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IN THE NEWS
News articles about The Network
TO DATE THERE ARE 29 REPORTS IN THE MEDIA ABOUT THE NETWORK
The following news articles reference The Network and are of interest to our community of readers. To instead read first hand accounts from those who have left The Network, visit our STORIES PAGE →
JUMP TO SECTION:
- ARTICLE SPOTLIGHTS ⇣
- CHRISTLAND CHURCH: Former members describe alleged abuse, manipulation and control
- THE CHURCH'S ANSWER WAS HURTING THEM: Former Members of Bloomington's High Rock Church Allege Spiritual Abuse
- ALL ARTICLES AND NEWS COVERAGE ⇣
- 29 entries
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHTS
By Nicholas Gutteridge | April 20, 2023
CHRISTLAND CHURCH: Former members describe alleged abuse, manipulation and control
A long-form exposé published in The Battalion, Texas A&M's student-run news outlet, sheds light on The Network's predatory college recruitment tactics, as well as alleged instances of spiritual abuse, manipulation, and mistreatment faced by students at Christland Church in College Station, Texas. The article describes in disturbing detail how lead pastor and Network Leadership Team Vice President "Sándor Paull... allegedly stood by while this abuse and mistreatment has run rampant" in his church.
In one example of what appears to be a pattern of inaction, an A&M student reported to Paull that her boyfriend, a fellow Christland Church member who served in the kids program, had been sexually abusing her. The young man was not removed from his role in the church. “[Sándor] did not offer to protect me or put any protections in place for me at the church. He did not offer to confront my ex-boyfriend. Nothing, it was basically just like 'Thank you for telling us,’ and that was it.”
Content warning: This article discusses suicide and allegations of spiritual and sexual abuse.
READ ON THE BATTALION →
READ .PDF of PRINT EDITION →
By Marissa Meador | April 20, 2023
THE CHURCH'S ANSWER WAS HURTING THEM: Former Members of Bloomington's High Rock Church Allege Spiritual Abuse
Investigative reporter Marissa Meador from Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University's student-run news outlet, interviews former members of High Rock Church in Bloomington, Indiana to understand the impact The Network had on their lives. The article recounts instances of lead pastor Scott Joseph bullying members and belittling them publicly after they left his church, and describes High Rock Church as a "high-control environment" where people were "pressured into life-altering decisions" and, in some cases, suicidal ideation.
Content warning: This story includes mention of suicide, spiritual abuse, and sexual assault.
ARTICLES AND NEWS COVERAGE
By Lillian Kosh | May 16, 2025
29: College Station church releases audit findings following network abuse allegations
Christland Church commissioned internal report from attorney Theresa Lynn Sidebotham with Telios Law; said allegations were ‘just disagreements.’ Sidebotham’s firm specializes in helping troubled churches and has been accused of acting more as a defense attorney rather than an impartial investigator. Additional information is available on our Network Divisions page.
By Melissa Ellin | May 7, 2025
28: Former members of Foundation Church in Normal say they faced spiritual abuse
NPR WGLT reports that former members of Foundation Church in Normal, IL, say the church’s leadership, under Justin Major, used spiritual authority to exert control, isolate members, and pressure conformity. The article highlights accounts of broken family ties, emotional distress, and lasting harm experienced by those who have left.
By Kim Roberts | March 21, 2025
27: Churches are Leaving the ‘Network’ Led by Steve Morgan
Nearly half the churches once linked to Pastor Steve Morgan’s Network have publicly left or quietly scrubbed references from their sites. Christland Church in College Station is engaging in mediation and an audit of its practices. Additional information is available on our Network Divisions page.
By Sophia Ridley | March 12, 2025
26: College Station church hires law firm to audit children’s program, leadership after abuse allegations
After protests at the Network Texas conference, Christland denied ties to Network harm and hired a law firm rather than submit to an independent investigation. Additional information is available on our Network Divisions page.
By Emma Lawson | March 11, 2025
25: Christland Church takes steps to increase accountability
After public protests and critiques, Christland Church in College Station responded by saying there was inaccuracies in the reporting and hired Telios Law to conduct an internal audit. Additional information is available on our Network Divisions page.
By Austin Lamb | November 14, 2024
24: Community Raised Concerns Over Bright Field Church
The Northern Star, the student-run news outlet of Northern Illinois University, highlights concerns from DeKalb, Illinois community members, who have voiced their unease in online comments and posts about The Network's presence and intentions in their area.
By J. M. Wise | October 17, 2024
23: Concerns raised about local church, The Network
The Network, a series of churches across the United States, England and Taiwan, has recently fallen under controversy as former members denounce the group for allegedly hiding sexual abuse its leader committed, practices endangering children, predatory recruitment, and spiritual abuse of its members.
By J. M. Wise & Chris Swann | October 14, 2024
22: Protest against local church sweeps College Station
Former members, family members protested Christland Church, a local non-denominational institution part of a larger network alleged to be covering up abuse.
READ ON THE BATTALION →
By Morgan Riddell | October 12, 2024
21: Protest brings Allegations of Mental, Sexual Abuse Inside Network Churches
Leaders of a protest seen outside of a College Station church Saturday morning, say they’re hoping to shed light on what they call a cult.
By Emma Lawson | October 12, 2024
20: Protesters Outside Christland Church Demand Accountability
Former members of The Network and concerned parents spread awareness of the alleged abusive atmosphere created in the church and the cult-like tactics meant to keep members constantly engaged.
NOTE: This story requires a subscription to The Eagle - please consider supporting their independent journalism and reporting.
By Anna Maynard | October 11, 2024
19: Anti-cult group plans to protest College Station church, claiming ‘deceptive recruitment’ practices
Christland Church in College Station is part of a network of ‘church-planting’ churches that includes Joshua Church in Austin and numerous others across the country.
By Warren Smith & Kim Roberts | October 1, 2024
18: MINISTRYWATCH PODCAST Ep. 402: Leaving The Network - A Conversation with Reporter Kim Roberts
Kim Roberts discusses her reporting on families who had relationships severed after their loved one became involved in a Network Church, with a focus on Foundation Church in Bloomington, Illinois.
By Kim Roberts | September 26, 2024
17: Families Share Stories of Severed Relationships with Children in Network Churches
They want to eliminate the family as a threat. The pastor becomes the father figure."
"I haven’t heard my daughter’s voice in two years,” Melanie said. Her eldest daughter cut off contact with her on November 29, 2022 after Melanie expressed concerns about her daughter’s church and its practices...
By Josh Shepherd | September 17, 2024
16: More Churches Leave ‘Cult-Like’ Network in Ongoing Shakeup
- "Four more churches have announced they’re leaving an affiliation of churches led by disgraced Pastor Steve Morgan..."
- "A sixth Network church, Vista Church in central California, has permanently closed."
- When a former Network member tried to attend Vista’s last service, church staff called the county sheriff on them. “I wasn’t prepared for the intimidation and secrecy I experienced," said Taylor. “They treated me like a criminal.”
By Josh Shepherd | September 6, 2024
15: Wisconsin Church Becomes First Church to Leave the Network, Following Allegations of Misconduct
"Citing an inability to 'address issues and resolve concerns,' [Isaiah Church led by Stephen Putbrese] is the first to leave the controversial group..."
By Nicholas Gutteridge | April 20, 2023
14: CHRISTLAND CHURCH: ‘I’m terrified to get back into a church’: Christland Church attendees allege abuse, manipulation
A long-form exposé published in The Battalion, Texas A&M's student-run news outlet, sheds light on The Network's predatory college recruitment tactics, as well as alleged instances of spiritual abuse, manipulation, and mistreatment faced by students at Christland Church in College Station, Texas.
By C. Wilburn & N. Gutteridge | April 27, 2023
13: THE BATT SIGNAL Ep. 41: Exploitation, Endowment and Exploration
On this episode of The Batt Signal, News Editor Caroline Wilburn interviews news writer Nico Gutteridge about his in-depth investigation of Christland Church, where former members describe alleged abuse, manipulation and control.
By Marissa Meador | April 20, 2023
12: THE CHURCH'S ANSWER WAS HURTING THEM: Former Members of Bloomington's High Rock Church Allege Spiritual Abuse
Former members describe the church as a "high-control environment" where people were "pressured into life-altering decisions" and, in some cases, suicidal ideation in this exposé from Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University's student-run news outlet in Bloomington, Indiana.
By Sam Stecklow | December 5, 2022
11: Controversial Proposed “Classical” Charter School Moves Forward
"Vandlen and most of the other co-founders and board members of SOCA have ties to the evangelical Brookfield Church, on Court Street, which is part of a network of churches that “plant” themselves in college towns to proselytize."
By Dee Parsons | November 2, 2022
10: Former Members of The Network Call for a Third Party, Independent Investigation of Steve Morgan & Church Leaders
By Kaitlin Thorne | October 18, 2022
9: As Charter Schools Spread Across Ohio Valley, a Controversial Curriculum Begins to Take Hold
"The academy has already drawn criticism due to the organization’s close association with Brookfield Church..."
By Dani Kington | August 12, 2022
8: Proposed Charter School with Controversial Connections Could Divert Millions from Local Schools
- "[School board members] Vandlen, Schmaltz, Courtney Kuhnert and Beasecker are all affiliated with Brookfield Church, at 5 N. Court St., part of an evangelical, non-denominational Christian church network that launches churches primarily in college towns."
- "The network of churches that Brookfield belongs to is currently under scrutiny over a 1986 sex abuse case involving a church leader."
By Josh Shepherd | July 21, 2022
7: Whistleblowers Say Leader of ‘Network’ of Churches Hid Sexual Crime for 36 Years
By Warren Smith | July 16, 2022
6: EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK: Reporting on The Network, and Long Form Journalism
By Warren Smith & Natasha Smith | July 15, 2022
5: MINISTRYWATCH PODCAST Ep. 199: Leaving The Network
On this episode, a fast-growing church planting network called simply The Network, is facing criticism by a group of former staff and lay leadership.
By Warren Cole Smith | July 11, 2022
4: Watchdog Group Calls For Independent Investigation of Pastor Steve Morgan and “The Network”
By Leaving The Network | July 8, 2022
3: PUBLIC NOTICE REGARDING SEXUAL ALLEGATIONS: Steve Morgan, Pastor and Network President, Was Arrested for Aggravated Criminal Sodomy Against a Minor
By Leaving The Network | July 8, 2022
2: ONLINE PETITION: Church Network leadership should submit to an unbiased, unimpeded, external investigation
By Leaving The Network | July 8, 2022
1: CALL TO ACTION: Former Network Leaders Petition Current Leaders to Take Action in Light of Serious Abuse Allegations
FURTHER READING:
STORIES: First person accounts from those who have left Steve Morgan's Network of Churches
HELP OTHERS HEAL
Consider donating to the National Association for Christian Recovery (NACR), a 501.c.3 non-profit whose primary purpose is to help provide resources to recover from abuse (including spiritual abuse) and addiction. Leaving The Network admires the work of NACR but is not associated with their organization.