r/ToxicChurchRecoveryPH

I overheard marami na daw ang umaalis sa church na to simula nung mawala si Bro. Eli, nagbago na rin daw ang teachings.

Marami nagsasabi na nagiging modern day cult na sila.

I currently belong to an evangelical church and serve in the praise and worship ministry. Because of my ministry, I became curious about the Christian faith and its history. It started when I saw our By-laws. Lo and behold, I saw the creeds. The Apostle’s Creed, Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed. I began asking questions: Why does my denomination often criticize the Roman Catholic Church? Why does our Bible have fewer books than my Catholic aunt’s Bible? Why do Catholics make the Sign of the Cross?

Coincidentally, I passed the entrance examination for the University of Santo Tomas for my bachelor’s degree. As many know, theology courses in UST are part of the general curriculum and are required for graduation.

There, many of my misconceptions about the Catholic Church were addressed.

I learned that the Catholic Church did not “add” books to the Bible during the Middle Ages, as I once thought. The Deuterocanonical books had already been included in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) widely used by many Jews in the time of Christ and by many early Christians. These books were also recognized in various early Christian canon lists and councils. During the Reformation, many Protestant reformers later chose to place these books in a separate section or exclude them from the Old Testament canon used in most Protestant Bibles.

I also learned that many of the Early Church Fathers frequently quoted from and used the Septuagint as their Old Testament Scriptures.

As for the Sign of the Cross, historical evidence shows that Christians were already practicing it centuries before Christianity was legalized under Emperor Constantine. Early Christian writers such as Tertullian mention the practice as part of Christian devotion.

Finally, I came to reflect more deeply on the Eucharist. In many evangelical churches, the bread and wine (or in our case, grape juice) are commonly understood as symbolic representations of Christ’s Body and Blood. However, I learned that many early Christians understood the Eucharist in a much more real and sacred sense.

The Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharist, Christ’s one sacrifice on the Cross is not repeated, but made sacramentally present to the faithful. This understanding is rooted in passages such as John 6 and 1 Corinthians 11. The Apostle Paul even warns that those who receive the bread and cup unworthily are “guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord” and may bring judgment upon themselves. This led me to realize that the Eucharist has been regarded by Christians throughout history as far more than a mere symbol.

Then I began to wonder: if my denomination claims to possess the fullness of truth, why were these things never properly explained to us?

I also heard many pastors accuse Catholics of worshipping the Virgin Mary and the saints because Catholics ask for their intercession. But as I studied Scripture more carefully, I realized that this is not what the Catholic Church teaches.

In the Book of Revelation, the saints in heaven are portrayed as alive in the presence of God and participating in heavenly worship. The author of Hebrews also speaks of believers being “surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,” which many Christians throughout history have understood as referring to the faithful who have gone before us. Revelation likewise depicts the prayers of the saints being offered before God like incense.

As an evangelical, I used to equate every form of prayer with worship. But I later learned that in Catholic teaching, worship belongs to God alone. When Catholics ask the saints for intercession, they are not worshipping them; rather, they are asking fellow members of the Body of Christ to pray for them, much like asking a church member or friend on earth to pray for them. The difference is that Catholics believe that those who are in Christ and in heaven are alive in his presence and continue to share in the communion of saints.

There are so many things that I still want to say but based on my journey and study of the faith, I will be Catholic.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.

To Catholics in this subreddit, please pray for me.
St. Thomas Aquinas, please pray for us.

I’m very new to this community (and to Reddit in general), so please bear with me. I just really need to vent and see if anyone else has had similar experiences.

Around Lent of 2025, I started immersing myself in parish service, particularly in the music ministry. Looking back, I honestly wish I had never served. In my months of service, I was met with a mataray na pari (entitled priest) and backstabbing coordinators. Because of past traumas with these kinds of attitudes, being in this toxic environment completely drained me—to the point where I genuinely lost my Catholic faith.

The "Mataray" Priest. This priest frequently interrupts certain choir groups that he seemingly has "beef" with. (There is confirmed drama here, but it would take too long to explain). For example, when my friend's choir group would begin a song, he would purposefully start singing late and expect the entire ministry to magically adjust to him on the fly. He also shamelessly plays favorites, targeting almost all groups except for a select chosen few.

The Backstabbing MAS (Ministry of Altar Servers) Coordinator. This guy is the type who will look you straight in the eye, turn to his friend, and immediately start whispering. If you try to be nice and wave at him, he will instantly pull out his phone and walk right past you like you don’t exist.

The Backstabbing Popular Devotion Coordinator. I want to preface this by saying I have no intention of spreading hate toward the LGBTQ+ community, because I am part of it myself (pansexual). But this person is exactly the stereotype that makes people look down on us. He is like the MAS coordinator, but worse. He will literally roll his eyes while walking past you. He is, without a doubt, the type of person who talks trash behind your back.

These aren't just baseless allegations; these behaviors are proven and witnessed by many. But because they are officers, the regular volunteers can’t do anything about it. We are just forced to wait until the clerical assignments rotate and the ministry rosters finally change.

I hold firm to the belief that "no priests are perfect." That’s a given. But this priest barely even tries to fix his attitude. What makes it incredibly ironic is that these people are the most vocal about "the Church becoming the frontier for social change," yet their actions say otherwise. It makes me so sad. A lot of my friends have already stopped serving in the parish because of the toxic environment these leaders are enforcing. I eventually left too because I couldn't stomach the bratty behavior anymore.

Kung nababasa man ito ng mga tinutukoy ko o di kaya ay natatamaan. Please. Magbago na kayo. Maraming umaalis sa ministries dahil sa mga ugali niyo. Porket bitbit palagi kayo ni Father, hindi nangangahulugan na magmamataas na kayo sa mga ordinaryong kasapi sa parokya.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of toxicity in their local parishes? How do you cope when the very people who are supposed to lead you closer to God are the ones driving you away?

I’m currently involved in a church ministry (music/band and small group service), and I’ve been struggling with burnout for quite some time.

Our team is quite short-staffed, and in my case I’m currently the only guitarist in the band and also involved in small group fellowship responsibilities. Because of that, I often feel like stepping back would significantly affect the ministry and the people I serve with.

My schedule is very heavy. I work full time in a place about 3 hours away from my province, and I only go home on weekends. However, even on weekends, my time is fully consumed by ministry: rehearsals, Bible studies, band service, and other church activities. I rarely get proper rest anymore, and I’ve started feeling physically and emotionally drained.

This church culture encourages involvement in multiple ministries both inside and outside the church. The Pastors don't recognize that I am an employee and cannot be in full time ministry work. At this point I feel I need to focus on recovery and also on simply growing spiritually again in a healthier, more sustainable way.

I also had a long period of illness in the past, and I feel like my current pace is affecting my recovery and overall well-being. I no longer have time for personal growth or career development, including plans I have to further my studies.

Another challenge for me is that I don’t feel fully safe opening up my concerns within the group. In many situations, concerns shared privately ended up being relayed to leadership, which made me more guarded in expressing what I’m really going through. Also, requests to take a half-day or step away from certain church commitments are often viewed negatively and sometimes associated with disobedience, even when the intention is simply to prioritize family or personal needs.

There is also a communication pattern where, during correction or teaching moments, other people are often used as examples. This has contributed to me feeling more cautious and less open when it comes to sharing personal struggles.

Because of all this, I have already decided that I want to step back from ministry. However, I’m struggling emotionally because I feel a lot of guilt due to the shortage of people and the responsibilities I currently carry.

I’m also afraid that if I step back, it may be interpreted as being faithless, disobedient, or not committed anymore to God, even though my reason is burnout and lack of capacity rather than leaving my faith. In this environment, ministry involvement is often strongly associated with spiritual faithfulness.

I also want to add that I actually feel more spiritually nourished when I simply attend services and listen to sermons without any additional ministry workload. At this point, I don’t feel the need for recognition or leadership roles. I just want a return to a simpler and healthier way of engaging spiritually.

I just want an honest outside perspective. Is it still okay to step back from ministry in a situation like this even if the team is short-staffed? How do people usually deal with guilt, responsibility, and fear of being misunderstood as “disobedient” in church settings when they are actually just burned out?

Pag napansin niyo tahimik sila, may bagong mandato yung mga KKB at members ng JIL para sa pagpapabango ni Joel V ipakalat niyo ito sa lahat iexpose natin yang demonyo na yan na ginagamit ang church para sa political ambition niya

May minass report din atang redditor dito na nagpopost tungkol sa kanya kaya nawala yung content

pakalat niyo ito hayaan niyong bumagsak yang hudas na yan

Si Villanueva ay nasa panig ng mga Duterte kasama sila Dela Rosa, at Bato. Habang sinusuportahan ninyo si Villanueva sinusuportahan niyo ang partido nila, sinusuportahan ninyo si Duterte.

Huwag na huwag niyong sasabihin para kay Villanueva lang kayo, huwag niyong gawing mental gymnastics ang political landscape ng Pilipinas. You support a part, you support the whole.

Oo, pag supporter ng Villanueva you are intentionally, or unintentionally a DDS, sorry totoo ito.

Sana mabasa niyo ito alam kong mahirap, alam kong hindi lahat tatanggapin ito pero for the love of all things that are good umalis na kayo diyan.

Huwag kayong matakot alang sumpa sa mga aalis ng grupong iyan, please huwag niyo na din hayaan yung pride yung lumamang sa inyo. Oo nagtagal kayo diyan oo noon hindi sila ganyan kaso ang layo layo na mg tinatayuan nila.

Tama na umalis na kayo tulungan niyo ang bansa, ang sarili niyo.

Trapo si Joel at ginagamit niya kayo.

Hola, espero que se encuentren bien. La verdad es que es mi primera publicación así que todavía no sé muy bien cómo redactar este tipo de textos, perdón de antemano cualquier tipo de error que cometa, bueno ahora sí a lo principal.

Recientemente, he visto por reddit historias sobre los conflictos de identidad que se generan poco a poco en la iglesia G12. Yo he estado en esa iglesia bastantes años, en otras palabras, ha sido como todo el "mapa del mundo religioso" que conozco. No obstante, en los últimos años he visto un par de "cositas" que no encajaban, como se menciona recurrentemente en este tema: los líderes se convierten de cierta forma en un director de la vida personal, las ofrendas y diezmos se sienten más como obligaciones morales y ahora la política y sus derivados se dispararon por las próximas elecciones presidenciales. Sinceramente, pensaba que era mi imaginación o más bien como algo temporal o atípico. Pues resulta que no jaja; tras leer e investigar sobre historias de ex miembros de esta iglesia, fue imposible no identificarme en ciertos temas (intento no profundizar mucho sobre esto porque ya se ha repetido mucho y no quiero sonar redundante con relación a las demás publicaciones).

Tras leer y pensar un poco, me encuentro en una especie de confusión sobre qué hacer. Lo que más me duele es que tengo un proyecto de vida, una banda lmusical (jaja puede sonar un poco ridiculo, en especial en este hilo), con la que sueño vivir por y para la música y el amor por dios, pero tambien desastarme por otras personas por amor, pero con un estilo musical un poco distinto para lo que se acostumbra el contexto religioso. Siempre pensé que la iglesia sería el lugar para nacer y crecer,,encontrar los miembros, pero ahora me doy cuenta de que mi visión artística se ve afectada con este sistema de control y números que a lo largo de mi vida he detestado no solo en la iglesia si no en otro tipo de sistemas. Y pues me siento atrapado entre el único mundo que conozco y la necesidad de proteger mi sueño de un lugar que quizás termine por moldearlo o censurarlo. No sé cómo avanzar sin perder mi identidad o quizas que ese sueño no se cumpla.

Finalmente, debo aclarar que siempre he pensando que el concepto de "Religion" no existe de por si y fue creado y sustentado por los humanos. Mas bien no es el individuo con la iglesia si no con dios. Es esa relación la que quiero creer que importa mas.