Even MORE about FBIM

Seems you post a few things about the questionable motives about a church and people find it.

And if you’re lucky, others contact you to share their story.

Today, I received an email from another former FBIM member. And there is no way am I disclosing their name, but I am posting their email AS PER THEIR REQUEST.

This email speaks for itself. I don’t really think I need to add commentary, however, I will state that my posting this has nothing to do with Danny Gokey. Just his church. I would actually really love to see Gokey distance himself from such a shady organization for his own sake.

Since his church has more than welcomed public attention from Gokey being on Idol, then they’re open to criticism. And frankly, I think they’re exploiting Gokey being on Idol to further expand their congregation and line their pockets, maybe get some national television or book deals out of the exposure. 

And if that’s what FBIM is doing, they cannot really be surprised if people start talking about the church or  their experiences within the organization.

I have read the article ‘The Curious World of FBIM’ and do not dispute any of what was said, although I wasn’t aware of everything that was said until I read the article.  I have changed my mind about what I will talk about in this article only because the information about New Ark Christian Center is non value added.  NACC was a good contemporary Christian church.  Things didn’t change until Pastor Jeff took over as head Pastor of Faith Builders International Ministries and that is what I would like to talk about.  For readers to understand what I am talking about below, they should read the article ‘The Curious World of FBIM’ as it lays the foundation for what I am going to say below.  Also, what I say below has nothing to do with Danny Gokey.  I  worked with Danny for a couple years and appeared in different productions with him to reach the lost.  I met his Wife Sophia and believe both of them to be genuine Christians who gave of themselves to reach the lost.   Sophia’s passing was a tragic loss but we know that she is now with Jesus and has no more pain and no more tears.

 When Pastor Jeff Pruitt took over FBIM after Pastor Jerry went to Arizona, things changed right away that shook some of the members in the congregation.  I did not see any of the changes made as any concern at the time and still don’t.  It was mostly differences in Pastoral styles between Pastor Jerry and Pastor Jeff.  Things really started to changed when Pastor Jeff brought Terry Morehouse aboard as administrator of the ministry.  Pastor Jeff & Robin started to become more impersonal to the church members.  You couldn’t even talk or approach them without making appointments first and they stopped talking with people before services.  When I say people…I mean people who were not in their inner circle.  They even stopped elders from coming up and giving them a greet and hug before services started, which they had done since the beginning of New Ark Christian Center many years before.  The ministry started to grow more secular and cold all while I was part of the leadership.  We started asking questions in close circles of friends but would not question in public as that would bring certain and quick condemnation from the Pastors or Terry.  Before we knew it, Terry was made a Pastor in the ministry along with another gentlemen who had only been with the ministry for a short time.  Short time later, Pastor Gentleman (not real name) left the church after an adulterous affair was discovered.  This really started questions being asked among the leadership and elders.  I eventually stepped down from leadership because I didn’t agree with things that were going on and with decisions that were being made.   Terry Morehouse married the little sister of a close friend of ours.  This alone shook many within the church, Terry was 43 and Rachel was 19yrs old.  There were other members of Rachel’s family that were members of leadership in the church.  One by one, most of those members were taken out of leadership for reasons given by Terry Morehouse.  It didn’t matter what anybody said,  Pastor Jeff always believed Terry over anybody else within the ministry.  Terry was walking around using the authority of Pastor and causing harm and hurt to members that didn’t see things the way he did or got in his way.  Now that I have left the ministry, Pastor Jeff has installed a member as an Elder in the ministry even though that person is a convicted sex offender.  That was the last straw for many and they have now left the church also.  Many leaders and Elders have talked with Pastor Jeff about their objections to the non-Godly decisions that have been made over the last couple years but to no effect.  It seems that Pastor Jeff feels that everyone else is wrong and he alone is right.  We have since heard that one or more of the church properties could be in trouble financially.  Pastor Jerry was going to come back and take over the ministry again but when he found out just how bad of condition it was in financially it shook him badly and has now stated he will not be coming back due to health reasons.   It is very sad that this ministry started out preaching the Gospel and was God focused, in the end it has gotten secular and man focused.  The cost of that transition is becoming more and more apparent every day.

And in case you were wondering what it was like to uh, attend a service at FBIM? Here’s a first-hand account. You can even learn HOW TO BE A PLAYMATE.

No. Seriously. And bring your credit card 🙂

They have a little bookstore set up with DVDs by both of the Pruitts, and I’m sure profits go straight to their pockets. It was advertised as “Jeffrey Pruitt Ministries Productions Presents” or something like that. Didn’t ask for the prices. A notable DVD, by the wife, was titled “How to Be a Playmate”, seemingly about how to be sexier for your husband. Like a good Christian woman, I guess. They also sell terrible looking costume jewelry, presumably for the same reason. 

The worship area or whatever they call it looks like a big conference room. Big screens on either side, those stupid indirect lighting lamps on the walls. You could imagine how awful the music was with those crappy acoustics. 

There were 9 vocalists. NINE. That’s not counting the 25-person choir. It was all high-energy, choir bouncing back and forth, and they switched lead vocalists off and on. It was like a crappy pop album. You know, the background vocals sing the part, and the lead just kind of echoes certain parts of it? That’s how it was presented. I read somewhere in this thread, or in the links, that it was like a big show. That’s a good description. It all felt like a televangelist TV special. 

Then Big Pruitt waddled out and rambled through a 10-minute prayer. He then let us know that God was telling him someone (“I’m not gonna call anyone out”) was suffering from a “sharp pain in their wrist…..God is touching that right now.” He also did this for “someone” suffering from migraine headaches. A true prophet, he is. 

Sermon wasn’t anything special, but one thing made me laugh. People kept getting up and moving around, coming and going, and he said “I don’t want anyone to leave, it’s time for giving.” Don’t leave! I need your money first! Is it common for churches to accept credit card information for tithes? I’ve never seen it before today, but that might just be because I don’t church hop that often.