Tag: Clergy Abuse

by Velour/MtnShepherdess ©

Cartoon used with permission. By David Hayward. The Naked Pastor blog. Canada.

Several people who comment on the well-known blog The Wartburg Watch looked at my former church’s (Grace Bible Fellowship of Silicon Valley’s) website and they did not like what they read.

Jack on The Wartburg Watch:
“Just went to the website of this church [Grace Bible Fellowship of Silicon Valley]. The membership contract is a vague rip from Purpose Driven Life but the bylaws are the meat & potatoes!
In short, this corporation has no members. Members abrogate their rights upon signing the contract.
Just reading the bylaws lights up every warning alarm on the TWW [The Wartburg Watch] checklist of what to look for in an abusive church.http://www.gbfsv.org/by-laws
No doubt new attendees are love bombed before they read the fine print.
You should write this up as a case study of churches to stay away from.
It would be interesting to know how you became involved.”

 Statement of Faith
http://www.gbfsv.org/gbf-statement-of-faith

 Church Distinctives
http://www.gbfsv.org/our-ministry-distinctives

 Membership Covenant
http://www.gbfsv.org/becoming-a-member-of-grace-bible-fellowship

 By Laws
http://www.gbfsv.org/by-laws

Bill M:
“BTW, I looked over the website of your former church [Grace Bible Fellowship of Silicon Valley], their resources page reads as a veritable who’s who of nefarious organizations discussed here. I also note that least half the elders are staff, this inverts the accountability and put way too much power in the hands of the pastor. The preface of their statement of faith gives me the shivers and don’t get me started on their membership covenant.”
 Resources: http://www.gbfsv.org/helpful-websites
 Elders: http://www.gbfsv.org/elders—deacons
 Statement of Faith: http://www.gbfsv.org/gbf-statement-of-faith