NORTH PINES CHURCH ONLINE REVIEWS

A collection of online reviews gathered from Google, Yelp, and other social media sites

Lead pastor Nick Sellers at North Pines Church in Portage (Kalamazoo), Michigan

ONLINE REVIEWS FOR NORTH PINES CHURCH IN PORTAGE (KALAMAZOO), MICHIGAN

BACKGROUND

Network churches heavily control their public image, going to great lengths to control information about their methods and practices. Leaders encourage church members to flood sites like Google Reviews with positive reviews for Network Churches (and, in some cases, for churches other than the one the reviewer attends). This practice of having members leave positive reviews on social media has had the effect of burying legitimate public criticism.

For an in-depth analysis and specific examples of how Network churches encourage leaders and members to flood review sites with positive reviews, read this article on NotOvercome.org.

WHY DO THESE REVIEWS MATTER?

These reviews matter because they corroborate the manipulative, abusive, and harmful practices which are documented throughout this site. We have chosen to surface these reviews because they give further voice to victims and provide additional reassurance to anyone who has experienced abuse within these high control groups that they are not alone.

NOTE: We are not surfacing all negative reviews which have been posted to crowdsourced review sites. Rather, we have selected entries which bear witness to a pattern of the behaviors outlined in our article "8 Signs of a Dysfunctional Church".

WHO WAS THE LEAD PASTOR OF VIDA SPRINGS WHEN THESE REVIEWS WERE WRITTEN?

  • Nick Sellers: lead pastor from 2016 - present

 

WATCH OUT FOR THIS CHURCH IF YOU'RE IN A RELATIONSHIP

Source: North Pines Church Google Review, November 2021

Full text of review (view screenshot of full review):

Watch out for this church if you're in a relationship. They're convincing Females to leave their significant other. They're making these judgments based on their opinions of someone they don't even know.

 

BOMBARDING NEWCOMERS WITH ATTENTION, KINDNESS, AND LOVE WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF CONFORMING YOU TO THEIR MOLD

Source: North Pines Church Google Review, December 2022

Full text of review (view screenshot of full review):

(Reposting because they deleted my first one)

I think they do a great job of welcoming you in! And what's most apparent is how unusually nice people are to newcomers, commonly described as “lovebombing.” Bombarding newcomers with attention, kindness and love with the sole purpose of conforming you to their mold. Having experienced it myself, I have to say it works pretty well, until you realize its not real and its not about you as a person. After awhile you start to see there are clicks (sp. "cliques") and if you are in one great, and if not you are an outsider.

Also, accessibility to the pastor is not there. I go to a church now that is around the same size and the pastor is willing to meet with you whenever. I do believe they teach from the Bible well and use spiritual gifts in a healthy way. I just know that you won’t find people off the street on a Sunday because they really want “clean” looking people, and it’s a very targeted church.

 

NORTH PINES IS DEFINITELY A CULT

Source: Reddit Comment about North Pines Church, June 2023

Full text of review (view screenshot of full comment):

North pines is definitely a cult. My husband and I visited once (when we were knew to kzoo looking for a church, and looking to make friends) immediately we were approached by a nice couple that was very forceful about getting together. We had dinner with them and then went to a small group the week after. My husband and I were immediately split up. Guys were in the living room, women in the kitchen. I heard my husband talking about a knee surgery he had when he played college ball from the kitchen (he tells everyone the story) and shows his big scar. Then when we went to end the small group and pray, our “friend” came up and said this guy kyler had “the gift of prophecy and could heal” and my husband and I were like ok? He went on to say he knew when someone had a root canal and she was saved by Jesus that night. Upon group prayer, kyler started saying God was telling him someone had a bad knee, and blah blah blah it will be heeled and came over to my husband and started praying on him. LIKE HE DIDNT HEAR MY HUSBAND TALKING ABOUT HIS KNEE (he must have missed it was an old injury) but immediately my husband and I left and never went back. Our phone blew up from people at the church asking why we stopped going and we told them why and they denied it. I full heartedly believe it was a weird “savior” set up… be cautious of those people!!

Yeah, they were super aggressive about us getting involved and meeting people! I swear we couldn’t just be quiet attendee’s trying a new church as we get established in the area. They also wanted to pray with us and try and invoke emotion. They would put their hands on us and a super emotional song would play, every one was crying the people praying over us would be crying and tissues would be everywhere. It was odd to mw! (Praying with people isn’t always bad.. but putting your hands on others to pray without asking is uncomfortable!) This experience made us very apprehensive of church. We didn’t attend another in kalamazoo after that and have since moved out of the area. I wish we could warn the younger population who they prey on at WMU.

 

BACK TO STORIES:

STORIES: Read the stories of those who have left and who have consented to share their experiences from their time in Steve Morgan's Network of Churches

BACK

 

 

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.