Flemish politicians have spoken out and cities have ended their relationship with Go Church following a VRT investigation uncovering exploitation, manipulation and sexual assault of young people involved in the religious organisation
Officials in Leuven, Mechelen, Sint-Niklaas and Turnhout, among other Flemish cities, have ended their rental contracts and other agreements with the religious organisation Go Church following a scathing report by VRT investigative programme Pano in collaboration with daily newspaper De Morgen.
The programme, which can be seen on VRT Max, interviewed more than 30 of the church’s former followers and went undercover to discover that the church recruits mostly vulnerable young people – often minors – and then manipulates them into giving money, working for free and cutting ties with family and friends who might question the church.
Pano began an investigation following an appeal on TikTok by a schoolteacher who teaches religious studies. “I want to warn young people,” she told VRT. “Go Church is destroying children. They pressure them into going to the church, and they manipulate them. This should not be allowed.”
What is Go Church?
Go Church is part of the Lighthouse Group of Churches, an international network with more than 7,600 churches worldwide and millions of online followers. In Belgium, the movement previously operated under the names Pleasant Surprise Church International (PSCI) and Mustard Seed Chapel International (MSCI).
The group is led by Dag Heward-Mills, a Ghanaian bishop who is highly revered within the movement. Followers address him as “Daddy” or “Prophet.” Go Church recruits new members at busy spots, such as train stations, specifically targeting young people.
According to the organisation itself, Go Church is active in Antwerp, Boom, Bruges, Brussels, Duffel, Ghent, Leuven, Mechelen, Sint-Niklaas and Turnhout. Around 450 people attend its services every week.
Go Church recruits young people on the street at busy locations such as train stations. It offers a fun atmosphere and personal attention, which appeals to teenagers and 20-something who are seeking connection.
Church leadership build personal relationships with its young members, visiting their homes and inviting them to theirs. The 20-year-old “Anna” is a typical example of how the church uses its youthful membership. She and other members of the church would go to their pastor’s home on a daily basis to “cook for him, do the grocery shopping and take him to work.”
When I didn’t answer their messages for a few days, they showed up at my door at 23.00
At one point, Anna sought comfort and advice from the pastor, and he sexually assaulted her. “I don’t even know how long it lasted; my head was in shutdown,” she said. It began a months-long experience of sexual abuse. “At one point, it turned into rape. Sometimes he raped me multiple times a week.”
The pastor, who had come from the UK to help grow the church in Belgium, opened bank accounts for a few girls and coerced them to putting all their money in the accounts, with which he paid his own expenses. When he was eventually called back to the UK, their money disappeared with him.
Many young people report similar grooming by church leaders. They are asked to provide their phone numbers and addresses. “When I didn’t answer their messages for a few days, they showed up at my door at 23.00,” one young woman said.
The church also insisted on approving any marriages, and they were encourage to marry only within the church, being told that outsiders would lead them straight to hell. Women were told that they needed to do the cooking and the cleaning and could not refuse their husbands sex.
If members dared to try to speak out, the church convinced other members to harass them on social media. Former church members continue to suffer trauma, and religious experts say that Go Church meets the criteria to be considered a cult.
Lack of judicial follow-up
Belgium has an agency where cult activity can be reported (IACSSO), but, according to federal parliamentarian Stefaan Van Hecke (Groen), the information collected there has not been followed up by State Security for a few years now. “There used to be 15 people in the State Security department who followed up on this,” he said, “but now there is literally no one.”
According to Van Hecke, State Security sees the problem as “from another century”. But that’s not the case, he says. “It’s always been here, but we just don’t have a view on it anymore.” He does recommend reporting any criminal activity to the IACSSO and to the local police.
In the meantime, cities are shutting down all ties with Go Church. “They meet in a city-owned neighbourhood house under the name of an individual,” said Mechelen mayor Bart Somers (Voor Mechelen). “We have ended that contract. There was an immediate response from a lawyer, very aggressive, trying to intimidate us. But we’re having none of that.”