Peniel Pentecostal Church
Encyclopedia
Peniel Pentecostal Church (now known simply as Peniel Church) is located in Pilgrims Hatch
, Brentwood, Essex
, UK. The church was founded by the now disgraced 'Bishop' Michael Reid
, and is currently under new leadership (below).
(EA), but disputes between the EA and the leadership of the church resulted in the church leaving the EA.
, Nigeria
in 1995. The Rev Peter Linnecar, Reid's senior pastor, and long-time business partner for more than 25 years, took over Mr Reid's responsibilities at the church during 2008. A group of eight lay-people acts as the leadership team, while a further group of trustees has legal responsibility for the church's charitable status.
stood for Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar constituency following allegations that the church were attempting to infiltrate the local Conservative Party
. The allegations were investigated by Conservative Central Office who reported that they saw no evidence of entryism
.
Some former church members have claimed the church is a cult
, and relate experiences of poor treatment prior to and on their departure from the organisation. In 2004, all the other churches in the Brentwood and District Evangelical Fellowship (BADEF) resigned in protest against Peniel, leaving it as the only member. The church is no longer a member of the Evangelical Alliance
, having left the group following controversial circumstances in 2005.
In February 2008 the Advertising Standards Authority
upheld a complaint that a mobile advertisement for Christian Congress of Traditional Values (CCTV), an organisation with ties to Peniel Pentecostal Church, was 'likely to cause serious or widespread offence or condone anti-social behaviour'.
Peniel Church had more lately been publicised as 'Michael Reid Ministries', although the church retained the Peniel name for its college, school and choir. The college was closed in 2009. The school has less than one hundred pupils of mixed ability (down from 150 at its height) and is a member of the Independent Schools Association.
Further to the exposure of the affair, stories of emotional bullying and manipulation by Reid began to emerge from many members of the congregation.
The church appeared to have weathered the storm caused by Reid's extra-marital affairs, but trouble flared up again in 2009 when head pastor Peter Linnecar's appointment of assistant pastors caused controversy and disagreement amongst a large section of the congregation. Approximately 1100 people left the church as a result. The church subsequently stated that it is now thriving under the new leadership.
Pilgrims Hatch
Pilgrims Hatch is a residential suburb of Brentwood, Essex, in the east of England. There is a borough council ward bearing the name 'Pilgrims Hatch' which covers the Bishops Hall and Flower estates and a small rural area to the north up to Ashwells Road and Days Lane. Pilgrims Hatch usually...
, Brentwood, Essex
Brentwood, Essex
Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
, UK. The church was founded by the now disgraced 'Bishop' Michael Reid
Bishop Michael Reid
Michael Reid was a Christian evangelist in Essex, England and founder of Michael Reid Ministries. He resigned from the role of pastor at Peniel Church in April 2008 after admitting to an eight-year extra-marital sexual relationship...
, and is currently under new leadership (below).
Doctrine
Peniel Church describes itself as an independent pentecostal Christian church. Over the years, it has aligned itself with and subsequently distanced itself from a number of Christian organisations, including the Assemblies of God and the International Communion of Charismatic Churches (ICCC). For a time the church was a member of the Evangelical AllianceEvangelical Alliance
The Evangelical Alliance is a London-based charitable organization founded in 1846. It has a claimed representation of over 1,000,000 evangelical Christians in the United Kingdom and is the oldest alliance of evangelical Christians in the world....
(EA), but disputes between the EA and the leadership of the church resulted in the church leaving the EA.
Leadership
The church's founder, Michael Reid, is a former Metropolitan police officer and insurance salesman, and was made a bishop by the International Communion of Charismatic Churches in Benin CityBenin City
Benin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in 1995. The Rev Peter Linnecar, Reid's senior pastor, and long-time business partner for more than 25 years, took over Mr Reid's responsibilities at the church during 2008. A group of eight lay-people acts as the leadership team, while a further group of trustees has legal responsibility for the church's charitable status.
Controversy
Controversy has surrounded Reid for many years and both he and Peniel Pentecostal Church have been the subject of many critical media articles. In 2001, the church received national publicity when Martin BellMartin Bell
Martin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
stood for Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar constituency following allegations that the church were attempting to infiltrate the local Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. The allegations were investigated by Conservative Central Office who reported that they saw no evidence of entryism
Entryism
Entryism is a political tactic by which an organisation or state encourages its members or agents to infiltrate another organisation in an attempt to gain recruits, or take over entirely...
.
Some former church members have claimed the church is a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
, and relate experiences of poor treatment prior to and on their departure from the organisation. In 2004, all the other churches in the Brentwood and District Evangelical Fellowship (BADEF) resigned in protest against Peniel, leaving it as the only member. The church is no longer a member of the Evangelical Alliance
Evangelical Alliance
The Evangelical Alliance is a London-based charitable organization founded in 1846. It has a claimed representation of over 1,000,000 evangelical Christians in the United Kingdom and is the oldest alliance of evangelical Christians in the world....
, having left the group following controversial circumstances in 2005.
In February 2008 the Advertising Standards Authority
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances...
upheld a complaint that a mobile advertisement for Christian Congress of Traditional Values (CCTV), an organisation with ties to Peniel Pentecostal Church, was 'likely to cause serious or widespread offence or condone anti-social behaviour'.
Peniel Church had more lately been publicised as 'Michael Reid Ministries', although the church retained the Peniel name for its college, school and choir. The college was closed in 2009. The school has less than one hundred pupils of mixed ability (down from 150 at its height) and is a member of the Independent Schools Association.
Crisis
The church was thrown into crisis when it came to light that Reid had been having an affair with a member of the church. On 5 April 2008, Michael Reid tendered his resignation from the church board and stepped down from pastoral duties.. The woman was the church's music director, a married mother of two. At an industrial tribunal where Reid was claiming unfair dimissal it emerged that there was a second woman who also claimed to have had a relationship of "many years" with Reid, which involved a "possible abuse of his position. Following these events, CCTV disbanded in August 2008, and Global Gospel Fellowship (GGF) appears to have likewise folded. Reid was arrested on August 27 2009 on suspicion of historical rape.Further to the exposure of the affair, stories of emotional bullying and manipulation by Reid began to emerge from many members of the congregation.
The church appeared to have weathered the storm caused by Reid's extra-marital affairs, but trouble flared up again in 2009 when head pastor Peter Linnecar's appointment of assistant pastors caused controversy and disagreement amongst a large section of the congregation. Approximately 1100 people left the church as a result. The church subsequently stated that it is now thriving under the new leadership.
External links
- Apologetics Index - Peniel Pentecostal Church
- Rick A. Ross Institute - "Church cult 'taxed members at £2,000 a month'" (originally from The Times, February 4, 2001)