I pushed them aside and focused on the good the church did…
Welcome to the Giant Church Inc Family
One of the most difficult parts of our whole Giant Church Inc experience is dealing with the questions I still ask myself. How in the world did this happen? Why did I not see sooner? Why didn’t I trust my gut? And the hardest question of all: when I did see, why was I unwilling…
Until We Didn’t at Giant Church Inc
My friend was sitting in the corner chair when I walked into Panera Bread. She texted me days before to ask if we could meet soon. She had something to tell me and it couldn’t wait until our next workout with the group. She stood when she saw me walking towards her. We hugged each…
Giant Church Inc and Its Love of Power
I expressed my love for God’s people in the first post of this series: I love the church. I love God and I love His people. My point in telling our story is not to cause division or call out any one church or organization, though it may do that. I think what’s happening at…
The Lingo of Giant Church Inc
I was excited to be part of the L.I.F.E Conference as an anointer for the first time in the spring of 2014. The previous year, my husband and I attended the conference after we went through the twelve-week curriculum with our small group. As an anointer, I would get to pray with the newest group…
Church, We Have a Problem
I’m excited to be part of the launch team for Chuck DeGroat’s newest book coming in March, When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community from Emotional and Spiritual Abuse. The connection between what I’m writing about in my Giant Church Inc series and the topic Chuck addresses in his book should come as no…
Do We Love God, Giant Church Inc?
My Giant Church Inc series continues, but with a different take this week. This series has hit a nerve, and I’ve been heartbroken all over again reading others’ stories of spiritual abuse. Those who’ve shared their stories have received support and encouraging comments. Very few negative comments have been made, and I believe they come…
Giant Church Inc: Dazed and Confused
Several strangers came over to our table to eat breakfast with us. They weren’t strangers to my brother-in-law. He knew them from the previous year’s conference, and by the end of our breakfast, they were no longer strangers to me and my sister either. These new friends were an editor, one of the conference keynote…
