Some of the most troubling financial revelations, confirmed by current Valleybrook leaders: Over a 15-month period studied, disbursements to mission organizations were less than half of the $75,000 that was budgeted and presented to the congregation. At first we really liked the sermons because they touched on real life things going on, but then it started turning to almost a little over the top, Larson said. Church of Christ Non-Denominational Churches Church of Christ Churches & Places of Worship 26 YEARS IN BUSINESS (715) 832-5525 1701 Goff Ave Eau Claire, WI 54701 3. So far as I know, this is the first public report of what is happening at Valleybrook done by an independent source. *Entrance located on Rt. Our data and tools help professionals prospect for nonprofits, research opportunities, benchmark their clients, and enrich existing information. Likewise, Lebsack was able to manipulate the churchs overseers and facilitate the departures of assistant pastors who dared question his methods and messages, said Mitchell, who has written about the events at Valleybrook in a series of blogs titled Tales from the Cult., Ideally, the overseers would have stopped that, but many of them were in Dougs back pocket too, Mitchell said. Valleybrook Church412 S Barstow StEau Claire, WI 54701. Michelle was born in a small town in North Carolina where she made others laugh as soon as she could talk. From Boston Jaime ended up in Seattle where she was a worship leader for several years and began writing her own worship songs. With the truth-telling voices gone, the abuse was able to increase and take deeper root, Diederich said. Valleybrook Church: 412 South Barstow Street Eau Claire, WI 715-834-9993: GriefShare. Please support us by making a contribution. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Former Valleybrook staff member Matthew Mitchell said he believes tolerance of the abusive practices can be traced to how Lebsack coached parishioners and employees to believe criticism and questioning were bad. Support Local Journalism! Want more from the Friendly Atheist? Gas. There is nothing more perverse and distorted than a toxic pastor, he wrote. A Memorial Service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011, at Valleybrook Church, Eau Claire with Pastor Grant Schultz, Pastor Mary Clark, and two members of Steve's family officiating.. 501(c)(3) Num. There is a clear and widespread pattern of spiritual abuse led by the former lead pastor, embraced by the former co-lead pastor, the former teaching pastor and the current executive pastor, the report says. Ho-hum. Good food, good friends, good times. Indeed, the Hagedorns revealed that before Nate cut ties with them 18 months ago he told them he spent 12 hours a day with Lebsack after the former lead pastor indicated God wanted the two of them to be knitted together. "This has been the most challenging thing I've ever been a part of," Haugen said. . A Wisconsin church is under fire for behaving like a GASP! Tales from the Cult is a free effort to bring stories of abuse into the light so they may be prevented from happening again. The pastor in charge has fled the state. Maybe my belief is weak. Mitchell suggested in his blog that all the credit card interest and late fees when there was money available to make payments on time should be consideredmismanagement of godly resources and would be cause for firing in the business world. Organization Information Organizations with the same name Location Information Organizations in the same zip code Similar Entities If you havent read the About This Site page, please do so before reading any article here. National Human Trafficking Awareness Day Events, St. Patricks Day Events & Celebrations In USA 2023, MicroMania Midget Wrestling: Glendale, AZ at 44 Sports Grill. See the real faces. Who spends all day every day with a co-worker? Mitchell recalled feeling that way himself for a while, even moving to eliminate contact with his family on Lebsacks advice before eventually rejecting the idea. Consider this, then, a history book of a time not long gone, and a warning to any organization that employs or affiliates with the former lead pastor of the church. After a pastor blew the whistle by way of an open letter, a team of investigators (sent in by the churchs parent organization) spoke with current and former church members, eventually issuing a report that condemned the leadership for allowing these abusive practices to continue: Four Valleybrook Church pastors left after widespread claims surfaced about them pushing members and staff to reject their families, matching unrelated pairs of parishioners into knit-together relationships to replace biological family, sharing personal information gained in confidence, and abusing their authority by demeaning and shaming others. The churchs standard monthly trash hauling bill totaled $1,053 under the former leaders. If youre on a laptop or desktop, the menu is likely floating around on the left side of the page, indicated also by three horizontal bars. Founding pastor Valleybrook Church Oct 1993 - Jan 200511 years 4 months Eau Claire, Wisconsin Area Youth Pastor Salem Baptist Church Jun 1986 - Oct 19937 years 5 months Eau Claire,. Boston St Patricks Day Pub Crawl & Block Party! Tales from the Cult is a free effort to bring stories of abuse into the light so they may be prevented from happening again. LA CROSSE - At least 25 priests who served in the Diocese of La Crosse over the past several decades sexually assaulted children, the diocese disclosed Saturday. To avoid the pain that can accompany spiritual abuse, Diederich encouraged people to take action and address such situations before they get out of hand. When appropriate, identities of correspondents to this site will be protected. I would finally like to point out that this is not an anti-Valleybrook site, although at first glance it certainly looks like one. A Wisconsin church is under fire for behaving like a GASP! Converges crisis intervention team spent more than 28 hours interviewing 57 current and former Valleybrook members and attendees and issued a report highly critical of practices at the church. About GriefShare; Seminar topics; Seminar experts; Healing. She then moved to Nashville, TN where she still calls home and continues to travel throughout the US and internationally leading people in worship, singing songs of hope and sharing a message of finding your value and purpose in Christ. Consider this, then, a history book of a time not long gone, and a warning to any organization that employs or affiliates with the former lead pastor of the church. United States Wisconsin Eau Claire . Maybe I just need to pray. . Clark indicated there is another side to the financial story but said she didnt think it was her place to comment becausethose things werent decided by me. In April, Clark also questioned the veracity of some of the findings in the Converge Great Lakes report. She was voted at top of the Floridas Funniest Competition for 3 years and has been featured on Nickmoms Night Out, Dr. OZ, and on the New Comedy Revolution DVD. I titled that series Tales from the Cult, later renamed Tales from the Orgto be less inflammatory. After that, you can add on 1 or more as needed. Valleybrook guys hanging out at an Eau Claire Express. pushing members and staff to reject their families. To view our latest e-Edition click the image on the left. Shannon uses her divine knowledge of Scripture to put the story back together again. The Real Faces of Human Trafficking, a video production by Fierce Freedom, Valleybrook Auditorium (Hollywood Theatre), 412 S Barstow St, Eau Claire Learn why human trafficking continues. Four Valleybrook Church pastors left after widespread claims surfaced about them pushing members and staff to reject their families, matching unrelated pairs of parishioners into knit-together relationships to replace biological family, sharing personal information gained in confidence, and abusing their authority by demeaning and shaming others. Find top employees, contact details and business statistics at RocketReach. Not only did former Valleybrook staff members cite this practice, but Charlene Burns, chairwoman of UW-Eau Claires philosophy and religious studies department, said she heard multiple examples while listening to just one segment of a recording of one of Lebsacks old sermons. Without further ado, here's a PDF of the Valleybrook Church Report. Stay tuned for details, Northwood grad credits active shooter training preparing him for Michigan ordeal. Select a subscription and get started today. E.g. And when you hear about how he acted, you can understand why: Lebsack turned Valleybrook into a fringe church with an isolationist mindset and coached the pastoral team into believing it was the only valid church in the area, possibly in the world, [former pastor Grant] Schultzs letter said. Friendly Atheist. When trust is violated, it takes a really long time for trust to be built back up.. Staff photo by Dan Reiland Doug Lebsack Charlene Burns Valleybrook Church Location 412 S Barstow St, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 54701, United States Description Industry Organizations General Organizations Discover more about Valleybrook Church Org Chart - Valleybrook Church Phone Email Julie Smith The congregation lost that route.. Please refer your friends and family to this site if you find it useful or informative. #WELOVe - We are a Worshipping, Equipping, Loving, Outreach and Visionary. Now available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Four Valleybrook Church pastors left after widespread . Recognizing that families inside and outside Valleybrook were adversely affected by the spiritual abuse scandal, the church said in its statement that it has paid for professional counseling for individuals who requested it. Visit Website. We told people this is where we were, this is what weve done and these are the steps weve taken to establish layered accountability to prevent a leader from becoming autocratic in the future or operating without accountability.. Reader's Choice Awards - Voting has ended. Valleybrook is located in the heart of downtown Eau Claire. This has been the most challenging thing Ive ever been a part of, Haugen said. Stream Live - Valleybrook Church Connect Ministries Messages Give Stream Services - Sundays at 10am Give Online Connection Card Join us at home or on the road by streaming from your phone, tablet, or computer. We are solidly into the post-Christian world, and so the pressure for pastors to bind their congregations to themselves in steadily increasing. Shopping. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. In fact, Burns said, interdenominational churches such as Valleybrook often follow a theology in which humans are viewed as weak and unable to do anything without God, making them more likely than other churches to put ministers on a pedestal. Get our FREE Newsletters and special offers! employees. Reader's Choice Awards - Voting has ended. When you eventually accepted that, youd just think he must be right, Mitchell said, recalling that Lebsack used to tell him his life would become more peaceful once he stopped rebelling and questioning things. Sign up for our e-newsletter! Pastor Kendall Anderson of Valleybrook Church, Eau Claire, officiated with music provided by organist, Barbara Sandford and soloist, Peter Lea. Valleybrook Church 412 S Barstow St Eau Claire, WI 54701 Valleybrook is located in the heart of downtown Eau Claire. (715) 834-9993. I would like to briefly give my take on this report before I share the linkand I really mean briefly: They nailed it. The Employer Identification Number (EIN) is #391805767. In addition, the shift to more extreme ideas was gradual enough that many people in the church didnt see it, Mitchell said. And they didnt miss a thing. Mitchells Tales from the Cult blog series has exploded in popularity since the allegations emerged. Valleybrook is trying to rebuild itself in a healthy way, and they are doing a fine job of that. Volunteers are needed to supervise and interact with children ages 5-17. The answer, according to people familiar with the situation, revolves around the masterful way former Valleybrook lead pastor Doug Lebsack asserted his moral authority to justify his behavior and manipulated any checks and balances that might have stopped the abuse. Phone. Valley Brook Outreach Baptist Church | Pelzer SC The nine-page letter by Grant Schultz identified multiple examples of Lebsacks alleged manipulative practices, including frequent attempts to push parishioners and staff to cut off ties with their biological families and instead form knitted-together relationships with other Valleybrook members of his choosing. The Bridge Church, Eau Claire 1210 E. Clairemont Ave. Salem Baptist Eau Claire 2514 Golf Road . 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