Tim Yates Pastor Tim, his wife, Dawn, moved to Bellefonte after almost 20 years as missionaries in Africa and Australia. Yesterday, Watermark Community Church, a Dallas mega church, announced that founder and senior pastor Todd Wagner had resigned. If you got the impression I was disingenuous or was minimizing someones hurt please forgive me. Elders Todd Anders Elder Ben Caldwell Elder Mickey Friedrich Elder Blake Holmes Elder, Lead Pastor If you chose not to participate, you will be singled out and you will be admonished. Therefore, one of the most important steps we take to be fully devoted followers of Christ is to connect with others in a community group.. They fear excessive contact & pressure from the church that they are on a sinful path and/or that Watermark Church will pursue formal church discipline against them. Watermark Church was born from a passion to see people find Jesus, find a faith family to belong to, and find a mission to give their lives for. When we see these inconsistencies should we pay attention that this may in fact be a wolf in sheeps clothing? It all starts out with the love-bombing (just like what happened in the movie, The Firm), which is a tactic commonly attributed to narcissists who draw in their victims with lofty promises and over-the-top love & affection. It was founded in 1960 as a private school in part by funding from the United Church of Christ, said Rev. I dont know folks.if you have to go online and record a video to explain how your church is not a cult..this might lead into a Jeff Foxworthy joke! Working at watermark church: Employee Reviews | Indeed.com I dont mean to discredit anyones experience, but mine overall has been encouraging, and yes, challenging, but biblically sound. Complete a blank sample electronically to save yourself time and money. Feb 2022 - Present1 year 2 months. What is Watermark? : r/Dallas - reddit.com Hes not the pastor of Watermark. I jokingly said Maybe theyre from Watermark (referring toRead more , Jan, emotional abuse and demeaning relationships are somewhat of a watermark of of how they care for the people who become involved. Watermark might want the groups to be run a certain way, but that doesnt mean the group has to follow the rules. You can see it on their instagram! Then its meeting with your group every week, camping trips, coffee with the girls (or guys), bible studies. Their way is by controlling- knowing everything about you through unrelenting, constant confession & sharing, knowing how much money you make & how you spend your money, full input regarding your life decisions, AND the freedom to love you by admonishing anyone in your community group at will. Im thankful you have experienced the controlling, entrapment, and triangulating side of WM. He walked with an air of superiority that was disgusting. You can always view your progress in the Membership process by visiting your Membership Status page. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Groucho Marx. It also means sharing your entire financial portfolio and giving away the freedom to make any life decisions apart from the community group. Let me guessthe PASTORS of this church DONT have to be real and disclose THEIR salaries, sins, struggles.right???? Watermark Church's membership process first requires that you sign the membership covenant, which oddly enough, you can do online. Do I believe writing posts about Watermark Church will cause them to change their policies? I wont tell *Michaels story in its entirety, I will interject some of his experiences into what I have discovered during my research of Watermark Churchs ministries and practices. At Fellowship they really didnt want anyone who had a prior history of really bad sins; they wanted stable couples with children since they usually have more $$$. Staff | Watermark Community Church I cannot imagine that Jesus, given all options, would choose to live among the wealthiest citizens in the most landscaped, luxurious part of the city. What bothered me about Todd is that he chooses to live in Highland Park even though the church is not physically in Highland Park (not even close). Were here to help you find that. *Michael had tried repeatedly to engage his community group members in mission activities, but they were not receptive and didnt bother to participate. Sure, we made friends with our peers in the class and had fun at summer camp, and it all developed out of normal human interaction. -Laura Schwartz. Share your testimony verbally with someone from our team. This team makes sure we are good stewards of those gifts by carefully receiving, counting, and documenting each gift given in house on Sunday mornings. Ive been at Watermark for 7 years and experienced people in my community group leaving the church; there are NO such requirements or stipulations that prevent you from leaving the group or the church entirely. Seems like theres a lot of hurting people with a lot to hide on this thread. Have you heard of Life Water? Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. Like *Susan, he was pressed to share more, and when he assured the group that he just didnt have much to share in the way of struggles, he was accused of lying or holding back. It did not disappoint. I agree with you regarding gaining a new more Christ like understanding of how empathy is what is important to people who are struggling, also after having been in the midst of this organization. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Any admonishment should be delivered with patience, grace, and compassion. Join us for worship on Sunday at 9 AM, 11:15 AM, and 5 PM. Todd loves and worships money and attention. When you leave a church of this size or have a falling out or disagreement, the after effects can be life altering. Todd Wagner is the pastor of Watermark Community Church. So in summary, Watermark isnt a cult because they follow Jesus better than anyone, are more radical about it than anyone else, and if thats what a cult is, oh well, I guess were a Jesus cult! I was told I was not allowed to talk poorly about WM leadership and was heavily pressured to say WM leadership didnt do anything wrong. on The Aftermath: Stories From Former Watermark Members Part II, The Aftermath: Stories from Former Watermark Church Members, Outsourced: How Watermark Community Church Fails in Caring for Its Members, The Spin Cycle Watermark Community Church Members Unlikely to Ever Know the Truth Behind Resignations, Before You Sign: What You Need to Know About Membership Covenants, Making the Cut What Does It REALLY Take to Become a Member at Watermark Community Church. Additionally, unless you have seen all of the financial reports from the last 22 yrs, you have no idea how Wagner was compensated. Champion and maintain the brand of photography at Watermark and The Porch. On Facebook, he posted a letter from Watermark, an evangelical church in Dallas. The whole situation reeks of status and power, neither of which is a good look for a pastor. Prestonwood Baptist also made the list (top 20) and its nowhere near a cult. Their defense, interestingly enough, is that anyone who thinks Watermark Church is a cult is the one with a problem, and Ryan gave 4 reasons why (these are direct quotes): Ryan then challenges the students to ask the following 3 questions when asked if Watermark Church is a cult: Instead of actually addressing why Watermark is being repeatedly labeled as a cult, these students are being further indoctrinated to ignore those concerns and place the blame for them on those who would question the organization. Folks, if your church cant defend why its not a cult, and instead blames the people who question them as being the problem, then the CHURCH is the problem. Secondly he says that even Jesus himself said things that might be considered cultish: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26. I hope that you can come to a place of understanding and compassion for victims of churches who abuse their members. Listening for root issues and how they cause hurt for make more senses than listening to reply in a sermon. Interviews are to begin on March 13th. I have nothing to hide, and sharingRead more , As an ex-Watermark member (8 years), and former CG leader (6 years), I can say unequivocally that I had no problem sharing my financial information with my guys. IfRead more , Adding to people in good standing who have zero knowledge of any discipline issues also fear leaving due to verifiable stories where watermark members have harassed and stalked people for leaving in cases where the person leaving has come to realize the place at its core is Not what is represented on its surface and middle layers. Not to mention that even if the words are perfect its up to the listeners as to how they interpret it. I often wonder if complicit Christians are becoming one of the most effective tools to the mis representation of Jesus teachings in todays world. Watermark Church pushes for everyone to become members of a church, because in their opinion, it is assumed in the Bible. There are many issues at Watermark. Dallas, TX 75251, In Person Sunday 9 AM, 11:15 AM, and 5 PM Then she shares the sheep aspect which is they did help financially which is Christ like. You can also listen to our sermon on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Unsure why he is getting criticized for living in a house that is experiencing uber appreciation b/c of the school district it resides in. Psychological warfare Is a good name for it. Those who love control and achievement thrive very well there. Help me to understand. Todd was my counselor at Kanakuk Camps for a summer. *Michael (pseudonym) was the first person to contact me about Watermark Church and its abusive practices, after he found my blog when researching similarities between Scientology & church abuse. Watermark Community Church. I have NEVER been asked to, let alone forced, to disclose financial information. Watermark currently partners with multiple ministries local to Dallas and across the globe. You can read more about it on his website, Freedom of Mind. Watermark Advisors Mergers and Acquisitions Internship Watermark, a fast-growing nondenominational church in northeast Dallas, says the case involves accusations of adultery, a wife who wanted to save her marriage, a husband who sat on a board of a national Christian organization, and another woman who works for another church. If youd like a suggestion for a charity outside of our church well gladly help you. They dont even take a collection in church! If you need assistance getting connected to a local church body close to your home, please contact us for assistance. Its a huge red flag to me about Todds character and understanding of God. that would be a better fit. The entity becomes so big, that its influence reaches far and wide, into local industry, mutual relationships, etc. I can attest, when they claim no member of WM will ever go homeless, is a complete and total lie. on The Aftermath: Stories from Former Watermark Church Members, Youth Volunteer at The Village Church Confesses to Sexual Abuse of Minors. Streaming Sunday 9 and 11:15 AM The Watermark Church staff member attempted to use *Michael to help further isolate and exclude this wayward church member by exaggerating details of a situation in order to cause him to think negatively of this person, and thus no longer associate with him. If someone doesnt respond initially, it could become a warning, or even a loving rebuke or strong correction (1 Thessalonians 5:14a, 2 Timothy 4:2)., In *Michaels case, he was admonished by his community group when he was invited out to dinner (not knowing the reason why) then blindsided when he was told that he was in trouble for not attending community group often enoughwhich brings me to #6 (and the reason for *Michaels decline in CG attendance), #6: Engage intentionally with our communities and the world to make disciples.

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