EXAMPLES:

• Demand for Purity - Consider how often loyalty to leaders is mentioned throughout these documents. The following are some examples:
  • "Week 1 - Understanding Small Group" (pg 6) - there is a list of criteria for a healthy leader which includes "demonstrated commitment to the local church," "trusts the leaders Jesus has established," and "refuses to engage in criticism."
  • Later, in "Week 4 - Relational Leadership" (pg 6) it is explicitly mentioned that all leaders are subjected to loyalty tests to insure they are "teachable."
  • At the top of the "Relationship Progression" pyramid in "Week 4 - Relational Leadership" (pg 1) loyalty is listed as the highest level of relationship progression
  • Leaders are instructed to ostracize members who are not loyal in "Week 4 - Relational Leadership" (pg 4): “...you may encounter people who are unwilling to follow…. these people should be led in a way that causes them to either change or leave.”
• Sacred Science - consider the way leaders within the church are characterized in the references from the above bullets:
  • The underlying emphasis on loyalty assumes a member's flourishing in their life and faith flows from their leader's status of "anointed" leadership.
  • By asserting that all leaders within The Network are "established by Jesus" they silence all legitimate criticism. To question a leader is to question God.
  • Consider the ramifications of pointing out unhealthy or abusive practices in any organization with such a leadership culture.
• Doctrine Over Person- Consider the document "Week 4 - Relational Leadership"
  • Read the statement "As group members feel cared for, they will grow in their ability to trust leaders and should flourish as a result." (pg 1)
  • This statement asserts that (1) group members will feel cared for,(2) this feeling will result in their loyalty to the leader, and (3) their loyalty will result in a flourishing life.
  • In scenarios where the member is not experiencing a flourishing life, logic would dictate the fault is in the member's lack of loyalty to their leader, not flawed methods or abusive leadership.
  • This underlying principle incentivizes leaders to attempt to produce loyalty by creating a feeling (emotional bond) using the manipulative tactics in the section "Building Genuine Relationships," (pg 3-5).

Nick Sellers delivered this training in February, 2022, at Vida Springs Church in Gainesville, Florida, in order to train group leaders in Network methods for replicating small groups.

Consider the following examples from this teaching:

Nick shares how he and his associate pastor have performed exorcisms on a large number of people at North Pines Church. He explains how followers need Network leaders to “pray through their past” in order to remove demons.

• (16m00s) “We'd had a pretty crazy retreat… months later, things have died down and returned back to normal in some sense. We still had a ton of deliverance stuff happening.”
• (52m00s) “…sometimes you run into some demons. Will Miller, one of our — didn’t have something kicked out of him although a third of our group leaders at this point have at some point in the last number of years.”
• (52m20s)” There was one of our leaders who was getting into a bit of a tough spot. I could feel stuff knotting up in him, and I was kind of poking trying to get an in, and I felt like I knew where it came from in his past, stuff from growing up. “
  • “We start praying through that stuff and we run into a demon. Do you know who's there to learn how to kick it out? Will Miller. Will, he'd been around Vine for a dozen years, never kicked anything out. Now since then, he's probably kicked out four or five.”

Nick encourages small group leaders to “hijack” non-Network groups by misrepresenting their intentions.

• (44m40s) Nick tells how he used an acquaintance named Matt to be his “in” to gain access to then take over a student-led small group on Kalamazoo College campus so he could absorb the group members into his church. 
  • “Tytus was starting to come around… I couldn't get him into a normal small group for the life of me, and there were one or two other guys that were also athletes at this D3 school.”
  • “… So, anyway, the guy Matt, who was my original in, he ended up transferring to the Navy before anything materialized. But he was my original in that I was most connected with, and I hijacked this small group.”
• Additionally, Nick insults the people who were in the small group he “hijacks”. For instance:
  • (45m15s) “The very first night I show up and I heard from Matt, “Yeah, there's this guy, Tytus. He’s got a really good voice. He brings his guitar, we do some worship.” And I thought, “Oh, great, an 18-year-old guy with a guitar. This is going to be miserable.” And it was. It was every bit of it.“
• Nick justifies this behavior because of the results: (49m00s) “…we got two group leaders, one of them is a worship leader, out of it. So, it was a good small group. “
• (50m20s) Similarly, Nick praises his wife Mallory for joining existing mothers’ play groups in order to proselytize. Nick also praises Mallory for bringing her “apprentice” (who is not aware she is Mallory’s apprentice) with her to these groups in order to train her to repeat Mallory’s methods. 
  • After joining the mothers’ group, Nick then asks her to “kill it” because too many moms who practice homeschooling had been attending.

Nick shows contempt for Christians who do not use his methods. He claims those from other backgrounds don’t know how to pray, worship, use their finances, and expresses skepticism that they are Christians.

• Nick disparages a group of “non-Network” Christians, accusing them of not knowing “how” to worship or pray, and of not being real Christians.
  • (48m0s) “They were praying real churchy. It's all they knew. A couple of them weren't even Christians.”
• Nick similarly expresses skepticism that a member of his church who isn’t involved enough at North Pines Church is a Christian.
  • (23m00s) “Josh, for years, a gifted aviation student, a real neat kid, Christian home. I think he's a Christian. A handsome guy, tender heart, seems really gifted. There's no life.”
• (1h12m30s) Nick implies that only people who practice Network methods are “right” - in one example he calls into question the faith of a young man who doesn’t pray or worship in Nick’s prescribed style, and he explains at length how he corrected this behavior.
  • “We got to get his money right, we got to get his heart right, we got to get his worship right, he's got to learn how to pray for people.”

Nick claims to have mystical insight of what’s ahead. He claims group leaders will have similar foreknowledge for those in their small groups.

• (31m15s) … “[Jesus] could see Peter, not for where he was at, but where he was going to be. And that is a big thing we have to be able to do as leaders.”
• (57m08s) “…here's what's ahead, here's a person's next step, here are the pitfalls ahead. Here's what concerns me about your dating relationship. Here's how I think God's made you to be and what it's going to look like… The leader sees and identifies what's in the future and prepares and equips a person for that.”
• (1h02m57s) “There are going to be things where you really, as a leader, just have to believe it's your right and responsibility to speak into.”

Nick is clear that showing “mercy” and  “shepherding” (watching over, nurturing, and guiding others) is not the primary focus of leadership in the church. He warns such inclinations will lead to dire consequences for leaders, especially those who treat all members of their small groups equally.

• (8m25s) “I think that the friend zone danger is a very real one where we spend all of our time thinking that we have to watch the Super Bowl and hang out at their house, watching another football game… And we roll that out so long that by the time you actually try to lead anything or do anything meaningful, it's actually kind of awkward.”
• (59m27s) “Proximity blinds discernment.”
• (35m00s) Nick warns of the dangers of small group leaders showing mercy and becoming too caring for people by sharing a story of how a  leader at North Pines was lead into “moral failure” from the stress of caring for those in his group. Nick blames this outcome on the leader using mercy rather than the mystical foresight to “distinguish between people” Nick claims to have.

Followers who are not determined to be future leaders are presented as the training ground for small group leaders to give their “apprentices” practice in replicating the system Nick lays out.

• (54m45s) “You take a core member that's not leading anybody right now, a potential leader that you wonder about, that you've been developing them in a group discussion, but they're not discipling anybody. And you say, “Hey, why don't you spend time with so and so. Here's something I've noticed with him,” or even better to say, “Is there anything that you notice? What do you wonder is a next step for them? What do you suspect God might be doing? And then you pepper in what you see.”

CONSIDERATIONS:

• As you read this account, contrast Steve's narration of these events with the way others experienced them as described on the Network History page of this site
  • The Podcast "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill" has a short episode on Mark Driscoll's "Founder's Myth." Listen to this episode and compare Driscoll's "Founder's Myth" with Steve Morgan's
• As you read the later chapters, where Steve describes his principles for leadership and authority, consider our article on leadership accountability. Examine how his model conflicts with the "checks and balances" which Wayne Grudem and others believe are biblical and wise. Consider how these ideas have contributed to the bylaws (posted above on this page) which include clear and obvious conflicts of interest

OTHER DETAILS:

• Because most Network churches use the same bylaws, any individual church's bylaws are fairly representative of what was widespread within the Network in any given year
• The 2016 local bylaws (and their accompanying membership commitment forms) enshrine membership requirements which had become increasingly strict in the preceding years, albeit informally. The updated bylaws mandate 10% tithing, 20 hours of classes, and allegiance to church leaders
  • The 2016 bylaws do not mention the General Network Fund. The 2018 bylaws do mention it. The General Network Fund has existed since 2006.
• The 2018 bylaws reveal the effect that City Lights leaving the Network had on the centralization of power within The Network as these bylaws were revised to give The Network Leadership Team the power to terminate any church's association in The Network (Article IX)
  • Local bylaws do not mention that the Network Leadership Team bylaws allow this governing body the "authority to amend... the Bylaws used by the local churches... as needed" (see above Network bylaws). This is clear obfuscation for local church members, who do not know that the bylaws of their local church can be changed by The Network's governing body without notification.
  • A new Network overseer role is introduced in the 2018 local bylaws called the "Network Area Coach." The Network Leadership Team bylaws do not mention this role at all, nor is any definition provided in the local bylaws (Article V). However, per the local bylaws, the Network Area Coach has broad authority and influence in each local church, possessing power in some instances equal to the entire local board.

2008 BYLAWS

A PREOCCUPATION WITH LEADERS

High Rock Church’s original bylaws show a preoccupation with how members should follow the leaders of the church, a theme which would become more pronounced in subsequent revisions.

References to following leaders are found:

• In Article IV along with other membership commitments such as a mandated 10% of a member’s income
• In Article V where the assertion is made that the authority of a Network leader carries with it the authority of Jesus Christ
• In Article X where it is claimed that the overseers of the church do not themselves grant the title of pastors but rather “ratify the ordination of God when it is obviously placed on a man’s life.”
• Additionally, Article XI contains a clause which allows the overseers of the church to permanently remove any attender or member for actions they consider “disruptive”, “divisive”, or to have caused “relational division”.
  • Consider the effect such a clause would have on members who ask difficult questions of their leadership or speak out about abusive leadership practices.
  • Such a clause allows the lead pastor and his board to silence criticism and remove those in the church who would speak truth to power.

REVISIONS BETWEEN 2008 & 2016 BYLAWS

There are dramatic differences between the 2008 and 2016 bylaws. Many of the most striking are highlighted below.

ARTICLE I

16 POINT "STATEMENT OF FAITH" IS ADDED:

Prior to this statement of faith, Network churches relied on the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed.  It is unknown at this time which pastors within The Network contributed to this doctrinal statement. The 16 points are described as being the “grounds of our unity,” which implies all churches in The Network would agree on all 16 doctrinal points.

The 16 theological points include:

• An affirmation of Calvinism - “God acted before creation in choosing some people to be saved.” (Article I, Statement of Faith, Election)
• The term “genuine relationship” is listed among the devotions of believers (Article I, Statement of Faith, The Church). “Genuine relationship” has a very specific meaning within The Network as outlined in the 2017 Small Group Leader Training document “Week 4 - Relational Leadership”. 
• An affirmation that all followers are unequivocally to attend a church and be under authority of an overseer whom Jesus himself has appointed or be in disobedience to God (“Article I, Statement of Faith, The Church)

12 POINT LIST OF "VALUES" IS ADDED:

This list expands on the implications of some of the statements of faith. It also describes specific practices of the church as an organization and prescribes behavior for members.

The 12 point list of values includes:

• The assertion that Christians cannot grow as disciples without attending a small group (Article I, Our Values, Small Groups)
• A stated goal of healing the wounds caused by racism and division. (Article I, Our Values, Multi-Ethnic) This statement puts “division” and “racism” on equal standing, and implies that the nature of “racism” is not bigotry nor structural systems nor power dynamics against those who are different, but rather a barrier which prevents agreement. This is important because The Network holds the doctrine that all believers should be of one mind in all matters, great and small (Paull, Sándor. "Followers Should Obey Their Leaders in All Matters", June 2018)
• An admonition to followers that they trust and follow Network leaders in confidence because they are careful in their selection process of these leaders. (Article I, Our Values, Leadership)
• Mercy is to be extended by a Network Church only to those “who want to know Jesus and experience his forgiveness”

Article IV, Membership

SAME SEX MARRIAGES ARE FORBIDDEN

The 2018 bylaws state that The Network recognizes marriage as between one man and one woman. The implication is that marriages which are not between a man and a woman are not recognized as legitimate by the church. This section also includes that the Network church “reserves the right, for any reason, to decline officiating over a wedding.”

REVISIONS BETWEEN 2016 & 2018 BYLAWS

ARTICLE V

"NETWORK AREA COACH" IS INTRODUCED ALONG WITH PROVISION TO REMOVE LOCAL CHURCH BOARD MEMBERS:

The “officers and leadership” portion was reworked between 2016 and 2018 in response to the departure of City Lights church from The Network in 2018. The position of Network Area Coach is also introduced in 2018, though the definition of this position, or how this position is appointed, is not outlined. The Network Area Coach (presumed to be a member of the Network Leadership Team which reports directly to Steve Morgan, the Network Leader) appoints members to local church boards “in cooperation with” the church’s lead pastor. The nature of how the Network Area Coach and the Lead Pastor “cooperate” to appoint board members (or the process which would take place if the two are in dispute over an appointee) is not outlined in this document.

The 2018 bylaws also introduce a process to remove members of the board who are not willing to resign for the “effective functioning of the board.” In these instances a Network Area Coach, Lead Pastor, and other members of the board can remove another board member if they are in unanimous agreement.

ABILITY FOR NETWORK LEADERSHIP TEAM TO REMOVE A LEAD PASTOR IS INTRODUCED:

In the 2016 bylaws, removal of the lead pastor required the unanimous vote of the local church board, which would prompt the Network Leadership Team to call a formal meeting. At the meeting the Lead Pastor would be allowed to present evidence, as would the church board, along with relevant testimony. A unanimous vote by the Network Leadership Team and local church board would remove the Lead Pastor.

The revised process in the 2018 bylaws removes the provision for any evidence to be submitted, or any witnesses to be called. The process also removes the local church board from the final decision; the Network Leadership Team can make the final decision and the local church board must abide by it. Removing the Lead Pastor also carries a new disciplinary measure: the revoking of the pastor’s ordination.

Article IX

CHURCHES MUST MEET NEW REQUIREMENTS TO BE MEMBERS OF THE NETWORK: 

“Network Membership” is an entirely new section introduced in the 2018 bylaws which outline the agreements the local church has with The Network as an entity.

Churches in The Network must:

• Function under the coaching and leadership of the Network Leadership Team 
• Abide by the Network Leadership Team bylaws (these additional bylaws are not made available to members of local churches)
• Contribute 5% of the local church tithes to support the work of The Network 

Notable policies:

• Exclusivity requirement: (pp.  3, Determination of Employment 7) Full-time staff members were prohibited from engaging in part-time additional employment (without approval of overseeing pastor, senior pastor, and approval of board of directors).
• Assessment based on God's call: (pp. 4, Salary Administration 2) Staff will be assessed, among other things, according to their attitude, potential, and God's call and fit.
  • The phrasing implies that an overseeing pastor could fire an employee based on his perception of God's call on the individual.
  • Bullet 3 outlines provisions for an appreciable improvement plan for when employees fail to meet performance standards. No such provisions are outlined for next steps if the employee is determined to not be "called" to the position.
• Preferential Vacation Benefits for Pastors: (pp. 6, Vacation/Leave General Plan & Guidelines 1) The manual draws a clear distinction between pastors and staff, with staff being given preferential vacation time based on years of service compared to non-pastoral staff.
• Gender Policy: (pp.10, Use of Church Equipment or Resources 7) Church employees are forbidden from being alone with individuals of the opposite gender or with anyone "with serious sexual brokenness".

RELEVANT DETAILS:

Questions to ask about your wife:

• These questions infantilize and demean women while fostering a culture where men are expected to act like domineering experts, "leading" their wives in motherhood, housekeeping, trauma-informed counseling, and religious instruction
• Just like our readership, the contributors of LeavingtheNetwork.org have differing opinions and experiences with complementarianism.^[1] While we do not express rejection or acceptance of complementarianism on the site, we categorically denounce misogyny.
• The ideas expressed in these questions distributed by the staff of Foundation Church (formerly ClearView Church) and the experiences related by the women who have left The Network strongly suggest that the culture of The Network is one of discriminatory misogyny, not complementary equality.

Act Like Men:

• Personal emotion is maligned as being childish; men are instructed to ignore their own emotions when making decisions
• This document continues The Network's preoccupation with obeying church leaders:
  • Infantilizing men who "kick against authority" while praising those who follow and trust church leaders
  • Warning men they they should not be "independent" and "argumentative"
• At no point does this document reference scripture

Men's Follow Up Retreat email:

• This email, sent to the men who had attended the retreat, positions the attached documents as tools to "help process through areas of growth and maturity"
• Establishes that the "Act Like Men" document was derived from Justin Major's teaching at the retreat
• Men are warned to keep the "Questions to ask about your wife" document private
  • Rather than directly communicating the questions, church staff urge husbands to get answers to the questions indirectly

Misogyny within The Network:

• An overwhelming number of women leaving The Network claim to have experienced a pattern of misogyny and authoritarian behavior from male leaders during their time in Network churches. There is also evidence to suggest that Network leaders have attempted to keep their teachings on male domination of women hidden from the general public^[2].

RELEVANT DETAILS:

2013 HICH ROCK CHURCH BUILDING CAMPAIGN

• States that the location of the proposed building is "provided by God" and the renovation design of the building "represents the generous provision of our God" (pp. 8)
  • This language strongly implies that High Rock Church's leadership's decision to expand their facilities, along with the overall scope and budget of the project, is God-ordained and unquestionable
• The brochure asserts that giving significant resources to the building campaign will result in spiritual growth (pp. 15), and implies that failing to give will reveal that a High Rock member does not have adequate faith
  • Uses manipulative spiritual language to dismiss members' budgetary concerns, and thereby encourages members to give above their means (pp. 15)
    • Example: pp. 15 "One approach [to giving to this campaign] would be to look at your checkbook or monthly budget and ask, "What can we afford?" This approach simply calculates existing resources and does not require prayer, faith, or  God's help. A second approach is to simply ask God what He wants you to give. This requires willingness to risk, listen to God, and then trust Him to provide as you step out in faith and obedience. We recommend this second approach."
  • Statements such as, "The primary measure of success in a building offering won't be in dollar amounts, but in spiritual growth in discipleship taking place in people" (pp. 14) strongly imply that members of the congregation who do not give to expand Network facilities are inadequate disciples of Jesus.

2021 CEDAR HEIGHTS CHURCH BUILDING CAMPAIGN

• States church members should "sacrificially give over and above their current tithes when the offering is collected" (pp. 12) to collect the $380,000 down payment for the new building
  • The language strongly suggests that members who simply look at their budget to determine the amount they can afford to give are not trusting God. Rather, only by giving beyond their means are members "trusting Him to provide as you step out in faith and obedience" (pp. 12)
  • Network church by-laws (posted elsewhere on this page) mandate that all members give 10% of their income to churches on threat of having membership revoked
  • This document verifies that members are strongly encouraged to give significant portions of their incomes, above and beyond the 10% mandated in church bylaws
• Presents suggestions for member giving, correlates this church building campaign to how early disciples in Acts gave to the needy. Compare to Acts 2:42-45
  • "In the book of Acts, the early church lived out their faith by selling property and possessions and by sacrificially giving and providing for the needs of the church. In order to fulfill the vision God has given us, it will take a great sacrificial effort from the church." (pp. 13)

RELEVANT DETAILS:

• This fund was created with an initial $1 million gift sent to Blue Sky Church sometime around 2011
• Brochure asserts $20 million will be necessary to plant 400 churches in 30 years
• Local churches are asked to apply for funding for church planting candidates and, if the candidates are accepted, hire them as pastors with their salary paid by the Church Planting Fund for a period of time, usually three years. After that time pastors are expected to plant churches in other cities
• In practice candidates for these funds do not know they are being considered. Steve Morgan meets them during Network Conferences or other meetings to gauge their "leadability," and discusses afterwards with the nominating pastor

RELEVANT DETAILS:

Sándor argues that there are no distinctions between primary and secondary issues of faith, and that any topic the leader and the follower differ on become an issue because it is important to the leader. (0:06:00 - 0:10:00)

• (0:14:00) Any issue on which a follower and a leader are not "of one mind" is unacceptable and must be corrected by the leader - leaders and followers should have no divisions of any kind and should share the same judgements on all matters
  • (0:15:00) Sándor says the goal is “that [leaders and followers] really do think the same thing about the same things.”
  • (0:15:00) Further, all members of all Network churches will share this “one mind,” and there will not be distinctions between geographical regions or countries
  • (1:04:00) Followers should change their thinking even on “top-tier” issues, because any disagreement causes disunity
• (0:40:00) Followers should follow leaders even if the leader is wrong. “The technical rightness or wrongness on an issue” doesn’t matter
  • To illustrate this point he gives an example of a wife who trusts and submits to her husband in a matter on which she knows the husband is wrong, and goes on to say that this wife will be honored by God
  • (0:41:00) In the same way followers are to submit and trust leaders, never questioning the rightness or wrongness of the leaders’ directions
• (0:49:00) Sándor gives an example where a follower asks a leader for their opinion on getting a puppy, and the leader advises not getting the puppy. Sándor asserts the follower should not get the puppy, because the leader has advised against it
  • Further, if the follower goes on to ask a different leader about getting a puppy to get a different opinion, then the follower would be guilty of selfish sin
  • This teaching implies leaders can demand followers obey them in all matters, large and small, and that followers have no recourse against their assigned leader

Sándor teaches that anyone who values their individuality is sinning and motivated by selfish ambition. Such “individuals” should not stand up for their beliefs unless they are a leader in the church (0:42:00)

• (0:44:00) An individual’s opinion doesn’t matter unless Jesus has put them in a leadership role. Individuals should not attempt to get into a leadership role to act on their opinions or beliefs
• (0:52:00) Sándor teaches that it is NOT the heart of God that individuals get what they personally want, with the implication being that what God wants is for followers to conform absolutely to the whims and opinions of their leaders

Sándor’s teaching implies that only leaders within The Network can accurately hear the voice of God. 

• (1:00:00) Sándor asserts followers cannot trust their own decisions because of the sickness of their individuality, and that the antidote is to “complete the joy” of their leaders and be of “one mind” with their leader, trusting their leader instead of trusting themselves
• (1:05:00) He implies disregarding the words of a leader is akin to disregarding God’s words and warnings to the people of Nineveh through the prophet Jonah
• (0:52:00) He states that a person who does NOT follow their leader immediately, and instead asks for the leader to pray for them so they can hear Jesus for themselves, is sick with selfish ambition

Sándor claims to have supernatural knowledge on who should and should not be part of The Network

• (0:57:00) Sandor does lip service to saying Christians exist outside of The Network, but immediately claims to have supernatural knowledge on whether or not a person “belonged” to The Network
  • (0:57:00) He says, emphatically, that every single time that someone left it could have been resolved without them leaving. He unequivocally teaches that his version of what “God wanted” was correct and the person was wrong
• (0:46:00) Those who have left The Network because they have disagreed (Sándor calls it “leaving badly”) did so because of sickness of soul and selfish ambition
• (1:09:00) He teaches that even “children’s children are a part of” The Network and encourages parents to force their children to go to universities where there is a Network Church to ensure the children continue in The Network

Network leaders will have to answer to Jesus on behalf of their followers

• (22:25) “Christian leaders will have to answer to Jesus for you. That's the deal. I will have to answer to Jesus, the other pastors here, the overseers, will have to answer to Jesus for you. Because he loves you so much.”
• (22:30) “If you follow us and we were wrong, we answer to Jesus. If you don't follow us and we were right, you answer to Jesus. And I like that.”

What are the behaviors which cause leaders pain? What things should followers in The Network obey their leaders in?

• (33:10) “It shouldn't be that your small group leader is exhausted by you. That you're the one that always complains, not reliable, always takes the discussion off track, always has a hard time doing what we're doing next.”
  • Complaining
  • Not reliable (not on time)
  • Takes discussion off track
  • Not doing “what we’re doing next”
• (28:00) “And let me tell you what the number one pain and stress issue and reason for exhaustion is. The number one thing that has hurt me through the years as a Christian leader has been those who are mean, and ornery, and argumentative, and unkind.”
  • Being mean
  • Being Ornery
  • Arguing with the leader
  • Being unkind to the leader
• (33:15) “Do you know there's such a thing as getting what you think you want and having it cause you great harm?“
  • Getting what you want
• (33:45) “It's what it's like. It's of no advantage to people who exhaust their leaders.”
  • Exhausting leaders
• (34:00) “We don't have a lot of people complaining and griping and belly aching and causing trouble here. I like that. It's fun to be a part of this.”
  • Complaining
  • Griping
  • Belly aching
  • Causing Trouble
• (33:00) “It ought to be that you are such a joy like a child to their parent, an obedient child to their parent, that you're such a joy to your leaders.”
  • Not causing your leader joy
  • Causing your leader to groan (or causing the leader to wish you weren’t in the church)
    • (32:15) “You don't want your leaders to be secretly praying, ‘God, give them a job in Timbuktu somewhere. Please!’”
• (34:45) “It's not supposed to be that it's miserable to be a part of a church, or you're protecting yourself constantly because you wonder who's going to gossip or, you know, who's going to fight or, you know — it's practical. I always tell people things like, you know what, we're not going to fight over the color of the walls.”
  • Arguing over the colors of the walls
  • Gossiping
  • causing conflict
  • fighting (arguing)

Not obeying Network leaders will result in pain to Jesus himself, the ultimate leader, who feels pain when we disobey. (34:45)

• (34:45) “It's not supposed to be that way. That's got to cause our leader to groan, Jesus, because he loves his church.”

Steve compares leading his followers in The Network to parenting disobedient children

• (3:15) “Amazing dads tell their kids ‘no’”
• (10:00) Steve compares how followers in the church obey leaders to how children obey parents.
  • “When the Bible's talking about families and parents and children, it uses almost identical words to what we've just read about leaders and followers“
  • “Understand: kids, you have to obey dad. You have to obey him.”
• (12:00) - “Any good parent says “no” to their kids. Why? Well, kids are idiots sometimes.”
• (12:15) - Steve’s child supposedly thanks Steve on Fathers' Day for how strict he is
• (13:10) - Steve compares someone rejecting their God-appointed leader to someone rejecting their own father, which he follows with a threat.
  • (13:20) “If my kids said that to me they would hope to live. Because I love them so much.”
• (30:00) “Have you ever seen a parent with a teenager who will not listen? “
  • Steve makes the comparison between parents of teenagers whose parents are groaning because the teenager will not “listen,” meaning not obeying the parent.
• (32:45) “It’s no advantage to you if you are a pain in your leader’s butt”
  • “You should be a joy, like an obedient child to parent”
• (30:10) “Some of you were those teenagers. I would go as far as saying some of you are those teenagers, but none of our high schoolers here would ever act like that. “
• (33:00) “It ought to be that you are such a joy like a child to their parent, an obedient child to their parent, that you're such a joy to your leaders.”

RELEVANT DETAILS:

• Dan asserts that God speaks to him to identify future leaders. No room is given for God calling and speaking directly to individuals. This implies that all future leaders within The Network are specifically called by the Pastors.
• Dan deflects in the sermon, saying that if his listeners disagree with the leaders put into place at Cedar Heights Church, the listeners should not put that responsibility on Dan himself, but they should instead blame Jesus. This tactic shuts down any legitimate questions which members may have about the leaders who are promoted within the organization.
• Dan gives direction to those in the church who don't trust him completely as their leader, explaining this lack of trust is a sign that "God isn't calling you" to Cedar Heights Church. He also suggests that if listeners do not trust him, it may be because they have pain in their past
• Dan also makes references to how leaders within the church should be involved with career decisions and in determining romantic partners because the individuals may be too invested in their own emotions.

The aforementioned points corroborate the stories of authoritarian control related by those leaving The Network in which Followers are asked to obey the divine guidance of their leaders, to their own detriment.

RELEVANT DETAILS:

In this teaching David Chery, lead pastor of Summit Creek Church, used the Old Testament story from the book of Daniel in which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar II.

He applied the following logic:

• Various verses in the Bible command God's people to sing to God
• Certain government restrictions prohibited public singing in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19
• Because singing is a command from God, people who are not singing at church are disobeying God
• Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, people of faith are to disobey laws which are unjust and against the commands of God
• Those at Summit Creek Church must sing at church in order to obey God despite COVID-19 public health prohibitions
• The government will increasingly introduce laws which mandate that God's people disobey God as the current age becomes more and more evil, and members of Summit Creek must be prepared to defy the laws of men in order to obey God.

RELEVANT DETAILS:

Scott Joseph's teaching on leadership and authority, held throughout The Network, gives further context to the stories of authoritarian control in which followers are asked to obey the divine (mystical) guidance of their leaders, to their own detriment.

Consider the following examples from this teaching:

• Scott shows no empathy toward former members who have shared their stories online. He characterizes the pain and anger they have expressed over the suffering they have experienced in his church as an "attack against High Rock and the network of churches that we belong to"(20m:50s), and as "a bunch of really ugly, nasty hate" (22m:12s).
• Scott claims members are free to make their own decisions when he issues “strong suggestions” (20m 37s) for how they should conduct their lives, yet he gives many negative examples which act as warnings of the consequences of not obeying him. 
• (10m:05s) Dismissing claims from former members of High Rock and The Network that this leadership style is spiritually abusive and manipulative, Scott insists that he has instead failed his followers by not confronting them forcefully enough. He claims he could have prevented issues had he asserted his divine mandate to exercise oversight in the daily lives of members more often. 
• Scott is not specific about the scope of issues which he believes fall within his role to “confront,” but he makes no claim that the issues are strictly related to sin. The examples he gives in which to obey him are:
  • (18m:20s) Followers are to give money to High Rock Church, and to make up payments to the church if one is missed
  • (21m:50s) Followers are not to read online forums which are critical of High Rock Church and The Network or risk feeling angry, depressed, and drained of life from drinking from a “toxic cesspool filled with leeches”.
  • (36m:49s) Followers are to go to their leaders with decisions, and allow the leaders to convince them of different courses of action so that it “might go well for” members of the congregation.
  • (42m:15s) Followers are characterized as mindless sheep who will “jump off a cliff” without their leader’s guidance
• (34m:30s) Scott goes to lengths to describe how much better off men are who obey church leadership, especially young men. He says, “I promise you, you would be much better off. You would grow.” 
  • (41m:30s) At the end of the sermon Scott specifically encourages young men to come forward to extinguish their resistance to being “corrected or led or told what to do” by their leaders.