January 2026 Update: Why didn’t you tell us we were sued, John Nelson? How could you lie to all of us church members for years and never tell us we were named defendants in a $75,000 lawsuit? Both you and Vandament Avenue Baptist Church were named defendants in an auto negligence suit, and you never told us. Did you use any of the $200,000+ of our offerings to the building fund to settle out of court with the army veteran you hit? You stood from the pulpit and screamed at us for our “sins,” but lied to us about a years-long court battle. In August 2025, your very own words that you recorded went viral, and you have never made anything right. You said such vile, hate-filled things—how is that a reflection of Christ’s love? How is using racist slurs and homophobic slurs the mark of a godly pastor? It’s not. What you preached to that congregation has nothing to do with God’s unconditional love. You and your church members have covered up child sexual abuse all this time. And now it’s too late because the pedo died, so what kind of justice is left for his victims? You have covered for the man who is physically and verbally abusive in your King’s Kids program—and continued to let him teach those kids after countless complaints. You need to do the right thing for once, and apologize to your waning congregation for what you have done—and not done—after all these years. You STILL have the opportunity to make things right and ask for forgiveness. You really can humble yourself and sincerely ask everyone you’ve hurt to forgive you, but that means accepting that you’ve been wrong. And the same goes for those in your church leadership: You each need to step up and ask yourself if you’re following Jesus Christ, or if you’ve been part of a church that has broken up families, left children with trauma, and hidden terrible secrets. At the end of the day, the greatest damage you caused wasn’t to your reputation—it was to the children you failed, the families you broke, and the faith you claimed to preach while betraying everything it stands for. —— This is not a church; it's a wolf in sheep's clothing. I was a member here from age 8 to 31. I did all of my schooling in their private academy. I spent my life here, and if you are reading this right now, I am sincerely asking you to please go somewhere else for worship. To this day, I am still undoing all the brainwashing they put me (and my family) through. Dozens of families have had their lives turned upside down by the teachings and rhetoric here. As a fundamental church, they practice ex-communication—or "churching"—though they mainly like to save it for unwed pregnant girls. They will not protect your children from verbal assault in their kids' programs; they will not protect your children from men with pedophiliac agendas, nor will they report them to the police; but they will ensure control over everything from your clothing to your extracurricular activities, from your politics to entertainment—and believe it or not, your own family. Controlling the family is a major focus here. Getting permission from the pastor is ingrained in members, so if you don't heed his "biblical counsel," you are "going against scripture." Please know that if you are a woman, this is not a safe place for you. They teach that the woman is below the man in the "hierarchy." Women are second-class citizens here, at best. And purity culture reigns supreme. The emotional abuse has been the hardest thing to undo; you're constantly made to feel guilty about everything—even things that make no sense, like women wearing pants instead of dresses. I realize this review could look like a disgruntled member, or someone who is just a "backslider." But my relationship with Christ has never been more beautiful. I am begging you: Please go somewhere else. Please do not risk it. It will seem like the sweetest, friendliest church at first, but that's not what happens behind closed doors. Find a church that practices love, offers kindness, and chooses compassion. You deserve better.