And this guy basically interviewed all my friends, my family members, my staff, anybody who knew me and asked two questions: What's good about Bob? Eagle Brook . Villareal said sometimes a young man will initiate matters by going to his father and saying hes ready. He was very physically abusive and my parents would tell me it was my fault because I was antagonizing him, she said. 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[9], The Church has a Baptist confession of faith and is a member of Converge. There were countless times Id wake up when my body was hitting the floor., He would also take her clothes from her as punishment, she said, ordering her to get naked and do chores, a form of discipline she remembers being particularly disturbing when she was 12, 13, 14 years old and very much struggling through puberty., Her mother declined, through her daughter, to be interviewed for this story. I had an associate who basically wanted my job and he didnt get chosen. He says it's music people can relate to, and relatability is what Merritt, who's been at the church since 1991, is all about. Weekly church attendance was 25,340 people in 2022. The building sits at the back of a large parking lot down a dead-end street originally called Holy Spirit Lane. Jutting off Harris near Redwood Acres, the short road is now named St. James Place, though people familiar with the church even some of its members refer to it as the cult-de-sac. The suburban-style tract homes lining St. James Place are filled almost exclusively with members of the church. We love the church. By year 10, Merritt said the church had grown to over 5,000 people. The church was founded in 1948 as a house Bible study group called the First Baptist Church led by Sam and Ethel Hane in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. It did take me a year to realize that, but I would definitely describe it as a cult.. I taught for the next three years. Theyre listening to the devil.. 'Resenting God': When Christians Feel Anger, Where Churches Fail, and Why the Bible Is Vital, Actor Corbin Bernsens powerful message about hate and anger', Harvest Bible Chapel formally disqualifies former pastor James MacDonald, citing 1 Timothy 5, Pastor Jonathan Stockstill says ministry leaders should have character, not just gifts. "It's very comfortable, very comfortable here," said volunteer Phil Resendez of West St. Paul. Abigail said Joshs suicide continued to weigh on her, though she stayed in the church for more than a year afterwards. We're not allowed to have a female or male drive in a car alone together if one or the other is married. But I bring this up because I find it fascinating what happened to Fullerton E. Free when Chuck left after more than 20 years of ministry. Leadership really works hard to create a culture where employees feel their individual job is important to the mission of Eagle Brook, which is to reach people for Christ. You could be a teacher or you could work in one of the businesses owned by church members, including North Coast Floor and Tile, SameDay Auto Scratch and Dent Repair and, until it was recently sold, New Life Services Company. He was failed on so many levels, but a big part was the church., Esther Mandville believes their peers were suffering just as much. While it might not be weird, Eagle Brook is certainly unique. "The trappings of a religious institution seem to be missing form Eagle Brook's worship space," he said. Robinson and others said that eventually Todd wound up admitting to at least some of the crimes hed been accused of, but his only punishment was that he wouldnt be allowed to marry anybody in the church. Villareal holds the church at least partly responsible. So, what keeps people in it for the long haul? You did go to any and all choir practices or else your zeal was questioned, he said. Then in the second year, we went from 300 to 400 [members], then from 400 to 500 and then it just started to climb.. Eventually she decided she needed to get out. Most of the marriages are arranged, said Anne Robinson, another former Gospel Outreach member. What is Paul? The very first weekend the Anoka location opened, 6,545 people showed up, with some watching from the hallway as the venue flooded with visitors. A lot of times, God doesnt show us what is ahead. [8] According to a church census released in 2020, it claimed a weekly attendance of 25,340 people and 9 campuses in different cities. Eventually, her dad asked her to get coffee with him and they had a conversation. We had conversations about him being the guy to succeed me. Come for some fun, worship and fellowship. What did you hear about it? As the pastor of a Twin Cities church, I was bothered by the Feb. 27 front page article No Bibles, no hymnals, no pews. I am not going to be doing interim work. Eagle Brook Online Watch Live on Sundays at 9 & 11 AM (CST) Connect with us Learn More About Jesus Request Prayer Here's what's happening with Eagle Brook Online: What are your questions about faith? Months after announcing his plans to retire, the 63-year-old Merritt officially stepped down as Eagle Brooks senior pastor on his March 1 birthday, giving way to longtime teaching pastor Jason Strand to assume his position. He worked out an agreement with Strand that he will always be available to offer advice but will not do so in an encroaching manner. Notably, Guatemalan dictator Gen. Efrain Rios Montt became a convert and, following a 1982 military coup in that country, he employed Gospel Outreach in the notorious rural pacification program known as beans and bullets. Church members supplied food, medicine and clothing to local residents before Montts forces came in and razed their villages, killing hundreds of indigenous Mayans and rendering survivors wards of the government. Then after lunch all we would do is sing until 3 or 3:30. DeSoto remembers being intimidated when, as a teenager, he became one of the boys tasked with preparing and serving coffee to the elders at these meetings. Lutherans and Catholics make up almost half of the state's faith population. | Photo by Ryan Burns. The writer serves on the Republican Partys 6th Congressional District Executive Committee as vice chair representing Anoka County. She asked if anything was sexual, Villareal said. He volunteers with the church's recovery support group. We also sent emails and left voice messages asking to speak with church leadership for this story but got no response. Eventually someone cries and then we can go to choir practice it was really so predictable like that. That was it. Embarrassingly to admit, I was horrified, Chauvin said. 1 Corinthians 3:4-7 (ESV) Paul sums up this section with a not-to-be-forgotten truth: it is God who gives the growth, whether in an . But beneath it, I was this man angry at everybody for not getting in line and not doing their job right or whatever it might be. Eagle Brook exists to reach people for Christand that's the heart behind everything we do. Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. Because of his own experiences, Merritt encourages pastors to see counselors. Eventually someone cries and then we can go to choir practice., Myself and other former cult members jokingly say, Remember when theyd lock us in a room until we made another kid cry? he said. Well call her Sarah. What then is Apollos? The last time I was there, Robinson said, he was teaching the kids Sunday school.. She was a proponent of pro-abortion, pro-gay rights Republican Arne Carlsons campaign for governor in the early 90s. I couldn't believe that I didn't see it. They wanted you to adhere: Dont stray off the script., Chauvin got the same message. MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) The largest church in Minnesota is expanding from the suburbs into downtown Minneapolis. Today, we have the advantage of learning from the conversations that followed. [7] In 2020, Jason Strand became the senior pastor of the church. There was this self-policing to find the one who was the most out of line so everyone could gang up on that person to explain why they were utterly failing and in sin and need to repent. Chauvin was working as a part-time teacher when she first heard that Todd had molested two girls. Eagle Brook Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch based in Centerville, Minnesota. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Roger's reflections on grace, God and other grand topics. The Church Just Wants To Get Big. I just dropped my head in my hands and started crying. The more immature people on the other hand they were followers of a celebrity pastorand werent giving anything anyway. Below youll find some suicide-prevention resources: Advertising supports our journalism. She said it took her a while to be ready for that. All the music, the meetings youre hardly sleeping. But the workload and responsibility on Merritts plate as a seminary teacher and pastor might've gotten the better of him as he struggled with issues of anger and depression. Put this image on your website to promote the show -, Report inappropriate content or request to remove this page. The phrase theyd use is, Dont uncover your fathers nakedness, Chauvin said. I mean, its molestation., DeSoto had heard about Todds crimes and said the cycle of abuse expanded. Villareal agreed self-expression was discouraged. I couldnt imagine being romantic with any of them. My stepdad makes me do my chores naked and youre asking me if this is sexual? Watching. Some people left the church as well because they werent sure I was the guy. Guest Speaker John Dickerson | Message 84 of 127, Guest Speaker Kyle Idleman | Message 98 of 127, Guest Speaker Jon Weece | Message 114 of 127, Guest Speaker Kyle Idleman | Message 116 of 127, Guest Speaker Bob Merritt | Message 117 of 127, A Time To Think About What Really Matters, To Have Relationships that Flourish (Greg Speck), Proven Biblical Money Principles (Dave Ramsey). We all have disfunction, he said. I feel a great deal of loss right now, Merritt told The Christian Post after returning from a week out of the country with a group of friends. She was horrified and so angry.. "We're trying to hit that 80 percent.". More drastically, the number of Minnesotans who say they don't believe in God has tripled in the past decade. Asked what she hopes for in telling her story, she just wants the kids still inside to have more information. A sign for Gospel Outreach faces Harris Street near the entrance to the McKay Community Forest. It messed with your immune systems, the stress and the amount of sleep we were getting it just wasnt good for your body., As a teenager, Sarah was prone to illness and infections, which she later attributed to stress. Brainwashing is kind of an overused phrase, but it really is brainwashing.. After all that was said and done, our church took off again. Paulsums up thissectionwith a not-to-be-forgotten truth: it is God who gives the growth, whether in an individuals spiritual life, or in a churchs statistics. Sarah escaped when she was 19 and drove to the house of a friend whose entire family had left the church six months earlier. Eagle Brook Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch based in Centerville, Minnesota. Ah, yes, but the next statistic was even more interesting to me: 1,000 people leaveand giving stays the same? in Fullerton, CA sometime in 1982 thru 1984 (probably closer to 1984). That situation developed into [some of] those young kids, the victims, reenacting those experiences with other very young children, he said. When Id try to say something from my own opinion, they would kind of attack you, Abigail said. Sometimes I would have to make up a sin, like, Ive been really hating my brother or Ive been thinking about sex and thats bad.. I should be in the office, interacting with my colleagues and thinking about the message and getting busy with writing that. From the moment youre born you start memorizing catechism. She means Martin Luthers Small Catechism, a book published in 1529 to teach kids about the Ten Commandments, the Sacrament of the Eucharist and other elements of Lutheran faith. I thought of them like brothers. But what about you? Now that the Democrats are in control and are pushing for legalization of same-sex marriage, not a word of criticism appears about their not giving the real fiscal issues first priority. All of that, as a child, thats [treated as] your problem: Why cant you talk right? Return to homepage. I was just trying to keep all the balls in the air. Robinson, meanwhile, was treated differently after word spread about her allegations. David Sczepanski, the pastor and sole school administrator, was brought in. Criticism & Conflict. Each weekend service lasts about one hour. I dont know anything about the location. She was a proponent of pro-abortion, pro-gay rights Republican. Regardless, according to Robinson, Todd did go on to abuse other girls and she was one of his victims. "Although we would have loved to become a part of the community, we have made the difficult decision to not pursue the development at . When I was nine . Her voice broke. His dad would then talk to the elders, and if the elders approved theyd quiz [the young man] to make sure he could support a family, buy a house and a car, that he had money in the bank, etc. And recently, she lost her national committeewoman position to someone more conservative, after serving only two years. And so what you got to do is you got to build safeguards and boundaries in your life that you just never violate because this happens in churches.. "They come into a church, there's a lobby, there's a caf, there's a bookstoreIt feels like a movie theater almost where you have comfortable seats. Why bring this up? Villareal said her stepfather regularly abused her and her mother for years, starting shortly after he married her mom, continuing during their missionary work in Mexico and following their move to Humboldt County. ), DeSoto said kids are expected to maintain a cheerful demeanor. Its definitely a cult, said Esther Mandville, a 24-year-old former member who was raised in Gospel Outreach. Chauvins situation was different: She didnt leave by choice. That never would have happened had I not dealt with my dysfunctions.. I mean, its molestation.. Much of the education at Gospel Outreach reinforced the churchs strict gender roles, which call on women to be subservient, according to the former members we spoke with. You Betcha: Real advice for real marriages. I would be willing to talk to you about the abuse I witnessed and received. She asked to remain anonymous to protect younger siblings still in the church. "I do not feel judged, not at all," Resendez said. Merritt spends more than 30 hours on his weekly messages and has several people review them. When there was a potluck, girls would bring a dish. Kids wetting the bed way too old, kids with speech impediments past when they should. MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Religion is evolving in Minnesota. My arms would just be bruised, black and blue, and my parents would be like, Dont antagonize him., The abuse didnt stop there. I realized I was in a place that makes me unhappy. Theyre fallen from grace. The church staff turned an old K-Mart into an $18 million facility. Shed make fun of how I dressed. (Though the school is only accredited through 10th grade, Villareal said, The boys generally continue taking classes until grade 12, [and] the girls will only take select classes if any at all past age 16, as theyre generally placed in teaching positions. I would cut my legs, just places nobody would see higher up on my thighs. In the early years it morphed and expanded under the charismatic leadership of Pastor Jim Durkin. But her just-now-stated position against a foundational Republican Party platform and principle lacks integrity. It was a mixture of clinical depression and the churchs lack of response, or inappropriate response to it, she said. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Please enter valid email address to continue. I would often get three or four hours [of sleep] a night because there was always a new recital or a project or a play.. My boyfriend, Ill ask him every five minutes if he needs a drink or food. Search past episodes of Eagle Brook Church Podcast. After that, girls were not allowed to play paintball.