The River Goes Under (The Spell): Generations Cult Consumes Sister G12 Church
The River Church, which was Yuma's other G12 pyramid, recently fell victim to a hostile takover from the cult named Generations Church. While I was aware of The River as a cult-based G12 rip-off scheme, I previsouly avoided writing about it because I didn't have any information on it and it had nothing to do with the reasons why I decided to challenge the way Generations steals from young Marines and community members.
However, now that The River was consumed by Generations, there is no reason to leave it out.
I invite anyone who has any information about this business transaction to post their stories. I personally encourage those who were members of The River to post stories about how the change has affected them and how they feel about being part of the tarnished Generations Cult.
My advice to members of the former River Church: Don't drink the cool-aid!
However, now that The River was consumed by Generations, there is no reason to leave it out.
I invite anyone who has any information about this business transaction to post their stories. I personally encourage those who were members of The River to post stories about how the change has affected them and how they feel about being part of the tarnished Generations Cult.
My advice to members of the former River Church: Don't drink the cool-aid!
The River was a G12 church but pulled away and finally abandoned the G12 model becuse it just didn't work for the church members and their pastor, Tim listened to the members and responded accordingly..... fast forward a year or so.
The River had been struggling with finances... not due to their money mismanagement or crazy spending but just hard times. Cal Witmer was the youth pastor of The River at one point but left to go to Generations for a hefty pay raise. I don't know what his title is now but I'm sure he drives a nice vehicle! Anyway back on track, The River was struggling financially and Generations offered to take them over. For the pastor, I don't know that he saw any other options. That is his income, he has a family to support and I don't know how many churches are hiring... so for him, I think it was a matter of his personal financial survival. Most of The River left and now attend another non G12 church. They were not happy with the G12 model before and weren't going to back to that brainwashing again.
I know this from a former River church member who had been with them up until the Generations take over.
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I grew up with Pastor Tim Mcdonald in somerton and went to the church Jesus Name and it was a church then,healthy and up lifting....and now i hear he is driving a Jag and buddies with Pastor Rich,Satan has gotten to Pastor Tim and will use him to take over many due to his wonderful preachings,since he was young he could preach the word of God,now all he is preaching is the word ofPastor Rich and Money.Italk to Tim here and there and i see the change in him he is no longer excited about God but concerned more about gaining members and money.So very sad to see a child of God become part of a cult,i belonged to the Jesus Name church and then to the River uo until i seen the church falling from the true meaning of christianity.
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As a former member of the river church I had nothing against them. As I do my research, I started finding out that people in authority type situations at the River were slowly but surely showing their true intentions. It's a business and if you don't see that your an idiot. Generations has impacted many young lives and a very harmful way. Members would argue that I have faith related issues and that has nothing to do with that. I'm aware of people and their schemes and agendas to take other peoples money. Not every church is like that in Yuma Az. I've been to many church's and none have been as bad as Generations. I'm not here to publicize another church or anything but I recently went to Champion church and it reminded me of how the River Church used to be. If you question my former position, I was a member of the worship team where I played guitar with the rest of the team. People you don't have to listen to me but if your smart enough to do something with your life be creative don't follow a social trend because you have no friends. Be your own person. People in these cults will approach you and pretend like they care saying the classic line "God has a plan for you". This is a simple manipulation tactic. Be Smart Residents. It's your choice to live your live without regret. I suggest you do that.
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I attended the River church for several years. In the beginning I felt they were a God led place where one could worship and be touched by Jesus, not humans. I was partially wrong. Tim got off track not because he was going through a hard time with finances, but because he put the almightly dollar bill over God's will. Numbers became of greater importance and he forgot the value of salvation, grace, giving, not receiving. He and his wife continued to accrue bills both in church and home. They spent to their hearts' content and eventually lost it all - money, members, friends. Very sad. So Tim is hardly a pastor at all anymore. His god is in Generations church, not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not my God. It's not something to judge him on. It's something to pray for him about. This is a loss for so many. I was let down by Tim's selfishness so many times before the church collapsed. I will never trust the man again. I can only pray God moves his heart to return tp the true kingdom again!
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Pastor Rich came to our church recently. He stated to our congregation that The River came to him and offered to merge and offered Generations their property that was free and clear of debt. I have some serious doubts about him and his message since all he focused on was being blessed financially (and that could only happen when you plant a financial seed) and so I started doing some research. If anyone from The River (or former member) can verify how the "take over" actually happened, I would appreciate it.
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I know a former member of The River and it is my understanding that The River had, for quite some time been struggling financially. The connection between Witmer and McDonald goes back quite a few years when the G12 model came to Yuma. The River was a G12 church for ahile and due to listening to his congregation, McDonald pulled away and eventually removed the G12 model/process from the church. Cal Witmer, Richs brother moved to town from the Phoenix area to be the youth pastor for The River. Although he worked for The River he was still under heavy influence of Generations. The River was struggling financially, Generations offered Cal more money, even against the blessing of Santiago. Cal left, taking a lot of his youth and their families, throwing the River into deeper financial trouble with the loss of their tithes and offerings. McDonald turned to Generations for employment since he was at the end .... the rest is what you see now.
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I was one of Pastor Tim's leaders. My wife and I started with them in Somerton, moved to Reagan school and then to the River church. When we moved to Yuma the church was on fire for the LORD, and then as time went on we started all these different waves of bible study, streams and then cells. We as believers followed our pastor in each and everyone of these as I call waves. Because we knew Tim's heart was for winning souls. But then the G-12 thing came around and as good members we tried it and actually have the most strongest of all the cell members in our cell and we all realized that something was wrong with this thing. New believers after encounters were becoming leaders and because of no solid foundation as they fell so did there cell, all people had to do was raise their hands and they were saved and pushed into a cell, encounter and then leadership.The older leadership began to question what was going on and we were given an option to be G-12 or pastoral leaders. We all took the pastoral leadership not knowing that we were being put out to pasture, because then all of a sudden we had no input in any way what so ever. We held a leadership meeting and asked Tim and Stephanie to talk to us and answer some questions, but they refused to talk to us, then there was a big meeting we were ask to attend because Tim was going to give us his heart, hogwash we get there and John Wilson from San Luis tells to get on board and follow our pastor and basically we had no choice because that was the law from then on. Needless to say all of the older leadership left to other churches and there went all the money because the only ones left were under 26 and non tithers. The thing about win souls and make disciples is what attracted Tim to the G-12 but the G-12 take bible verses and twist it to their way of thinking. The thing about Generations getting our church really ticks me off. We are the ones who invested our time , money and talents and they reap the rewards that really sucks, To bad because we could of been a really great church and would have influenced a lot of souls. I only pray that Tim and Stephanie see the error of their way and return to ther first love, truly seeing souls saved for GODS kingdom not Generations kingdom.
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How the devil steals your church!
The gradual process of feeding you theological poison until you become immunized enough so that you don’t know what’s happening to you. And when you wake up to what’s happening to you, it’s too late they’ve got everything.
So the strategy is hang on to the trust funds; hang on to the money we’ve got; hang on the properties we control, and we will gradually educate the laymen into this new approach to theology.
Start fighting back by no longer giving them your money. Don’t allow them to hit you over the head with the “bring all of the tithes into the storehouse” hammer without asking yourself some very important questions. What is a storehouse and what is its purpose? What does the Scripture mean by “meat in my house” and who is the meat for? Are there families in your “church” who are losing their homes? Is that not who the “meat in the house” was stored up for or were the storehouse funds used for a new parking lot?
Is the purpose of the tithe to pay senior pastors, associate pastors, youth ministers, worship leaders, and secretaries to do “ministry?” Can’t you “tithe” different places? Did the New Testament church teach the concept of “professional” Christians or were the elders of the church also tent-makers?
Does “meat in my house” mean bigger buildings, paved parking lots, and padded pews?
Is your “church” experiencing a budget crunch right now because they have eaten the meat that should have been placed in the storehouse? I know, “let them eat blacktop.”
Is storehouse money supposed to be spent on the already converted or on seeking and saving that which is lost?
What percent of your church’s budget go to “missions”…as if that is a separate job…in comparison to utilities, paper, salaries, and operating expenses?
Don’t stop giving, just change where you give. Find a ministry that is using the money to reach out to the community and send your tithe there. Remember, it is the “Lord’s house” into which your finances are to be offered….not some social club to which your tithe is nothing more than monthly dues. It is time you asked yourself if the Spirit still dwells in your church.
Most churches love money, chase money, compromise over money. A pastor in New York was just fired from his $600,000 salary! The national average for pastors is $84,426! No wonder they won’t speak against sin! Why not include those wealthy homosexuals in the congregation!
People have asked me to start a church. I tell them that they are nuts. Truth empties churches, it doesn’t fill them.
The feel-good Gospel is a fraud. Jesus taught self-sacrifice not self-fulfillment. “Greater love has no man than this than he would lay down his life for his friends….” Love demands sacrifice.
Rich Witmer and Tim McDonald collaborate to defraud the River Church's congregation of Million$.
REPENT & FLEE Generations:
or
Suffer the same consequences that will come upon Rich Witmer and his band of Hench men!!!
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I have recently discovered that Generations plans on buying the former Target building as they want "room to grow and the River seems too small." I don't know how'll they'll get the money though, with that Pastor's lavish holiday trips and whatnot. Perhaps they'll pray for it?
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I've heard this as well. I'm sure they made a nice chunk of change from the sale of The River property. I'm amazed that they are still around. I thought they'd have imploded by now.
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i grew up in my moms church my whole life
I was invited to the river church about 3yrs ago during their service they asked if anyone there was new and needed to be prayed for for any reason i raised my hand because i did need prayer at that time in my life
minutes later i was being pulled into a room with two others who had raised their hands we each were giving separate "leaders" who never prayed for us they just kept insisting that we get baptized that same night without knowing anything about us or our relationship with god i kept telling them no because i already was but they kept insisting i did it that night with them again i argued my reasons why and asked if i could call my parents but was never able to
my sister who was concerned after not hearing from me for more than an hour called my parents they had to come get me by that time i was crying from all the pressure
(sry,im writing this one-handed)
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The church building at the corner of 16th Street and 8th Avenue has been purchased by Camino Nuevo, according to Realtor Dennis Krill.
Krill was the agent for Generations Church, which previously owned the property as a second campus for its ministry. Krill said that Generations Church currently has consolidated its ministry at 3185 E. 42nd St. while it is looking for a larger location.
Comings and Goings was unable to reach a spokesperson from Camino Nuevo by press time. AT LEAST THE BUILDING IS BACK TO ITS INTENDED PURPOSES.
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Brad Ryden:
You say; "AT LEAST THE BUILDING IS BACK TO ITS INTENDED PURPOSES."
Not quite...Camino Nuevo is a Mexican version of Generations.
The money laundering continues!
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Speaking as a former member from the old days in Somerton, as we moved to Yuma, we watched Pastor Tim go from "guru" to "guru", trying to find that magic something that enable us to reach more people. He never did and the G12 snared him.
Many of the G12 components seemed to be good, including the concept of giving, but the spiritual manipulations that goes with it is what drove so many away.
Just prior to the implosion of the River, Pastor Tim had finally given the indication that finally the church would give up the G12 model and go back to being more of a family type church.
But the desire to be aligned with the "cool churches and leaders" combined with a lack of understanding of what we could be as a church was too much. He did a 180 and betrayed 6 months of work in a weekend.
Generations took over the church building after all the tithe payers left and promptly sold it to the Spanish church for many times what the River paid for it. As I understand, one of the considerations for getting it at such a great price in the beginning was that if the River ever sold it, they would bless the church that bought with a great price as well. That did not happen of course.
My personal opinion is that G12 is driven by personal ambition and greed.
Its too bad, the River could have been one of the great ones. There was a lot of great potential.
I suspect he feels like all of us that left betrayed him, but the truth is that we lived through several years of spiritual manipulation hoping that things would change and just as it began to change for the better, bang, the tables got turned on us and we were the ones betrayed.
Thank God there are people and churches in this town that have taken the walking wounded in and cared for them. As near as I can tell, most if not all the former River members have found good churches to call home and seem to be doing pretty well considering all the stress and turmoil they endured over the years.
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Tim McDonald & Wife, Witmer & Wife and the rest of the people are involved in is Embezzlement, extortion and racketeering.
All punishable offenses.
They all violate the people's trust, church charters and rob GOD!
Contact the Attorney General of Arizona.
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Must be something in the name, but I recently left a church also called The River - now called "River Church" in Cherry Hill, NJ.
I found out about the same exact embezzlement and extortion, money chasing. It is still going on in that church today. The church started about 11 years ago. The pastors caused a split in another church, and started their own little kingdom. They live lavishly, yet often frett and complain about the church being in debt. The church debt could probably be wiped out if the pastor's wife exchanged all of her designer purses and Tiffany jewelry for cash, as well as the expensive cars they both drive and the luxurious trips they take. They wipe bank accounts clean from God-loving "partners". The pastor's wife had been having a 10 year affair with the brother of one of her close friends - this male was also on her worship team. She claims to have ended the affair last year, but people still question that as she continues to behave suspiciously. Last I heard, she never even shared a bedroom with her husband. She has her quarters upstairs - he has his downstairs. ??? Her husband, the pastor, covered up her affair - he feared losing his hefty salary and the church. He is someone who presents himself with great charisma, but it's a facade - behind it all is dishonesty and selfishness. They play the "system" quite well. Their church is a business - everything ungodly. They habitually lie from the pulpit, and are they are con-artists. They expertly manipulate and deceive commit fraud. The pastor's wife dupes the congregation with her "victim performances" and often conjures up stories about her life. She's quite the performer on stage...and the energy and spirit that comes from within her is so very ugly. She taught a class called "soul-seduction" - appropriately so; she preyed on souls like Satan himself. If you want to see a Jezebel spirit in full blown action - she is the one to see. It is evil. There was evidence that she had inappropriate relationships with several more men in the congregation...It was incredible to watch. I heard that over 150 people have also left that cult. AMEN! I continue on the road to recovery, but live joyfully and in freedom! THERE IS A GOD! I feel sad for the leaders who were so sincere and invested so much of their lives. And I would love to go and shake the people who are still there. They need to run for their lives. And those pastor-con-artists need to be taken down.
All of this criminal activity -all in the name of God.
It sickens me.
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I belonged to the river church for a couple years, my husband started going with Pastor Tim back at JESUS name church in Somerton. I have also lived with Pastor Tim for a couple months, my husband was ryans (pastors son) best friend. From what I had seen the downfall of the river church was financial. You had the older crowd who had been faithful to pastor Tim from the beginning being pushed out because they saw flaws in the G12 movement and didn't want to be a part of it.. They were the experienced Christians they saw right through the g12 method and didn't want to follow. Then you had the younger crowd, who thought G12 was the best. For a while Tim would preach Sunday morning as normal, not much G12 involved. Then on Saturday for the youth service it was all about G12. The church was divided and from being so close to them I felt that he was going to leave the G12 vision because half the church knew it was wrong. Then all of a sudden he changed, he said that his leader in the G12 vision told him that he had to be all or nothing. He decided to go all in, when he announced this to the church slowly all the adults left. This includes his family, mom, sisters, everyone. The church was left with no support financially. Conveniently shortly after his leader also told him that he was to go under pastor rich witmer. That is when the transition to Generations happened. No one liked it, but being good followers of G12 they went. I chose not to go, in the past year i went to generations gave it a good try but never felt it was Godly. It was a bunch of control freaks, even started working at a business led by church leaders called Safety Services. Its a fraudulent business, using lies and illegal methods to get money. All this saddens me greatly, i used to view them as family, i still love them all but i can't be a part of G12 and because of that i can't be a part of their family because they are so immersed into G12. It has ruined a great church and a great family. From living with Tim and Stephanie and seeing who they are now, G12 is a cult.
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Unfortunately I know all too well about “Safety Services” we (Passion Christian Church) were under a lease to own agreement for that property. We had been meeting there for two years and poised to buy the building under special financing since we were a small congregation. For two years those leaders of Generations Church that you refer to scoped out the building and eventually bought it with no regard for our church. Those people treated my wife and me very cold and indifferent. We did not feel the kindred spirit of Christ in them. And after discovering that there were newer properties available that were larger and for less money at the time they bought it, it seemed to us like they bought it out from under us on purpose. I have heard that Rich Witmer has said that smaller churches are not of God or something to that effect. But if he did in fact say that, he is dead wrong because our church has been blessed beyond measure and the Lord has assured us that we will eventually have a new building. My daughter went to GC church for 3 years; all the while I told her that their bible doctrine is wrong. She eventually became a cell group leader and later left the church after feeling like she was literally losing her mind after being taught (by Witmer) that the concept of the “Bible Study” is not the will of God in comparison to the concept of the “Cell Group”. The problem was…that she was raised in a Christian home all of her life and what they were teaching her didn’t fly in her mind or spirit. She went (in tears) to Witmer’s house to talk to him and his wife about her confusion and to ask them why they are so adamant about teaching things that are confusing and are not clear in the Bible and was afterwards told that
“We do it because it works”. The Bible say’s that God is not the author of confusion. That means that where there is confusion, the devil is somewhere in the mix.
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Tim, Witmer, their wives, and cohorts systematically defrauded the former River Members and currently do the same to the existing attendees.
If this pyramid scheme/multi-level marketing was done outside a "church" people would go to prison.
They operate a ponzi scheme!
They are simply a money laundering organization that needs to be investigated.
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