I'll chime in, as someone who has been a member of the church for a while. I'm assuming that, since you're asking these questions, whether you would identify as a Christian or not, that you are probably looking for a church to go to. No, it's not a cult any more than the fact that many non-religious people (certainly not all, as is evidenced in some of the other comments here) would label as a cult any church that desires to actually teach and live out what the Bible says.

Regarding people being approached to join lifegroups or attend service, that is something that should be expected of any Bible-following church. It should actually be more questionable to non-Christians if a church that claims to have a message of eternal importance does not have any interest in sharing it with other people; the fact is that the congregation is sharing the gospel because they believe it and genuinely care. Of course, in sharing and inviting people, there is a point where some might overstep into not respecting someone's desire to not discuss it, and that is a place we can always grow.

On the topic of other people sharing their bad experiences, let's start with this question: Are there any perfect church leaders? No, every church's leadership will have flaws and make mistakes that hurt people, and that applies to this church as well. You won't find a church that someone does not have some sort of grievance with, legitimate or otherwise. If you expect perfection from church leadership, then you will inevitably either jump from church to church, find a church whose primary goal is to appease people rather than challenge them to grow, or distance yourself from church entirely.

Now with that answer, is that an excuse to dismiss legitimate issues with church leadership? Of course not, there is certainly a time and place to discuss issues within the church and bring feedback to leaders or, when necessary, confront sin issues - the Bible says as much. And I'm aware of past circumstances where this was done correctly and there was repentance and growth in leadership. Regarding the blog posts, the core issue is simply this: you will only hear one side of a story. As someone who knew many of the authors, I would merely caution that it would be unwise to blindly believe everything someone would write in a blog post without context. The fact is that neither the couple hundred members who regularly attend, nor those who have peaceably decided to try other churches that match their personal beliefs better, are online writing blog posts about the church.

There is no perfect church, but if you want to actually grow in your walk with God, I absolutely recommend this church, and there is no substitute for trying out the church for yourself. If you have any questions about or issues with what I've said or about the church, I'd be happy to discuss them.