The first review is accurate. The church is basically a cult. The pastor(Dale Crall) really thinks he is of God. Many of his teachings are not biblical. Spare yourself and DO NOT go there!!! He puts the standards of Bill Gothard higher than God which violates the first commandment in the Bible. ""You shall have no other Gods before me"" (Exodus 20:3) For some explanation of Gothards erroneous teachings, check this website out http://www.pfo.org/evol-fad.htm. There are pastors there with sincere intentions, and that is why Calvary still manages to be there. The main pastor believes that women are to be VERY submissive to men. Women, if they have a conflict with their husbands, are supposed to appeal to them with a 7 STEP process set out by Bill Gothard. The process is very complicated and unbiblical considering God does not make us do that with him. The pamphlet for the 7 step appeal process is in error because it uses bible characters that never used 7 steps and cites them as examples of this process. The pastor has his favorites (his staff) and seperates himself from the rest of the congregation. He takes his sabbath on a Tuesday when the rest of the congregation is working and might need him. And he makes sure to tell the congregation not to bother him on Tuesday. He also makes his staff take Tuesday off. He has a lot of women working for him in the office and NONE of them are going to get married because he is so controlling. He does not like people to get married because it takes them away from helping out in his church. Any inclination towards someone must be strictly under the authority of someone the pastor trusts. He rarely shows appreciation for those who serve in the church and does not supply the money needed to do the ministry. He is very boastful of his giving. It is very dangerous to go to this church. So many of the teachings can seem right on, but the pastor slants them with a works mentality, legalism, and fear. He is motivated by fear and is very controlling. If you're going to consider a church in Carbondale, try the Vine church.
more