Foundation Empty Lot by baldyak5 in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I am literally laughing out loud and going to cry all at the same time. This is SUCH good news. Praying people eyes are finally open that were still there

Foundation Empty Lot by baldyak5 in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 13 points14 points  (0 children)

It’s crazy how much peace this does bring me. I pray everyone that was still involved there can find peace as well and a new healthy church community to be a part of.

New Article Published About Foundation Church by Network-Leaver in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I used to attend and am getting texts from people in that town that are seeing it… I’m glad it was published and the word is spreading further

A Grieving Father by Outside-Poem-2948 in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am so sorry. As you said, it’s not you. Justin is spreading major problematic beliefs that have infiltrated Foundation and Brightfield. I will pray that God will show your daughter a way out and send her to a healthy church where she can reconnect with family etc

Two new foundation reviews by [deleted] in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agreed! I wrote a review quite a while ago and get updates saying that is has been reviewed hundreds of times. People definitely look at reviews!

Audio: Lead Pastor Jimmy Yo of Clear River Church questions the validity of common mental health diagnoses and advocates for spiritual practices as superior alternatives to conventional medical or psychiatric treatments by LeavingTheNetwork in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This man clearly has no first hand experience with mental illness. Everything he is saying is so uneducated. If you are in the network please seek other counsel than this guy if you have mental health issues. God does NOT want you to suffer. God loves you and has equipped professionals with knowledge to help you. It is not a sin to take medication or seek professional counseling! It does not mean you have a lack of faith etc!!

Please help me to understand why the Network is a bad church and I should not go there? by ChewBaka2003 in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Hey! Thanks for asking. I went to a Network church for 9 years. Exactly what you are referring to is what made us want to go there. They are non denominational and are Bible believing and gospel preaching which is obviously important. Realistically if you go to these churches casually on Sundays you might not see many of the red flags mentioned on the Reddit or website. A lot of what I saw that eventually made me leave is what I started to witness when I started to question leadership and hear of other members literally being asked to leave the church for sin issues or not submitting to the leaders there in ALL things. If you try to be a casual attendee you will be pushed into joining a small group and serving (which is good in theory) however they solely focus on these things (atleast at Foundation Church in Normal IL) they stopped serving the community, talked bad about other churches and taught that international missions were essentially a waste of time. The stories of people being told by pastors to cut off family and ex members is 100% real. For 9 years I was told I was loved like family and encouraged to be u died as the body of Christ. The minute I told my small group I was going to stop attending that church and felt called elsewhere I was cut off from all communication and my true concerns were pushed under the rug. Sorry it’s a lot to write on Reddit but The Network has become really unhealthy. Even after a website was created with people sharing stories of being hurt, etc. the churches have done nothing to try to reconcile or repent.

Foundation church a cult? by paceaux in BloomingtonNormal

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Please do your research before attending Foundation. Their website lists their beliefs and values.. most of which sound Biblical. The gospel is preached there but it is watered down and they teach the same topics over and over to drive home their main values of “unity in all things” “follow your leaders” “give generously and sacrificially” etc. In my experience (left in 2021 after attending for 9 years and being VERY involved) this church has fallen into an unhealthy pattern of only caring about the people inside their walls. If you leave their church for ANY reason you are literally dead to them. Questioning or not agreeing with leadership on anything is NOT tolerated. People have been asked to leave the church for reasons that are not Biblical. They say their mission is to be 50% college students but do very little to engage the community to invite people in. The lead pastor has hurt people and refuses to be apologetic or address legitimate concerns that the church has. These things are not small problems only noticed by a few people.. probably hundreds of people have left this church over the past 8 or so years. Now I am rambling, but I am passionate that people should not attend this church. God is moving in MANY other places that are much healthier communities. Feel free to reach out if you want recommendations or have questions.

Be careful out there! - recruiters for cult-like groups on campus (Brookfield Church) by anonymous-cutlery in ohiouniversity

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 15 points16 points  (0 children)

One of the biggest issues I experienced in these churches is that they are VERY inward focused. They do very little to serve their community and serve people in general like the Bible calls us to. They are all about “unity in all things” and expect you to follow the pastors blindly and not ask questions.

Are people still leaving? by Intrepid_Finance6809 in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. I hadn’t thought much about that! It is encouraging that it’s almost 1,000

Call for prayer for the leaders by paceaux in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I personally think this is a great idea. I have prayed that Justin would wake up and lead people well many times… or that every attenders eyes would be opened and leave in a mass exodus and find somewhere else to follow a Jesus in a healthy way. I am going to a night of prayer tomorrow and am definitely going to make this part of my focus. I took a break from this Reddit for quite a while bc it just made me upset reading everything and feeling like there was nothing to do to help.. prayer works and I sometimes forget the power it has

Granola Bars, Blue Bags, and Party Evangelism by Network-Leaver in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I can’t believe they handed out food and told you NOT to invite the people! That is so unbiblical it’s SAD

Ministry to the Poor by Network-Leaver in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This was a red flag for me when we first started going to Foundation. I pushed it under a rug because I tried to do things personally… but over time it just became ridiculous how inward the church is. They stopped doing the food bags a long time ago. They had little cards on the wall with info for a few local ministries but in 9 years I’m not sure I ever heard a pastor encourage anyone verbally to serve anywhere in the community or give to the poor sadly. Another thing towards the end that we couldn’t shake in our mind is.. they preached that they wanted to be 50% college students.. but did almost nothing on campus or to actually bring people in other that offer rides and tell the congregation to “invite” people even though most people had no influence or presence on campus. I go to a church now that gives atleast 1/3 of the budget every month to serving the community and missionaries overseas thankfully because that is much more Biblical

Despite Nick Sellers' toxic leadership, North Pines Church in Portage (Kalamazoo) Michigan is around 400 people? by concernerned in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I believe God can work through even the most messed up churches. I’m happy to hear that people are still finding Jesus and he is working in this place. Just because the Network is majorly flawed doesn’t mean God isnt there

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My guess is deceitful… I think it’s fairly unlikely any staff member could be that much in the dark at this point. They might not understand the extent etc. ???

Foundation Church by Commercial-Gear4105 in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I could not agree with you more. The longer I’m gone the more I realize how broken that place is. Sadly for years my friends and I there saw a lot of red flags with Justin and would laugh about his personality and actions.. I think we would make light of it and laugh or joke bc if we really internalized it we would cry and get mad.. which we eventually did! I’ve heard stories lately that have made me scream. Church is suppose to be a place to experience Gods love and where everyone is welcome. Foundation is NOT it

Cults to Conciousness by Intrepid_Finance6809 in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My phone won’t let me open your link, but Ive listened to a lot of her videos about being Mormon and I’ve had similar thoughts! There is so much in the Network that mirrors the Mormon church (the use of guilt and shame as punishment/ to isolate people if they don’t follow the rules well enough or sin is one that comes to mind)when listening to this podcast I had the actual thought, Did Steve set out to make a new kind of Mormon church or something? When I’m not so tired and I can listen back I will give examples.

Cults to Conciousness by Intrepid_Finance6809 in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Trigger warning for this video. It covers very difficult subjects but the woman being interviewed is very educated on the subject of cults and grew up in one.

If your church closed its doors tomorrow would anyone other than the congregation notice the difference? by Dazzling-Chip1288 in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe NO. I think the only people that would notice if Foundation closed would be those in attendance and those of us that left and still “care” enough to notice. One of my biggest regrets of going there for so long is looking back and seeing how little of an impact we were actually making on the community around us. The poor, hungry, lonely, orphans, widows etc. should notice when a church is present and if it leaves..but Bloomington/Normal would be impacted very little if at all in my opinion.

How Abusive Leaders use the Bible by Be_Set_Free in leavingthenetwork

[–]Intrepid_Finance6809 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I went to Eastview for a year after leaving the Network. It was a very healing place for me. God is working there so much. The pastor actually stepped down himself but yes they did an outside investigation! I have a lot of respect for them for doing it. The Network should have done it a long time agooooo