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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 Wayman Mitchell. Originally a part of the Foursquare church, 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.

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. Mitchell promoted personal witnessing which saw much church growth, primarily from the youth of the hippie movement 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.

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.

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.

In 2001, a second split occurred with around 160 churches leaving the fellowship due to disagreements with the direction the fellowship was heading in.

As of November 2021 the church has over 2,900 churches worldwide.

Mitchell died on September 21, 2020 in Prescott, Arizona.

Doctrine and practice

The Potter's House Christian Fellowship holds Pentecostal beliefs with a strong emphasis on evangelism, church planting, and discipleship. Doctrines include salvation by faith, the infallibility of the bible, faith healing, and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

An intense program of evangelism is promoted with regular outreach events scheduled including, but not limited to, street evangelism, music concerts, movie nights, and revival meetings, with the intention of converting people and increasing church membership.

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. 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. 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. These new pastors then go on to repeat the process by training their own disciples to start new churches. Women in the church are not encouraged to pursue careers as the church believes their place is in the home supporting their husbands.

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 altar call, 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.

The church believes that participating in sin can result in physical problems. Homosexuality can cause deafness and idol worship can cause problems with eyesight.

Financial support for the church comes from the collection of tithes 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. 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.

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.

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." While new members are given love and attention to make them want to stay in the church, 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. Members are told not to question the pastor's leadership and those who do so are considered rebellious. According to Stubbs, loyalty to the pastor is equated to loyalty to God. 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. 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.

Level of commitment

The church requires an intense level of commitment from its members and uses psychological and emotional pressure to enforce that commitment. 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." 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.

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. This can include not just the shunning of friends but the turning of family members against each other. In cases where interaction does occur, former members have reported receiving harassing letters and phone calls, and being slandered through rumours. In one case, church leaders were instructed to publicly renounce a pastor who had left the group. Former members have consistently reported that time in the church has led to traumatic experiences both to individuals and to families. A therapist described the symptoms of one couple who had left the church as similar to those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. 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. 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.

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.

Cult

The intensity of involvement and indoctrination by the church has led to many former members labelling the group a cult. The church has been accused of brainwashing its members resulting in the blind following of church beliefs and the division of families. 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. 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.

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. Campo responded in a letter to The Arizona Republic 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. 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.

Homophobia

The church holds a homophobic position in relation to the LGBTQI community and has screened anti-gay movies to the public. In a 2009 interview with the Waikato Times 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. 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.

References

1. ^ Ted Bartimus; Karen M. Bullock (October 2, 1988). "Potter's House: Pearly gates or prison walls?". Arizona Daily Sun. p. 1. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
2. ^ Crehan, Ryan. "A Cult in Prescott?". Prescott College -The Word, republished on the Cult Education Institute website. Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
3. ^ Van Cleave, Nathaniel (September 2, 2014). The Vine and the Branches: A History of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Foursquare Media. pp. 150–153. ISBN 978-1621366645. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
4. ^ Reynalds, Jeremy. "Potter's House Group Loses Churches Amid More Charges of Rigid Control". www.charismamag.com. Charisma. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
5. "Christian Fellowship Ministries map". Retrieved September 13, 2019.
6. "Obituary: Wayman Othell Mitchell". dcourier.com. The Daily Courier. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
7. "Our Vision". The Potter's House Christian Fellowship Church. Prescott Potter's House. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
8. "Beliefs". The Potter's House Christian Fellowship Church. Prescott Potter's House. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
9. ^ "Dead pastor's past haunts church". Waikato Times. January 31, 2009. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
10. ^ Eberhard, Monika (April 17, 2004). "Houses of Worship". Austin American Statesman. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
11. "Pastor opens new church". The Times. September 18, 1983. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
12. ^ Gust, Dodie (January 4, 1986). "Church oriented to young people is booming". Arizona Daily Star. p. 5. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
13. ^ Kirby, Sharon (June 22, 1985). "Pastor hopes to spread the simple gospel". Tampa Bay Times. p. 9. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
14. ^ Enroth, Ronald M. (1993). Churches That Abuse. Zondervan. pp. 197–200. ISBN 9780310532927. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
15. ^ Poley, Sean. "Christian Fellowship founder answers to no one". Cape Cod Times, republished on the Cult Education Institute website. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
16. Munroe, Ian. "The holy rollers". The Sunday Age. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
17. Bullock, Karen M. (October 2, 1988). "Current members believe God wants complete commitment". Arizona Daily Sun. p. 15. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
18. Masliah, Alberto (September 15, 2004). "Healing ceremony raises spirits and skepticism". Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
19. Berg, Jeff. "Amen-uh to All That". Archived from the original on December 27, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
20. ^ "Religious leader: Guam's gay community "miserable"". Kuam News. February 2018. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
21. ^ Hayes, Chris. "The Door: A Church or a Cult?". KPHO TV, republished on the Cult Education Institute website. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
22. ^ Polay, Sean. "Part I : A fellowship of Fear". Cape Cod Times, republished on the Cult Education Institute website. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
23. ^ Bearden, Michelle. "Support group helps those hurt by bouts with fringe churches". The Phoenix Gazette, republished on the Cult Education Institute website. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
24. ^ Larry A. Nichols; George Mather; Alvin J. Schmidt (February 23, 2010). Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions: Revised and Updated Edition. Zondervan Academic. ISBN 9780310866060. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
25. ^ Bartamus, Ted (October 3, 1988). "Support group tells others of life after Potters House". Arizona Daily Sun. Vol. 43, no. 55. Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
26. ^ Perkes, Kim Sue Lia (July 30, 1988). "Deprogrammer shepherds lost lambs". Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
27. Grady, J. Lee (July 10, 2019). What Happened to the Fire?: Rekindling the Blaze of Charismatic Renewal. Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 86–87. ISBN 9781532680113. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
28. ^ Enge, Marilee (March 23, 1989). "Mother fights church group for her son". Anchorage Daily News, republished on the Cult Education Institute website. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
29. ^ Grady, J. Lee. "Potter's House Leader Defends Group". Charisma, republished on the Cult Education Institute website. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
30. ^ Perkei, Kim Sue Lia (August 27, 1988). "Cleric disputes ex-member's allegations of rape". Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 7, 2020.

• Pentecostal denominations
• Jesus movement
• Christian organizations established in 1970
• Pentecostal denominations established in the 20th century
• Christian denominations established in the 20th century
• Evangelical denominations in North America