Joshua Church — Attraction in Austin

(Edit to respond to owner: I don’t really know what to do to prove I was here for 6 months. I was there in 2017-2018 and even began attempting Team Joshua Church or whatever the membership classes are called. I have emails about beginning to serve. So anyone who is reading, just know that the church’s responses to negative reviews saying people are bots, aren’t real, never attended, etc. are most likely lies.)

I would be careful about this church. I attended for about 6 months before I was subtly pushed out, an experience that almost ended severing my relationship with Jesus. The beginning was amazing. They are extremely welcoming to newcomers and this can make you feel great! It can help you find a path into a relationship with God, and I do not fault them for that. I also believe most people attending do truly love Jesus and want to live an authentically Christian life.

My problem comes with the kinds of purity tests that you don’t know you’re being put through. It feels like you’re always being tested: are you truly saved? Are you part of the elect? If you’re not crying every Sunday and every small group, you’re not being sanctified. If you have other friends or familial obligations that mean you have to miss a Sunday or a small group, you’re obstinate. In their small group leadership training materials (you can find them by googling Leaving the Network), they tell small group leaders to evaluate each new member and determine if are they a core person or someone who will never submit to being led. If they seem like they won’t submit, treat them in a way that will make them leave.

That is what happened to me. I don’t know why they decided I wasn’t worthy of being a core church member. I was ready to give my life away to the church. I suspect it was because I’m autistic and thus socially awkward and shy. I was told many times that God would transform me, make me “normal,” but that did not happen (and won’t happen, God made me autistic and he loves me the way I am). After the trial period, I was found wanting and the people I thought were my new friends in Christ stopped reaching out to me. They stopped inviting me to things and made clear in small group that I was being actively excluded. I was treated, as the training materials prescribed, in a way to make me leave. So I did. I guess they felt that I wasn’t part of the elect so my relationship to Christ and his body no longer mattered. Weird thing for a church to think, but that’s what they think.

I may be lucky that I never became a member. There are many stories of people experiencing much deeper abuse than just being pushed out. You can find their stories by googling “Leaving the Network.” But for anyone like me, considering joining this place that seems so welcoming and loving, just be aware that these people are not equipped to work with those who are different (autism, mental illness, etc). They have no formal training in theology or church leadership and are, in fact, discouraged from obtaining such training and knowledge outside of the church. They believe they can determine who God has selected to be saved and who he hasn’t. I have to disagree. I hope the church opens its eyes and sees that it’s way of treating people is abusive and actively harms the missionary ideal of Christianity. I’d love to talk to my former “friends” and leaders about this experience and how it harmed me. But I will not be going back to this church or any other church in the Network. Happily, I have found a better, loving church home (the Catholic Church, just so no one accuses me of becoming a “fake progressive Christian” as evidence that I was not ever going to fit into Joshua Church in the first place) that is premised on bringing people in, not on testing to see if they should...

I was saved at this church last year and have a lot of love for the people here. The leaders here have been able to effectively lead by example what a biblically balanced life looks like and mentor me, mostly by pointing me to scripture and sharing their life stories. I came from a lifestyle where sin was encouraged and I was hopeless about my future even though my career was going well and I was experiencing “freedom” for the first time. Having so many other people my age in a similar boat helps a lot. This church is very multi-ethnic and has lots of young adults from college age to 30’s and several families that are great examples of biblical families. Their kids (most of the youth) are phenomenal and I hope to raise kids alongside similar someday. The leaders here don’t bend due to cultural shifts or persecution and that’s made the church a target for some of these reviews and “Leaving the Network”, but I’m thankful we can experience a fraction of the persecution that Jesus and the early church did. All types of people are welcomed here. If you visit, make sure to ask the greeters at the front doors for folks to sit next to or if they can introduce you to others your age. It can be intimidating not knowing anyone at first but push through. There’s a strong community waiting to greet you with open arms. Sometimes it takes a couple board game nights, sports events, or small group meetings to warm up to people. If you ask the greeters to introduce you to me I’d be more than happy to get to know you and connect you with others that you might like talking to. I wish everyone would experience this type of community. It feels like this is how life is meant to be. I hope to meet you soon...

This church and its network have serious issues. Newcomers should research before attending. I did, and I noticed most reviews here are by head staff, volunteers, or their families. I also found the “Leaving the Network” website super telling along with the leaving the network subreddit. Beware. I feel for those trapped inside. Cult!

(Responding to the owner’s comments below, which continue to be edited to multiple versions based on what I say to counter their response…)

I am a real person and my review is not false or filled with language from anyone else but me. Stop trying to control honest feedback in order to rule your own narrative. Don’t counter my review but ignore the many, many, many other 5 Star reviews from Joshua Church staff and their family members. Those are the true fake reviews! I simply did objective research and offered my review rather than asking staff and family to create disingenuous reviews to make the church look good. Thank you for validating why people need to do their own research and (in my real opinion) STAY AWAY! I truly feel for those who are a part of this destructive church and its Network. Stay away, away, away!

PS. More disingenuous reviews from Krajewski and Kastelein who are small group leaders at the Network Church in College Station. Talk about a conflict of interest. The lengths this cult and its leaders will go to disguise the truth. So sick,...