Bethel Church in Northern California recently shut down its private Facebook group for alumni after facing backlash for allegedly covering up instances of sexual abuse and protecting fraudulent prophets.
However, the move to quietly shut down the social media page has prompted even more backlash.
On his podcast titled, Faith Reframed, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) alumnus Jesse Westwood told his listeners that his phone “started blowing up” after Bethel shut down access to the Facebook group with over 5,000 members.
“The problem here is that Bethel is controlling the narrative,” Westwood said. “They don’t want other victims to talk to each other. They don’t want to have an open forum where people can talk about their hurt or what happened to them and highlight failures in leadership.”
But according to The Roys Report, alumni have launched their own Facebook page to hold Bethel Church accountable.
The group was created on March 1 and already has 774 members and counting.
“In this season, there may be people who wish to share personal stories of harm that occurred at Bethel,” group rules state under the victim testimony and reporting section. “This group has a diversity of people with diverse views, and members who choose to share should consider carefully whether this best serves their own personal safety and wellbeing.”
Admins continued: “We do not endorse the ‘Safe Church’ reporting program at Bethel, but for those who trust it, we have provided a link in the group description.”
Over the last few months, Bethel has faced increased scrutiny sparked by Bible teacher and podcaster Mike Winger, who has shed light on alleged victims and former Bethel staff who claimed that the church knew years ago that "Prophetic Minister" Shawn Bolz faked prophecy and sexually harassed staff while leaders remained silent.
Recently, Bethel Church leaders released a statement following a nearly six-hour video Winger released on Jan. 17, which put the church under renewed scrutiny for its handling of Bolz, as Premier Christian News previously reported.
“We are clear that we are not responsible for Shawn’s sin; he is. But we are equally clear that we are responsible for our sins, actions, and inactions after the fact,” Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, and Dann Farrelly wrote in a joint statement. “James 4:17 states, ‘So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.’”
In addition, last month a pastor at Bethel Church was placed on leave after allegations of sexual assault surfaced in a YouTube video.
In a Feb. 15 statement, leaders at Bethel said they had become aware of a video “containing serious allegations of clergy sexual abuse" against pastor Ben Armstrong, dating back to 2009.