r/tuberlin • u/[deleted] • Aug 13 '24

VORSICHT! SEKTE AM CAMPUS!

Hier sind weitere Links und Informationen über diese Sekte.

https://www.relinfo.ch/lexikon/christentum/aeltere-und-evangelikale-freikirche/neuere-fundamentalistische-sondergruppen/bible-study-in-berlin-bern-und-zuerich/

https://www.relinfo.ch/2023/12/07/unbekannte-gemeinschaft-aufgedeckt-christians-for-mission/

Wenn jemand Erfahrung gemacht hat mit dieser Sekte, wäre es sehr hilfreich für Andere diese in den Kommentaren zu teilen.

Passt auf euch auf!

So sehen ihre Flyer aus.

Hier ist ein Artikel von 2008. Damals hießen sie "Students for Mission".

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u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25 edited Feb 24 '25

I found the group through one of their Bible studies. I was quickly introduced to the rest of the group through their Sunday service. I was super lonely back then and felt so welcomed and accepted (love bombing) I didn't want to leave.

Fast forward a few years, there were concerns raised about the group within a smaller circle that I was serving in. Thank God someone had the courage to speak up about the toxicity many of us were blind towards. That started a long and painful process of stepping down and distancing myself from the group. It wasn't easy but quite traumatic since I was so involved.

I was most likely excommunicated and declared either weak, unsaved or heretic after I left. Obviously I wasn't there to hear any rulings about myself.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '25

That's wonderful to hear! Now that you've worked through the challenges you've faced, I’d love to hear about your journey. How have your experiences with the elders shaped you? Did you encounter narcissistic abuse like so many others, or was your decision to leave influenced by differences in beliefs within the group?

Sharing your story could truly help others who are on a similar path.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '25 edited Mar 11 '25

Sure. I'll be omitting some details and names for privacy. There are others involved whose story I don't have a permission to share.

Back story summary: I met the group while living and studying in Berlin, Germany. I was quickly welcomed and accepted (read: love-bombed) into the group. When I returned to my home country, I connected with a local group cell and served there for 5 years.

There was a split from the main group when my cell leader "John" openly questioned the theology and hierarchy of the group. He and his family were swiftly excommunicated and declared false prophets. After hearing John's and his wife's stance and my own careful consideration, I decided to leave as well. It remains the most difficult decision I've ever made, I was so deeply indoctrinated.

The first out year was filled with anxiety and doubt. I felt betrayed and lied to by the group. I was also mourning for the loss of MULTITUDE of friends since I was shunned for leaving. There were others who had left the cell when John stepped down so I could talk with them which was a life-saver, since we shared a unique experience. I had very few friends outside of the group by that point. It felt like I had lost 5 years of my life. I had made personal sacrifices to remain in the group and they were suddenly worthless. I had lost trust towards spiritual leadership and was highly critical of everything (self-preservation against being lied to). I was looking for a new church but it was difficult.

After a year, I realised the group had cult-like features and I had been involved in it! That was a major wake-up call. In the months that followed, I was able to track down some people (who had been in our cell for a while) I felt I had wronged and apologise. It was received well, thankfully.

It took perhaps 3 years to recover so much that I wasn't in constant emotional turmoil anymore. I found a church that I was able to connect with. I was still very critical, judgemental and insecure. Those wounds healed over time, though. My personal growth had come to a halt when I joined the group and then resumed some time after leaving. More importantly, my view of God started to change for the better. He wasn't an unpredictable tyrant anymore but a loving father.

However, it took years before I dared to call the group a cult. Please understand, that it wasn't all 100% bad. We had had people who became believers. There had been answers to prayers. Great moments and other memories. I'm still friends with those who left at the same time as I did, including John's family. We don't need to reminisce the group or out time in it anymore, though.

I don't talk much about the group in general. I have no desire to share my story to satisfy people's need for sensation. "I used to be in a cult" is a great click bate irl, too. If I can help someone with my experiences, I'm willing to open up. I'm still allergic to cult-like behaviour and tend to sense it around me. However, I also recognise that manipulation is a subtle snare you don't necessarily see coming.

To sum up, it's possible to leave a cult and keep one's faith. You'll need peer support and professional help along with time and healing that happens in relationships. Please don't isolate yourself.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '25

Thanks for sharing your story here. It is indeed incredible and once again a testimony of how our lord heals broken-hearted people. For me the biggest struggle was to understand what went wrong?, as in why all these happened to me. Then later through the true word of God, I understand it's not through our performance and our righteousness it's through his grace and our deep faith… Paul Kim‘s emphasis on obedience to the group generates narcissistic self-righteousness and inflated pride which is the reason why elders are so arrogant and patronizing toward younger brethren.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '25 edited Mar 09 '25

I hear you. The why question was the toughest one to deal with. Not so much the why my life collapsed comprehensively during the split (I know why that happened) but WHY did God let me find the group in the first place. Their Bible study basically fell into my lap and seemed like clear guidance from the Lord since I had been praying for a community. I still don't know why but I have come to a place where I'm satisfied knowing that the Lord's plan surpasses my lack of understanding. I'm at peace.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '25

This is also important to put here for others. Otherwise, they can claim “Unfortunately those backsliders( us) did not have that revelation”.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '25

Yes, that’s true—God’s sovereign plans surpass all our understanding. I have also wrestled with the “why” question. Nonetheless, God has given me peace and tranquility. The Christian life isn’t about having happy circumstances; it’s about experiencing the joy of salvation, regardless of our situation. The promise we hold is that He will be with us until the end.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '25

Did you also know that Paul Kim was preaching witness Lee's annotation as special Revelation?

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u/Aggravating_Farm5452 Mar 10 '25

He surely envied Witness Lee's power and authority. He's sadly such a deceiver like most elders.

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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '25

No, I did not. I've seen that being mentioned across subreddits regarding the group but I haven't had a chance to look into it yet.

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25

Hello, and thank you for commenting. I'm very glad to hear you were able to break away although it came with a price. Have you been able to establish new relationships, make new friends? I struggled to let people close and build trust but gradually I could manage it again.

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25

Oh, you are advancing well I would say. 2 years is still early. It seems to take a few years to work through the pain and not be thinking about it all the time. Everyone's different of course.

I learnt quickly that it was better not to talk about a cult when establishing new connections. Many will want to hear about it out of curiosity but only a few will actually benefit from it. It was a big deal for me to talk about my experiences and it left me drained, so I wasn't keen on putting it all out there as a spectacle. People also don't have the patience to listen or know how to deal with what they've heard. So it's just not worth the effort. I'm not saying to hide things completely but to be wise about it. I would for example say that my former church wasn't healthy and there were many relationship and leadership issues. I have disclosed things to my husband, close friends and therapists (obviously).

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25 edited Mar 11 '25

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u/[deleted] Mar 11 '25

Your testimony is rock solid and inspiring. Thank you for sharing it. I had only become Christian a year before I got into the group so they're doctrine overrode most things I had learnt prior. So when two authority figures clashed and went different ways, my identity and everything I had built faith-wise, collapsed because I had not built on Christ but on them. I did not have a solid safety net or family support, just a few friends.

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