Potter's House Christian Fellowship: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous edit Next edit →Content deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 13:04, 6 February 2021 view sourceJohnnyBflat (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users7,083 edits Undid revision 1005185751 by 82.47.209.123 (talk) Restored reliably sourced information. Please use the talk page to discuss the removal of information before removing it, thank you.Tags: Undo Reverted← Previous edit		Revision as of 23:44, 6 February 2021 view source 82.47.209.123 (talk) Undid revision 1005196144 by JohnnyBflat (talk)Tags: Undo RevertedNext edit →
Line 30:		Line 30:


	The '''Potter's House Christian Fellowship''' is a ] church based in the ]. It was established in ] in 1970 by ~~Wayman Mitchell. Originally a part of~~ the ], Mitchell ~~split the church away in 1983~~ and established an independent fellowship. Since then, the church itself has undergone a number of splits. The church has been criticised in a number of areas including high levels of control, extreme commitment requirements, and the mistreatment of former members. It has been labelled by many ex-members as a ~~cult~~.~~{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Cult"}}~~		The '''Potter's House Christian Fellowship''' is a ] church based in the ]. It was established in ] in 1970 by the late Wayman Mitchell and is now worldwide.

	==History==		==History==
			In 1969, Wayman Mitchell asked for a ministerial position and was appointed to serve as the minister of the Foursquare church in Prescott, Arizona. There was an emphasis on evangelising and sharing a vision for worldwide impact by making disciples in the local church and preparing them for ministry. He saw what God had began to do throughout the ] and began to reach out to them throughout the seventies which resulted in a great increase in the Church.
	In 1969, Wayman Mitchell asked for a ministerial position and was appointed to serve as the minister of the Foursquare church in Prescott, Arizona. Mitchell promoted personal witnessing which saw much church growth, primarily from the youth of the ] and resulted in an overflowing church by the early seventies. Mitchell began to establish new churches which were originally called The Door (and later, these churches were called the Potter's House), first within Arizona and interstate, then overseas. Mitchell discouraged his disciples from attending bible schools due to his own negative experiences in them so the men who he sent out did not receive full ordinations from Foursquare. According to Nathaniel Van Cleave, Mitchell permitted only his own style of primitive and militant evangelism, isolated his disciples from other Foursquare ministers and as a group, they walked out of conference meetings that they disagreed with. Although Mitchell was the state superintendent, he only focused on his own churches, excluding all other Foursquare churches that were under his care. Over time, this caused resentment among the excluded congregations and at least one church left the denomination as a result.{{R\|"Vine"}}
			The Potter's House finds its roots in the ].

			Noticing the momentum of people turning to Jesus and the Church, he started a free live concert scene called 'The Door', which again brought much traction.
	At the 1983 Foursquare convention, a large number of pastors brought complaints against Mitchell to the executive council meeting. Mitchell made no attempt to respond to the complaints. Instead, he and his followers left the conference. A special meeting was later held with Mitchell in an attempt to establish understanding and continued fellowship but this attempt was unsuccessful. Within weeks, Mitchell and the churches which he had planted severed their ties with Foursquare and became an independent fellowship.{{R\|"Vine"}}
			With the growing numbers and vision for there to be more Churches planted, the first Church plant was Harold and Mona Warner into Tucson, Arizona. As of 2021 the church has over 2,600 churches worldwide.

			Wayman Mitchell passed away on September 21, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona. And the fellowship is now led by his son Greg Mitchell.
	In 1990, approximately 100 churches split from the Potter's House. The split was partially due to restrictions which prevented them from maturing and enlarging their expressions of faith.{{R\|"Charisma"}}

			==Doctrine==
	In 2001, a second split occurred with around 160 churches leaving the fellowship due to disagreements with the direction the fellowship was heading in.{{R\|"Charisma"}}
			The Potter's House Christian Fellowship holds to Pentecostal beliefs with emphasis on ], ], and ], inspired by a bible verse in Matthew 28:19-20; Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Doctrines include ], the ], and the ] of Jesus Christ.

			ABOUT GOD
	As of 2020 the church has over 2,600 churches worldwide.{{R\|"Map"}}

			God the Father is the Creator of the universe. He created man in His own image for fellowship, and called man back to Himself through Christ after the rebellion and fall of man.
	Mitchell passed away on September 21, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona.{{R\|"Obituary"}}

			Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were made. He left heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary; henceforth, He is forever one Christ with two natures, God and Man, in one Person.
	==Doctrine and practice==
	The Potter's House Christian Fellowship holds Pentecostal beliefs with a strong emphasis on ], ], and ].{{R\|"Vision"}} Doctrines include ], the ], ], and the ] of Jesus Christ.{{R\|"Beliefs"}}

			The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and Giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament, and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses man from the old nature, and conforms us to the image of Christ.
	An intense program of evangelism is promoted with regular outreach events scheduled including, but not limited to, ], music concerts, movie nights, and ], with the intention of ] people and increasing church membership.{{R\|"Dead"\|"Wakefield"\|"Opens"\|"Booming"\|"Simple"}}

			ABOUT THE BIBLE
	A major goal of the church is the establishment of new churches, commonly referred to as church planting. This is achieved through the in-house training of pastors who are then sent to start a new church. Local congregations, both new and established, have no say over who leads the church.{{R\|"Charisma"\|"Wakefield"\|"Booming"\|"Abuse"}} Pastors in the Potter's House do not receive any formal theological training as this is considered a waste of time and bible college is believed to cause those wanting to become pastors to lose their passion for the church.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Simple"\|"AnswersToNoOne"}} Instead, the church uses a process called discipleship, a type of on-the-job training where men wanting to become ministers are mentored by their pastor for three years before starting their own church.{{R\|"AnswersToNoOne"\|"Rollers"}} These new pastors then go on to repeat the process by training their own disciples to start new churches.{{R\|"Booming"}} Women in the church are not encouraged to pursue careers as the church believes their place is in the home supporting their husbands.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Commitment"}}

			The Bible containing the Old and New Testaments is alone the only infallible, inspired Word of God, and its authority is ultimate, final, and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof. It contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct.
	Faith healing is another belief held by the church, which holds faith healing meetings and invites the public to attend. According to Kenneth Whelan, people can be healed if they forgive all sins committed against them and become Christians. Meetings generally consist of singing, a request for donations, a sermon, and an ], which is a request for people to come to the front and repent. After this, people are called to the front to be prayed for healing.{{R\|"Ceremony"\|"Desert"}}

			CHURCH
	The church believes that participating in sin can result in physical problems. Homosexuality can cause deafness and idol worship can cause problems with eyesight.{{R\|"Miserable"}}

			The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God among the saints through the Spirit. Every believer born of the Spirit has a place in the church designated by God; a place where Christ is working in the lives of the called-out ones and calling ministers to the Great Commission, to go into all the world and make disciples of every nation.
	Financial support for the church comes from the collection of ] from its members (donating 10% of a member's gross income) and each church in turn also pays a tithe. Financial offerings over and above the tithe are also encouraged.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"AnswersToNoOne"}} According to an investigation by Chris Hayes, the church financial structure is set up in a pyramid structure, with each church sending 5% of its offering back to its Mother church and another 5% back to the head church in Prescott.{{R\|"Hayes"}}

			In the ordinances of Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life, and is a public testimony that the person now belongs to Christ. In it the new believer identifies with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Baptisms are performed in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again. It is a sign of our participation in Him.
	==Criticism and controversy==
	The Potter's House has received much criticism throughout its existence and has been labelled by many as a cult. Major areas of criticism include the level of control exerted over its members, the intense level of commitment required, and the shunning and mistreatment of those who have left the church.

			ABOUT SALVATION & CHRISTIAN LIVING
	=== Controlling behaviour ===
	Lee Stubbs, a former fellowship pastor, stated that the church uses a subtle form of conditioning. "It's not some maniacal thing of someone demanding blood, but the leaders have a very persuasive power over people. There was a system of things in place that directed our lives."{{R\|"Fear"}}
	While new members are given love and attention to make them want to stay in the church,{{R\|"Fear"\|"Help"}} many former pastors and members have stated that church techniques are designed to keep those in the congregation submissive, employing fear tactics, public ridicule, and shunning to ensure compliance.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Fear"\|"Encyclopedic"}}
	Members are told not to question the pastor's leadership and those who do so are considered rebellious.{{R\|"Charisma"\|"Abuse"\|"Fear"\|"Encyclopedic"}} According to Stubbs, loyalty to the pastor is equated to loyalty to God.{{R\|"AnswersToNoOne"\|"Fear"}}
	While the church has stated numerous times publicly that people are free to leave if they choose, former members have stated that pastors create a fear that if they do leave, they will be out of the will of God, their lives will fall apart, and they will go to hell.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Cult"\|"Abuse"\|"Fear"\|"Support"}} In one case, the parents of a former member were killed in a car accident shortly after she left the church. The church blamed the deaths on the ex-member for leaving.{{R\|"Help"}}

			Christ’s vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world. Its benefits of healing (body, soul, and spirit) are provided for in the atonement as well.
	=== Level of commitment ===
	The church requires an intense level of commitment from its members and uses psychological and emotional pressure to enforce that commitment.{{R\|"Cult"\|"Deprogrammer"}} Stubbs stated that commitment to the church is constantly reinforced with phrases such as, "Every time the doors are open, you need to be here. You need to stay on fire for God. You need to be involved. You need to be committed. You need to be loyal."{{R\|"AnswersToNoOne"}} Members will spend up to seven nights a week at church in their commitment to the fellowship and have reported getting in trouble for leaving services early.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Abuse"}}

			Salvation is a free gift of God, based on the merits of the death of His Son, and is appropriated by faith. Salvation is effected by personal repentance, belief in the Lord Jesus (justification), and personal acceptance of Him into one’s life as Lord and Savior (regeneration).
	=== Shunning and mistreatment ===
	According to numerous former pastors and members, anyone leaving the church is considered to be a rebel and a backslider. Current members are told not to have anything to do with them and they will often be condemned from the pulpit.{{R\|"Abuse"\|"Fear"\|"Grady"}} This can include not just the shunning of friends but the turning of family members against each other.{{R\|"Charisma"\|"Fear"\|"Help"\|"Encyclopedic"\|"Deprogrammer"\|"Fight"}} In cases where interaction does occur, former members have reported receiving harassing letters and phone calls, and being slandered through rumours.{{R\|"Abuse"\|"Fear"\|"Fight"}} In one case, church leaders were instructed to publicly renounce a pastor who had left the group.{{R\|"Defend"}}
	Former members have consistently reported that time in the church has led to traumatic experiences both to individuals and to families.{{R\|"Fear"\|"Deprogrammer"}} A therapist described the symptoms of one couple who had left the church as similar to those who suffer from ].{{R\|"Fear"}}
	A court prevented a man from taking his 5-year-old daughter to the church after she was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of being traumatised by the pastor. The pastor had dressed up like the devil and placed the girl's hands into a bucket of fake blood with a cow's heart in it and yelled at her that she would never get her hand out. The pastor did not deny the event and stated that it was good to have some fear in your life.{{R\|"Cult"\|"Hayes"\|"Encyclopedic"}}
	Others stated the church had robbed them of self esteem and independence, and left them feeling spiritually shattered, while others said their involvement with the church led to divorce.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Fear"}}

			The Christian life is to be one of consecration, devotion, and holiness. The shortcomings of the individual are due to the still-progressing sanctification of the saints. The Christian life is filled with trials, tests, and warfare against a spiritual enemy. For those abiding in Christ until their deaths or His return, the promises of eternal blessing in the presence of God are assured.
	=== Lack of pastoral training ===
	Former pastors of the church have noted that not only do pastors have little experience when they are sent out but because the church does not send men to bible school, they are also poorly equipped in understanding the bible which leads to indoctrination in Potter's House methodology rather than having a bible-based background.{{R\|"AnswersToNoOne"\|"Defend"}}

			The baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
	=== Cult ===
	The intensity of involvement and indoctrination by the church has led to many former members labelling the group a cult.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Cult"\|"Dead"\|"Fight"}} The church has been accused of brainwashing its members resulting in the blind following of church beliefs and the division of families.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Support"\|"Deprogrammer"\|"Fight"}} Any doubts or questioning of the church is attributed to lying spirits and the voice of the devil, and is considered akin to doubting God.{{R\|"Fear"\|"Help"}} Rick Ross, a cult expert with extensive experience dealing with former Potter's House members, stated that while he does not consider the church to be a cult, it is a destructive group very close to being a cult.{{R\|"Cult"\|"Fight"}}

			In the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, the millennium, and the final judgment. The final judgment will determine the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ.
	=== Rape ===
	In 1984, church member Debbie Christensen told her pastor, Paul Campo, that she had been raped by another church member. Christensen stated that when she told Campo about the rape, he told her she probably deserved it and not to tell anyone else about it.{{R\|"Help"\|"Deprogrammer"}} Campo responded in a letter to ] stating that after Christensen told him about the alleged rape, he spoke with the accused rapist who convinced him that the sex was consensual. Christensen's mother also spoke with Campo about the alleged rape, who told her it was Christensen's fault and there was nothing he could do.{{R\|"Rape"}}
	Church founder Wayman Mitchell contradicted Campo's claim in another letter to The Arizona Republic, stating that Christensen had not told Campo that she had been raped as he would have told her to go to the authorities and press charges. Mitchell stated that Christensen claimed she was raped because she was bitter and vindictive.{{R\|"Rape"}}

	=== Homophobia ===
	The church holds a homophobic position in relation to the ] community and has screened anti-gay movies to the public. In a 2009 interview with the ] Scott McGrath stated that although it was still considered a sin, the church had softened its stance on homosexuality and would accept gay, lesbian, and transgender members.{{R\|"Dead"}} However, in 2018 founder Wayman Mitchell was recorded using a homophobic slur while preaching in Guam, referring to homosexuals as "little faggots" and claiming that the gay community was miserable. Mitchell's use of derogatory remarks from the pulpit had been previously noted in a report by Charisma magazine.{{R\|"Charisma"\|"Miserable"}}

	==References==
	{{Reflist\|refs=

	<ref name="Abuse">{{cite book \|last1=Enroth \|first1=Ronald M. \|title=Churches That Abuse \|date=1993 \|publisher=Zondervan \|isbn=9780310532927 \|pages=197–200 \|url=https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Churches_that_Abuse/nasHAAAACAAJ?hl=en \|access-date=1 October 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="AnswersToNoOne">{{cite web \|last1=Poley \|first1=Sean \|title=Christian Fellowship founder answers to no one \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5724-christian-fellowship-founder-answers-to-no-one.html \|publisher=Cape Cod Times, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=27 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423073343/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5724-christian-fellowship-founder-answers-to-no-one.html \|archive-date=23 April 2015}}</ref>

	<ref name="Beliefs">{{cite web \|title=Beliefs \|url=https://www.prescottpottershouse.com/what-we-believe \|website=The Potter's House Christian Fellowship Church \|publisher=Prescott Potter's House \|access-date=26 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926121204/https://www.prescottpottershouse.com/what-we-believe \|archive-date=26 September 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Booming">{{cite news \|last1=Gust \|first1=Dodie \|title=Church oriented to young people is booming \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/164674058 \|access-date=8 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Daily Star \|date=4 January 1986 \|page=5 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Ceremony">{{cite news \|last1=Masliah \|first1=Alberto \|title=Healing ceremony raises spirits and skepticism \|url=https://yaledailynews.com/articles/view/11249 \|access-date=1 August 2007 \|date=15 September 2004 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228174644/http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/11249 \|archive-date=28 December 2007}}</ref>

	<ref name="Charisma">{{cite web\|url=https://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/134-peopleevents/people-events/523-potters-house-group-loses-churches-amid-more-charges-of-rigid-control-\|title=Potter's House Group Loses Churches Amid More Charges of Rigid Control\|last=Reynalds\|first=Jeremy\|website=www.charismamag.com\|publisher=Charisma\|url-status=live\|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200301131530/https://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/134-peopleevents/people-events/523-potters-house-group-loses-churches-amid-more-charges-of-rigid-control-\|archive-date=March 1, 2020\|access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref>

	<ref name="Commitment">{{cite news \|last1=Bullock \|first1=Karen M. \|title=Current members believe God wants complete commitment \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/516340024 \|access-date=6 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Daily Sun \|date=2 Oct 1988 \|page=15 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Cult">{{cite web \|last1=Crehan \|first1=Ryan \|title=A Cult in Prescott? \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5754-a-cult-in-prescott.html \|publisher=Prescott College -The Word, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=3 October 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411062158/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5754-a-cult-in-prescott.html \|archive-date=11 April 2015}}</ref>

	<ref name="Dead">{{cite news \|title=Dead pastor's past haunts church \|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/412158/Dead-pastors-past-haunts-church \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|work=Waikato Times \|date=31 January 2009 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105040417/http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/412158/Dead-pastors-past-haunts-church \|archive-date=5 January 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Defend">{{cite web \|last1=Grady \|first1=J. Lee \|title=Potter's House Leader Defends Group \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5722-potters-house-leader-defends-group.html \|publisher=Charisma, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409141510/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5722-potters-house-leader-defends-group.html \|archive-date=9 April 2015}}</ref>

	<ref name="Deprogrammer">{{cite news \|last1=Perkes \|first1=Kim Sue Lia \|title=Deprogrammer shepherds lost lambs \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121251633/ \|access-date=8 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Republic \|date=30 July 1988 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Desert">{{cite web \|last1=Berg \|first1=Jeff \|title=Amen-uh to All That \|url=https://www.desertexposure.com/200707/200707_tw_revival.php \|access-date=1 August 2007 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227230729/http://www.desertexposure.com/200707/200707_tw_revival.php \|archive-date=27 December 2018}}</ref>

	<ref name="Encyclopedic">{{cite book \|author1=Larry A. Nichols \|author2=George Mather \|author3=Alvin J. Schmidt \|title=Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions: Revised and Updated Edition \|date=23 February 2010 \|publisher=Zondervan Academic \|isbn=9780310866060 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ZlnhfcwbMkC&q=potter%27s+house+bylaws&pg=PT79 \|access-date=1 October 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Fear">{{cite web \|last1=Polay \|first1=Sean \|title=Part I : A fellowship of Fear \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5725-part-i-a-fellowship-of-fear.html \|publisher=Cape Cod Times, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521145101/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5725-part-i-a-fellowship-of-fear.html \|archive-date=21 May 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Fight">{{cite web \|last1=Enge \|first1=Marilee \|title=Mother fights church group for her son \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5738-mother-fights-church-group-for-her-son.html \|publisher=Anchorage Daily News, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622092626/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5738-mother-fights-church-group-for-her-son.html \|archive-date=22 June 2020 \|date=23 March 1989}}</ref>

	<ref name="Grady">{{cite book \|last1=Grady \|first1=J. Lee \|title=What Happened to the Fire?: Rekindling the Blaze of Charismatic Renewal \|date=10 July 2019 \|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers \|isbn=9781532680113 \|pages=86–87 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=saWhDwAAQBAJ&q=wayman&pg=PA10 \|access-date=25 September 2020 }}</ref>

	<ref name="Hayes">{{cite web \|last1=Hayes \|first1=Chris \|title=The Door: A Church or a Cult? \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5748-the-door-a-church-or-a-cult.html \|publisher=KPHO TV, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=26 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415234123/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5748-the-door-a-church-or-a-cult.html \|archive-date=15 April 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Help">{{cite web \|last1=Bearden \|first1=Michelle \|title=Support group helps those hurt by bouts with fringe churches \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5726-support-group-helps-those-hurt-by-bouts-with-fringe-churches.html \|publisher=The Phoenix Gazette, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=3 October 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410121132/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5726-support-group-helps-those-hurt-by-bouts-with-fringe-churches.html \|archive-date=10 April 2015}}</ref>

	<ref name="Map">{{cite web \|title=Christian Fellowship Ministries map \|url=https://www.cfmmap.org \|access-date=13 September 2019}}</ref>

	<ref name="Miserable">{{cite news \|title=Religious leader: Guam's gay community "miserable" \|url=https://www.kuam.com/story/37508243/2018/02/Wednesday/religious-leader-guams-gay-community-miserable \|access-date=21 June 2020 \|work=Kuam News \|date=February 2018 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215031208/https://www.kuam.com/story/37508243/2018/02/Wednesday/religious-leader-guams-gay-community-miserable \|archive-date=15 February 2018}}</ref>

	<ref name="Obituary">{{cite web \|title=Obituary: Wayman Othell Mitchell \|url=https://www.dcourier.com/news/2020/sep/26/obituary-wayman-othell-mitchell/ \|website=dcourier.com \|publisher=The Daily Courier \|access-date=27 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927122112/https://www.dcourier.com/news/2020/sep/26/obituary-wayman-othell-mitchell/ \|archive-date=27 September 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Opens">{{cite news \|title=Pastor opens new church \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/219919253 \|access-date=6 October 2020 \|work=The Times \|date=18 September 1983 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Pearly">{{cite news \|author1=Ted Bartimus \|author2=Karen M. Bullock \|title=Potter's House: Pearly gates or prison walls? \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/516339958/ \|access-date=6 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Daily Sun \|date=2 October 1988 \|page=1 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Rape">{{cite news \|last1=Perkei \|first1=Kim Sue Lia \|title=Cleric disputes ex-member's allegations of rape \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121270902 \|access-date=7 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Republic \|date=27 August 1988 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Rollers">{{cite news \|last1=Munroe \|first1=Ian \|title=The holy rollers \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/122954729/ \|access-date=6 October 2020 \|work=The Sunday Age}}</ref>

	<ref name="Simple">{{cite news \|last1=Kirby \|first1=Sharon \|title=Pastor hopes to spread the simple gospel \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/320732721 \|access-date=8 October 2020 \|work=Tampa Bay Times \|date=22 June 1985 \|page=9 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Support">{{cite news \|last1=Bartamus \|first1=Ted \|title=Support group tells others of life after Potters House \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/516340315/ \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|work=Arizona Daily Sun \|issue=55 \|publisher=Arizona Daily Sun \|date=3 October 1988\|volume=43 }}</ref>

	<ref name="Vine">{{cite book \|last1=Van Cleave \|first1=Nathaniel \|title=The Vine and the Branches: A History of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel \|date=September 2, 2014 \|publisher=Foursquare Media \|isbn=978-1621366645 \|pages=150–153 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=naBVBAAAQBAJ&q=wayman+mitchell&pg=PT159 \|access-date=2020-03-31 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200331154909/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=naBVBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT159&lpg=PT159&dq=wayman+mitchell&source=bl&ots=_MR-p_pC0O&sig=ACfU3U10osybWy46Gkx-3jkoeisCDoQVuA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1jbyOhsXoAhWTA3IKHQTdB584UBDoATACegQIChAB#v=onepage&q=wayman%20mitchell&f=false \|archive-date=2020-03-31}}</ref>

	<ref name="Vision">{{cite web \|title=Our Vision \|url=https://www.prescottpottershouse.com/our-vision \|website=The Potter's House Christian Fellowship Church \|publisher=Prescott Potter's House \|access-date=26 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926130248/https://www.prescottpottershouse.com/our-vision \|archive-date=26 September 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Wakefield">{{cite news \|last1=Eberhard \|first1=Monika \|title=Houses of Worship \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/357283636 \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|work=Austin American Statesman \|date=17 April 2004}}</ref>

	}}		}}

Revision as of 23:44, 6 February 2021

For the church in Dallas, Texas, see The Potter's House Church, Dallas. For the church in Stoke-on-Trent, UK, see The Potter's House Church (Stoke-on-Trent). For the Christian K-12 school in Kent County, Michigan, see The Potter's House (school).

Church in Arizona, United States

Potter's House Christian Fellowship
Christian Fellowship Ministries
The Door, Victory Chapel

34°37′50.48″N 112°25′38.33″W / 34.6306889°N 112.4273139°W / 34.6306889; -112.4273139 (Potter's House)
Location	Prescott, Arizona
Country	United States
Denomination	Non-denominational, Pentecostal
Previous denomination	Foursquare Gospel Church
Website	The Potter's House
History
Founded	1970
Founder(s)	Wayman O. Mitchell

The Potter's House Christian Fellowship is a Pentecostal church based in the United States of America. It was established in Prescott, Arizona in 1970 by the late Wayman Mitchell and is now worldwide.

History

In 1969, Wayman Mitchell asked for a ministerial position and was appointed to serve as the minister of the Foursquare church in Prescott, Arizona. There was an emphasis on evangelising and sharing a vision for worldwide impact by making disciples in the local church and preparing them for ministry. He saw what God had began to do throughout the hippie movement and began to reach out to them throughout the seventies which resulted in a great increase in the Church. The Potter's House finds its roots in the Jesus People Movement.

Noticing the momentum of people turning to Jesus and the Church, he started a free live concert scene called 'The Door', which again brought much traction. With the growing numbers and vision for there to be more Churches planted, the first Church plant was Harold and Mona Warner into Tucson, Arizona. As of 2021 the church has over 2,600 churches worldwide.

Wayman Mitchell passed away on September 21, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona. And the fellowship is now led by his son Greg Mitchell.

Doctrine

The Potter's House Christian Fellowship holds to Pentecostal beliefs with emphasis on evangelism, church planting, and discipleship, inspired by a bible verse in Matthew 28:19-20; Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Doctrines include salvation by faith, the infallibility of the bible, and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

ABOUT GOD

God the Father is the Creator of the universe. He created man in His own image for fellowship, and called man back to Himself through Christ after the rebellion and fall of man.

Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were made. He left heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary; henceforth, He is forever one Christ with two natures, God and Man, in one Person.

The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and Giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament, and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses man from the old nature, and conforms us to the image of Christ.

ABOUT THE BIBLE

The Bible containing the Old and New Testaments is alone the only infallible, inspired Word of God, and its authority is ultimate, final, and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof. It contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct.

CHURCH

The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God among the saints through the Spirit. Every believer born of the Spirit has a place in the church designated by God; a place where Christ is working in the lives of the called-out ones and calling ministers to the Great Commission, to go into all the world and make disciples of every nation.

In the ordinances of Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life, and is a public testimony that the person now belongs to Christ. In it the new believer identifies with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Baptisms are performed in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again. It is a sign of our participation in Him.

ABOUT SALVATION & CHRISTIAN LIVING

Christ’s vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world. Its benefits of healing (body, soul, and spirit) are provided for in the atonement as well.

Salvation is a free gift of God, based on the merits of the death of His Son, and is appropriated by faith. Salvation is effected by personal repentance, belief in the Lord Jesus (justification), and personal acceptance of Him into one’s life as Lord and Savior (regeneration).

The Christian life is to be one of consecration, devotion, and holiness. The shortcomings of the individual are due to the still-progressing sanctification of the saints. The Christian life is filled with trials, tests, and warfare against a spiritual enemy. For those abiding in Christ until their deaths or His return, the promises of eternal blessing in the presence of God are assured.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, the millennium, and the final judgment. The final judgment will determine the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ.

}}

Categories:

Revision as of 13:04, 6 February 2021 view sourceJohnnyBflat (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users7,083 edits Undid revision 1005185751 by 82.47.209.123 (talk) Restored reliably sourced information. Please use the talk page to discuss the removal of information before removing it, thank you.Tags: Undo Reverted← Previous edit		Revision as of 23:44, 6 February 2021 view source 82.47.209.123 (talk) Undid revision 1005196144 by JohnnyBflat (talk)Tags: Undo RevertedNext edit →
Line 30:		Line 30:


	The '''Potter's House Christian Fellowship''' is a ] church based in the ]. It was established in ] in 1970 by ~~Wayman Mitchell. Originally a part of~~ the ], Mitchell ~~split the church away in 1983~~ and established an independent fellowship. Since then, the church itself has undergone a number of splits. The church has been criticised in a number of areas including high levels of control, extreme commitment requirements, and the mistreatment of former members. It has been labelled by many ex-members as a ~~cult~~.~~{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Cult"}}~~		The '''Potter's House Christian Fellowship''' is a ] church based in the ]. It was established in ] in 1970 by the late Wayman Mitchell and is now worldwide.

	==History==		==History==
			In 1969, Wayman Mitchell asked for a ministerial position and was appointed to serve as the minister of the Foursquare church in Prescott, Arizona. There was an emphasis on evangelising and sharing a vision for worldwide impact by making disciples in the local church and preparing them for ministry. He saw what God had began to do throughout the ] and began to reach out to them throughout the seventies which resulted in a great increase in the Church.
	In 1969, Wayman Mitchell asked for a ministerial position and was appointed to serve as the minister of the Foursquare church in Prescott, Arizona. Mitchell promoted personal witnessing which saw much church growth, primarily from the youth of the ] and resulted in an overflowing church by the early seventies. Mitchell began to establish new churches which were originally called The Door (and later, these churches were called the Potter's House), first within Arizona and interstate, then overseas. Mitchell discouraged his disciples from attending bible schools due to his own negative experiences in them so the men who he sent out did not receive full ordinations from Foursquare. According to Nathaniel Van Cleave, Mitchell permitted only his own style of primitive and militant evangelism, isolated his disciples from other Foursquare ministers and as a group, they walked out of conference meetings that they disagreed with. Although Mitchell was the state superintendent, he only focused on his own churches, excluding all other Foursquare churches that were under his care. Over time, this caused resentment among the excluded congregations and at least one church left the denomination as a result.{{R\|"Vine"}}
			The Potter's House finds its roots in the ].

			Noticing the momentum of people turning to Jesus and the Church, he started a free live concert scene called 'The Door', which again brought much traction.
	At the 1983 Foursquare convention, a large number of pastors brought complaints against Mitchell to the executive council meeting. Mitchell made no attempt to respond to the complaints. Instead, he and his followers left the conference. A special meeting was later held with Mitchell in an attempt to establish understanding and continued fellowship but this attempt was unsuccessful. Within weeks, Mitchell and the churches which he had planted severed their ties with Foursquare and became an independent fellowship.{{R\|"Vine"}}
			With the growing numbers and vision for there to be more Churches planted, the first Church plant was Harold and Mona Warner into Tucson, Arizona. As of 2021 the church has over 2,600 churches worldwide.

			Wayman Mitchell passed away on September 21, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona. And the fellowship is now led by his son Greg Mitchell.
	In 1990, approximately 100 churches split from the Potter's House. The split was partially due to restrictions which prevented them from maturing and enlarging their expressions of faith.{{R\|"Charisma"}}

			==Doctrine==
	In 2001, a second split occurred with around 160 churches leaving the fellowship due to disagreements with the direction the fellowship was heading in.{{R\|"Charisma"}}
			The Potter's House Christian Fellowship holds to Pentecostal beliefs with emphasis on ], ], and ], inspired by a bible verse in Matthew 28:19-20; Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Doctrines include ], the ], and the ] of Jesus Christ.

			ABOUT GOD
	As of 2020 the church has over 2,600 churches worldwide.{{R\|"Map"}}

			God the Father is the Creator of the universe. He created man in His own image for fellowship, and called man back to Himself through Christ after the rebellion and fall of man.
	Mitchell passed away on September 21, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona.{{R\|"Obituary"}}

			Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were made. He left heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary; henceforth, He is forever one Christ with two natures, God and Man, in one Person.
	==Doctrine and practice==
	The Potter's House Christian Fellowship holds Pentecostal beliefs with a strong emphasis on ], ], and ].{{R\|"Vision"}} Doctrines include ], the ], ], and the ] of Jesus Christ.{{R\|"Beliefs"}}

			The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and Giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament, and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses man from the old nature, and conforms us to the image of Christ.
	An intense program of evangelism is promoted with regular outreach events scheduled including, but not limited to, ], music concerts, movie nights, and ], with the intention of ] people and increasing church membership.{{R\|"Dead"\|"Wakefield"\|"Opens"\|"Booming"\|"Simple"}}

			ABOUT THE BIBLE
	A major goal of the church is the establishment of new churches, commonly referred to as church planting. This is achieved through the in-house training of pastors who are then sent to start a new church. Local congregations, both new and established, have no say over who leads the church.{{R\|"Charisma"\|"Wakefield"\|"Booming"\|"Abuse"}} Pastors in the Potter's House do not receive any formal theological training as this is considered a waste of time and bible college is believed to cause those wanting to become pastors to lose their passion for the church.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Simple"\|"AnswersToNoOne"}} Instead, the church uses a process called discipleship, a type of on-the-job training where men wanting to become ministers are mentored by their pastor for three years before starting their own church.{{R\|"AnswersToNoOne"\|"Rollers"}} These new pastors then go on to repeat the process by training their own disciples to start new churches.{{R\|"Booming"}} Women in the church are not encouraged to pursue careers as the church believes their place is in the home supporting their husbands.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Commitment"}}

			The Bible containing the Old and New Testaments is alone the only infallible, inspired Word of God, and its authority is ultimate, final, and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof. It contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct.
	Faith healing is another belief held by the church, which holds faith healing meetings and invites the public to attend. According to Kenneth Whelan, people can be healed if they forgive all sins committed against them and become Christians. Meetings generally consist of singing, a request for donations, a sermon, and an ], which is a request for people to come to the front and repent. After this, people are called to the front to be prayed for healing.{{R\|"Ceremony"\|"Desert"}}

			CHURCH
	The church believes that participating in sin can result in physical problems. Homosexuality can cause deafness and idol worship can cause problems with eyesight.{{R\|"Miserable"}}

			The Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God among the saints through the Spirit. Every believer born of the Spirit has a place in the church designated by God; a place where Christ is working in the lives of the called-out ones and calling ministers to the Great Commission, to go into all the world and make disciples of every nation.
	Financial support for the church comes from the collection of ] from its members (donating 10% of a member's gross income) and each church in turn also pays a tithe. Financial offerings over and above the tithe are also encouraged.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"AnswersToNoOne"}} According to an investigation by Chris Hayes, the church financial structure is set up in a pyramid structure, with each church sending 5% of its offering back to its Mother church and another 5% back to the head church in Prescott.{{R\|"Hayes"}}

			In the ordinances of Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life, and is a public testimony that the person now belongs to Christ. In it the new believer identifies with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Baptisms are performed in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again. It is a sign of our participation in Him.
	==Criticism and controversy==
	The Potter's House has received much criticism throughout its existence and has been labelled by many as a cult. Major areas of criticism include the level of control exerted over its members, the intense level of commitment required, and the shunning and mistreatment of those who have left the church.

			ABOUT SALVATION & CHRISTIAN LIVING
	=== Controlling behaviour ===
	Lee Stubbs, a former fellowship pastor, stated that the church uses a subtle form of conditioning. "It's not some maniacal thing of someone demanding blood, but the leaders have a very persuasive power over people. There was a system of things in place that directed our lives."{{R\|"Fear"}}
	While new members are given love and attention to make them want to stay in the church,{{R\|"Fear"\|"Help"}} many former pastors and members have stated that church techniques are designed to keep those in the congregation submissive, employing fear tactics, public ridicule, and shunning to ensure compliance.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Fear"\|"Encyclopedic"}}
	Members are told not to question the pastor's leadership and those who do so are considered rebellious.{{R\|"Charisma"\|"Abuse"\|"Fear"\|"Encyclopedic"}} According to Stubbs, loyalty to the pastor is equated to loyalty to God.{{R\|"AnswersToNoOne"\|"Fear"}}
	While the church has stated numerous times publicly that people are free to leave if they choose, former members have stated that pastors create a fear that if they do leave, they will be out of the will of God, their lives will fall apart, and they will go to hell.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Cult"\|"Abuse"\|"Fear"\|"Support"}} In one case, the parents of a former member were killed in a car accident shortly after she left the church. The church blamed the deaths on the ex-member for leaving.{{R\|"Help"}}

			Christ’s vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world. Its benefits of healing (body, soul, and spirit) are provided for in the atonement as well.
	=== Level of commitment ===
	The church requires an intense level of commitment from its members and uses psychological and emotional pressure to enforce that commitment.{{R\|"Cult"\|"Deprogrammer"}} Stubbs stated that commitment to the church is constantly reinforced with phrases such as, "Every time the doors are open, you need to be here. You need to stay on fire for God. You need to be involved. You need to be committed. You need to be loyal."{{R\|"AnswersToNoOne"}} Members will spend up to seven nights a week at church in their commitment to the fellowship and have reported getting in trouble for leaving services early.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Abuse"}}

			Salvation is a free gift of God, based on the merits of the death of His Son, and is appropriated by faith. Salvation is effected by personal repentance, belief in the Lord Jesus (justification), and personal acceptance of Him into one’s life as Lord and Savior (regeneration).
	=== Shunning and mistreatment ===
	According to numerous former pastors and members, anyone leaving the church is considered to be a rebel and a backslider. Current members are told not to have anything to do with them and they will often be condemned from the pulpit.{{R\|"Abuse"\|"Fear"\|"Grady"}} This can include not just the shunning of friends but the turning of family members against each other.{{R\|"Charisma"\|"Fear"\|"Help"\|"Encyclopedic"\|"Deprogrammer"\|"Fight"}} In cases where interaction does occur, former members have reported receiving harassing letters and phone calls, and being slandered through rumours.{{R\|"Abuse"\|"Fear"\|"Fight"}} In one case, church leaders were instructed to publicly renounce a pastor who had left the group.{{R\|"Defend"}}
	Former members have consistently reported that time in the church has led to traumatic experiences both to individuals and to families.{{R\|"Fear"\|"Deprogrammer"}} A therapist described the symptoms of one couple who had left the church as similar to those who suffer from ].{{R\|"Fear"}}
	A court prevented a man from taking his 5-year-old daughter to the church after she was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of being traumatised by the pastor. The pastor had dressed up like the devil and placed the girl's hands into a bucket of fake blood with a cow's heart in it and yelled at her that she would never get her hand out. The pastor did not deny the event and stated that it was good to have some fear in your life.{{R\|"Cult"\|"Hayes"\|"Encyclopedic"}}
	Others stated the church had robbed them of self esteem and independence, and left them feeling spiritually shattered, while others said their involvement with the church led to divorce.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Fear"}}

			The Christian life is to be one of consecration, devotion, and holiness. The shortcomings of the individual are due to the still-progressing sanctification of the saints. The Christian life is filled with trials, tests, and warfare against a spiritual enemy. For those abiding in Christ until their deaths or His return, the promises of eternal blessing in the presence of God are assured.
	=== Lack of pastoral training ===
	Former pastors of the church have noted that not only do pastors have little experience when they are sent out but because the church does not send men to bible school, they are also poorly equipped in understanding the bible which leads to indoctrination in Potter's House methodology rather than having a bible-based background.{{R\|"AnswersToNoOne"\|"Defend"}}

			The baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
	=== Cult ===
	The intensity of involvement and indoctrination by the church has led to many former members labelling the group a cult.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Cult"\|"Dead"\|"Fight"}} The church has been accused of brainwashing its members resulting in the blind following of church beliefs and the division of families.{{R\|"Pearly"\|"Support"\|"Deprogrammer"\|"Fight"}} Any doubts or questioning of the church is attributed to lying spirits and the voice of the devil, and is considered akin to doubting God.{{R\|"Fear"\|"Help"}} Rick Ross, a cult expert with extensive experience dealing with former Potter's House members, stated that while he does not consider the church to be a cult, it is a destructive group very close to being a cult.{{R\|"Cult"\|"Fight"}}

			In the bodily, personal, second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the saints, the millennium, and the final judgment. The final judgment will determine the eternal status of both the saints and the unbelievers, determined by their relationship to Jesus Christ.
	=== Rape ===
	In 1984, church member Debbie Christensen told her pastor, Paul Campo, that she had been raped by another church member. Christensen stated that when she told Campo about the rape, he told her she probably deserved it and not to tell anyone else about it.{{R\|"Help"\|"Deprogrammer"}} Campo responded in a letter to ] stating that after Christensen told him about the alleged rape, he spoke with the accused rapist who convinced him that the sex was consensual. Christensen's mother also spoke with Campo about the alleged rape, who told her it was Christensen's fault and there was nothing he could do.{{R\|"Rape"}}
	Church founder Wayman Mitchell contradicted Campo's claim in another letter to The Arizona Republic, stating that Christensen had not told Campo that she had been raped as he would have told her to go to the authorities and press charges. Mitchell stated that Christensen claimed she was raped because she was bitter and vindictive.{{R\|"Rape"}}

	=== Homophobia ===
	The church holds a homophobic position in relation to the ] community and has screened anti-gay movies to the public. In a 2009 interview with the ] Scott McGrath stated that although it was still considered a sin, the church had softened its stance on homosexuality and would accept gay, lesbian, and transgender members.{{R\|"Dead"}} However, in 2018 founder Wayman Mitchell was recorded using a homophobic slur while preaching in Guam, referring to homosexuals as "little faggots" and claiming that the gay community was miserable. Mitchell's use of derogatory remarks from the pulpit had been previously noted in a report by Charisma magazine.{{R\|"Charisma"\|"Miserable"}}

	==References==
	{{Reflist\|refs=

	<ref name="Abuse">{{cite book \|last1=Enroth \|first1=Ronald M. \|title=Churches That Abuse \|date=1993 \|publisher=Zondervan \|isbn=9780310532927 \|pages=197–200 \|url=https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Churches_that_Abuse/nasHAAAACAAJ?hl=en \|access-date=1 October 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="AnswersToNoOne">{{cite web \|last1=Poley \|first1=Sean \|title=Christian Fellowship founder answers to no one \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5724-christian-fellowship-founder-answers-to-no-one.html \|publisher=Cape Cod Times, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=27 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423073343/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5724-christian-fellowship-founder-answers-to-no-one.html \|archive-date=23 April 2015}}</ref>

	<ref name="Beliefs">{{cite web \|title=Beliefs \|url=https://www.prescottpottershouse.com/what-we-believe \|website=The Potter's House Christian Fellowship Church \|publisher=Prescott Potter's House \|access-date=26 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926121204/https://www.prescottpottershouse.com/what-we-believe \|archive-date=26 September 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Booming">{{cite news \|last1=Gust \|first1=Dodie \|title=Church oriented to young people is booming \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/164674058 \|access-date=8 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Daily Star \|date=4 January 1986 \|page=5 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Ceremony">{{cite news \|last1=Masliah \|first1=Alberto \|title=Healing ceremony raises spirits and skepticism \|url=https://yaledailynews.com/articles/view/11249 \|access-date=1 August 2007 \|date=15 September 2004 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228174644/http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/11249 \|archive-date=28 December 2007}}</ref>

	<ref name="Charisma">{{cite web\|url=https://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/134-peopleevents/people-events/523-potters-house-group-loses-churches-amid-more-charges-of-rigid-control-\|title=Potter's House Group Loses Churches Amid More Charges of Rigid Control\|last=Reynalds\|first=Jeremy\|website=www.charismamag.com\|publisher=Charisma\|url-status=live\|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200301131530/https://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/134-peopleevents/people-events/523-potters-house-group-loses-churches-amid-more-charges-of-rigid-control-\|archive-date=March 1, 2020\|access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref>

	<ref name="Commitment">{{cite news \|last1=Bullock \|first1=Karen M. \|title=Current members believe God wants complete commitment \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/516340024 \|access-date=6 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Daily Sun \|date=2 Oct 1988 \|page=15 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Cult">{{cite web \|last1=Crehan \|first1=Ryan \|title=A Cult in Prescott? \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5754-a-cult-in-prescott.html \|publisher=Prescott College -The Word, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=3 October 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411062158/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5754-a-cult-in-prescott.html \|archive-date=11 April 2015}}</ref>

	<ref name="Dead">{{cite news \|title=Dead pastor's past haunts church \|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/412158/Dead-pastors-past-haunts-church \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|work=Waikato Times \|date=31 January 2009 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200105040417/http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/412158/Dead-pastors-past-haunts-church \|archive-date=5 January 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Defend">{{cite web \|last1=Grady \|first1=J. Lee \|title=Potter's House Leader Defends Group \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5722-potters-house-leader-defends-group.html \|publisher=Charisma, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409141510/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5722-potters-house-leader-defends-group.html \|archive-date=9 April 2015}}</ref>

	<ref name="Deprogrammer">{{cite news \|last1=Perkes \|first1=Kim Sue Lia \|title=Deprogrammer shepherds lost lambs \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121251633/ \|access-date=8 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Republic \|date=30 July 1988 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Desert">{{cite web \|last1=Berg \|first1=Jeff \|title=Amen-uh to All That \|url=https://www.desertexposure.com/200707/200707_tw_revival.php \|access-date=1 August 2007 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227230729/http://www.desertexposure.com/200707/200707_tw_revival.php \|archive-date=27 December 2018}}</ref>

	<ref name="Encyclopedic">{{cite book \|author1=Larry A. Nichols \|author2=George Mather \|author3=Alvin J. Schmidt \|title=Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions: Revised and Updated Edition \|date=23 February 2010 \|publisher=Zondervan Academic \|isbn=9780310866060 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ZlnhfcwbMkC&q=potter%27s+house+bylaws&pg=PT79 \|access-date=1 October 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Fear">{{cite web \|last1=Polay \|first1=Sean \|title=Part I : A fellowship of Fear \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5725-part-i-a-fellowship-of-fear.html \|publisher=Cape Cod Times, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521145101/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5725-part-i-a-fellowship-of-fear.html \|archive-date=21 May 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Fight">{{cite web \|last1=Enge \|first1=Marilee \|title=Mother fights church group for her son \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5738-mother-fights-church-group-for-her-son.html \|publisher=Anchorage Daily News, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622092626/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5738-mother-fights-church-group-for-her-son.html \|archive-date=22 June 2020 \|date=23 March 1989}}</ref>

	<ref name="Grady">{{cite book \|last1=Grady \|first1=J. Lee \|title=What Happened to the Fire?: Rekindling the Blaze of Charismatic Renewal \|date=10 July 2019 \|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers \|isbn=9781532680113 \|pages=86–87 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=saWhDwAAQBAJ&q=wayman&pg=PA10 \|access-date=25 September 2020 }}</ref>

	<ref name="Hayes">{{cite web \|last1=Hayes \|first1=Chris \|title=The Door: A Church or a Cult? \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5748-the-door-a-church-or-a-cult.html \|publisher=KPHO TV, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=26 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415234123/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5748-the-door-a-church-or-a-cult.html \|archive-date=15 April 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Help">{{cite web \|last1=Bearden \|first1=Michelle \|title=Support group helps those hurt by bouts with fringe churches \|url=https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5726-support-group-helps-those-hurt-by-bouts-with-fringe-churches.html \|publisher=The Phoenix Gazette, republished on the Cult Education Institute website \|access-date=3 October 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410121132/https://culteducation.com/group/896-christian-fellowship-churches/5726-support-group-helps-those-hurt-by-bouts-with-fringe-churches.html \|archive-date=10 April 2015}}</ref>

	<ref name="Map">{{cite web \|title=Christian Fellowship Ministries map \|url=https://www.cfmmap.org \|access-date=13 September 2019}}</ref>

	<ref name="Miserable">{{cite news \|title=Religious leader: Guam's gay community "miserable" \|url=https://www.kuam.com/story/37508243/2018/02/Wednesday/religious-leader-guams-gay-community-miserable \|access-date=21 June 2020 \|work=Kuam News \|date=February 2018 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215031208/https://www.kuam.com/story/37508243/2018/02/Wednesday/religious-leader-guams-gay-community-miserable \|archive-date=15 February 2018}}</ref>

	<ref name="Obituary">{{cite web \|title=Obituary: Wayman Othell Mitchell \|url=https://www.dcourier.com/news/2020/sep/26/obituary-wayman-othell-mitchell/ \|website=dcourier.com \|publisher=The Daily Courier \|access-date=27 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927122112/https://www.dcourier.com/news/2020/sep/26/obituary-wayman-othell-mitchell/ \|archive-date=27 September 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Opens">{{cite news \|title=Pastor opens new church \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/219919253 \|access-date=6 October 2020 \|work=The Times \|date=18 September 1983 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Pearly">{{cite news \|author1=Ted Bartimus \|author2=Karen M. Bullock \|title=Potter's House: Pearly gates or prison walls? \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/516339958/ \|access-date=6 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Daily Sun \|date=2 October 1988 \|page=1 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Rape">{{cite news \|last1=Perkei \|first1=Kim Sue Lia \|title=Cleric disputes ex-member's allegations of rape \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121270902 \|access-date=7 October 2020 \|work=Arizona Republic \|date=27 August 1988 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Rollers">{{cite news \|last1=Munroe \|first1=Ian \|title=The holy rollers \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/122954729/ \|access-date=6 October 2020 \|work=The Sunday Age}}</ref>

	<ref name="Simple">{{cite news \|last1=Kirby \|first1=Sharon \|title=Pastor hopes to spread the simple gospel \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/320732721 \|access-date=8 October 2020 \|work=Tampa Bay Times \|date=22 June 1985 \|page=9 \|language=en}}</ref>

	<ref name="Support">{{cite news \|last1=Bartamus \|first1=Ted \|title=Support group tells others of life after Potters House \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/516340315/ \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|work=Arizona Daily Sun \|issue=55 \|publisher=Arizona Daily Sun \|date=3 October 1988\|volume=43 }}</ref>

	<ref name="Vine">{{cite book \|last1=Van Cleave \|first1=Nathaniel \|title=The Vine and the Branches: A History of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel \|date=September 2, 2014 \|publisher=Foursquare Media \|isbn=978-1621366645 \|pages=150–153 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=naBVBAAAQBAJ&q=wayman+mitchell&pg=PT159 \|access-date=2020-03-31 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200331154909/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=naBVBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT159&lpg=PT159&dq=wayman+mitchell&source=bl&ots=_MR-p_pC0O&sig=ACfU3U10osybWy46Gkx-3jkoeisCDoQVuA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1jbyOhsXoAhWTA3IKHQTdB584UBDoATACegQIChAB#v=onepage&q=wayman%20mitchell&f=false \|archive-date=2020-03-31}}</ref>

	<ref name="Vision">{{cite web \|title=Our Vision \|url=https://www.prescottpottershouse.com/our-vision \|website=The Potter's House Christian Fellowship Church \|publisher=Prescott Potter's House \|access-date=26 September 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926130248/https://www.prescottpottershouse.com/our-vision \|archive-date=26 September 2020}}</ref>

	<ref name="Wakefield">{{cite news \|last1=Eberhard \|first1=Monika \|title=Houses of Worship \|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/357283636 \|access-date=30 September 2020 \|work=Austin American Statesman \|date=17 April 2004}}</ref>

	}}		}}