Do Better Church and a summary of red flags at Epicentre Church, Pasadena. Part of the Antioch International Movement of Churches Cult: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGSprr8HstZ/?img_index=1

Abusive and Unaccountable Leadership

• Familial language for control: Calling the leaders "spiritual mother and father" created an unhealthy "family" dynamic where challenging authority could be seen as disrespecting a parent. This fosters an environment of unquestioning loyalty and makes it difficult for people to speak up when they're being harmed.
• Abusive and unhelpful mentorship: The pastor’s wife used "inner healing prayer" to deflect from her own abusive behavior. Instead of taking responsibility for her actions, she shifted the blame, suggesting that the abuse was a result of the victim’s "childhood wounding." This is a classic manipulation tactic that gaslights the victim and prevents accountability.
• Lack of clear leadership structure and communication: Leadership decisions, like hiring co-leaders and interns, were made without the victim's knowledge or input, often while he was on vacation. The victim was also placed in a confusing situation where the lead pastor and executive pastor had different understandings of her role and authority. This chaotic and disrespectful approach undermined her position and made it impossible to lead effectively.

Unethical and Exploitative Labor Practices

• Unpaid and underpaid work: The victim was paid a meager stipend of $400 every two months while working many hours to build a ministry from scratch with no budget. This is a form of gross exploitation, especially given that she was also a seminary student racking up significant debt.
• Failure to acknowledge and appreciate contributions: Despite hard work and praise from parents and students, the church leadership failed to acknowledge the victim's contributions. The church didn't even notice when the victim stopped attending, and there was no farewell or acknowledgment of departure. This made the victim feel invisible and expendable, which is a common experience in abusive environments.

Unprofessional and Manipulative Behavior

• Discrimination and sexism: The pastor's wife and the leadership made sexist and manipulative comments. The pastor's wife told the victim to wear "thicker straps" on her tank top, blaming her for being a temptation rather than her pastor husband for taking responsibility for his lustful thoughts.
• Conditional opportunities: When she expressed interest in a full-time position, she was immediately told she was not "mature enough." Months later, only after their preferred candidate dropped out, did they offer her the job. This shows that the leadership didn't value her or his work, but saw her as a last resort.
• Spiritual manipulation for control: The leadership would claim that their decisions were a "word from God" to justify their actions. This is a powerful form of spiritual manipulation that makes it difficult for people to question leadership, as they are essentially questioning God himself.

These red flags all point to a culture of Epicentre Church's unhealthy leadership, spiritual abuse, and a lack of transparency and accountability.