Lifechangers reviews

Definitely a profit driven cult practicing spiritual abuse. All the distinctive. Love-bomb on the way in.... then things change. Estranged you/limit and control contact with familt/outside world. No TV no radio. Leaders claim to have gift of prophesy therefore to disobey them us to disobey God. Zero access to females unless you are emptying the cash out of their purses in front of a Walmart. To leave the compound is to go against Gods will and many that leave die. This is a recurring message. Leave equals die. Only higher-ups have access to the women and illicit/inappropriate relationships are status quo. Arranged relationships/marriages. Nobody in leadership has ever left nor do they have more than a year or two of sobriety. Human trafficking. Ride six deep trafficked all over the southeast to "fundraise"... each crew clears a couple grand each weekend. NC center brings in a haul of 30 to 40 thousand a week but guys are fed bologna sandwiches and must keep their breakfast under $3 on the road while fundraising. Unclear whether leadership is clean/sober. No light in their eyes. Danger. Danger. Beware Life Changers Cult.

I was looking for something that would be Christian based and recovery oriented. These folks are NOT what they claim to be.

I located and printed a 23 page document for these charlatans, based in Tennessee. They caused so much harm in less than two weeks that I am still recovering from the experience.

I was in a house...a nice house, granted...in a part of Vancouver, Washington, near the Camas area.

These people seem to prefer to ship in people that have travelled several hundred miles to keep them further separated from their families.

Each 'recruit' is able to write letters to family and friends. However, you are not to touch a computer for a year (per their document) and are not allowed a cell phone. Calls to family or friends may be allowed, but are scheduled, can be made only on an organization cell phone, and the 'privilege' to make said calls can be taken away for a minor infraction of the 'rules' and the receiving of a demerit.

I will write more later, but swear this to be the truth.

My name is Bryan, and these guys have the makings of a cult. They isolate and, I believe, brain wash the prospect. More on this later.

Bryan

I was ringing a bell outside of Walmart for the Salvation Army, and there was a Lifechangers man collecting donations.... I watched him walk inside and buy himself a soda with the donation money. I was horrified

My name is Katie I hacked into Life Changers in Pigeon Forge TN in October 2017 I had struggled with addiction for about five years I had torn apart my whole family lost my job house car and even my two children because of addiction I was in and out of jail and ended up doin a little prison time. After I was released from prison having nowhere to go and no family who wanted me around because of the things I had done I met someone who told me about Life Changers I had nothing to loose so why not I thought little did I know or expect it was really going to change my life forever everyone was welcoming and friendly the staff were very understanding and encouraging they loved on me thy prayed for me laughed with me and cried with me they introduced me to God, to who He really is they taught me how to have a relationship with Him how to love Him the way He loves me after going to the center in TN I found out they had centers all over the US including one in Alaska which is where me kids we're living with my mother in law who had custody of them I was like what are the chances of me randomly picking a rehab in TN without knowing anything about it and they also have one all the way in Alaska and not only was the center in Alaska it's in Wasilla even the exact city my children live in so I knew right then that God had orchestrated the whole thing I was in the program in TN for 6 months then the program paid to send me to the one in Alaska where I finished my other 6 months graduated from and now work for I now y'all to and get to see my two boys that I had lost and given up all hope of ever seeing I have hope again- For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not harm you plans for hope and a future Jeremiah 29:11. Life Changers gave me my life back thy gave me more life then I had before more life then I could have ever hoped for, was it hard? ABSOLUTELY!!!! Yes you travel to other places to fundraise and I love how everyone throws that in there about they force you to fundraise bla bla bla but they forget to mention that they fundraise on Friday and Saturday because they live completely free for the whole 12 months fundraising is how they pay for housing and food I didn't even have clothes when I arrived they even provide the clothing for a lot of people and the one lady was being honest they wouldn't take the guy with the prescription they tell you that over they phone when they do your application no narcotics and no MIND ALTERING OR MOOD ALTERING medicines they are not a medical facility and they tell you that they tell you if they is any medical stuff you need to have it all took care of before you come yes they have a strict schedule you get up at 6am you gotta be dressed and ready for praise and worship by 6:30am then you have breakfast do chores like clean up the house then you go to class and do different bible studies to learn how to come to know God and how to grow closer and stronger in Him then when you graduate not only do they off you a job as staff with the program they also off World Harvest School of Ministry classes which is part of Oral Roberts University to help you maintain the new life they helped you create now I'm deeply sorry for anyone who didn't have the strenth to surrender and let God in and allow Him to heal but you have to want it!!!!!

If it hadn't been for Life Changers I wouldn't have my dad or a loving family that cares for me. I would be out living on the streets. These people are incredible. They are there and want to see you clean probably more than you do at first. I thank God everyday for this place and the amazing people here. This is not a cult! I pretty much lived the program under the circumstances of my parents. Doing things the way they do here really helps with discipline and management. My mom got her kids back after the state said she couldn't have them back. She pursued God and got her kids back and three more along with that. They are drug free and continue to have a healthy relationship with their family and others.

this was the scariest most people 3 days of my entire life I thought I was walking into a christian-based rehab facility and all reality it is nothing but a cult are deceiving they are not they're lying they go out and Panhandle sell things that's not the way to spread God's word they make you fast if you don't make enough money they literally had me a piece of cornbread for breakfast they pretend to worship God in all reality that is just a cover-up No Lie my body hurts so bad I could feel the pain being terrorized as I would not participate in the activities they were doing it took me 4 hours of begging for them to take me er my blood pressure was 178/105 heart rate 48 they allow you know medicines at all they take your stuff and don't give it back to you this place is horrible I wish not even the devil's son go there that's how bad it is

I took my son to the location in Holden WV Big mistake it is nothing but a scam run by people taking advantage of these poor loss souls trying to stay clean from drugs. Maybe they have no family or outside support but anything would be better than this place. I am so disappointed they call themselves christians but in reality they are taking advantage of these young men. My son went there it was almost 6 hours away. We drove all night to get him there. I was told he would be fine my son took everything he owned to this place thinking he would be there 12 months. After 5 days my son left there .My son was still detoxing on the 2nd day they had him in Buffalo New York fundraising trip. He left there with only what he could carry. So far from home and no money. He did make it back home but all his belongings were still at Life Changers. I spoke to the man in charge surprisingly he had only been clean for 6 months and seem to be running the whole place. He said he had packed all my sons property and it would be safe . I made arrangements to make the trip back there to pick up his stuff. The man in charge Aurbrey knew I was coming. I arrive and only received not even half of his stuff 2 brand new coats and a packed tub of all his clothes were missing. When asked I was told to wait while they looked after an hour of sitting in the car I was told his stuff was not there. I was so mad and upset I couldn't beleive they would steal my sons things all he had in the world gone! These people are not christians they are theives! I would never recommend anyone take their loved one to Life Changers. CULT not CHRISTIANS!!! Please beware of this place!!!!!

Two young guys outside of Walmart asked me to buy a shirt. I said no but I decided to look anyway. These guys have the deceptive mentality of a addiction. They should NOT be selling anything because they have NOT been DELIVERED. They were trying to coerce me into giving them my $10.00 from my change after buying a bracelet. NEVER SAID THANK YOU! I got in my car and was very disturbed and I said Lord that was NOT YOU! The Lord said go back-I explained that God likes a cheerful giver and what they were doing was wrong but most importantly they could not TESTIFY of how God had delivered them from drugs! People use God's name and he's NOWHERE IN IT! They are deceptive from the true fact that JESUS IS NOT INVOLVED IN THIS CULT!
Oh and the bracelet broke while trying to put it on in the car!

In January 2015 my husband and I entered into the life changers out reach ministry. We were bound in addition to pharmaceutical drugs and methamphetamine. We had lost all hope for life and couldnt see any way out of our addiction. We didnt have a dime to our name and lifechangers took us both in without hesitation. It was there that we encountered the Love of God that forever changed our lives. We have been completely FREE from drugs(including the psych meds his dr. Told him he would always need) and nicotine for almost 4 years. Going through Lifechangers was not only the hardest thing we ever did but the best decision of our lives next to accepting Jesus Christ as our savior (which we did at Lifechangers!) they dont teach you to cope with or manage your addiction there they teach you to bury it forever. Our marriage is better than its ever been and its continuing to get better every day. Our family has been completely restored and Im forever grateful for this ministry. I highly recommend this ministry to anyone who is bound and truly wants to be set free. God bless Lifechangers

My brother went through this program and has been clean for years.
What most people who have not been through this personally, or who have not seen first hand, do not understand, is not just the spiritual , but the mental aspect of this program, and why it works.
Being in the midst of addition, your brain has physiologically been altered & needs to be re-wired. That is why the majority of these 30,60, 90 day programs have such a high relapse rate (go look it up, its astonishing the amount of times people have been through multiple programs), simply put - our brains need more time. That is why the 1 yr is so crucial.
Now, the prescription drug issue that was mentioned before, was completely false. Yes, the program does not allow ANY mood altering drug, allowing these would be counterintuitive. These can come to be relied upon & later might even be a trigger if they get fearful that they will have to come off of these in the future. Yes, this does include anti-depressants , not just opioids. But the leaders have NEVER and would never not allow someone to take meds that are medically necessary, such insulin for diabetes, antibiotics etc.

Now on to the last, and most controversial issue- the fundraising. Yes, the boys have to work. Period.
This is a program that they offer completely free (yes, if the family is able to help, its great- but it is offered free so that anyone willing and ready, can come get help no matter their circumstances), of course the men & women do not like this in the beginning (or being told what to do at all for that matter) because they have been living in addiction for how long?? Everyone who's knows anything about addiction, knows they are not themselves & have been living a SELFISH life for a while- OF COURSE THEY DON'T WANT TO DO IT! Of course it seems cult-like if someone is forcing you to do something you do not like, but that does not mean it is not benefical (but I am assuming the did not like jail all that well either).
Unlike these 30-90 day programs that cost anywhere from a couple thousand to upwards of $25,000, & they are living in an enviroment that is not sustainable once they are in the real world. Anyone can stay sober with all day group-counseling, massages and acupunture, and yes, drugs that are deemed "acceptable" to make it a little easier. But what happens when they get home and real life starts? Problems at work? Screaming Kids? A family who might not be sure if this is real yet, and not ready to open 100% back up.
These programs just want them to be prepared for life, AND That means work- but that is only a fraction of the time. The rest of the time they are receiving biblical counsling, mentorship & if you stick it out & allow God to lead your life, they WILL BECOME YOUR FAMILY.
And just to be clear, I have never heard of ANYONE getting kicked out for not making a certain amount of money each week ( though an attitude and anyone causing division that might affect another persons recovery is a given). No one will receive help, unless they truly want it for themselves. And no matter what some person, who is uneducated on the ins and out of the program said, I will be forever grateful for this program & how it gave my brother a new life in Christ Jesus. Thank you LifeChangers.

This place is NOT a rehab. They use these young men to sell t shirts and other handmade merchandise in front of the Walmart or Tractor Supply. If they do not sell at least $1,000 each time they are out, and they go out at least once a week, then they have to fast and repent for the next three days! You provide their personal hygiene items, bed sheets/blankets/pillows, clothes, shoes and etc. They ask you for a Walmart gift card for other items. They cannot have any medical help. Not even Tylenol. They use these people who are down and almost out to sell their stuff for profit! They are under the name of a church and use God as a disguise for what they are really doing.

My boyfriend is in this place they call "rehab". It is NOT a rehab, it is a CULT. Its sickening they force them to go all over the state to panhandle and get donations to put into their pockets, he has been in there for almost three months and they will not let him communicate with me or his two baby boys, they will not let him call his lawyer either, he needs to contact his lawyer about his case, they are trying to get his court post poned just like they did with a couple other guys, they say they will "take care of it", but dont, a guy got a failure to appear because they didnt let him go to court. They didnt give him any of the letters or pictures i sent him, they threw them all away when i dropped him off i was told i could write him immideatley. He is not allowed to talk about his drug addiction, he gets "wrote up" if he says anything about drugs, all they are doing is shoving god down his throat. He WANTS to get help, he WANTS to transfer to a REAL REHAB with a twelve step program or AA classes. This place is nothing but a sick joke.

I'm an outsider looking in. I have good insight on these programs because I was an addict for 15 years before spending 18 months in a program like this. I've now been clean for 11 years. For those who don't know or understand addiction, depression or what ever your problem is...you were not born that way and it took some learned behavior to get to the bottom. So to get out it takes some extreme measures. First you have to be brought down to nothing, to a point were even the most simple thing (such as a pack of sugar or a small bag of chips or choosing when you get to sit down, talking on the phone, writing a letter, etc..etc...) are important. This is how your brain gets reprogrammed to appreciate the small stuff and forget about the bad stuff. This takes 3 to 6 months. For me it took 6 months to get to this stage. I tried and tried to "buck" the system. Thank the Lord my husband and family said if I left, I couldn't come home.... I had no home other than this "horrible cult people place". Yes, at that point I too believed it was a cult. You learn to talk to God again, because He's the only one that will listen to you complain. Finally, I started to relax and go with the flow. I didn't realize that the process was working....my brain was being reprogrammed, I was being reborn. The person I was ashamed of was slipping away and the new person was being reborn. New it's time for the next stage.... here you are this new person and you dont know yourself anymore. Who is this person I have become? Where do I go from here? How do I get there? That is why it's important to NOT LEAVE NOW! You need to be in a controlled environment during this stage. Just like you can't just let a toddler have her way in a candy store. Supervision is important. Visits from your family, more phone calls, letters, maybe a picture of your family. You start getting more privileges one thing at a time. You'll find yourself closer to God and that you talk to Him now not to complain about your situation, but just to talk to Him. Then you go to the last stage. Continuing your growing and helping the new lost souls that come in. That are in the same place you were. You will take a lot of abuse from them, but now you are healthy enough to deal with it and to give them the understanding you once received.
MARY H. from Louisiana
Clean 11 years because of a similar program an God

Recent former student. Just escaped Thursday, really. I was only there for two days, but it was the strangest, scariest experience of my life. If something seems to good to be true, it usually is. Everything written in the previous post is absolutely true. I ended up leaving, on foot-no money, no cell phone, and no idea where I was and 7 hours from home! But for a group of people who are so "Christian" , they need to expect to get what they have coming.

About as close to a religious cult as you can get. I am a former student of life changers. They tell you when to go to the bathroom and do not let you talk with your family unless you are on speakerphone. There is no healthcare facility here and getting to the doctor is next to impossible. They believe that Jesus will heal you and that you simply lack faith if you need medicine. Even if you have a prescription from the doctor for antibiotics, they reserve the right to pick and choose what you can and cannot take. Even taking a Tylenol or Ibuprofen is sometimes banned. They are not government funded and therefore do not need approval to treat you anyway they see fit.
Beware of free programs. You will earn your keep by traveling up to 12 hours away to fundraise for 2 12 hour days. They make you stand in sub temperatures, lighting storms, and pouring rain - healthy or not. You sometimes get back to the facility at 3am and have to get up at 6am to start the day and will not rest until 9:30pm.