Faith Christian Church ministries draw college students from 6 schools
ECFA defends Faith Christian’s financial practices, but looks into complaints by former members.
The religious council of the University of Arizona unanimously voted to ban three clubs affiliated with Faith Christian, a ministry that some former members have described as a cult.
“The number, seriousness, and pattern of red flags raised compel URC members to no longer believe that Faith Christian Church and its affiliates operate at the highest level of integrity, transparency, safety for students, and respect for students, standards required for URC membership,” said the University Religious Council. “This has come to light via numerous letters and testimonies recently sent to URC members which have brought to a head historic and current concerns related to the campus activities of Faith Christian Church and its affiliates.”
Faith Christian’s 3 campus ministries—Wildcats for Christ, Native Nations in Christ, and Providence Clubs—are among the university’s approximately 15 evangelical clubs.
The Faith Christian clubs remain official clubs at the University of Arizona, but since they are no longer part of the URC, their revoked status will be listed inside an orientation directory for students, along with a list of warning signs for “religious practices gone awry,” URC treasurer Michelle Blumenberg told the Arizona Daily Star. She also told the newspaper that Faith Christian and its clubs will be the only groups on that list.
In a 5,000 word report from the Daily Star published in March, parents of attendees and former attendees of Faith Christian blame the church for creating distance between family members, having questionable financial practices, and encouraging infant spanking.
Based in Tucson, Faith Christian formerly belonged to the Florida-based umbrella group Maranatha Christian Ministries (MCM), the subject of a 1984 CT report investigating its controlling leadership practices. Maranatha’s “shepherding” strategy meant that young pastors—some in their early 20s—would receive a “word from the Lord” about the lives of their flock. Some dictated whether a member could go home for a weekend or switch jobs. Members weren’t allowed to date, and couldn’t marry without approval from the pastor. Former members reported fearing retribution from God if they left the group.
As of early April, Faith Christian was a member in good standing in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Dan Busby, ECFA president, defended the financial practices of Faith Christian to the Star.
“The questions you have raised, compared to what we know about the church, does not give rise to a sensational story about the church,” Busby wrote in an email to the Star. “It is so easy for disgruntled folks who used to relate to a particular church to cast aspersions and create negative perceptions about churches that are doing good work.”
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SOURCE: Christianity Today
Morgan Lee
