At least 50,000 current and former cult members live in Aotearoa New Zealand, according to Dr. Caroline Ansley, founder of the Centrepoint Restoration Project. This means around 1 in 100 people in New Zealand either live in a cult or have lived in one. News reports of Shincheonji and other well-known high-control groups in all of our Pacific nations shows cults are showing up right across the region.

As Anglicans we need to be clear what defines these groups.

When does an enthusiastic, active religious community cross the line and begin to take on the characteristics of a cult?

What should our role be in supporting people who move out of high-control religious groups?

And how can we safeguard our churches and communities against cult-like leaders or activities?

A growing number of scholars are asking these questions, and in October 2024 around 550 people met both online and in person in Ōtautahi-Christchurch for Australasia’s first cult-awareness conference: "Decult".

International experts in Cultic Studies, Dr. Janja Lalich (USA) and Dr. Gillie Jenkinson (UK) headlined the conference, joined on the podium by ex-cult members. Conference attendees included many helping professionals looking to upskill in supporting ex-cult members in their roles as counsellors, psychologists, social workers, nurses and doctors.

The term ‘cult’ itself is often contested, particularly when populist media uses "cult" to clickbait viewers with voyeuristic and sensationalist reporting. Even so, Dr Lalich believes "cult" is an effective quick describer for high control groups. She defines cults as groups that feature:
1) a charismatic, authoritarian leader
2) a transcendent belief system that goes beyond material experiences, with consistent adherence to an ultimate meaning or sense of purpose (often with secretive systems of access to ultimate truth)
3) extreme systems of control that are justified in the name of unity or purity; and
4) systems of influence where group members' behaviour is determined by excessive pressures of duty and guilt.

Importantly, a cult is not limited to those that exist in the religious sphere, but can be grounded in political, business, wellness, personal development or esoteric ideologies.

While churches will fit some describers of cults, particularly in transcendent beliefs, the concern is when a religious group "ultra-controls" its members to the point of curtailing fundamental rights and freedoms.

“A cult is a group or a relationship that stifles individuality and critical thinking, requires intense commitment and obedience to a person/or an ideology, and restricts or eliminates personal autonomy in favour of the cult’s worldview and the leader’s wants and needs.” says Dr Lalich.

One key indicator of a cult is the practice of ‘shunning’, where group members are shut out by the rest of a group – in absolute terms – if they choose to leave.

This psychologically destructive practice means non-compliance with the cult tears leavers away from primary relationships such as with family members and close friends.

Beyond well-known cult groups like Gloriavale, sects such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church often meet the definition of cults.

Cults with Christian-linked ideology active in New Zealand today include: The Two by Twos (sometimes called The Local Church); Shincheonji and the Zion Christian Mission Centre; The World Mission Society Church of God; The International Church of God; and The Church of Almighty God.

Decult speakers emphasised the need for churches to remain alert to cult activity within their own congregations or amongst their leadership. Many cult groups in Aotearoa now actively recruit new members from amongst existing Christian groups and on University campuses.

One Decult presenter was recruited into the Shincheonji cult from within a Wellington church at a time when she was struggling with the disconnect she saw between Christian life in the Bible and the modern Church.

The cult tapped into this young woman's genuine spiritual search for ‘something more’. The conference heard that no one is invulnerable to joining an unhealthy group, perhaps more so when they have a faithful longing for the world to be put to rights.

On the flipside, some speakers at the Decult conference have stressed that healthy churches are well-placed to care for people who leave a cult. The speakers all noted that Cult leavers need specialised and ongoing support to find a new home in the world outside.

Cult experts and therapists sometimes liken the experience that cult leavers face to becoming a refugee in their own country, particularly for people born into high-control groups that have never experienced life beyond them.

The Gloriavale Leavers Support Trust is one example of a group of Aotearoa Christians from established churches who have joined together to support ex-cult members. The group provides advice and practical support to leavers, for example finding housing and employment and connecting ex-members to social service providers. The Trust includes the direct involvement of ex-Gloriavale members.

Importantly, many cult leavers also come out to the ‘world’ with a faith that is intact, and look for examples of healthier churches where they will be allowed to grow and flourish without the fear of eternal damnation for stepping out of line.

The Anglican Church and other denominations that offer the freedom to worship and participate without excessive control or manipulation have a particular opportunity to minister to them.

Anglican and other churches whose theologies prioritise humility, love and human dignity may act as a powerful counter to the dogmatic, authoritarian belief systems that are typical of cultic groups.

This list counts features cults disallow, and which healthy churches can foster:
1) an "open culture" of question-asking and conversation on social and spiritual issues
2) transparent systems of leadership, financial operations and decision-making
3) proactive health and safety systems, abuse safeguarding and leader accountability
3) independent, consistent and clear complaints processes
4) openness to members' external connections with ecumenical and secular groups
5) proactive awareness-raising about the risks and characteristics of cults and high-control groups

To inform yourself and your church about cults, you can listen to "Cult Chat" a podcast run by Dr. Caroline Ansley (founder of the Centrepoint Restoration Project), Lindy Jacomb (a former member of the Exclusive Brethren and founder of the Olive Leaf Network) and Liz Gregory (Gloriavale Leavers Support Trust manager). The podcast calls on Kiwis to cult-proof their lives and offers up-to-date discussions on various cult-like groups and news from the cult world.

Cult chat is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and Facebook.

Sarah Steel’s Australian-based podcast ‘Let’s Talk About Sects’, is another accessible way to expand awareness of how cults operate and affect those in them.

If you or someone you know is suffering from the effects of a cult or high-control group in Aotearoa New Zealand you can draw on the resources below.

1737 – Text or call anytime to talk to a trained counsellor
Safe To Talk – National Sexual Harm Helpline 0800 044 334
Advice if you think a friend or a family member is in a cult - https://www.cifs.org.au/if-a-loved-one-is-in-a-cult/

The Olive Leaf Network – Aid, advocacy and awareness for former members of high demand religious groups https://nz.oliveleaf.network/

University of Auckland – Aggressive Groups on Campus, provides useful tips to think about whether a religious group is a safe space to join  - https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/student-support/personal-support/spiritual-religious-support/aggressive-recruitment-on-campus.html

Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust - https://gloriavaleleavers.org.nz/

Centrepoint Registration Project - https://www.centrepointrestorationproject.com/

The Lalich Center - https://www.lalichcenter.org/

BBC Global – What are Cults and Why Do People Join Them? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psXook7FyVQ