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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.

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.

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

Mitchell passed away 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.

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 [[Proselytism#Christianity|reaching people with the message of the gospel.

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. "Christian Fellowship Ministries map". Retrieved September 13, 2019.
2. "Obituary: Wayman Othell Mitchell". dcourier.com. The Daily Courier. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
3. "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.
4. "Beliefs". The Potter's House Christian Fellowship Church. Prescott Potter's House. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
5. ^ "Dead pastor's past haunts church". Waikato Times. January 31, 2009. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
6. Eberhard, Monika (April 17, 2004). "Houses of Worship". Austin American Statesman. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
7. "Pastor opens new church". The Times. September 18, 1983. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
8. Gust, Dodie (January 4, 1986). "Church oriented to young people is booming". Arizona Daily Star. p. 5. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
9. Kirby, Sharon (June 22, 1985). "Pastor hopes to spread the simple gospel". Tampa Bay Times. p. 9. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
10. ^ 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.
11. ^ 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.
12. ^ 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.
13. ^ 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.
14. ^ 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.
15. ^ Enroth, Ronald M. (1993). Churches That Abuse. Zondervan. pp. 197–200. ISBN 9780310532927. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
16. ^ 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.
17. ^ 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.
18. ^ 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.
19. ^ Perkes, Kim Sue Lia (July 30, 1988). "Deprogrammer shepherds lost lambs". Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
20. 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.
21. ^ 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.
22. ^ 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.
23. 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.
24. ^ Perkei, Kim Sue Lia (August 27, 1988). "Cleric disputes ex-member's allegations of rape". Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
25. "Religious leader: Guam's gay community "miserable"". Kuam News. February 2018. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2020.

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• Pentecostal denominations
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• Pentecostal denominations established in the 20th century
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