Allegations of abuse against Acts2 Network<\/a>, a Southern Baptist organization that plants churches across the country, have been brewing for decades.\n<\/p>\n \u201cFor many years after I left, it impacted me greatly,\u201d Mary Choi said. \u201cI had nightmares and I would wake up very stressed by the sense of getting into trouble, being yelled at by my leaders.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The organization operates more than 60 church-plants in dozens of prominent college towns nationwide, according to the organization\u2019s website<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m grieving a life I could\u2019ve had if it weren\u2019t for them,\u201d Jess, whose name has been changed for privacy, said. \u201cI\u2019m still grieving the money, too.\u201d\n<\/p>\n In 2021, A2N expanded to Ann Arbor, creating Anchor College Church<\/a>. Anchor has not been connected to any abuse allegations.\n<\/p>\n Many former members of A2N at other church-plants who spoke with The Michigan Daily describe their experience as traumatizing, emphasizing that their time with the organization still impacts them today.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want anyone to go through the same thing as me,\u201d Alice Liu said. \u201cI really don\u2019t want anyone to be exposed to the potential traumas \u2014 the potential dangers \u2014 like this because I can see how easily people get lured into the church.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Over the course of a seven-month investigation, The Daily spoke with 15 affiliates of A2N, including former members of A2N churches and the parents of both current and former members. The Daily also interviewed three of the organization\u2019s pastors.\n<\/p>\n Involved at different times and in various churches, these sources are mostly unconnected to one another. The abuse former members and parents allege, however, reveals a pattern of misconduct across A2N\u2019s churches.\n<\/p>\n The Daily contacted 10 attendees of Anchor College Church with questions about their experience at A2N. Only one person responded, stating that no one from Anchor besides the church\u2019s pastor would answer The Daily\u2019s questions.\n<\/p>\n The majority of former members and parents interviewed by The Daily described the church as spiritually abusive and financially and religiously coercive, ultimately creating a culture conducive to complete control. All former attendees interviewed attest that A2N directly perpetrated harm against them in some way.\n<\/p>\n Although A2N has noncollegiate ministries, undergraduate attendees are at the crux of the organization\u2019s mission. Their website promotes A2N\u2019s unofficial slogan: \u201cLaunching lifelong kingdom workers from every college town.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The Daily requested comment from William \u201cEd\u201d Kang, A2N\u2019s longtime network director, regarding the allegations of abuse the organization faces. Kang declined The Daily\u2019s request to speak virtually, but agreed to answer questions via email.\n<\/p>\n In his response to The Daily, Kang acknowledged that some allegations are verified and true, but insisted they were mostly isolated incidents.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI really don\u2019t think anything close to spiritual abuse has taken place on anything like a wide scale in our ministry,\u201d Kang wrote. \u201cBut some situations that ex-members attest to may well deserve the label, but it\u2019s definitely outlier situations that most of the leadership would strongly disapprove of.\u201d\n<\/p>\n All former members who spoke with The Daily say they experienced spiritual abuse \u2014 which generally entails using spiritual practices to manipulate and control people \u2014 while part of an A2N church.\n<\/p>\n A2N is a decades-old organization that traces back to Berkland Baptist Church, which began near the University of California, Berkeley. Formed in 1981 with Korean culture at the core of its ministry, the organization has diversified in its practices and population. Kang was part of Berkland Baptist Church in its early days, and in 1991, he became its senior pastor.\n<\/p>\n In 2006, Kang split from Berkland Baptist Church, taking his ideology and many congregants with him to form Gracepoint Ministries. Kang and his congregants grew the church significantly in the next two decades, planting dozens of member churches across the United States and one in Taiwan.\n<\/p>\n In 2023, Kang renamed Gracepoint Ministries to Acts2 Network. Kang told The Daily that the rebrand was intended to better reflect the organization\u2019s growing size and diversity.\n<\/p>\n A2N churches nationwide follow similar schedules and have nearly identical leadership structures. At the head of each church is a senior pastor, with other A2N members holding leadership positions as mentors (formerly known as leaders) or workers in A2N\u2019s ministry.\n<\/p>\n These mentors are essential to the college student\u2019s experience of A2N churches and are a fixture in churchgoers\u2019 daily lives. One of a mentors\u2019 most important jobs is the facilitation of peer groups. Each peer group, divided by gender, has a mentor who guides congregants in Bible study, weekly reflections and other faith-based activities.\n<\/p>\n The Daily requested comment from two mentors at Anchor College Church in Ann Arbor and was told no interviews would be granted.\n<\/p>\n Mentors, The Daily\u2019s sources say, were often considered immune to criticism or sin.\n<\/p>\n The Daily spoke with a former college staff mentor during the 2000s at UC Berkeley who wishes to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThey would never say they\u2019re God, but the idea was that God has given the (mentors) a special place,\u201d the former mentor said. \u201cRegardless of whether they sinned, you\u2019re responsible for doing the right thing, and the right thing is obeying them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Mentors were explicitly instructed to form close relationships with church attendees through regular devotional reflections and group sharing exercises, during which churchgoers were required to share their sins and encouraged to bare their souls to their mentors.\n<\/p>\n Sources say leadership, specifically mentors and pastors, promoted a psychologically distressing environment in which these close relationships and personal reflections were leveraged as a means of control.\n<\/p>\n The Daily spoke with Jess about her experience with the organization as an undergraduate at the University of San Francisco from 2013 to 2017 and in leadership positions at the UC Berkeley church from 2017 through 2022.\n<\/p>\n When Alice Liu began her master\u2019s program at UC Berkeley in 2010, her family\u2019s financial struggles were a significant source of stress.\n<\/p>\n Liu joined the A2N church \u2014 called Gracepoint at the time \u2014 at UC Berkeley and quickly found that the church\u2019s tithing culture exacerbated her financial stress.\n<\/p>\n \u201cTithing\u201d is the practice of giving donations, often monetary, to a religious group. Historically, in many Christian sects, this has meant giving 10% of one\u2019s income<\/a>, though this number has become more flexible in the modern era.\n<\/p>\n At A2N churches, former churchgoers allege they were expected to tithe 10% of their earnings each month, regardless of whether they could afford it. Sources say that leadership instructed both undergraduate and post-graduate attendees to give to the church; the source of the contributions and any hardships the donations created in their lives were deemed irrelevant.\n<\/p>\n Liu recalls that church mentors specifically asked her to tithe money from student loans granted to pay for her master\u2019s program and explicitly advised her to take out the maximum borrowing limit on those loans.\n<\/p>\n \u201cEven though I was not doing well financially, I tithed 10% every time,\u201d Liu said. \u201cThat (was) not my decision \u2014 it was something my leader suggested, and I was hesitant about taking that suggestion, but I really trusted her.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Liu cut ties with A2N in 2012. Fourteen years later, she\u2019s still paying off her debt.\n<\/p>\n The practice of tithing financial aid wasn\u2019t unique to Liu. Multiple sources allege that leadership knowingly pressured them to tithe financial aid money to the organization.\n<\/p>\n In 2013, just a few weeks into her freshman year, Jess\u2019 mother died. She received a significant amount of money from insurance and inheritance, which the church was aware of.\n<\/p>\n According to Jess, mentors instructed her to tithe 10% of the insurance and inheritance\u2019s gross amounts each month.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe first thing (A2N) advised was \u2018Make sure you tithe off the gross (amount),\u2019\u201d Jess said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to, but because I knew they could see what was tithed, there\u2019s a possibility they could question \u2018Are you a Christian?\u2019 or, \u2018Why are you holding on to so much money?\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n Jess, among other sources with whom The Daily spoke, alleged A2N leadership tracked each member\u2019s financial contributions. Kang denies that tithing is discussed among leadership.\n<\/p>\n Kember explained how she conceptualizes the distinctions between healthy and abusive tithing practices.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of language used in some high-control groups around giving beyond your 10% as an indicator of your faith,\u201d Kember said. \u201cThey\u2019re playing on you showing your devotion through how much money you give (the) organization \u2014 they don\u2019t say it that plainly, but that\u2019s what the message is.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nMary Choi, who was part of Berkland Baptist Church from 1991 to 2001, explained that she poured funds she didn\u2019t have into the organization, including her work-study earnings and financial aid. Choi alleges that preaching and messaging from leadership equated tithing with religious devotion.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I really was contributing to God\u2019s work,\u201d Choi said. \u201cI thought I was giving to God.\u201d\n<\/p>\n All but one of the former A2N members who spoke with The Daily shared similar sentiments: The organization created a culture in which tithing did not feel optional.\n<\/p>\n Tithing is the primary source of income for A2N, Kang wrote in an email to The Daily. He asserted that donations are inspired by Biblical devotion and not coerced by the organization itself.\n<\/p>\n The Daily obtained an email soliciting donations of $10,000 each from 200 Gracepoint members to fund the purchase of a new church building. The email was sent in 2006, the same year Kang created Gracepoint.\n<\/p>\n In the email, Kang noted that these contributions should be approached with a mentality of sacrifice, highlighting the subjectivity of money in the eyes of God.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI know that all of us feel financially tight, and that not many of us have extra money in the bank,\u201d Kang wrote. \u201cBut, often the feeling of not having enough is subjective, and relative. One thing I have personally experienced again and again in my life is that being sacrificial in giving money for the kingdom of God does not harm you financially.\u201d\n<\/p>\n In addition to monthly tithes, the organization also has larger giving events, such as the annual \u201cThanksgiving Offering.\u201d<\/p>\n Jess alleged members were encouraged to stretch themselves thin for the Thanksgiving Offering to demonstrate commitment to the organization for the upcoming year.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Daily obtained emails from 2021 detailing instructions for giving money and transferring stocks to the organization for the Thanksgiving Offering. The Daily requested comment from Pastor Jonathan Lee, who sent the email, but did not receive a response.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to monthly tithes, the organization also has larger giving events, such as the annual \u201cThanksgiving Offering.\u201d<\/p>\n Jess alleged members were encouraged to stretch themselves thin for the Thanksgiving Offering to demonstrate commitment to the organization for the upcoming year.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Daily obtained emails from 2021 detailing instructions for giving money and transferring stocks to the organization for the Thanksgiving Offering. The Daily requested comment from Pastor Jonathan Lee, who sent the email, but did not receive a response.<\/p>\n \nThe Daily requested comment from several people currently involved with A2N churches. While these requests were denied, The Daily was able to speak with several mothers of those presently and formerly involved.\n<\/p>\n Sandra \u2014 whose name has been changed for privacy \u2014 learned of the organization when her son joined the University of California, Riverside church in 2021.\n<\/p>\n In an interview with The Daily, Sandra explained that she rarely sees her son since he joined the church, despite living only 30 minutes away from him.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve missed celebrating holidays and birthdays,\u201d Sandra said. \u201cNow, (he) hardly visits us. We have to make a schedule, an appointment, with him to get into his world, and that\u2019s not the son that we had. \u2026 It feels like the church has manipulated him to change his priorities.\u201d\n<\/p>\n In 2021, Lily learned that her son joined the Gracepoint church at the University of Minnesota. In an interview with The Daily, Lily \u2014 whose name has been changed because she fears further estrangement from her son \u2014 said he has become unrecognizable since joining.\n<\/p>\n Lily said her interactions with her son, who is still a member of A2N, have become increasingly infrequent and surface-level, a breakdown in communication she attributes to the organization.\n<\/p>\n She has found solace through a Reddit forum, r\/GracepointChurch<\/a>, where those formerly and presently affiliated with the church congregate virtually to share their experiences.\n<\/p>\n After their children joined A2N, Lily and four other mothers connected through this subreddit, forming a tight-knit group where they share information and provide support.\n<\/p>\n In an email to The Daily, Lily expressed her gratitude for the community she has found online.\n<\/p>\n \u201c(I\u2019m) thankful for meeting and speaking with ex-members and parents in the same situations,\u201d Lily wrote. \u201cIn a strange way GP\/A2N seems to have succeeded in creating this other community of people who genuinely and unconditionally care about others and their help doesn\u2019t depend on being part of the same church and comes with no strings attached.\u201d\n<\/p>\n A2N promotes \u201cwhole-life discipleship,\u201d meaning that members are expected to treat their faith as a vocation, detailed in their Covocational Explainer video<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Membership, Kang defined in an email to The Daily, is reserved for A2N attendees that have signed a membership covenant and is not available for undergraduate college students.\u00a0<\/p>\n Former churchgoers say that, while whole-life discipleship was supposed to bring them closer to God, it instead meant A2N controlled each aspect of their lives through a weekly organization-wide schedule. These schedules dedicated time for daily devotionals, peer group meetings, Bible study and other ministry duties.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sources allege that missing events was not an option. Failure to show up, they say, was conflated with a lack of devotion to the church and to God.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jess told The Daily that, in 2022, Gracepoint members began to complain that these tight schedules didn\u2019t allow time for exercise.\n<\/p>\n The Daily obtained a 2022 email from Kang sent to all members, detailing how to incorporate exercise into their schedule.\n<\/p>\n Former congregants say ministry expectations followed them home, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the most prominent features of A2N, sources say, is the peer homes, which are a property owned or rented by an A2N member where churchgoers live together.\u00a0<\/p>\n Because they are owned and occupied by mentors and congregants, these homes are \u201copen to ministry,\u201d meaning that local members utilize them for storage, worship and other meetings. This meant that leadership frequently informed decisions on decor, food and other domestic affairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n In an email to The Daily, David Park, the lead pastor of Anchor College Church, wrote that no A2N affiliates rent or operate any peer homes in Ann Arbor. Park wrote that churchgoers do live in homes together, but that he and the church have no involvement in their attendees\u2019 housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n All 10 former members The Daily spoke with lived in a peer home. Parents of present and former members each said their children lived in peer homes as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n At UC Riverside, Sandra\u2019s son lives in one of these peer homes, located just down the street from his pastor.\u00a0<\/p>\n In an interview with The Daily, Sandra \u2014 who visited her son\u2019s house earlier this year \u2014 said cameras are installed both outside and inside the home.\u00a0<\/p>\n As is characteristic in many peer homes, Sandra\u2019s son has seven other roommates in a four-bedroom home; six sleep in one room, two in another. The other rooms are dedicated to internet usage and church gatherings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Several former members who lived in group homes told The Daily that internet usage was heavily monitored and private electronic usage was strongly discouraged. According to Sandra and multiple other sources, \u201cgame rooms\u201d function as a place for residents to work from home, check emails and have supervised internet access.\u00a0<\/p>\n All former members allege the organization exerted control over personal aspects of their lives, including but not limited to dating, exercise, diet and social media use.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jess, who lived in several peer homes throughout the 2010s, recalled how church leadership frequently spent time in these homes. She remembers leadership hiding her pantry items, bedroom decor and personal belongings when leadership would visit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m tired of fighting this, so I know what I need to hide or what I need to put away for the time being, and then I can go live my life afterwards,\u201d Jess said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kember noted that, while group housing does not necessarily indicate high-control tactics on its own, the merging of personal space and church membership can lead to an abusive environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYour actual housing stability is tied to being in this group, so it leaves less room for flexibility and questioning of things,\u201d Kember said. \u201cAnytime that happens, it can be a slippery slope where \u2018I\u2019m less apt to speak up, ask questions or doubt something because everything feels threatened.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In the past decade, there has been an outpouring of criticism against A2N online, both against the organization and in reference to local churches.<\/p>\n Websites such as Peace After Gracepoint Church<\/a> and After Gracepoint<\/a> feature stories from those who have left the organization and provide guidance for current churchgoers who are considering leaving.\u00a0<\/p>\n Multiple news publications have also reported on abuse within the organization: The University of California, San Diego covered<\/a> alleged abuse across the UC system in 2021, and Christianity Today published an article<\/a> detailing the consequences of A2N\u2019s whole-life discipleship in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kang denies that the 2023 retitling of the organization had any relation to negative press surrounding the organization.\u00a0Kang denies that the 2023 retitling of the organization had any relation to negative press surrounding the organization.<\/p>\n In an email to The Daily, Kang clarified that this change was intended to help the organization shift from a tightly structured, centralized model of churches into a locally-driven, centrally-supported network.<\/p>\n Kang explained that, in transitioning to this decentralized model, the burden of operation and upkeep falls now to local church mentors, not himself.<\/p>\n During and following this reconceptualization of his organization, Kang clarified that no overarching changes had been made.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve changed some practices, such as adopting annual feedback for our mentors, but would not characterize these as overarching, structural changes,\u201d Kang wrote. \u201cResponses and refinements have taken place within local church leadership contexts and across ongoing leadership conversations, trying very hard to be self-aware and monitor what it feels like to be on the receiving end of our ministries. It\u2019s an ongoing process.\u201d<\/p>\n The Daily requested clarification from Kang multiple times regarding specific steps taken to address the allegations of abuse and whether accountability channels exist but received no response.<\/p>\n The Daily attempted to speak with current members of Anchor College Church but did not receive a response to questions regarding their experiences with A2N. None of the allegations in this article are attributed to Anchor College Church leadership nor attendees.<\/p>\n The Daily interviewed previous and current Anchor College Church mentors in Ann Arbor: Will Sam and David Park, respectively. Park declined to speak to The Daily virtually but agreed to answer questions through email.<\/p>\n Neither could specify any harm-reporting practices.<\/p>\n In an April 2026 interview, Sam was asked what official channels exist to report harm experienced by an A2N church attendee, and said he did not know of any.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, you can always email people and be like, \u2018Hey, this is what\u2019s going on.\u2019 But I don\u2019t know; there\u2019s no hotline,\u201d Sam said. \u201cThe basic Christian understanding is that we\u2019re all sinners and we make mistakes every day, so if something does happen, you have to say something\u2026 You could report it out, but that\u2019s the thing \u2014 to who?\u201d<\/p>\n Three months after The Daily\u2019s interview with Sam, Park was appointed Anchor\u2019s new pastor.<\/p>\n The Daily asked Park to specify and provide documentation of whether any official feedback channels are available to churchgoers who experience harm by A2N, both at the local and organizational level.<\/p>\n Park wrote that churchgoers can raise concerns with their local pastor or ministry mentors.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Aug. 30, a source informed The Daily that A2N\u2019s official website had been updated to include a Q&A section<\/a> addressing allegations of abuse and the organization\u2019s response.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Daily was unable to confirm the exact date the website was updated, but according to an internet capture<\/a> of the site dated July 20, the website did not include the Q&A page.\u00a0One portion of the Q&A tab specifically addresses how the organization handles criticism, including purported conflicts and allegations that concerns were dismissed, minimized or not fully addressed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been intentional to make it easier and less intimidating to speak up,\u201d the website states. \u201cFor example, new ways to contact senior leadership directly through our website, anonymous channels to give feedback to staff mentors, and real investment in training those mentors to listen well.\u201d<\/p>\n It is unclear how this process works or whether it has been communicated to local leadership.<\/p>\n\u2018Your nerves never rested.\u2019\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\u2018I thought I was giving to God.\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018Giving money for the kingdom of God does not harm you financially.\u2019\u00a0<\/h2>\n
![\"Email](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/unnamed-file.jpeg?resize=780%2C1326&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\u00a0\u2018That\u2019s not the son that we had.\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018I know what I need to hide.\u2019<\/h2>\n
![\"Email](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.michigandaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image3.jpeg?resize=381%2C640&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\u2018There\u2019s no hotline.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n