Victory Church — Local services in Middlefield

I thought long and hard about writing a review and ultimately felt obligated to do so, so others can avoid the experience I had. Someone I know attended this church and asked us to come – after that first Sunday, we went about 5 or 6 times alone to really get a feel for it.

PROS- the kids program is genuinely really, really great. Wife and I were very impressed and my kids had a great time each Sunday we went. The worship team is also slamming! Really talented, energetic and lively.

CONS – literally everything else. Aside from 1 person on our first visit who my friend introduced us to, and aside from the Sunday school employees each week, not a single member of this congregation acknowledged us, said hi to us, interacted with us, etc, even during the time of the service where the pastor says ‘lets say hi to our neighbors’. My wife and I literally turned it into a game by the last time we went, to see if someone would say hello to us. Nope. Felt very tribal and exclusive, people looking sideeyed at us without any interaction. Never have experienced that in 25 years of going to churches. Ironically, this church sent me about 6-10 texts A WEEK about getting more involved with them, so many texts in facts I had to tell them to stop lol.

But the main issue I had with this church is the senior pastor. There is a father and son team who pastors here and the son’s sermon we saw was quite good. Not sure why he isn’t preaching every week. Because unfortunately, of all the times we went, all but one time it was the father, the senior pastor, who was preaching.

And let me tell you - if you are looking for a pastor who apparently worships the Republican Party more than the Lord -- even blatantly endorsing a candidate from the pulpit -- then this is the place for you. Starting every sermon off with an unrelated joke about ‘dumb liberals’ is just the tip of the iceberg. Just listen to his sermon ‘Determining the Fate of a Nation’ available right now for free on their website to see the general gist of this church’s message- fear mongering, negative ‘Us vs Them’ energy, and the directive that anyone not on board politically with his interpretations of scripture is an immoral, unintelligent, wicked fool. His words, not mine. In every sermon we saw of his, he makes fun of democrats, liberals, LGBTQ, tells blatant lies about public education and hits most major fox-news talking points.

Not sure if these are the waters a pastor should be gleefully wading in, but I personally go to church to learn how to better follow Jesus’ example and to exalt the glory of God in the world, not to hear about why I should vote republican or why I should hate, laugh-at and fear those who are different. Please, go listen to that sermon. They put it out there for you to listen to. Listen to it and then you decide if you want to put your family and your precious children into an environment where that sort of vitriol, fear, and division is being taught. I certainly do not. Proverbs 14:8: "The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the...

I love this church. I’ve been attending over 22 years now. I’ve seen ups and downs. The church and leaders have never rejected me or mistreated me or my finances. There was a period of time that I had left the church and came back, when I met with the Pastors to discuss why I left and came back, they welcomed me with open arms and have allowed me to serve within the church community. Victory church is my family. They exemplify the heart of God. I don’t understand why people say negative things about the church and leaders. They are loving and kind. Pastor preaches the truth. I think that people who are prideful and not looking to grow are the ones who leave offended and their pride blinds them. These people don’t believe in true reconciliation, instead they lash out and attack others. That’s ungodly to do. I wouldn’t pay attention to the negative reports because these are people who have poor character and are spreading false witness. Who in their right mind dares to accuse the man of God? The Bible clearly states that the devil is the accuser of the brethren. These are false attacks and...

In 2011, I just had my first child and felt the tug on my heart that it was time to go back to church. I grew up Lutheran, and hadn't gone back to church since I finished college 11 years prior. I knew that I was in search of something not as "religious", and somewhere I could learn how to have a relationship with Jesus. I was in New Haven at the time and so I started searching online for Bible based churches in my area and initially found the Victory YouTube channel. I started watching some of the sermons and just knew it was the place for my family and me. Fast forward to today, we're very active at Victory and I am blessed to serve on an amazing worship team in addition to a quickly expanding children's ministry. This church is a place where everyone has a heart for people and truly shares what's most important - the...