Tag Archives: young women

Mercy Ministries Glossy Reputation–As Fake as Joyce Meyer’s Face

It’s clear from Mercy Ministries own website, that they aren’t treating women with licensed counselors or with accepted medical protocol despite what their lip service claims on their webpage. Just take a look at their newest post, Five More Graduates Celebrate Freedom! This contradicts any of their PR. First of all, if a group was really concerned with healing debilitating disorders, would they make women ‘graduate’? What the fuck does that even mean? Speaking to dozens of survivors of Mercy Ministries, I can tell you that graduating is nothing but a “notch on the bedpost” for Nancy Alcorn. Another fuck, another dollar. She just prostitutes young women out for her own paycheck. Six million dollars in donations isn’t too shabby. And would they use words like ‘freedom’? The answer is emphatically no.

Women go to Mercy Ministries simply because it’s free and because they have a glossy exterior of love and concern. They sell perfection, and in many cases, young, vulnerable women become so brainwashed that they truly believe Jesus (by proxy of Mercy) saved them from their issues or disorders permanently and they will never need help again. What’s sad about this is it sets up vulnerable women for defeat. When their mental illnesses or their eating disorders remain, they feel guilty because they were taught that their illnesses are a result of THEIR OWN SIN.

Like this “graduate” Suzanne, who thinks her bipolar disorder was a result of her sin. Don’t worry, folks…Jesus washed it away:

A woman who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

What Suzanne doesn’t know (yet) is that bipolar disorder isn’t cured by the Lord or by Mercy Ministries staff. Bipolar disorder can be treated with medical help, but it’s not gone because someone prayed it away or exorcised the demons of bipolar disorder away (yes, MM has a habit of exorcising demons and “generational curses” away). It’s easy to remain in denial when you are in a euphoric state of mind brought on by large crowds worshiping the work Nancy does, but when Suzanne leaves, will she remain “free”? The odds are that she won’t.

Suzanne’s story in her own words is below:

Before coming to Mercy, I lived a fake life. I tried to please everyone and became the type of person I thought they wanted. I had no relationship with Christ, so I struggled with addictions, self-destruction, depression and I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I was desperate to cleanse my life of its confusion, but my disorder and past pain were overwhelming.
While I was searching for help, my mentors suggested Mercy Ministries. I then heard the testimony of a Mercy graduate at a local church. As I listened to the Mercy graduate, I knew I wanted her healing. Mercy seemed to be the key to success, so I applied and entered the program.

While at Mercy, God gave me the highest honor and adopted me into His family. He did the impossible and washed away all the sin and shame of my past. I learned to take on the mind of Christ, and through that renewal he brought me freedom, light, and hope. Today, I can laugh with no fear of the future.

Of course, the phrase “take on the mind of Christ” reminds me of Mercy Ministries financial supporter, Joyce Meyer, who penned the book Battlefield of the Mind. I remember my first year in Master’s Commission, I was introduced to Joyce Meyer through her speaking engagements that brought her to Phoenix First Assembly of God. Oddly enough, it was that year (1998, I think) that she spoke on stage of her face lift. I was so in awe of Joyce. Being an insider in Phoenix First Assembly of God, I saw her leave the stage and walk outside to where her private white Lincoln Towncar and driver were waiting to rush her off away from all the “little people.”

I was still so inspired by her ability to overcome her horrible past. I think most who are brought up in the evangelical world look to her as a hero because she came from such a troubled past and is so goddamned wealthy (televangelists parade their wealth as a sign of God’s blessing). But as much as I bought into her book Battlefield of the Mind and memorized scripture every single day, I was never able to conquer my own “negative thoughts” or thought patterns. Why? Simple. I suffer from depression and major depressive disorder at that. I share this because a) there is a stigma on mental illness and b) I don’t want a single young woman to think they’ve failed Jesus if they can’t “overcome” something biological with their Jesus-devotion. For me, there is a genetic component. It runs in the family and I feel with the right doctors and LICENSED therapists, it’s manageable, but like my good friend B says, “Getting well isn’t easy. It takes a lot of really hard work.” There are no miracles when it comes to disorders of the mind.

From the Amazon description of Battlefield of the Mind (emphasis my own):

Worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger and feelings of condemnation: all these are attacks on the mind. If readers suffer from negative thoughts, they can take heart! Joyce Meyer has helped millions win these all-important battles. In her most popular bestseller ever, the beloved author and minister shows readers how to change their lives by changing their minds.
She teaches how to deal with thousands of thoughts that people think every day and how to focus the mind the way God thinks. And she shares the trials, tragedies, and ultimate victories from her own marriage, family, and ministry that led her to wondrous, life-transforming truth–and reveals her thoughts and feelings every step of the way.

What Joyce Meyer and Nancy Alcorn teach are lies, but further, they are destructive teachings which prey on the weak and disabled. Why? Money, my dears. Have you heard of Joyce Meyers six year investigation by the Senate? From CBS News,

CBS News has learned Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is investigating six prominent televangelist ministries for possible financial misconduct.

Letters were sent Monday to the ministries demanding that financial statements and records be turned over to the committee by December 6th.

According to Grassley’s office, the Iowa Republican is trying to determine whether or not these ministries are improperly using their tax-exempt status as churches to shield lavish lifestyles.

The six ministries identified as being under investigation by the committee are led by: Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn. Three of the six – Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar – also sit on the Board of Regents for the Oral Roberts University.

A spokesperson for Joyce Meyer Ministries provided CBS News with an IRS letter to the ministry dated October 10, 2007, that stated: “We determined that you continue to qualify as an organization exempt from Federal income tax.” The letter could not be independently verified in time for this story. The ministry also pointed to audited financial statements for the last three years that are posted on the organization’s Web site.

OH SHIT, shake that ass ma, move it like a gypsy
Stop, woah, back it up, now let me see your hips SWING

Sorry, that was me doing a little dance of happiness over the amount of BULLSHIT Joyce Meyer had to give to her loyal zombies to brush that shit under the rug. Here’s their press release which really doesn’t say much except, We didn’t get caught, fools!

How women like Joyce Meyer and Nancy Alcorn can live with this amount of manipulation on their hands on a daily basis is beyond me. The money must be pretty sweet. Oh wait, it sure as hell IS sweet if the IRS is after you.

AMERIKA…FUCK YEAH! Sponsored by Bristol Palin

Everything that’s wrong the way fundamentalists think can be understood by a quick glance at Bristol Palin’s blog. She insults our President and essentially all of the world by saying: “Is anyone really surprised by the fact that President Obama came out of the closet for gay marriage? What was most surprising is when he explained how his position (supposedly) “evolved,” by talking to his wife and daughters.” I’m sorry Jesus, er, I mean Bristol, Christian women aren’t to speak, they’re to be spoken to, right? So, if Sasha and Malia’s dad spoke to them they aren’t allowed to talk back? Or even intelligently dialogue with their father? (For the record, the Obama’s are Christians. Just not the Palin-version.) While it’s true that the Bible does teach men that women shouldn’t speak or instruct men, some Christians move past the oppressive texts and don’t treat women as property. It’s probably time everyone sees women, even young women, as intelligent human beings.

As if that wasn’t gross enough, she’s also writing about the 1950′s by saying “shacking up” hurts men, women and children. Bristol, 1950 called. They want their ideals back. STAT.

Mercy Ministries Info

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(This article was originally published on RH Reality Check)

Two young women I recently spoke with in intimate and heart-breaking interviews learned the hard way that celebrity Christian endorsements and pretty pink websites can’t cover up the dark, abusive side of Mercy Ministries. Over the past few weeks, they’ve shared stories with me of Mercy staff’s use of coercive control and domination to attempt to “treat” them of their medical and psychological disorders and how Mercy required mandatory HIV and STD testing, as well as detailed confessions from the girls about their past sexual relations (specifically about any lesbian or bisexual experiences) upon intake.

Mercy Ministries is a Nashville, Tennessee based group which was accused of misrepresenting their counseling and recovery services to young women in Australia in 2008. The misrepresentation in Australia was two-fold. First, they claimed their services were free but had the girls sign over their government checks. Second, the ministry claimed to be using licensed therapists and professional counseling methods. In 2009, Mercy admitted their guilt in misrepresentation on both counts and paid back $120,000 of government aid it had wrongly taken from the girls who attended—in Australia. Although the media attention reached the United States, the founding group (based in Nashville, TN) was never investigated further. Instead Nancy Alcorn, the founder of Mercy Ministries took the investigation as a sign from God that the group was under “spiritual attack” and took fundraising efforts into high-gear.

In 2009, founder Nancy Alcorn’s blog stated:

Since [the scandal], we have reorganized the governing structure of Mercy Ministries to bring new levels of oversight and accountability, have increased our funding efforts, and are in the process of opening two new homes—one in California, one in North Carolina—over the next two years. (Emphasis my own)

The most interesting part of the statement is a complete disregard for the admittance of guilt for misrepresenting their services. Instead, Mercy put extra effort in “increasing funding efforts.” Could this be because the scandal brought a large loss of donation support? Plenty of evidence can be found online about sponsors who cut off financial support and stopped their endorsements of the ministry program after the scandal occurred. Hillsong Church in Australia is one such group. In 2009, they issued a statement about their involvement with Mercy Ministries claiming that they cut all ties with the group.

…[W]e sever any affiliation with Mercy Ministries internationally, and would not be associated with any attempt by Mercy Ministries Inc or Mercy Ministries Ltd, to recommence within Australia, under that or any other name…We would encourage those, that any investigation involves, to cooperate fully.

Religious groups like Mercy are hard to pin down when it comes to accountability—legally and otherwise. Abuses in large-scale ministries can range from financial irresponsibility, mis-allocation of funds, exorbitant salaries for founders, violation of employment laws to medical malpractice. Abuses like these often get overlooked until a whistleblower within the group speaks up. “These groups often operate under the radar of government oversight,” Marci A. Hamilton, shared with me when I spoke with her last week about possible government oversight of a group like Mercy Ministries. Professor Hamilton, author of God vs. the Gavel, is one of the United States’ leading church/state scholars, specializing in issues involving religious entities that harm others. Hamilton is also an advisor for victims in many clergy abuse cases, including cases involving child abuse.

Upon further investigation, I found Marci’s statement rang true. When I inquired about Mercy Ministries licensing with the state, Grant Lawrence Director of Communications for the Department of Mental Health, confirmed my suspicions that Mercy Ministries is not licensed by the Department, which gives group and residential homes guidelines and best practices. (They are licensed as a child-placing agency by the Department of Child Services which only governs children under age thirteen.) The Department of Mental Health also oversees the young adults within these facilities, providing each young woman with a social worker and licensed medical care. If Mercy isn’t licensed by the Department of Mental Health, how can they claim to be providing proper medical treatment and licensed therapy to young women who are rape and sex trafficking victims, suffer from depression and are suicidal? They can’t.

According to Mercy’s own website, qualifications to work at the program include a bachelor’s degree and maturity in their relationship with God. Although the site claims that their counselors have either a master’s degree in counseling or psychology (or be working toward such a degree) and meet state licensing requirements, there are two issues with this. One, statements from Mercy graduates counter this statement. Many residents claim that their counselor was not certified, trained or experienced to deal with the issues they faced such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts. Two, Mercy is not licensed with the Department of Mental Health nor are they a licensed medical treatment facility. They are governed by their own Board of Trustees which doesn’t include medical or counseling personnel. Three, even if their staff is licensed, as they claim, the real issue is the curriculum they teach and what they consider “best practices” as opposed to what secular therapists use as standard practice.

In upcoming articles on Mercy Ministries, I’ll continue to examine the stories of two young women whose lives were negatively impacted on the group, the curriculum and therapy “methods” that were used to treat them and what experts in the field have to say about groups like Mercy.

According to graduates, Mercy Ministries has a dark side that even the bright pink logo can’t hide.

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The Lincoln Messenger published a series of investigative articles here:

Mercy Ministries: Two Success Stories

Mercy Ministries: Two Fathers Views

Mercy Ministries responds to its critics

Mercy Ministries needs more than the Bible for its treatment methods

The Psychology Industry Blog: Treatment Facility, Mercy Ministries: Harm Continues to Women Patients?

For Mercy Survivors Blogs, see here:

The Truth About Mercy

Mercy Survivors

More links here provided from The Truth About Mercy.

This is not a complete list. If you’d like to contribute links or articles, please email Lisa Kerr at mycultlife AT gmail DOT com with “Mercy Ministries Info” in the subject.