Challenging O.I.

Understanding Outreach International

"We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep."

-William James

FAQs

About This Site

This site exists as a source of information for anyone who wants to gain broader perspectives about Outreach International (hereafter referred to as OI) and the impact it’s had on a host of people who have left it. 

The intent of this site is not to slander or denigrate OI & its people, current or former.

Former members are able to express their thoughts and feelings about being in and out of OI, believing that what they share may be useful to individuals who are exploring OI as a fellowship/organisation/church.

The site has been thoughtfully compiled by multiple individuals formerly associated with OI who seek to share so others may be better informed. 

Former members are able to share their experiences in a way they may have not felt able to before. Additionally, the resources (several which are shared by former members) may be helpful for outstanding issues you may be working through.

You may be investigating OI or exploring their gatherings to see if you want to be a part of their community. People in OI are often incredibly kind, generous, hospitable and reciprocal. The information and testimonies you find here will give you a broader and more comprehensive view about OI. The sentiments are from many of the people who have left their affiliation with OI, whether quite some time ago (10+ years) or more recently (2025).

Any member who seeks to see the culture of OI and its impact through a wide-angle lens is to be respected. Gathering information to broaden one’s perspective is both reasonable and responsible. 

Maybe your friend or loved one has begun mentioning Outreach International, possibly through new and budding friendships with people in OI. You may be doing research about the OI community out of curiosity and care. 

Creating a space for former OI members to share their feelings allows them to be empowered and also inform others about the personal implications their involvement with OI has had on them.

Current OI members who visit this site may feel shocked or betrayed. They may think the thoughts and feelings shared here are downright outlandish or “out of left field.” Current members may claim they never knew that others felt this way.

While this may be true, some former members feel they lacked agency to express particular thoughts and feelings while in OI. Therefore, what they share may be helpful to others who are exploring OI. Their experiences may help inform others of OI’s well-established culture, one that can be hard to see or fully understand and respect. 

Yes. 

Some individuals in OI may feel trapped. If you’ve had the feeling that something’s not right, this site may provide:

-a sense of epiphany (“Oh! That’s why I have felt that way…”)
-a sense of community (“I’m not alone–many others have shared my feeling/s!”)
-a sense of refuge (“This information feels like a life raft.”)
-a source of validation and help (“There’s a reason I have felt the way I have & I have options.”)

If you’re an OI member who does not consider leaving, this site can help you discover the thoughts and feelings of others. While you may feel differently, your perspectives may be broadened & you may discover a sense of empathy for ex-members in a way you haven’t before.

Feeling a genuine sense of fear is not uncommon when it comes to ex-members sharing their honest thoughts about being in and out of the OI community. The reason for this fear is difficult to explain, but for some ex-members it can be rooted in the complexity of having family members (parents or adult children) remain in the OI community. 

This sense of fearfulness or angst is likely difficult for outsiders and current members of OI to appreciate or understand. Regardless of others finding these emotions hard to comprehend, the reality of them is not insignificant or invalid. For that reason, anonymity is preserved to help ensure former members feel safe to speak.

The people here are from English speaking regions all over the globe. However, words and spellings vary by location. We honor these differences across the site, preserving the individuality of each person and the region in which they live.

About Outreach International (OI)

(the information and descriptions below were written by individuals who were formerly associated with OI, as recently as 2025)
NOTE: The website for Outreach International can be found here.

(screenshot of Outreach International’s website, 08/2025)

According to their website, their “Who we are” statement is posted above.

Other characteristics that make OI stand apart, according to former members:

*They believe the Bible is a word of God, not the sole word of God (for instance, any prophecy that is approved by leadership is also seen as a word of God)

*They uphold a culture of purity – this includes every facet of being pure. In the past, young people could be expected to share uncompromising physical behavior (i.e. when dating) in a public way. OI also values being pure in heart. A member can expect that fellow members may be involved in helping to explore and pinpoint one’s motives (which some former members describe as having felt accusatory and/or anxiety provoking). Similarly, members have historically been encouraged to “challenge” one another about their words or behaviours. In some cases member were praised by Tony for doing this. OI may also affirm members for being teachable, particularly when they do not justify their actions or respond to community & leadership involvement in a defensive way.

*They respect the idea of sacrifice – this includes focusing on God such that affection for Him supersedes everything else. This includes members giving of their time and finances in sometimes extreme ways. They justify this by believing that the value of anything is proven by what you are willing to give for its sake. Thus, they seek to give sacrificially to God (some ex-members say this has caused leaders to benefit in unbalanced, advantageous or lavish ways). Members themselves may give to an extent that is uncomfortable financially. Or they may be encouraged to limit their involvement or financial investment in hobbies or pursuits that may otherwise bring them satisfaction.

*Visiting or moving to new regions/cities because they feel prompted by God to do so is not uncommon. Wherever they move and live in the world, they search for ‘like hearts’ to be a part of them.

*OI believes they are a special, exclusive people of God. They are inclined to see themselves as being ‘married to Jesus’ and having a ‘unique Levite calling.’ However, when it comes to making new acquaintances and friends, members will not generally say this. In fact, they may deny this, telling others that they do not see themselves as special or having a better and truer grasp on following God than others. 

 *They do not hold membership classes or have a formal process in which a person becomes a member; they practice excommunication when people leave their fellowship 

At first glance, the “Who we are” statements on OI’s website are quite normal. However, those formerly associated with OI would point out that Mark 12:30 is quoted, but Mark 12:31 is missing (see also Matthew 22: 36-40). 

In this absent verse, Jesus emphasizes the importance of the second greatest commandment along with the first, which is: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This omission is noteworthy when it comes to OI’s “Who we are” proclamation because of how OI members treat those who have left.

Former members would attest they were excommunicated & cut-off from community relationships upon leaving. Meanwhile, remaining members would be instructed that communicating with those who have left does not show ‘God’s love’ (unless he/she shows a desire to “repent” and return to fellowship—specifically with OI).

Former members believe this practice of excommunication doesn’t reflect God’s heart and, contrary to Mark 12:31, actually causes unequivocal harm. 

Note: While excommunication would be detrimental in any form, the practice is profoundly damaging to those who leave OI. So tremendously insular, the body of OI often holds every relationship a person knows, holds dear & relies upon. Therefore, excommunication from every community member has deeply negative psychological and emotional ramifications.

No. 

As an ex-member has said:  “OI isn’t one of those in-your-face, weird, deviant organisations.”

A word that multiple ex-members use to describe OI and its culture is insidious.

Some people will recognize red flags if they stay long enough to explore OI. However, an individual’s response to red flags can be different, depending on the individual and their length of affiliation with OI. 

Upon witnessing a red flag, one person may see it for what it is and back away or leave their involvement with OI. Or, they may suspend judgment, believing their suspicions are unfounded (or that their imagination and inclination to “read between the lines” is on overdrive). 

Or, people who are curious about OI may do online research about the community. The resulting information they read about or listen to impacts people in different ways. One person may find the information about OI online to be unequivocally damning. In this instance, the person may likely cut ties with those they have met or ghost them.

But someone else who discovers the same information may respond differently. If they have built enough of a relationship with those in OI, they may approach OI about their findings. If this happens, the members or leaders of OI will likely challenge the person to consider whether their own observations and experiences in the community are consistent with the information they’ve read or heard. 

When this happens, the person may discredit others’ stories in favor of their own experience, or they may believe the online information they’ve discovered to be true yet conclude: “that was the past and OI has changed for the better now.” If they are unable to dismiss the stories of others as untrue, they may move forward with caution as they continue to explore OI. In this case, they are likely to suspend judgment while navigating their individual path, coming to their own conclusions over time. 

OI has had different changes in recent years:

-many larger community gatherings consist of sitting in rows and not in circles

-the Outreach International website has been expanded and updated

-a formal “hot seat” (as some ex-members call it) may not exist, but members remain exceptionally involved in one another’s lives

-the community and its members have become increasingly “outward facing.” Many of them have moved to new regions and cities

In many ways, OI is fundamentally the same. Signs indicate its people are enmeshed. The community is largely insular, even with members being more spread apart. Unhealthy practices are not uncommon: 

Gossip may be legitimized. To be questioned (in heart/mind/motive) may be seen as normal. Being defensive when analyzed (i.e. questioned in heart, mind, or motive) is characteristically seen as sinful and something to be repented from. The OI website has been redesigned such that members must still login to view content that is not available to the public (most wouldn’t recognize this as the link to the member login page on the community’s home page is rather inconspicuous; the fact that a login is required may make one wonder what content is not accessible to the public and why).

Many members have been born into OI. Adolescent or adult individuals who elect to join often have:

  1. A sincere love for God and his Church. Some may see their devotion exceeding that of “typical” Christians. Their faith in God is uncompromising and may have transcended prior hardships regarding their church life. For example, it’s not uncommon that people are drawn to OI after experiencing disillusionment from a prior church fallout (e.g. a church-split, a pastor having an affair, the misappropriation of finances, etc.). Members coming into OI often long for a church that looks, feels and offers something better and so much more than the disappointment they’ve otherwise experienced in the Church
  2. A desire to love God with greater earnestness and a desire to do so with people who have “like hearts” (a similar depth of devotion and commitment)
  3. A history of coming from a broken home or a home where their family was not as close as they may have wished. They may have parents who divorced or their father may have been absent. These incoming members gravitate to the sense of community as well as the personal involvement of OI leaders who come alongside them.
 

When someone is seeking a faith community and exploring OI, they will often be impressed by the sense of love, closeness and togetherness they witness and feel among the members. Because OI members are so involved in one another’s lives, this observation feels striking and remarkable compared to most churches, where members are often acquaintances, or even strangers. Feeling drawn-in to the people and culture of OI is to be expected. Beyond appearances, OI members will treat new people with care and concern which some ex-members label “love bombing.”

“Love bombing” is when a person or group impresses or overwhelms another person with special attention, care and affection. However, the intended (and unstated/non-perceived) outcome is to establish and maintain a sense of control over the other person and to create emotional dependence.

Dissenters can be asked to leave, sometimes in front of the whole group. If someone leaves OI (which is uncommon and difficult), they can expect to be seen as having turned their back on their Levite calling (or even turning their back on God). This is how OI members generally perceive individuals who leave, even if they maintain their faith in God and in Jesus Christ. Those who leave can also expect to be excommunicated. In rare cases, members may “agree to disagree” in order to maintain some semblance of a relationship. This infrequently happens as members in OI have historically been instructed to sacrifice people or cut them off. Members often do this, prioritizing relationships with fellow OI members (showing greater care and loyalty for them), even over their own family members (a parent and their son/daughter, etc.).

Leaving OI often requires a person to heal from trauma, control and/or abuse. And the loss of all prior relationships, which is common, is wholly devastating. As one ex-member said: 

“After I left OI I completely shut down my spiritual life, emotions and internalised a ton of guilt and questions. Was I “with the Devil” as I was told? I felt so dark and down, but I was still the loving, caring, well meaning person I always was. Being completely rejected by the people you had devoted your life to [for decades] was shattering. I saw two psychologists and at the time I knew of 9 other people who had left OI who had sought counseling.”

If someone leaves OI:

*Why they left and the narrative being told within OI may be inaccurate, incomplete and/or untrue. For example, in OI’s history, key members within the community have chosen to leave while leaders told remaining members that they were asked to leave. 

*They can expect to feel overcome by strong emotions that are both negative and positive, for instance:

guilt/sadness —–> liberation/relief

Upon leaving, one ex-member said they felt:

depressed

deserted

devalued

disillusioned

duped

depleted

down hearted

dragged down

despondent 

However, in being “out,” ex-members express profound relief. 

After leaving, former members often come to see OI as a sect and/or cult—something they may have wholly refuted before. 

The clarity and liberation that ex-members experience is tremendous. In turn, they long for their loved ones to leave OI and discover the liberation and healing they have experienced. 

They also want their loved ones to possess the ability to view OI more objectively. This proves to be extremely complicated especially, for instance, if a parent leaves while their adult children remain. After all, the adult children were parented by these ex-members and raised to believe OI is to be trusted, good and “right.” OI members do not believe the validity of what what ex-members say, and they do not see the liberation of ex-members as credible. Rather, members of OI view ex-members as “doing their own selfish thing,” which would naturally feel “liberating” or freeing. 

Despite the loving bonds of family, the entrenchment of belief runs profoundly deep and an individual’s loyalty often defaults to OI over a loved one. This is because loyalty to OI is seen as synonymous with faithfulness to God. In leaving, people are often vilified or seen as choosing something that’s evil or wrong. Even when the Christian faith of an ex-member remains intact, members generally equate leaving OI as turning one’s back on God. 

When the extent of dysfunction within OI becomes plain & surprisingly obvious to those who leave, they legitimately want to rescue their loved ones. However, their attempts to educate and extract those who remain “in” fail miserably. Members who remain cannot conceive that their loved ones who exited have been genuinely enlightened. If approached, those who are “in” often respond to ex-members by becoming incensed and defensive. In their minds, they are not bound but free. 

They cannot accurately see the extent in which they are entrenched in unhealthy practices. Nor can they understand how negatively they are being impacted. An analogy many ex-members use to describe the entrenchment is the frog in the boiling water. Current members’ inability to see clearly and objectively is profoundly sad and complex, but:

“the nature of psychological compulsion is such that those who act under constraint remain under the impression that they are acting on their own initiative. The victim of mind-manipulation does not know that he is a victim. To him the walls of his prison are invisible, and he believes himself to be free. That he is not free is apparent only to other people” (Aldous Huxley). 

Moreover, they are unable to see that their excommunication of former members contradicts the love they adamantly profess. Instead, they legitimize their behavior while yielding to leadership & the prevailing ways of OI.

Members who decide OI isn’t for them, fail to meet the group’s standards, or question leadership’s decisions face complete social severance. This is described by leaders as being ‘given over to the world.’ It entails immediate termination of all friendships and contact with remaining members.

Because of how an ex-member is vilified, judged or looked down upon, leadership maintains that any psychological trauma from the community’s abandonment of the person is the result of the individual’s own choices. Thus they do not take responsibility (or feel accountable) for the after effects, including the mental health & emotional impacts of sudden social isolation.

Note: An exception here is that close relatives may maintain contact with their family who has left, although they typically express clear disapproval of the former member’s decision to leave, or their beliefs/actions which led to expulsion. Former members who still have family in the group are usually treated differently. They’re often welcomed at social events and family gatherings because the group hopes they’ll return. Because these former members don’t experience the complete cut-off that others do, they’re more likely to say that OI has ‘changed’ and isn’t as controlling as it used to be (and thus are susceptible to returning, which some have).

Members are often unable to see patterns or practices within OI as unhealthy. If a member does recognize dysfunction within OI, they rarely believe it’s significant enough to warrant leaving. 

If someone believes leaving OI is justified, they must then confront the extreme difficulty that leaving entails. This often includes: 

-guilt

-shame

-embarrassment

-excommunication / ostracizing / ridicule / isolation

-doubt / questioning

-loss of sense-of-self

-loss of community / family / loved ones

These are among the potential obstacles someone leaving can foresee. There are a host of unknown challenges each person may face as well (e.g. resulting mental stability, need for therapy, etc.). For these reasons, even if someone experiences doubts, they may find it easier and more comfortable to stay.

Staying also reinforces one’s belief that being a part of OI is good and right. OI members who question OI but remain “in” fail to realize the legitimacy of their doubts. 

Members of OI are dedicated to a life lived for God and for one another. They are resolved to give wholly of themselves—their purity, time, finances and heart. As each one fully gives himself/herself to God and OI, together they represent a devoted people. When someone leaves OI, remaining members often feel that: 

-they were unable to finish the race

-he/she is independent or selfish

-they ‘want to do their own thing’

-they have turned their backs on their calling 

-they are now with the Devil

-they have let God down

-they didn’t want it bad enough

-if they’ve walked away from OI, they’ve walked away from God

So when someone leaves OI, the members of OI may feel God has lost out on what he desires most—the heart devotion and commitment from the person who has left. Thus, God and the body of OI have been forsaken or abandoned. In this sense, they see themselves as the hurting ones (the victims). 

In reality, the individuals represented here are the victims. They have been victimized by circumstances surrounding their involvement in OI that undermined God’s love, compelling them to leave.

No doubt, the act of leaving was (and is) exceptionally hard.

Before someone leaves, they must become fully convinced within themselves that the decision is the right one—and a good one. 

As one ex-member said:

“I didn’t leave out of weakness, but rather, out of strength and integrity. It’s a fact that those who leave OI are viewed as failures (i.e. They didn’t have what it takes to be a part of the special group and are ultimately independent and selfish). And I’m perfectly OK with this, as I don’t want to be a ‘success’ in such a coercive mind controlling organisation.” 

Current members of OI may disagree that those who leave are victims because of what they have been told to believe about the victims (members should ‘sacrifice’ them and cut them out of their lives because they are now a distraction to them and their relationship with Jesus).

This harsh, line-in-the-sand, and breaking of such relationships is not a reflection of God, his heart, or his ways.

Rather, these relationship breakups feel wrong because they are wrong. Despite some OI members having a very real sense of this wrongness, they are able to walk away without taking responsibility for the broken pieces and people. Their loyalty to the entity (i.e. community, culture, ideologies) supersedes their care and kindness towards the people who leave it. 

Meanwhile, ex-members are left to navigate the aftermath, which may include:

-isolation / loneliness

-shame / embarrassment 

-depression

-guilt / regret

-being ostracized / ex-communicated (as one former member described it: being treated “like a non-person….as if you don’t exist”)

-trauma recovery

When people leave OI, they often lose every relationship within the community. Meanwhile, creating new relationships as an ex-OI person is profoundly hard for a multitude of reasons. For instance, ex-members struggle with issues like trust and oversharing. 

Hundreds.

People exploring OI should seek to be objective while looking at the fruit of the organisation. The fruit is not limited to OI’s tight-knit culture (which appears attractive but points to being enmeshed) or the spiritual depth and fulfillment that many of its members speak about. The fruit includes what has led many individuals to leave & what those individuals have had to navigate as a result.  

 

For Reference

Groupthink is a mode of thinking in which individual members of small cohesive groups tend to accept a viewpoint or conclusion that represents a perceived group consensus, whether or not the group members believe it to be valid, correct, or optimal.

(Note: A former member requested this definition be listed here, believing the importance of it since they “didn’t realise that such a thing existed until [they] left OI.” )

Following God and knowing Jesus Christ within a church community should naturally foster a sense of encouragement, peace, strength and inspiration. If that is not the case, your spiritual community may be unhealthy.

Additionally, here are more specific signs of spiritual abuse:

  • Feeling as if there is no room for holding a different opinion or having safe dialogue with leaders/superiors 
  • Frequently experiencing guilt or shame
  • Feeling fearful (in general, or, regarding thoughts you may have about leaving the group) 
  • Feeling that relationships outside the group are discouraged or even forbidden
  • Feeling that the group in which you are a part is better or superior compared to other churches/groups
  • Feeling as though outsiders are spiritually inferior
  • Feeling as though there is an “us vs. them” mentality
  • Feeling as though others have undue influence (and/or control) over life choices: your dating/marriage partner, career, education, where you live, who you live with, etc.
  • Feeling as though critical thinking is discouraged or not allowed; your questions or doubts are brushed-off
  • Feeling as though you are encouraged or instructed to give financially more than you would otherwise give (or would otherwise feel comfortable giving)

Here is a video for consideration. 

If you suspect spiritual abuse:

  • Trust your instincts—if something feels off, it likely is
  • Document concerns—record questionable instances & interactions (including how those interactions make you feel / what happens in your thought process / psyche / body)
  • Seek support—ideally, consult a professional therapist (particularly one trained in religious trauma). Taking your doubts or questions to someone within your spiritual community is not advised. 

People may not recognize they are in an unhealthy or potentially abusive situation due to a combination of factors, including fear, confusion, guilt, and the gradual nature of maltreatment and/or abuse. 

When people experience manipulative methods and detrimental emotional patterns and practices over time, they may fail to realize they are being adversely affected (and even controlled). Therefore, it can be difficult to see the mistreatment for what it often is: abuse. Additionally, shame, embarrassment, and the fear of consequences can prevent individuals from seeking help and recognizing the negative, unhealthy and damaging effects of their abusive relationship(s).