'Rebellion vs. Submission' in the Word of Faith Fellowship Organization

Submitted by former member

SALVATION

The WOFF teaches that salvation is an ongoing experience, you are saved daily. It is taught that many of the people who the world looks at as "saved" were not really saved because they committed willful sin. The salvation of members was questioned. For instance, "Marie" went into a trance for days, they were not sure if this was God or not. It was decided that this trance was not God because people didn't receive Christ; "Marie" became a curiosity because of it. Her trance was "without purpose", therefore God could not be in it. The ministers at the WOFF told a number of people in the church if they were truly saved or not. The wife of one church member who died came to Jane Whaley to find out if her husband was really "saved". Jane said he was and that gave the woman peace.

Because people kept sinning (which could mean anything from disagreeing with the teaching to being stubborn to anything) salvation was preached over and over. The teaching was that you cannot manifest devils and say you know Christ. Of course, 90% of the church doesn't walk with God. Only Jane and others are truly saved because they are the ones who obey God fully. There was nothing preached about carnal Christianity. It was not scriptural, if you were carnal then you didn't know God.

Most people in the church blindly do what they are told to do, particularly if it comes from Jane Whaley. Jane Whaley told some of the people in the church that they would drink poison if they were told to (I feel that's a reference to Jim Jones).

GUARDING

This has been taught briefly from the pulpit, but extensively put into practice. Church members were not allowed to talk without "guards", i.e. someone around them to make sure that they spoke by the "Spirit of God". People became overcontrolled, not knowing who could be listening to what they were saying at any one time. Only two people, particularly if they were a man and a woman, couldn't have a conversation without someone listening to it. It was "sin" for a man and woman to talk together unless they were married; this was forced by Whaley on the congregation, but not on her family. Sam Whaley, Jane's husband, conducted all his business by himself, as well as many others in the inner circle of ministry. Children were taught in seminars to "guard" each other's conversations. You could go nowhere without someone with you, unless you were part of the inner circle of ministry; people close to Jane Whaley were not under these restrictions.

Robin Whaley first taught "guarding" from the pulpit, but this couldn't be backed up with scripture and they quit teaching it from the pulpit. The teaching tapes that refer to this practice are not given to the public, or to anyone in the church. They quit letting tapes of the services go out without extensive editing, taking away anything that was said that couldn't be backed up in the scripture. What Jane Whaley "hears" in her spirit as being God is God for the church. They don't have to support it from scripture if Jane says it is God.

If you felt things were wrong, they couldn't talk to anyone about this because it would get back to Jane and you would be disciplined in some manner. A person never knew what people actually felt or thought, because you wouldn't risk talking to people to find out. There was no way to go to an outside source, and who would you go to anyway, because you were cut off from people on the outside by being totally involved in church-related activities.

COUPLES

Men and women could only be together if Jane said it was "God" for them to be together. Even then, they were never by themselves, only with others around. Most of the time couples spent their time together working in church functions. The church has businesses that it runs, and couples worked the business or painted and repaired things together. At no time were they allowed to take walks together, shop together, etc. without someone constantly listening to every word that is being said. Couples had to provide information on where they were going, who they were going with, when they would be back. One couple went home without being "guarded" and the woman got pregnant. They had to repent before the whole church for this and they were married quickly.

CHURCH DISCIPLINE

Jane Whaley heard from God who was to receive discipline and what that discipline would be. There were varieties of ways people experienced discipline. Some were isolated - for weeks on end - in their homes without social contact until they had some type of change she required. (Jane never said that it was her discipline, she always said it was God's discipline, that she is not doing this, but God is doing this.) Some people were placed on church discipline by sitting in the back of the church and could fellowship with no one. They came to services and left. They were not allowed to any church functions or any functions of their own. They were in isolation. Some lived in homes for months where only one person was allowed to talk to them. Some listened for tapes for hours on end until they changed. Some had prayer, deliverance, until the devils left them and they decided to serve God. Some were spanked. Even adults, at times, received "spankings". Some, because of their "sin", were not even allowed to come into the sanctuary, but ushered to the upstairs of the church where they watched Jane preach on TV. God wouldn't allow them into the church. It was never Jane; it was always God doing this.

Sometimes "blasting" is used to discipline church members. It is based on a scripture in which Paul advocates the "sharp rebuke". Jane considers the blast the sharp rebuke. This is a high pitched scream at the person who did the offense. Jane Whaley said it breaks deception. Many people don't want to get near Jane because they don't want to be "blasted". It is very controlling, as some church members will threaten other church members by telling them they will get "blasted" for doing thus and so. Jane has tried to stop this threatening from the pulpit.

A lot of correction is done publicly from the pulpit, on grounds that Paul said to rebuke people publicly so all will be warned. This also is controlling. No one really wants their situation to be blasted and exposed from the front of the church.

Most people will "repent" to Jane, acknowledging that she/God was right in any given situation. It is the only way to survive WOFF.

MINISTRY/BIBLE SCHOOL/THE GREAT COMMISSION

The church started out as a Bible school that extended for about 5 or 6 years initially. People came to WOFF to go to Bible school and be trained as ministers. But, according to the Whaley teaching, the "work was not done" in them, therefore they couldn't go out and minister. There was always something in someone's life that needed correction/change. People were not in a place to preach or teach. There was no longer a "great commission" that Christ proclaimed us to do. The emphasis shifted from learning to minister to getting the work done in you before you went out. Because of this, there was no outreach to anyone. The church became business oriented. People in the church opened their own businesses and church people worked for them. Jane Whaley controlled all the businesses behind the scenes. No one established a business unless Jane Whaley said they could. Therefore, all the people came under her control in a greater measure.

LIVING SITUATIONS

Virtually no one lived alone; only under very extenuating circumstances could people live alone. Families lived with families with someone in charge of the households. Every marriage, family, and social relationship was dictated from the home environment. Everyone went to Jane Whaley and other ministers for permission to do whatever they were doing.

LOCKING IN

No one could do anything without "locking-in" with someone, whether that were Jane, one of the other ministers, or the household leaders, who in turn locked in with Jane or one of the other ministers. The church knew when you went to the store to buy groceries, and in some cases knew what you were going to buy. No one went shopping freely. If you did go, you were given only so much time to be in the store, grab what you needed and run out. You couldn't hang around the store and just look.

MEDIA

Church members are not allowed to watch TV, listen to the radio, read the newspaper, read magazines, or go to the library. If they need a book from the library it is cleared through an upper-level minister or Jane Whaley, who then will send someone to the library and get the book for you.

HIGHER EDUCATION

No one is allowed to go to any school and attend any classes they want. Jane Whaley and Karel Reynolds plan all the classes, and only send students to schools that want to do it "God's Way" - meaning they go in groups with people in leadership in each group watching, so that the church members don't get chummy with outsiders. This particularly applies to young men and young women mixing with those who do not belong to WOFF. The schools may or may not be aware of this, because all the students are told how to enter the classroom, in twos and threes and drift in so that the teacher/school is unaware that they were assigned by church authorities to be together for that class. Any behaviors that are not considered in conformity with Whaley standards are immediately brought to Jane's attention and people are disciplined. One church member works as a counselor for a local Jr. College and workes with Karel to decide who gets what class.

CONTROL

People are under heavy control. They listen to Jane's tapes, listen to Jane, only know what goes on in the outside world if she tells them. They tell on one another, live with people who tell on one another, their children tell on their parents, spouses tell on each other, etc. They are in financial bondage because they work for low wages for the WOFF companies, with no union, no retirement, no medical, no benefit package whatsoever.

TIME

All your time is consumed with church activities. Men work 50 - 70 hours a week. Any time with families they may want is considered perversion. The only thing that is not perversion is doing the will of God and working for the ministry and ministry businesses. Most men get paid for only 40 hours, the rest is volunteer time. Psychologically, you know you are expected to volunteer. Families and children volunteer for work. Only mothers with little ones are not required to work for the church.

FELLOWSHIP

Fellowship consists of meeting on Friday nights for a covered dish dinner. You bring something and everyone waits in line to eat and fellowship. The church charges for this (and has for years). You literally pay for your own food. The adults are charged $5.00 and children $2.00. This is "God's way"; it brings approximately $1,000 into the church weekly.

FINANCES

No one knows, the church doesn't tell anyone what it does with the money it gets.

REFLECTIONS

People came to WOFF to be involved in the movement of God - to be part of something greater than themselves, feeling that they could do something that would make a difference.

Church meetings go all week, you have to constantly lock-in and let people know what you are doing (now, there are exceptions, but only a few). Family time is "perversion" because it takes you from the will of God.

For the lonely, you have instant friends, instant rules and boundaries.

Sexual control - you lock in to have sex

Your allegiance is to the Whaley Ministry/God above all else

They keep notes on everyone's sins to use against them if necessary. People have been threatened with having their life's sins exposed if they ever told on the group. They justify this by saying that anyone that comes against them is an enemy of God and deserves no mercy.

There is a small, inner group of people that see behind the scenes and continue to do the bidding of Jane Whaley.

They have become an established political force. Sam Whaley led prayer for the Congress in Washington, DC. They have forums in the church which bring in community speakers and the public. They practice voting.

People are told that if they leave they could go to hell, and that it would be difficult to find a place of repentance. They give examples of people that have left and have fared poorly. Letting the church know that getting out of the will of God could lead to disaster. (Joseph was in the will of God and he was in prison)

Defectors are "Judas spirits" - attacking God

Everything Jane Whaley does is God, she never loses it, or does anything that is not God. Her voice is God's voice. If you don't agree then it is your problem because you don't hear.

If you do not follow the Whaley teaching, then you are in rebellion against God and on your way to HELL.