Media Reports
"The purpose of information is not knowledge. It is being able to take the right action."
-Peter Drucker
Previous Publications about Outreach International
Here you will find a collection of publications from various sources on the subject of OI, all of which highlight the experiences of former members. Additionally, you will find information about prophecies that have transpired within the OI community.
Television Interview
Prophecies & A Controlled Narrative
A prophecy or “word” is the experience of hearing from God by the Holy Spirit. God may express his heart to a church community through a person. That person, upon hearing from the Holy Spirit, will write it down & share it corporately. While rare in many churches, receiving a prophecy is not altogether uncommon within OI.
Multiple former members have carried doubts about prophecies and how they were handled in OI. They believe some true prophecies were disregarded while multiple false ones were promoted. They noted particular concern over the prophecies that praised OI or Tony Kostas, specifically.
As one ex-member shared:
“I began feeling uneasy that the prophecies we had been getting were saying we were God’s special people (and there were many!).” The ex-member went on to say:
“The prophecies about how special OI people are were coming directly from OI people!”
And another ex-member said:
“When I was in OI, a prophecy specifically said that God would bring multitudes of people to OI and Tony Kostas, the original leader, would fill the biggest football stadium in the country with people coming to hear him speak. This prophecy also stated clearly that the people would do nothing for this to happen. God would bring OI ‘the Harvest.’ Obviously this did not happen and people in OI are actively going out to other places…”
Akin to this former member’s sentiment about Tony’s specialness, one OI prophecy included the following:
When you run through that ring of fire to My Jesus and My Tony and join us
YOU ARE MINE
When you run through that fire and join us
I call each of you by name
You have My seal
YOU ARE MINE
Through MY Tony you are the work of MY Hand…
(*Italics have been added)
Leadership & Gatekeeping
By default, leaders in OI serve as gatekeepers. When it comes to prophecies, they determine whether a prophecy is legitimate or not. As a result, they control the narrative within the OI body.
As one ex-member stated:
I…didn’t realise that all prophecies were vetted by Tony, and probably now, Simon. One thing that reassured me that OI must be on the right track was how all the prophecies from all over the different communities agreed and matched each other so well (e.g. that God was delighted with us, that our love was the purest He received, that Tony was like a brother to Jesus) etc. I didn’t know that other prophecies….existed but never saw the light of day!
This sense of controlled narrative extends beyond prophecies. Upon exiting OI, multiple members sought to express their hearts and reasons for leaving. Not only have some ex-members said they were prevented from sharing their hearts and perspectives with the greater body, but some learned later that they were grossly misrepresented (e.g. OI leadership told members that those individuals were asked to leave when they really left due to their own concerns and convictions).
As Wade Mullen, an advocate for victims of spiritual abuse, explains in “Many Stories Matter”:
“Communities that enable abuse shut down stories that threaten the approved narrative.” In doing so, they “ensure that dissenting voices are not heard and challenging questions are not asked. People are expected to trust that they have been given all the answers they need.”
“…[leaders] may also control the accuracy of the information that is shared. This might include over-communicating some aspects and under-communicating others. Often, the information that is omitted or under-communicated is considered threatening or disruptive…”
“Intentional omissions, ambiguous statements, and clever deflections all prevent the discovery of truth while still giving the appearance of transparency. They cast shadows instead of light. By keeping people from a truly accurate understanding, they can ensure the single story they tell becomes the single story believed.”
If a current OI member questions the health of the community, they may consider questions that Wade Mullen poses, including:
-Would victim-survivors or others with information tell a different story [than the one/s being told]?
-Has there been a safe opportunity for those stories to be told?
-What information is not being shared and why? Are those reasons legitimate?