The Living Word Fellowship is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

cultGeorge D. Chryssides, ''Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements'', Second Edition (Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2011), 93. that at various times was located in

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, and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

.Churches in The Living Word Fellowship
Living Word Fellowship website The group was founded in

South Gate, California South Gate is the 19th largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, with . South Gate is located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County. The city was inco ...

, by

John Robert Stevens John Robert Stevens (August 7, 1919 – June 4, 1983) founded The Living Word Fellowship in the 1950s and was the leader of the organization until his death. Stevens was born in Story County, Iowa. His parents, Eva Katherine and William J. St ...

in 1951.A Brief History of the Living Word Fellowship
Living Word Fellowship website It has been known in the past informally as "The Walk" or "This Walk," referencing the biblical view that every Christian should have a personal walk with Jesus Christ, from . The fellowship celebrated the Jewish Old Testament festivals, and "It believes in the inerrancy of the Scripture, in the Trinity, in Christ's saving work, and in the various gifts and ministries of the Spirit as taught by the apostle Paul." At its peak in the 1970s, the fellowship had about 100 member congregations. Its oversight was centered at Shiloh, a farm and retreat site near

Kalona, Iowa Kalona is a city in Washington County, Iowa. It is part of the Iowa City metropolitan area. The population was 2,630 at the time of the 2020 census. Kalona is the second-largest city in Washington County. History Amish settlement in what is no ...

. Membership declined after founder Stevens' death in 1983 and the fellowship continued to close churches throughout the 1990s. As of early 2018, it comprised around ten primary churches. The Living Word Fellowship announced in late November 2018 that, in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, it was closing down the organization and its central governing body. In November, 2018, Gary Hargrave announced his resignation as head of the organization, following a sexual misconduct scandal taking place within the branches of the Living Word Fellowship. He has since founded a new organization known as Hargrave Ministries In a December 21, 2018 press release, Shiloh announced the end of its affiliation with The Living Word Fellowship. Shiloh, which served as the headquarters of the fellowship since the 1970s, is currently in discussion with the city of Kalona about a possible annexation of the more than 200 acres of church property south of the city limits. As of August, 2020, five women have filed lawsuits against the Living Word Fellowship. The lawsuits claim that Living Word employees and officials sexually abused these women when they were minors. In Oct 2020, the former Shiloh Facilities were burned to the ground by the Kalona Volunteer Fire Department. This was done as a practice burn.

Notable members

Anthony Cox (producer) Anthony D. Cox (born 1936) is an American film producer and art promoter. He is a former husband of Yoko Ono. Biography Cox met Yoko Ono in 1961, after he saw some of her art work in an anthology and located her in Tokyo, Japan. The couple marr ...

* Rick Holbrook, recording engineer

References

External links

John Robert Stevens Official website

Let's Talk About Sects
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Living Word Fellowship Christian new religious movements Christian organizations established in 1951 1951 establishments in California Cults