- Report: #111974
Complaint Review: Christian Fellowship Church Ministries International - Waukegan Illinois
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Christian Fellowship Church Ministries International
621 Belvediere Street Waukegan, 60085 Illinois, U.S.A.
Phone:
847-336-1815
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Christian Fellowship Church Ministries International launched non-accredited "minister's college" Waukegan Illinois
On Oct 4, 2004, I wrote to Mr. Steve Crow:
Greetings. I am writing to you concering the accreditiation of a new seminary which has been in operation in Lake County, Illinois. The seminary is known as the Christian Fellowship Church Minister's College; it is currently located at 621 Belvidiere Road in Waukegan, Illinois (same address as the church itself). The web address for this seminary is found here:
http://www.cfcmi.org/MinistersCollege/index.html
The concern I have is whether or not this school meets any of the criteria of the State of Illinois for accreditation. I have a friend who recently signed up and was starting class this fall after his military enlistment was up. I told him to make sure the school was in fact accredited before he signed, but I have reason to suspect the courses were never accredited. Here are my reasons for concern:
In 1997 L.R. Davis, the founding pastor of CFCMI, discussed starting a minister's college to "train people for the ministry". The main focus of this seminary was the single men in the church, in particular the main USA congregations of Waukegan, Norfolk (Virginia), and San Diego (California). No effort was made to promote the school outside the walls of CFCMI, either here in the USA or overseas. Rev. Davis, at the time he came up with this idea, was serving time in Dixon Correctional Center for various sex crimes. He died in 1999, but the seminary plans were carried out by Peter F. Paine (current general pastor), and d**k Brand (assistant local pastor in Waukegan). In the early part of 2000, when I was still a member of CFCMI, I wrote d**k Brand and asked him how the planning was going and if the school had been accredited by the state to avoid any problems for the students.
This was over four years ago. I never received a response. This was one of the reasons I chose not to enroll.
The original goal of the "college", when Davis was alive, was to see as many as fifty students (emphasis on single males) cycle through the school each year. The students were supposed to complete two years of classroom training followed by two years of mission work as assigned by the church. Since its inception in 2002, four students have enrolled with one of the students dropping after the first semester. The credentials of the leaders is questionable, too.
Lloyd Ray Davis (1935-1999), founding pastor - eighth grade education, no GED
Peter F. Paine, general pastor - high school graduate, no college degree
d**k Brand, dean of mnister's college - high school graduate, no college degree
I am not sure if the lack of college-level credentials weighs a factor on running a school, but none of the current leaders ever attended any kind of Bible college. If there is any way you could help me so I can try to educate my friend, who is a student there, of the pitfalls of attending a non-accredited school, I would be very thankful.
I received a reply from Mr. Crow on 06 October 2004.
"This institution has not been in communication with us regarding accreditation. Perhaps the most important question is whether the seminary has been licensed to operated by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. That is the first step it must take: legal authority to operate and to grant its degrees. Then it might seek accreditation from a private, third party quality assurance agency such as ours.
I appreciate the information you have provided."
Steven D. Crow, Executive Director
The Higher Learning Commission of NCA
30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602
What does this all mean? It means that anyone who is conned into signing up for the minister's college will graduate with absolutely worthless credentials. Plus, they may be operating a school without a license...if that is so, then there are more serious issues with the minister's college besides luring single men into further servitude, thinking the will be sent to preach the gospel. I am hoing that a good friend of mine, who left the service in July, will somehow read this and realize he has been taken for a bad ride.
John
Norfolk, Virginia
U.S.A.
Greetings. I am writing to you concering the accreditiation of a new seminary which has been in operation in Lake County, Illinois. The seminary is known as the Christian Fellowship Church Minister's College; it is currently located at 621 Belvidiere Road in Waukegan, Illinois (same address as the church itself). The web address for this seminary is found here:
http://www.cfcmi.org/MinistersCollege/index.html
The concern I have is whether or not this school meets any of the criteria of the State of Illinois for accreditation. I have a friend who recently signed up and was starting class this fall after his military enlistment was up. I told him to make sure the school was in fact accredited before he signed, but I have reason to suspect the courses were never accredited. Here are my reasons for concern:
In 1997 L.R. Davis, the founding pastor of CFCMI, discussed starting a minister's college to "train people for the ministry". The main focus of this seminary was the single men in the church, in particular the main USA congregations of Waukegan, Norfolk (Virginia), and San Diego (California). No effort was made to promote the school outside the walls of CFCMI, either here in the USA or overseas. Rev. Davis, at the time he came up with this idea, was serving time in Dixon Correctional Center for various sex crimes. He died in 1999, but the seminary plans were carried out by Peter F. Paine (current general pastor), and d**k Brand (assistant local pastor in Waukegan). In the early part of 2000, when I was still a member of CFCMI, I wrote d**k Brand and asked him how the planning was going and if the school had been accredited by the state to avoid any problems for the students.
This was over four years ago. I never received a response. This was one of the reasons I chose not to enroll.
The original goal of the "college", when Davis was alive, was to see as many as fifty students (emphasis on single males) cycle through the school each year. The students were supposed to complete two years of classroom training followed by two years of mission work as assigned by the church. Since its inception in 2002, four students have enrolled with one of the students dropping after the first semester. The credentials of the leaders is questionable, too.
Lloyd Ray Davis (1935-1999), founding pastor - eighth grade education, no GED
Peter F. Paine, general pastor - high school graduate, no college degree
d**k Brand, dean of mnister's college - high school graduate, no college degree
I am not sure if the lack of college-level credentials weighs a factor on running a school, but none of the current leaders ever attended any kind of Bible college. If there is any way you could help me so I can try to educate my friend, who is a student there, of the pitfalls of attending a non-accredited school, I would be very thankful.
I received a reply from Mr. Crow on 06 October 2004.
"This institution has not been in communication with us regarding accreditation. Perhaps the most important question is whether the seminary has been licensed to operated by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. That is the first step it must take: legal authority to operate and to grant its degrees. Then it might seek accreditation from a private, third party quality assurance agency such as ours.
I appreciate the information you have provided."
Steven D. Crow, Executive Director
The Higher Learning Commission of NCA
30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602
What does this all mean? It means that anyone who is conned into signing up for the minister's college will graduate with absolutely worthless credentials. Plus, they may be operating a school without a license...if that is so, then there are more serious issues with the minister's college besides luring single men into further servitude, thinking the will be sent to preach the gospel. I am hoing that a good friend of mine, who left the service in July, will somehow read this and realize he has been taken for a bad ride.
John
Norfolk, Virginia
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
JF
Kansas City,Missouri,
United States of America
Agree with the original poster
#2Consumer Comment
Wed, July 13, 2011
John,
I was a member of this church from 1996 to 1998, when I was asked to leave the church. I was attending the college for some classes and decided that I wanted to get an education from an accredited school. I was asked to leave the church for this reason and was sent to the house where I was living (one that the church owned and had several other guys living there) and sent to the train station with no money at all, basically, instead of trying to show me the right way of doing things, and God's way, as this church likes to use that term, they basically kicked me out with nothing except my clothes and the little bit of money I had on me. This church, and I use that term loosely, preaches that well basically everything is a sin! Women can't wear shorts, men can't wear jeans, none of the single males there could work in any kind of retail job. They take all of your money, and then make sure you have nothing. Everyone shared the cars they had. They try to brainwash you into doing what they want. If one of the single guys chose to get married, it was basically like they were no longer allowed to be a part of the church except on Sundays. I was glad that I left this church, I realize now that the things they preach, are not the things I want to learn!! By the way John, when were you a member there, I wonder if I ever met you!!
Giovanni
Fallbrook,California,
U.S.A.
To the person that said get over it
#3Consumer Comment
Mon, November 03, 2008
You obviously don't what you're talking about. I went to this church in San Diego and I was under that psychopath pastor Daniel P Lantis for three years. This church was founded by a perverted man that obused children in his church in Waukegan. He was sentenced to 31 years and diied in 1999. His name was Lloyed R Davis. You can look it up.And then the senior pastorship decided to cover it up by lying. Claimimng that he was innocent. When I was at the church in San Diego I was tormented everyday and I was miserable. I've seen the pastor physically grab people by the collar and throw them and push them around ranting and raving. What kind of pastor does marriage counseling and violates the wife while the husband is not there? Not to mention that he is also married. Hello a little something called adultry. There is nothing biblically based about this church. They are a bunch of control freaks is what they are. They have no business teaching the bible. They need to shut down.
Okiema
Norfolk,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Get over it!
#4UPDATE Employee
Wed, August 10, 2005
Unfortunately there are still folks who do not have anything better to do with there time but cause chaos to people who strive to do postive things. Christian fellowship church has started a ministers college which is still in the developmental stages yes it is advertised with in the individual churches as a option to those interested in attending a biblical based college and is free to all who desire to attend. It was created with the sole purpose of educatiing people in biblical truths doctrine and history far to many colleges teach theology but not bible we just chose to do something different to which I do not believe we violated any laws and futher more how many colleges and university have started with a group of people wanting to educate those with a willingness to learnand were not accreddited but are today? we must remember that nothing happens over night even the accredidation proscess. all we are simly doing is offering to tech people about the bible and the history around its writings.Is that something one should condemn if so every college, private and public school in america whose goal to educate should be condemned all americans walk around dumb and ignorant! As for the lack of schooling and education many of the founders of our HBCU did not have college degrees but look at them now all fully accredited schools and what about the harvards and princetons, yales or other colleges that may have just started this year alone. let us not condemn one unless you are willing to condemn all.education is key whether christian or other wise if you are willing to condemn a bible college what else are you willing to condemn!. so to rap up this I say to the accuser Get Over It Man!
