Emily is a former member of C3 NYC where she endured three years of pastoral abuse. Her account @C3ChurchWatch on Instagram was created in June 2020 as an effort to stop the harassment she was experiencing. She did not think anyone but her pastor would notice it, but soon found herself with plenty of followers and supporters privately and publicly citing harm or abuse from C3 churches all over the world. Her church and the Philadelphia location responded by conducting a smear campaign, telling members to block the account, hunting down account supporters, and sending Emily a false legal threat that was rescinded when a journalist became involved.
Following along with a larger movement, and with a prior background in cult recovery, Emily quickly saw the need for those exiting toxic evangelical spaces to understand what happened to them and where to go to safely process their experience. She operates her account today to document her own journey, gathers articles and investigations involving C3, holds space for those wanting to share their story publicly or privately, shares resources, helps people find appropriate therapy, and speaks with family/friends of current members.
Emily provides some background on C3 Church Global, a charismatic movement founded in Sydney, Australia, with a community of over 500 churches worldwide. In addition to her insights on the mega-church culture in general, she shares her personal experience of pastoral abuse in the Philadelphia location of C3. Rachel and Emily discuss the red flags she noticed along the way as well as the self-doubt that prevented her from having the clarity of mind to see the group for what it really was. Emily shares with Rachel how she ultimately extricated herself from the church and came to victim advocacy work through her IG account.
Before You Go: Rachel explains the importance of exploring the biases that may prevent you from noticing warning signs of high control groups. She points out how the optics of certain situations can be a distractionary element that clouds your perspective.
Follow Emily's C3 account here:
https://www.instagram.com/c3churchwatch/
More Info on C3 here:
https://c3churchwatch.com/2012/03/10/macdougalls-testimony-of-pringles-early-beginnings/
Find Rachel's book "Now I Know, Kids Talking To Kids About Divorce..." here:
www.amazon.com/Now-I-Know-Rachel…ein/dp/1620867893
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