Overview
The purpose of this page is to educate the general public regarding abusive churches and clergy, so as to avoid harm by them. I do so here in a very personal way by documenting certain experiences with my former church and pastor.
Using as a guide the EIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF ABUSIVE CHURCHES given in an article by Patrick Zukeran of Probe Ministries called 'Abusive Churches', I attempt to show you how my former pastor, Bishop Dr. Thomas Alvin Body (aka Bishop T.A. Body), his co-pastor wife Darlene A. Body, of The Church of One Accord, Decatur, Georgia, use MANIPULATION, INTIMIDATION, and DOMINATION to:
- Control the congregation; and
- Destroy the marriages, relationships, and reputations of those who disagree with them -- all in order to preserve power and image.
After resigning in January 2005, I was surprised to find later that my experience was not that unique. The problem of abusive and deceiving churches and clergy cuts across denominational, racial, cultural, and geographical lines. Even Jesus Christ Himself gave warning of this, and we must not only take heed -- but take ACTION.
Video and hardcopy documentation of my experiences in this regard are available here for review and free distribution. For any questions, contact me, Kevin M. Oliver, by email.
Online Video
All claims made in these videos are FACTUAL, and substantiated with witness testimony, photos, letters, emails, legal documents, and other supporting evidence. Each video is less than 10 minutes. To see a video, click a link and it will open in a new browser window.
- 0 - Profile of an Abusive Church: INTRODUCTION
- 1 - Profile of an Abusive Church: CONTROL-ORIENTED LEADERSHIP
- 2 - Profile of an Abusive Church: MANIPULATION OF MEMBERS
- 3 - Profile of an Abusive Church: RIGID, LEGALISTIC LIFESTYLE
- 4 - Profile of an Abusive Church: FREQUENT NAME CHANGING
- 5 - Profile of an Abusive Church: DENOUNCING OTHER CHURCHES
- 6 - Profile of an Abusive Church: PERSECUTION COMPLEX
- 7 - Profile of an Abusive Church: TARGETING YOUNG ADULTS
- 8 - Profile of an Abusive Church: PAINFUL EXIT PROCESS
- 9 - Profile of an Abusive Church: CONCLUSION
- GET OUT of The One Accord Church!'
Legal Documentation, Letters, and Emails
These documents are in PDF format, and have been redacted to conceal personal information.
- Email to General Counsel, COGIC detailing T.A. Body's record of fraud and misconduct
- Letter to church elders regarding T.A. & Darlene Body and molestation allegations
- Email from second victim alleging molestation at age 13 by T.A. Body 35 years ago
- Email from anonymous church visitor regarding Pastor Darlene Body's 'vision' of murder
- Resignation, reconciliation attempts, and lawsuit WON against One Accord Church
- Pastor Darlene Body’s false restraining order attempt against me DISMISSED