Apostolic Subcultures in the Modern Church: A Wake-Up Call

Part 1: The Real Battle Isn’t Just in the World
By Pastor Taveau D’Arcy

(C)2025 Taveau D’Arcy All copyrights reserved under international copyright law, in conjunction with AI

ABOVE: Taveau’s very first social media posting, out in DFW, 2012 Twitter ( I believe)

We often talk about problems “out there” in society—corruption, confusion, lawlessness. But what if the Holy Spirit is urgently calling us to look within our own fellowships?

I’m not just speaking about the congregation or the culture. I’m referring to the ministry leadership, the staff, the elders, the overseers, and even the up-and-coming next generation of Church leaders. If we don’t pause to reflect and allow the Lord to search our hearts and structures, we may miss the very thing He’s trying to fix inside His own house.

Even what goes out “over the airwaves”—our media, streaming, podcasts, and online platforms—carries spiritual influence and, often, spiritual residue. We can no longer pretend that our biggest issue is just secular society. The issues are in our pulpits, programs, personalities, and systems.

Foundational Scriptures: Warning Signs from Apostle Paul (KJV)

1 Timothy 6:5

“Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.”

2 Timothy 2:24–26

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

2 Timothy 3:1–8

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”

How God Called Me to See and Speak Out

At age 24, in 1976, the Lord called me—not into immediate fame or platform—but into a lifelong study of leadership doctrines inside the Church. This was before the rise of Christian media commercialization, before podcasts, before celebrity preachers, before church marketing teams. God asked me to watch, observe, discern, and learn from leaders of all backgrounds—men and women, all races, denominations, and styles (tongues-speaking and not).

I was raised by two senior parents and godly grandparents from Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist backgrounds. They loved the Bible and were Spirit-sensitive, though not Pentecostal. I came to Christ at age 9 at my father’s revival. At 12, I rededicated my life to Christ while watching Billy Graham on my grandmother’s TV. By 16, I was filled with fire like a dress-down Jesus person. In college, I decided to let the Lord lead me 24/7, 365—and I never stopped.

When Hurts Become a Prophetic Assignment

Years ago, the Lord gave me a very specific word that shaped the rest of my calling:

“If I allow you to stumble upon something in a Christian fellowship or ministry three times or more—something that hurts people or tarnishes My name—that is a sign to you. I want you to teach on it.”

“If you get hurt, take it prophetically, not personally. I am letting you feel what others feel—so you can help them find healing.”

That shifted everything. Suddenly, what seemed like conflict became clarity. What seemed like attack became assignment. God was teaching me to discern what was happening in the Church so I could speak up—not in bitterness, but in biblical truth, mercy, and fire.

Two Subcultures Within the Modern Apostolic Church

1. The First Church Model (Acts-Based, Organic, Humble)

• Servant leadership

• Mutual honor

• Spiritual freedom

• Safe relationships

• Fruit of the Spirit on display
  This is the model found in the book of Acts. It builds up the saints, makes space for diversity, and honors God’s voice without ego.

2. The Medieval / Top-Down Model (Rome-Like, Controlling)

What I began to see over time—especially in prophetic-charismatic ministries—was a rise in hierarchy, accusation, turf-ownership, and spiritual competition. Often masked as “apostolic order,” these systems began to:

• Publicly rebuke people without prior contact (no Matthew 18)

• Use titles without authentic relationship

• Spread fear or suspicion rather than faith and accountability

• Label and isolate people using “inner discernment” with no fruit or facts

It reminded me more of medieval Rome than of the organic, Spirit-led First Church. Over time, I learned that these were not isolated incidents—they were patterns. God allowed me to see them over and over again so I could name them, biblically describe them, and call His people back to Christlike balance.

Next: Part 2 – Uncovering the Doctrines Behind Control

In the next post, we’ll explore:

• How false teachings about “submission” and “covering” can be twisted

• How public accusation replaces private relationship

• What a real prophetic culture looks like according to Christ

A Word the Lord Gave Me About Repeated Hurt and Spiritual Warning

In the course of my journey—attending ministries, traveling conferences, studying leadership across many styles and movements—I began to experience certain painful dynamics over and over again. Things like public accusation, tale-bearing, suspicion without cause, and strange “spiritual turf-guarding.”

After encountering this not once, but multiple times across different regions and ministries, I brought my heart before the Lord.

It was then that He impressed this deeply personal, prophetic instruction into my spirit:

“If I allow you to stumble upon something in a Christian fellowship or ministry three times or more, in different places—something that hurts people or tarnishes My name—then that is a sign to you. I see a lot more of that than you know, and I am allowing you to see it so you will teach on it.”

And He added:

“If you get hurt, take it prophetically, not personally. I am letting you feel the weight of it so you can understand how deeply it wounds My people—and then you will help them slowly heal from it.”

That changed everything.

It shifted me from being merely wanting to get “offended” or “wounded” to understanding that the Lord was entrusting me with insight—not just into problems, but into redemptive solutions. And it confirmed my lifelong calling: to build bridges of understanding among His people.

 

Apostolic Subcultures in the Modern Church: A Wake-Up Call

Part 2: Doctrines of Control vs. The Way of Christ
By Pastor Taveau D’Arcy

In Part 1, we explored how the Church—especially in its leadership culture—can sometimes reflect more of a medieval, hierarchical mindset than the organic humility of the First Church in Acts. We addressed how public accusation, authoritarian oversight, and spiritual turf-guarding are not just problems in secular society, but very present within modern-day ministries, media, and movements.

Now, in Part 2, we dig deeper into how false doctrine seeps into the culture of church leadership—and how it replaces true biblical authority, relationship, and Christlike fruit.

What the First Church Modeled: Relationship, Not Religious Rank

Jesus did not hand out church business cards. He did not walk in with branding, bodyguards, or broadcast microphones. He walked with the poor, ate with the rejected, and trained His leaders in humility, servanthood, and truth. Maybe He slept in the homeless encamptment, to identify and appreaciate, respect their perspective.

Even in Paul’s apostolic writings, we see leadership as:

• Based in real relationships (Philippians 2:19–22)

• Accountable to one another (Galatians 2:11–14)

• Focused on building the Body, not controlling it (Ephesians 4:11–16)

But many modern-day “apostolic” structures are not based in relationship or biblical fruit. They are rooted in fear, status, media image, and unquestioned authority.

Twisting the Words: “Covering,” “Submission,” and “Spiritual Order”

In my journey, I encountered a pattern:
Ministries—especially in prophetic and apostolic circles—began teaching on “submission,” “covering,” and “spiritual alignment” in ways that stifled healthy individuality, quenched the Holy Spirit, and created false authority over people’s lives.

Many were taught:

• You must be “under” a prophet/apostle or you are rebellious

• You must not question a leader or it’s witchcraft

• If you don’t fit in, it’s because you have a Jezebel spirit

• If you get hurt, don’t say anything—just repent

None of these ideas come from Jesus’ ministry or New Testament fruit. They echo spiritual abuse, not servant leadership. They are controlling, unbiblical, and have driven many of God’s people into isolation, fear, and religious trauma.

The Real Doctrine of Christ:

Let us return to the Bible:

Matthew 20:25–28 (KJV)
“Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them… But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

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When the Lord Spoke to Me: Hurts Are Prophetic Training

Years ago, the Lord said something to me that explains much of what I’ve walked through:

“If I allow you to stumble upon something in ministry three times or more, that’s a sign I want you to teach about it.”

“If you get hurt by it, take it prophetically, not personally—I’m letting you feel what My people feel. Now go help them heal.”

What I began to notice was competition in ministry, public accusation without prior relationship, false prophecy replacing truth, and genuine Christians being crushed by man-made rules. And always, it was justified by “order,” “prophetic discernment,” or “apostolic covering.”

But there was no Matthew 18 process. No Galatians 6:1 restoration. No meekness. No grace. No fruit. Just performance, fear, and broken hearts behind the scenes.

What God Wants to Restore:

God is not against order. He is against false order. The order of Christ brings:

• Love before labels

• Relationship before rulership

• Truth with mercy

• Correction in private, not shame in public

• Respect for women, men, and every racial and economic background

• Spirit-led collaboration, not competition

Spiritual Media and Public Exposure

What makes today’s struggle more complicated is media. Many ministries now operate more like media machines than local fellowships. Leaders may say, “God told me to expose them”—but skip Matthew 18, skip the phone call, skip accountability—and go live with accusation.

The early Church didn’t have microphones. They had meekness. Today, many have media platforms with no relationship, and ministry brands with no accountability.

As someone who has traveled from the East Coast to Florida to Tulsa and beyond, I’ve witnessed the rise of ministry marketing, but also the emergence of spiritual turf wars and accusatory culture—not unlike medieval power structures.

Conclusion: Where We Go Next

We are not attacking the Body. We are calling her to wake up and come back to the First Love, to the First Church, to the purity and power of Spirit-led community.

In Part 3, we will offer solutions—biblical, practical, and spiritual steps to recognize false spiritual culture, heal from ministry abuse, and build Kingdom community rooted in love, clarity, and respect.

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