Open threat of excommunication

Open threat of excommunication. Members are subjected to excommunication from group for unBiblical reasons.

‘Team’ members who refuse to ‘Take Readings’ with the scriptures as taught by Klaus Pesch and regularly promoted by his sons, are threatened with exclusion from the fellowship on the basis that it is the way to discern the perfect will of God for a given situation and if anyone is really serious about building the kingdom of God then they have to make sure that as many times as possible in their life they ensure that what they are doing is Gods perfect will. Failure to do so would invite spiritual failure and thus Judgement from God.

This is a powerful deception which strikes fear into the hearts of group members, whilst at the same time encouraging the notion that this is also a method which can be used to avoid judgement and experience substantial blessing, the fulfilment of Gods plan for an individuals life, a way to realise their ministry, gain an increase in wisdom, assured good health, financial increase and blessings on their family.

Internalisation

Internalisation. Excessive and virtually comprehensive internal involvement and group-dedication is required of each member to in effect keep them indentured to the mission and development of the organization.

Team members are required to surrender 10% of their income and 10% of their time if they are to have any chance of maintaining a position in the kingdom. This means at the very least that they will work for free every Saturday in one of the business enterprises owned by Klaus Pesch and his sons. As a consequence most Team members have worked every Saturday for decades. Failure to do so would invite snide comments about being selfish and self centred as well as open disapproval and the creation of a barrier to any kind of involvement in group activities or teaching.

The impact of loosing every Saturday has a tremendous impact on the quality of family life experienced by many Team members and is felt especially by younger family members who are unable to attend Saturday morning sports events. Yet somehow the grandchildren of Klaus Pesch are excluded form this requirement. It also makes it very hard for Team members to carry out maintenance on their own houses or cars, and with work on Sunday forbidden it places a real pressure on the family to keep on top of house work, washing, school homework or even having a day for fun.

It is impossible to become involved in the activities of another organization whether that be a local church or a bowling club. Team members have very limited time and know that a meeting or Bible study could be called at a moments notice, without any warning, attendance is compulsory and failure to attend would bring an avalanche of open rebuke and disapproval.

There is no group or organization that could meet the impossibly high standards required by Klaus Pesch and as a result of all these factors and the pressure to only circulate within the kingdom of God it becomes impossible to commit to anything outside of the fellowships activities. Many Team members have tried but just give up because it is too stressful. Anything other than complete devotion to the ridged wishes of the Pesch family is deemed as insubordination.

Exclusivity and isolation

Exclusivity and isolation. Members are indoctrinated with teaching about the necessity of them "separating" or isolating themselves from all outside relationships and influences under the supposed pretext of insulating them from philosophical contradictions and criticisms of the particular improper practices and unScriptural beliefs of the group. Leaders also forbid their members from having any kind of exposure to any ministry or ministers outside of the internal hierarchy of their organization and those they have approved, and members must obtain the prior approval of the leadership for any form of exposure to outside ministry.

There is a real emphasis on separation from the ways of the world in the Team which has evolved into a suffocating air of spiritual and moral superiority, pervading the entire group, manifesting itself as a ghastly spiritual snobbery, devoid of grace or empathy, fuelling a staunch anti-intellectualism which excluded higher level or university grade education in any field, the classic disciplines including music, the visual arts especially anything which ends in ‘ism’, anything to do with the expression of the ‘self’. Group members are taught that ‘ism’s’ are not of the Lord! This makes French Impressionism, Cubism, Abstract Expressionism or any other kind of ‘ism’ out of bounds.

Similarly the idea of keeping in touch with the news in the outside world is discouraged by some group members. Some consider television a waste of time which could be used for bible study or advancing the borders of the Kingdom of God. To indulge in this is considered an unnecessary and persistent link to the world and its unholy influences.

Klaus Pesch consideres that he is considerably in advance of almost all known ‘end time’ teachers. He is convinced that his ‘end times’ teaching is several decades ahead of most widely accepted principles and has to be kept secret to preserve its spiritual purity, it is part of the ‘mystery of God’ which should be fully revealed at the sound of the last trumpet mentioned in the book of Revelation, and in the mean time God will only reveal it to his trusted servants ‘the prophets’. Therefore only people who have made a life commitment to their principles of kingdom living and have proved a level of sacrifice and reliability will transcend the tantalising hints of a much deeper understanding and start to receive their true and holy teaching of kingdom principles.

All teaching in the English language is undertaken using the King James Bible exclusively, something which seems to be very common amongst spiritually wayward groups, clearly because it is written in a style of language which is not used these days, it lends itself so easily to being twisted and misinterpreted. Other English translations of the bible are completely banned because of a perceived inaccuracy or dilution of the spirituality of the message and thus it is expected that all true revelation of the kingdom of God here on earth will come through the King James Version.

Similarly all teaching in the German language used the Elberfelder translation, again an old translation using a style of language no longer used in modern Germany, for the same reasons it lends itself to being perverted and misapplied when picking apart the finer details of the books of Revelation or Daniel.

Klaus Pesch has conducted meetings in Germany where he would profess that “the Elberfelder translation whilst the most reliable in the German language, didn’t quite have the edge when it came to revealing some of the statutes & ordinances of end time revelation, the King James however did this very well and was the best bible to use”, He has also conducted meetings in Australia and in England where he professed that the KJV had a lot of the important detail either missing or mistranslated and the best version to use to gain a deeper understanding of the ‘last days’ was the German Elberfelder translation. In this way he is able to manipulate his translation and tailor his interpretation of the English into German and visa versa to support floored theological teaching and at the same time project an air of spiritual authority and superiority.

To avoid confusion in the group or corruption of their end time message, and to maintain the secrecy surrounding their work as a group, all teaching from and contact with other ministries or churches is heavily discouraged, and this includes visiting other fellowships or local churches, watching religious TV programs or singing the praise and worship songs from the likes of ‘Vineyard’ or ‘Hillsongs’. The odd visit to a local church was permissible but usually under the guise of going in to ‘spy out the land’. Contact is only ever on the Pesch’s terms.

Whilst visiting other fellowships it is strictly forbidden to take communion during a service or gathering. This would bring the sins (or evil spirits) of the other participants upon ‘The Team’ and Team members would be partakers of the consequences of their shallow teaching. Holy Communion was considered so important that group members very very rarely celebrate it together in case of cross contamination of sin between the individuals. Klaus Pesch has stated privately in closed meetings that it would be impossible for him to celebrate communion with some of the people in the group because of their (supposed) ongoing lack of commitment to the will of God for their lives as revealed by him and/or his wife.

Another commonly used technique is to drive a wedge between parents and children. Parents of members whether in the group or outside the group regularly come under a great deal of criticism and are regularly vilified before the group, used as an example of how parents can influence the spiritual course of their children.

Some group members have maintained fairly close links to their families, but many European group members don’t seem to do this. Often parents are singled out for criticism within the group especially if group members keep in regular contact with them and Klaus Pesch is always weary of their influence, conscious of the fact that regular unchecked contact might highlight his errant teachings.

Improper dependance on leadership

Improper Dependence on Leadership. Fostering or requiring of excessive and inappropriate dependence on the corporate group and leadership for guidance and decision-making regarding their ministry as well as personal affairs. Leadership approval, often referred to as a "witness" by the leadership, is required on virtually every decision regarding the personal affairs, sometimes including mundane matters, of members and their entire family. Congregants are taught that their leaders have been placed in a position as a watchman or a guardian over them by the Lord, as the "bishop (overseer) of their souls," which they interpret to mean that the members need to obtain permission or approval from their "personal pastor" or leader for life matters. The commonly purported reason for this necessity is in order that the member can ensure that they are "in the will of God."

A powerful and effective grip that Klaus Pesch uses to hold everyone where he wants them was through his discernment of the Lords will for their lives in just about every area of their lives and those of their children.

His mechanism for achieving this is through his principles that if a person can see an alignment of the Facts, Feelings and Revelations from God concerning a particular decision then it is certain that these three things are revealing the Perfect Will of God' for this person in that situation.

He has positioned himself as the irrefutable discerner of Gods directions in every situation; He is the last word in aligning the facts and feelings which are moulded and orchestrated to align with his business or family needs, disguised as the needs of the Kingdom of God.

He “helps” group members to piece together his interpretation of the facts, his feelings and the Bible readings which would be taken / read in public and interpreted in public so that there is a 'group witness'.

His interpretation is often in broad generic terms which can often be in the most condescending and damning tone and once cemented together and documented is considered irrefutable.

He claims to have the gift of ‘knowledge and understanding’ pertaining to the scriptures and says often that God had “promised him that whenever confronted by a need for interpretation of scripture he will always give him the answer”, and on that basis there is no one else in the fellowship that can trip him up with the word of God. Effectively promoting himself into a position where he can never be questioned or held to account in matters of scriptural interpretation.

This principle of “taking readings” is considered central to being able to discern the Lords will in any matter.

It involves the practice of opening the Bible at a random place and reading the verse of scripture (whole or portion of a verse) at the top left of the left page and the bottom right of the right page, and the verse or verses that cross from one page to the next (in the middle), these three portions are called the “keys”.

This is done three times to discern firstly what was called the “foreshadow” reading, then again for the “intermediate” reading with the opportunity to discuss and further discern God’s will as more scripture is bought into the equation, then finally the “Perfect” reading which will seal the process and produce a completely binding rule or edict.

During the entire process Klaus Pesch (or his family members) will subtly twist the meaning of each verse by taking them completely out of the context in which they were written, moulding them to fit the situation whilst at the same time using them (if necessary) to prophesy the future just in case they didn’t quite fit the situation at hand.

This almost Ouija board use of the scriptures is employed on a daily basis to discern the Lord’s will for just about everything. No one in the ‘Team’ can make a major decision on anything without going through this procedure and once performed the decision is final regardless of the outcome. God had spoken and that is final. To go against God’s word on a matter is considered idolatry and spiritual adultery. Records are kept of all questions asked and the answers in scripture, and these are constantly referred to.

It is compulsory for each couple or single person in the ‘Team’ to take a single (daily) reading each morning which is called “the daily bread”. The two pages supposedly contain God’s word for the day and can be expected to shed light on the tasks or circumstances of the day and Gods will for them, most people in the group keep a diary with all the readings going back decades.

Congregants are taught that their leaders have been placed in a position as a watchman or a guardian over them by the Lord, as the "bishop (overseer) of their souls," which they interpret to mean that the members need to obtain permission or approval from their "personal pastor" or leader for life matters. The commonly purported reason for this necessity is in order that the member can ensure that they are "in the will of God."

The Green Book

Klaus Pesch kept a diary of his daily bible readings using this method for some thirty years and on each day he had chosen a specific verse; from this diary he has compiled a book of select passages of scripture which are taken from specific dates which he claims were revealed to his wife by prophesy and edited the individual verses 'end to end' and completely out of context with no gaps.

This book is reproduced with green covers and is referred to by ‘Team’ members as the “Green Book”, and is supposed to contain the complete collection of the “statutes and ordinances” or revelations of the Holy spirit necessary to build the kingdom of God here on earth.

These books were distributed to the elders of the fellowship who also took a ‘daily reading’ out of this book as well and placed them side by side with their daily reading from the Bible. Klaus Pesch constantly affirms that the scriptures are so precious and full of meaning that group members should all limit themselves to just those two pages per day (plus the Green Book if they had one).

In reality Klaus Pesch uses these combinations of verses to manipulate and control all of the major decisions that arise in the daily course of business by claiming that he has a deeper understanding of what the Lord was saying through the portions and combinations of scripture.

Team members are often required to produce their daily readings in the midst of a conflict or difference of opinion so that Klaus Pesch and his sons can check if the “keys” are positive or negative in tone or would highlight a problem or area requiring counselling which could lead to public admonition, shaming or humiliation.

Almost everyone in the group uses the same editions of either English or German bibles so that the “keys” are the same for everyone, and could be understood by everyone. It is also intended that this will build a group ability to discern; even individual situations should it be necessary to expose the problems for a group witness. It has quite the opposite effect, building a fear and dread in everyone of public or corporate delving into personal or private decisions.

The result of this practice of using the scriptures like a talisman is that almost everyone in the group has eventually changed the way that they read and interpret the scriptures, gradually shifting from a considered and balanced study of the scriptures to snatching small snippets of scripture and taking them completely out of context so as to apply them through personal interpretation to a specific situation in their personal lives, It also promoted completely inappropriate emphasis on dreams and visions as they are bundled together to strengthen the collection of facts and feelings.

Not content with having control over the discernment of the Facts, Feelings and Revelations, Klaus Pesch and his sons use a system of levels in the ‘Lords will’. According to their teaching it is possible for a believer to be in either the “Good” or “Acceptable” or “Perfect” will of the Lord, it goes like this;

there are some things that are ‘good’ in the Lord’s eyes, some things which are more ‘acceptable’ in the Lord’s eyes but finally there are other things which would be ‘perfect’ in the Lord’s eyes and it is only an alignment of these perfect things in the Lord’s will that will produce the Kingdom of God here on earth. They teach that the believer can only fulfil their calling in the kingdom if they can maintain a walk in the perfect path, ensuring that all their decisions and works were within the Lord’s perfect will.

This puts the believer under enormous pressure as they do everything they can to ensure that they are in the Perfect will of God for their lives. Falling from the perfect will is every group members nightmare scenario and failure to maintain a perfect walk could invite lack of effectiveness, a reduced level of divine protection from the enemy, illness, subdued wisdom and so on.

The Pesch’s also teach that if a perfect walk could be maintained then it would be the channel through which the Lord could train the individual into higher levels of awareness of the Holy Spirit and effectiveness for God, needless to say no-one ever gets there because of the constant criticism and tight control of Klaus Pesch and his sons.

The whole methodology of seeking the Lord’s will dispenses with the ‘Grace of God’ entirely, bringing everyone back to a works based ‘salvation and growth’ in a kingdom promoted as the kingdom of God, but in reality designed by and under the control of Klaus Pesch and his family, via a mechanism of rules and regulations governed by discernment which are tailored by Klaus Pesch.

The entire framework is utterly inappropriate and doomed to failure, but within the group of those who look to The Pesch family it is portrayed as a “brave new world” of living in harmony with the Holy Spirit, everyone goes along with it because to go against it would invite the pain and hardship of the wrath of the Pesch family.

Many group members feel trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of being unable to make the grade or live up to Klaus Pesch’s expectations, perplexed by shifting goal posts and confused by ‘daily readings’ which do not make sense in the circumstances they are in. It’s like being forcibly invited to attend a party which you do not want to attend and then being forced to dance to music you find both offensive and confusing, not to mention irrelevant.

The tragedy is that Klaus Pesch and his family have harnessed everyone’s enthusiasm and passion for serving the Lord and enslaved them in a complex mechanism embroiled in legalism and uncertainty, designed to maintain control, hold everyone down and stifle freedom.

Indoctrination with fear of failure & judgement

Indoctrination with fear of failure and judgment. Members are indoctrinated with unScriptural fear of failure independent of the group in order to foster undue dependency on the group and its leaders.

Most if not all the people who have managed to escape ‘The Team’ and the Pesch family were tipped over the edge by financial enslavement & mistreatment as well as spiritual abuse and emotional blackmail, Consequently have floundered emotionally and financially once they managed to get free from the grip of the Pesch family.

The Pesch family usually portray those who have left the 'Team' in a very poor light. Those who do escape are completely demonised upon departure as the Pesch family rush to bolster their position before the rest of the group, and shift all blame and responsibility for apparent failure onto the departing individuals; at which point the most horrible secrets from private counselling would come out into the open, all stylized to paint a picture of the Pesch family in a loving and caring light as they “tried so hard to help these people, but they just didn’t have the spiritual capacity to go the distance in the Kingdom of God!” People who left were often described in the inner circle meetings as “Dogs returning to their vomit”.

In order to maintain their grip on remaining 'Team' members Klaus Pesch and his family employ powerful control techniques designed to influence the marital union of their followers, this would involve excerpting additional pressure on the wife of a husband who is already struggling with spiritual or emotional abuse. This could be in the form of affection or concern which is intended to draw her closer and feel cared for or loved by the family or the fellowship at large. This inevitably creates confusion or a schism in the marital relationship making it harder for many husbands to make a decision which would go against the wishes of the Pesch family or the direction of the group. Many men are subjected to outrageous levels of pressure to conform to Klaus Pesch's wishes, while his family would be working on the wife and children in the background, assuring her that Klaus knows what is best and that if her husband did what Klaus wanted, everything would work out and the Lord would be able to bless the couple abundantly.

Often the wife becomes overloaded with affection and concerned love to impress upon her that she really needs the groups care and guidance. This creates a tension in the marriage which fogs the issue in hand, and hinders the couple from taking decisive action. How can the wife pull the husband away from Klaus when his family is heaping on tons of assurance and love, how can the husband move to pull his family away from the fellowship when his wife sees the fellowship as a source of much needed support.

Bundle this together with the fear of financial failure and spiritual judgement upon leaving the group, and it becomes very hard for families young and old alike to break away from the 'Team', eventually they lose the ability to imagine life without the protection and apparent comfort of the Pesch family and their abusive teachings.

Open denunciation & curses

Open denunciation and curses. Members are subjected to denunciation and disparagement as well as voodoo-like witchcraft "prayers" (curses) upon departure of the group.

It is very common for group members under the teachings of Klaus Pesch to experience curses even though they are dressed up as the Prophet speaking out the will of God, which would be backed up by the spirit of God;

and the reasoning goes like this:- In 2 Kings 2v23 When Elisha was taunted by 42 children shouting “go up you bald head”. He curses them in the name of the Lord. After he has said this two bears comes out and kill the children. The explanation given by Klaus Pesch is that Elisha pronounced something against the offenders and God backed up the words of the prophet by sending the bears, thus giving weight to the prophet’s authority. This is the difference between prophet with a small ‘p’ and prophet with a capital ‘P’. Klaus Pesch affirms that he is a prophet with a capital ’P’ and has the spiritual right to proclaim God’s will over people.

Many of the group members are regularly subjected to ‘Guidance by proclamation’ as Klaus Pesch forecasts how events will transpire, confident that God will back him up. Men within the group are regularly told that they will fail in this or that because they are like their father or that they are was Lazy or not sensitive to the Holy Spirit and so on. This has a profound effect of group members who after a while start to think ‘what’s the point’, unconsciously surrendering to the conditioning of their attitudes by an abusive spiritual leader.

Another technique that the Klaus Pesch uses, and used even against his own family is that in the middle of a conflict or disagreement he will take a bible and say something like ‘Lets hear what the Lord has to say about the matter” and open the Bible to a random place and read the passages of scripture at the top of the left page and the bottom of the right page, then subtly twist their meaning to prove that he was right and the other person was wrong.

The tragedy is that God does uses his word to speak to his people and many believers have experienced a word from him through their devotional or quiet time. But when it is enforced like this and abused on this almost industrial scale, the word of God becomes something quite different, a weapon of destruction and an instrument of disappointment.