As a group, were really feeling for them.. Great! He is known for his uniquely authentic communication style that makes the hope found in Jesus relevant to people of every background. Next Level, the church, sold a residential property it owned to Gagnon and his wife for half of what it paid. Yet, according to both Holman and former Executive Pastor Roman Archer, Gagnon told staff repeatedly that NLC had a board but refused to name its members. An early state charter report shows no governing board. I want you to know that Im available for those of you who regularly attend here, for those of you that are invested here, Becton said. She said there was no mystery that Gagnon was trying to expand the church as broadly as he could. I think their eyes were opened up to the facts of what had been said, said former Location Pastor Marty Holman, one of the whistleblowers who raised concerns to TRR last week. It is a bedrock principle for all believers within the Lords Family. Gagnon formed NLC as a nonprofit corporation in 2006 to influence in a positive way and to care for the community, in Rochester, New Hampshire. According to anti-bullying expert and founder of The Protectors, Paul Coughlin, what former NLC staff and volunteers described to TRR is not unusual for victims of bullying. King replied the same day, saying the NLC the board of overseers had three membersAnthony Milas, pastor of Granite United Church in Salem, New Hampshire; Chris Goeppner, pastor of Riverbank Bank in White River Junction, Vermont; and NLCs Walt Robbins. Almost all targets of bullying feel swamping fear, shame, and confusion, Coughlin said to TRR. Hi. Gagnon really has proven himself a wolf in all this, said former NLC Pastor Ben White. Sounds almost identical to Applegate church in Medford , Oregon ! As former staff, would you please explain how it can happen? Bussy-Saint-Georges Map - Town - le-de-France, France - Mapcarta Map. On Jan. 30, Archer sent a statement to Gagnon, Executive Assistant Walt Robbins, King, and various campus pastors, calling for an independent investigation of the church and for the names of NLCs board to be made public. Rebecca Hopkins is a journalist based in Colorado. Part rock concert, Next Level Church a unique experience May 20, 20237:58 AM ET Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday By Todd Bookman Audio will be available later today. As an aside, I always wonder about headlines that say the Christian faith is dwindling across America and then I read stories like this one that are always full of thousands of worshippers joining this church and that. Around 2011, NLC also began growing organically, and Gagnon started launching churches in other New England towns, former NLC pastor Boardman said. That left four pastors to help the multi-site church with locations throughout New England and Florida to handle the leadership transition. Absolutely- and Paul Coughlins quote- Paul being a survivor of childhood abuse himself- says it all- which Rebecca included in this article: Almost all targets of bullying feel swamping fear, shame, and confusion, Someone they believe to be decent has lied to and about them. Most of the 25 former staff, who spoke to TRR, left or were fired from NLC feeling shattered and isolatedlike they were the only one confused by all that happened. Man, sadly this isnt just with ARC mega churches. This increased Gagnons platform from 1,000 to 80,000 followers in less than a year to prepare for his book launch, Archer said. NLC also appeared to take money designated for the 5K race , according to race organizers Angela Rogers and Linda Markarian. It is located 25.5 km from the center of Paris, in the Seine-et-Marne department in the le-de-France region in north-central France. A New Hampshire church rose quickly - WUSF Public Media This story is just one of many hazing, spiritually abusive, and bullying accounts that 25 former pastors, staff, and volunteers shared in exclusive interviews with TRR. Joshua-Gagnon-Next-Level-Church | The Roys Report For Gagnon, the growth in numbers and platform resulted in a better lifestyle and personal enrichment, former staff said. In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Josh Gagnon, founding and lead pastor of Next Level Church. At Next Level, our desire is that every believer would not just attend church, but also hear from God daily through His Word! The church also announced that Operations Pastor Daniel King and Executive Assistant Walt Robbins would also be resigning from their roles at the church. The location pastor sat me down after service one Sunday and said my services were no longer desired as I was judged to be not a team player. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of "Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World That Feeds It" by Christy Boulware. Reporting the Truth. The tales of a narcissistic leader run rampant, chasing after a magical number thats grater than everyone elses. NH. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World That Feeds It by Christy Boulware. Joshua Gagnon preaches in front of a live congregation at one church, and it's streamed almost like a movie onto big screens in other Next Level Church locations. In early February, the church announced Gagnon, along with two of his top managers, had stepped down. Prather added that NLC once asked him to ship a printing machine overnight to another location. The second someone tells me to take my pants off in a meeting, the answer is No, and I quit!, The second someone tells me they get to decide who I can date, the answer is Mind your own business.. A New Hampshire church rose quickly until questions about its - NPR Did I read right that this pastor has no schooling or training in the pastorate? I would get reprimanded or scolded if we werent beating our numbers week over week, Boardman said. Gagnon also docked staff pay when giving dipped, former Location Pastor Chris Boardman said. Geography and map of Bussy-Saint-Georges : The altitude of the city hall of Bussy-Saint-Georges is approximately 110 meters. One of those workers claimed Gagnon physically assaulted him during a meeting, and used his immigration status as a lever to keep him tied to the church. In his letter to NLC Worcester, Dancy wrote that in 2019four years after the mergerhe reached out to the director of the organization that processed the money for the Guatemala mission. Earlier this year, the Roys Report, a Christian media website, detailed how Next Level purchased a house in Dover in 2015 for $495,000. Gagnon eventually found out, Burger said, and retaliated by firing him and threatening to turn him into immigration. As we read the Bible, we begin to see how God responds to things. In 2014, Outreach named NLC as the fifth fastest growing church in the nation, and the first New England church to ever make its list of 100 fastest growing churches. Get out of there and find a real church. The NLC location pastors said they requested their names be removed as board members from NLCs official filing with the state. It cant happen.. Good systems, good practices will be put into place. The services had the thrill of a trip to the movies, and the live band at every location created a buzz. I just think that fixation on numbers can also end up justifying behavior that might lead to growth. Next level grifting. After plastering the region with road signs announcing the event, more than 10,000 people showed up, leading to a slew of complaints and warnings from local police. By the time you are on the receiving end of their wrath, they have already sucked you in and try to make you look crazy for questioning anything they do. That just made me want to throw up.. Fortunately, God and the church are different. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World That Feeds It by Christy Boulware. NLC required pastors to post hundreds of signs all over towns, even if doing so violated local ordinances, former staff said. He thinks more needs to be done to examine ARC churches. The transaction was signed off by one of Gagnon's location pastors, Roman Archer. I was a guitarist at the West Boylston, MA location for about 2 months some 3 years ago. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World That Feeds It by Christy Boulware. Gagnon used that against him and was just one way to exercise control over this particular person. Just a year earlier, Gagnon told Carey Nieuwhof on a podcast that 5,000 people attended NLC. A fter a while, Pastor Joshua Gagnon invited the Kings to move to New Hampshire and be part of what God was doing there. My prayers are is that this specific church will get to the bottom of these reports of abuse & Financial mismanagement. We all piled on the clothes in preparation. Now its down to eight locations. You know when we were pre teens the neighborhood kids had a plan to play strip poker after supper in a neighbor boys tent. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! If anythings out of place, or if the audience response was bad, didnt respond to his bad jokes, if nobody raised their hand for salvation, he would come offstage after the service and lose his freaking mind, Goff said. However, according to NLCs statement, the pastors resignations were tendered last Monday, February 6. They have turned away and they might not come back to a church. satan used it for you to turn your back Jesus. Annual reports for 2015 and 2020 list only Gagnon and NLC Operations Pastor Daniel King as directors. After starting Next Level in a rented high school auditorium and then a Dover movie theater, the church eventually occupied more than nine different locations, operating almost like franchises, across New England and then Florida, all from a base church in Somersworth. Joshua Gagnon - Next Level Church, Somersworth, New Hampshire - AllPeople Where do these Men come from? But Groeschel was never on the board, according to Groeschels spokesperson. Gagnon has claimed that megachurch pastor Craig Groeschel was on the board, said Archer. Hi. I genuinely never had a clear picture who the board of overseers was.. Gagnon's relatability as an average dude during sermons, his approachability as a pastor who preferred T-shirts and jeans to formal vestments, and his ambition would help transform Next Level. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Questions remain about who will handle assets and whether King will be involved during the churchs dissolution. I was mentored early on by men who were strongly committed to the truth that every pastor must be in accountable relationships with genuine peers. What a shame. So not all growth is good or deeply rooted from a spiritual perspective.. For more information, visit www.nextlevel.church. What David said is right. And my prayer is that healing will happen.. When you are living under spiritual abuse you dont realize it is abuse until one day you do realize it is abuse. Gagnon once tricked and locked Burger into a 50-foot cherry picker, lifting it up to its full height, Burger said. Welcome to Next Level Church. I happen to know because I was raised by one. Similarly, Dancy wrote in his letter that funds from the 2018 race were not paid out until February 2019, and only after NLC Leaderships hand was forced.. Winship added that sometimes Gagnon told her to order meals for him, but then would eat out. Hope you grow as a result from our missteps. We worked to be truly ACT (approachable, correctable, teachable) with each other, especially after the major Televangelist/Celebrity Pastor scandals of 1987 revealed structures that were basically one man rule. I imagine theres going to be an outpouring that could be quite beautiful, he said. Next Level: The rise and fall of a New Hampshire megachurch Berube said at the time she and her husband and four kids had been looking for a spiritual home. The so called pastor is destroying lives. I still love God and am his. Doing daily devotions re-patterns the way we think, transforms the spirit of our mind, and . That persistence turned off Nolans husband, though Erin said she was more patient. Someone needs to put a flashlight on those affairs. You are the loser and I am sorry. Sold out to the vision, White worked hard and pushed through all the red flags he was noticing, like the stripping competition. He took advantage of the fragile situation I was in, said Burger, who eventually received help from another church so he could stay in the country. What even IS this?? Dozens Say ARC Megachurch Pastor Bullied & Shamed Staff, Volunteers Gagnon made sure parishioners had plenty of ways to give as well. (The director) informed me that NLC has never made a payment for the Guatemala Mission, despite him making multiple attempts to contact NLC directly, Dancy wrote. People felt more and more humiliated, White told The Roys Report (TRR). Siemon told TRR that NLC had never asked him to be on the board, he had not been to a board meeting, and he didnt give permission to be listed on the Secretary of States site. I was told all these things you want to hear: youre gonna be rubbing shoulders with giants, former Creative Director Goff said. arche-poimen in I Peter 5) Ephesians 5:21 is not just a good idea. Next Level Church was founded in 2008 in Dover by Gagnon and his wife Jennifer, and it quickly expanded to locations in Florida, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including one in Pembroke. In our opinion, based on our limited involvement, sufficient signs exist to necessitate a multi-year investigation and financial audit of NLC, they wrote in a joint statement. In 2018, a top pastor tweeted that more than 8,000 people attended a Next Level Easter service. Then Gagnon changed his mind and said she wasnt pastors wife material because she was pursuing a career, Burger said. The resignation of Josh Gagnon, lead pastor of Next Level Church (NLC), was announced yesterday during a live service at NLCs Somersworth, New Hampshire, location, according Jesse Davies, a former NLC congregant who attended yesterdays service. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. It was brought up at least three or four times every single service.. It also reportedly spurred major marketing campaigns. Though common in other parts of the country, church planting remains something of a novelty in New England, which in surveys is often ranked as the least religious region in the country. Gagnon soon required his own expansive green room at the church office, said Nikki Winship, Gagnons former assistant. "Here's the reality: there are some. Everyone was laughing and goading, like it was a jokeuntil it wasnt. Please help, I do not know what to do , the church in South Oklahoma City called frontline. But he doesnt leave us where he finds us. Given the leadership departures and accusations against them, coupled with an unsustainable debt load and various other challenges and complexity, we do not feel we can lead forward, said a written emailed statement signed by NLC Location Pastors Bryan Levangie, Michael Grayston, Pablo Lopez, and Shane Becton. The Pastors are clearly out of control with no accountability, it seems. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. And like many other scandal-ridden ARC churches, NLC was once one of the fastest growing churches in America. 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I get that excitement (occurs) when you can see something growing in a really measurable and clear way, said Beaty. military combat, police work, or heavy lifting. Yet in the years following the merger, NLC Operations Pastor Daniel King pressured Holman to take less than the agreed-upon bonus, both Holman and Dancy said. And recently, other allegations about Pastor Josh started to surface. (Ms Hopkins, may I humbly suggest a podcast is in order here). Gagnon called Groeschel his pastor, said Graves. TRR reached out to Gagnon, King, Robbins, about whether the departing pastors received compensation packages from the church, but no one responded. As 2012 was coming to an end, Bruce Burger, a new college graduate from South Africa, hoped to start the new year with a new life for himself in the United States. We had a Pastors Prayer Fellowship that met weekly for more than 40 years, with anywhere from 7 to 15 pastors from our tri-town area actively participating. King handles the churchs finances, but former staff have raised concerns of the churchs lack of transparency in financial dealings. Josh Gagnon, former lead pastor of Next Level Church (Photo via social media) Former NLC location pastor Marty Holman, told TRR he supports the reporting initiative. Thats what fascinated me about the Andy Woods transaction in the East Bay. Nothing changes until you take your own advice. Joshua-Gagnon-Next-Level-Church Leave a Comment / By Josh Shepherd / February 13, 2023 Previous Media The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Greg Surratt, ARC president, told TRR he didnt want to comment. NLCs handbook doesnt include a list of names of board members. Everyone understands that God doesnt pay the electric bill, she said. They say Gagnon manipulated staff into silently enduring the chronic abuse, while claiming souls were at stake. (H)e was wrong and his words . A whole host of scandal, control , bullying and heavy shepherding by Jon Courson and Son, This is insane and utterly destroys the high and holy calling to the pastorate. If 1/4 of this is true regarding Joshua Gagnon he should spend time in jail. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have slowed down NLCs growth. It's Not Over: Leaving Behind Disappointment and Learning to Dream Someone they believe to be decent has lied to and about them. 2,945 Followers, 170 Following, 2,017 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Next Level Church (@thenextlevelchurch) I wanted to pastor a healthy church. White said the incident took place during a staff meeting at the church office in Somersworth, New Hampshire, and it left NLC Operations Pastor Daniel King depantsed and shamed. In the end, though, many are left still searching. For criminal matters, the department recommends individuals make reports to local and county law enforcement, Garrity said. With the guidance of consultants, the remaining leadership . However, it also can be a reflection of an unhealthy obsession with numbers. June 9-10, 2023 | Elgin, IL. Pajama Party Service Friday, January..2023 Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of "Nervous Breakthrough: Finding Freedom from Fear and Anxiety in a World That Feeds It" by Christy Boulware.