Word of Faith Fellowship
A church in which the leader controls every aspect of member's lives and members are ritualistically abused as a form of exorcism
1979 - present
Jane and Sam Whaley (founders)
The Word of Faith Fellowship, a notorious religious cult founded by the infamous Jane Whaley, is known to enforce an oppressive set of rules that dictate every single aspect of its members' lives. Former members have revealed details of the cult's beliefs, which include the idea that every misstep is caused by a demonic force. By screaming and physically assaulting the victim, the cult believes they can expel these demons. Such extreme beliefs have led to abuse, resulting in various lawsuits and investigations.
The cult goes to great lengths to isolate its members from the outside world, forbidding them from communicating with their families and discouraging them from disclosing the church's actions to outsiders. To maintain its grip on its followers, the Word of Faith Fellowship actively discourages any form of outside communication, with strict instructions to cut all ties with families and outsiders. This isolation, coupled with the group's strict code of conduct, has enabled instances of abuse to thrive within the cult.
Despite the numerous investigations and lawsuits, the Word of Faith Fellowship remains active.
Religion: Christianity
Denomination: Evangelicalism
Founders: Jane and Sam Whaley
Founded: 1979
Size: 720 (2012)
Location: Spindale, North Carolina
Word of Faith Fellowship members are required to sign a waiver releasing the church from liability for any injuries suffered during worship (source)
The church has been charged with human trafficking (source)
Word of Faith Fellowship practices "blasting," in which a member would be yelled at for hours to remove demons (source)
Members were reportedly required to choke, restrain, and punch each other to remove devils (source)
Five members are charged with assault for trying to beat homosexual demons out of a member (source)
16 members told an investigative journalist that they had been abused; an additional 14 members claimed to have seen the abuse happen (source)
The church was investigated by social services for child abuse in 2002-2003 (source)
A judge ruled that church leaders "attempt to exercise complete control over the mind, body and spirit of its members, both adults and children" (source)
Members of the Word of Faith Fellowship were reportedly forbidden to seek medical attention for injuries such as cuts, sprains, and cracked ribs (source)
The Word of Faith Fellowship was investigated by the state of North Carolina in 1996 for child abuse after more than 40 former members came forward about mistreatment within the cult (source)
Leaders reportedly remove children from their family homes and give them to other leaders to be raised (source)
Former members have testified to witnessing babies shaken, screamed at, and smacked (source)
Children are reportedly told to beat each other for daydreaming or smiling (source)
North Carolina State authorities have removed children from the Word of Faith Fellowship, due to the church's abusive nature, claiming it has had "an adverse effect on the health, safety, and welfare of children." However, this decision was overturned on appeal. (source)
The church won a lawsuit against the department of social services, causing twelve investigations for child abuse by church members to be closed (source)
One member testified that her son was beaten until he was "black and blue" after the boy reported that another boy had tried to hug and kiss him (source)
Children are reportedly taken away from their parents with no contact for up to a decade (source)
Members of the Word of Faith Fellowship reportedly believe that leader Jane Whaley was a prophet, and that her sayings were taken as the gospel (source)
Members of the Word of Faith Fellowship follow a strict set of rules (see below) which prohibit them watching television and movies, reading newspapers, or eating in restaurants that play music or serve alcohol (source)
The list of rules at the Word of Faith Fellowship also allow Jane Whaley to control the private decisions of her followers, such as if they can go to college, what they are allowed to study, who they are allowed to work for, what clothes they can wear, and what games they are allowed to play (source)
Members have a "deep distrust of the outside world" (source)
Members who attend a local community college must have their textbooks "cleared" by the cult (source)
Some members have reportedly been forced to move out of their houses, to cut contact with family members for a year, and permanently stop communicating with family members who have not joined the church (source)
Members of the Word of Faith Fellowship have reported that congregants were sexually abused, including minors (source)
Leader Jane Whaley has admitted to knowing about sexual abuse within the church but not reporting it to authorities (source)
Jane Whaley reportedly discouraged a member from reporting his abuse to authorities (source)
The Word of Faith Fellowship allegedly gradually makes members psychologically unable to leave through methods such as taking children from their parents to be raised by church leaders and keeping member's secrets on file to use against them if they tried to leave (source)
The cult reportedly taught that God will kill anyone who betrayed the church or Jane Whaley (source)
One member claimed he was sent to a different country, then had his passport and money taken away (source)
Members are warned that they will die of cancer or burn in Hell if they leave the church (source)
Word of Faith Fellowship members need permission from the leader to date any specific person, have sex with their spouse, or have children (source)
Reported list of rules that all members must submit to
Other info:
Members of the Word of Faith Fellowship do not celebrate Christmas, Easter, or birthdays (source)
Books:
An explosive investigation into Word of Faith Fellowship, a secretive evangelical cult whose charismatic female leader is a master of manipulation
In 1979, a fiery preacher named Jane Whaley attracted a small group of followers with a promise that she could turn their lives around.
In the years since, Whaley’s following has expanded to include thousands of congregants across three continents. In their eyes she’s a prophet. And to disobey her means eternal damnation.
The control Whaley exerts is absolute: she decides what her followers study, where they work, whom they can marry—even when they can have sex.
Based on hundreds of interviews, secretly recorded conversations, and thousands of pages of documents, Pulitzer Prize winner Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr’s Broken Faith is a terrifying portrait of life inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, and the harrowing account of one family who escaped after two decades.
(Buy here)