Response to Michelle Del Rey’s Salacious and False Reporting in “The Independent”
response.homesteadheritage.com
September 19, 2024
An Overview of Homestead Heritage
Homestead Heritage is a vibrant, thriving community of Bible-believing Christians who seek to express our faith in Christ through every aspect of our lives.
We are honored to be one expression of the universal Body of Christ, a global community that includes countless millions of God’s children who, while we may differ in some beliefs, share in salvation through sincere faith in one God.
Our community is open and welcoming, we host over 200,000 visitors each year to our festivals, events, and services here in Texas. We share our lives with all—through our open Sunday services attended by scores of guests from diverse backgrounds, our mid-week home gatherings, our annual concerts that draw hundreds of fellow Christians, and our festivals, which are attended by tens of thousands.
Fewer than 200 of our 1200 congregants live on-site at the farm that we call Homestead Heritage; most live nearby on their own private property. We frequently have non-members visit and stay onsite, again, as guests. It’s not uncommon for RVs to park here during festivals or events.
We offer friendship to all and extend the hand of Christian brotherhood to everyone who follows Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Allegation: The former members say Homestead Heritage is a “cult” that limits members’ autonomy under the threat of salvation.
Response:
There is absolutely no truth to this, and the assertion that we are anything other than an open, thriving church family is false.
As Bible-believing Christians, salvation is not ours to grant or deny to anyone; we believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We firmly believe God grants everyone free will to make their own choices and chart their own path. As a church, we encourage critical thinking, informed decisions, and personal responsibility.
Anyone who wishes to attend our services is welcome. Those who wish to leave our community are welcome to do so at any time.
Allegation: They say the Church demands children be homeschooled using only materials that have been provided by leaders, limiting education opportunities.
Response:
Each family is free to choose its own homeschooling curriculum and teaching.
We have found homeschooling to be the most responsible way for parents to guide their children’s education in alignment with their Christian values. Our education model has led to exceptional academic results, freedom from cyber and other forms of bullying, and protection from the many challenges facing America’s school system. While the church upholds academic standards and provides educational support, each family is free to choose their own curriculum, often incorporating diverse resources from outside our community.
Allegations:
- They say leaders discourage them from seeking medical attention outside the group and require they get permission before doing so.
- None of the people on the church’s midwifery team have attended college or gone to medical school but are providing medical care.
- They say pain medication during birth is against church policy.
- Members need to agree not to sue the church in order for the group’s midwifery team to provide them medical care during pregnancies and births.
Response: Medical Care (general)
These charges are false. We place no restrictions on our members’ medical treatment options. We provide care options in our community clinic for routine needs and for those health issues that cannot be addressed on-site, our members regularly access Waco’s broader medical community when necessary, ensuring they receive the care they need.
As a church community, we are grateful to support our members with a compassionate and highly qualified team of healthcare providers, including nurses, EMTs, paramedics, multiple MDs, therapists, psychologists, and more. Our midwifery team, for example, includes members who have completed college and medical school, ensuring that our community receives care that meets and often exceeds professional standards.
As pastors, our role is to pray for and support our members—not to offer medical advice. Just as doctors don’t generally interpret biblical passages, it would be as bizarre for a church to dictate when and how to use pain medication, for example. The church is here to provide unwavering support as members navigate their health challenges.
Birth Care
When it comes to birth care, we respect every woman’s right to give birth in the place and manner of her choosing; there is no requirement for any particular healthcare choice. This is consistent with Texas law.
For those who desire a home birth assisted by our community birth attendants, we provide prospective parents with a comprehensive disclosure statement. This explains the inherent risks and responsibilities of childbirth and the scope of the attendant’s role and services. Parents also sign an “Informed Consent” form, which includes an agreement not to sue the midwife (not the church), recognizing that the midwife is offering her services voluntarily, without compensation, and not in a professional capacity. This ensures that everyone involved understands the nature of the support being provided.
As a church, we do not use any policy, form, or agreement that prohibits lawsuits, except our broader desire to follow Paul’s teaching about not going to “law against a brother”: “Why not rather be wronged?” (1 Corinthians 6:6-7). We encourage resolving disputes within the spirit of Christian fellowship rather than through legal action.
Allegations:
- They say members who do not comply with the group’s rules risk being publicly humiliated or kicked off of Homestead Heritage.
- They say the church encourages corporal punishment against children.
- They say that former members are not allowed to communicate with family/friends inside the group after leaving.
- A former member said church leaders tried to convince her that her relatives betrayed her when they left Homestead Heritage.
Response:
By joining a church family with a clear identity like ours, members implicitly agree to embrace our way of life. As voluntary associations, churches have both the right and responsibility to define and uphold their identity—whether in beliefs or behavior.
To preserve our mission and values, it’s essential to address actions that could disrupt or undermine our community. We follow the teachings of Jesus in resolving such matters, always handling them with respect, care, and a focus on privacy and understanding.
We believe in the family unit, and we believe in resolving disputes in the spirit of Jesus Christ’s commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. For those families with members who leave our community, we encourage compassion, love, and understanding to maintain the family relationship.
Thus, most families maintain healthy relationships with those who choose a different path. Our approach is consistently rooted in love and guidance. Many who leave the community choose to come back and join us.
Above all else, we aim to create a nurturing and supportive environment for children. Our approach to child training, as outlined in our book available on Amazon, emphasizes connection, communication, and consistency. While parents may choose to use appropriate disciplinary measures, the primary focus is on building strong, positive relationships with their children. The happiness and respectfulness of our children are frequently noted by those who visit our community, reflecting the care and love they receive.
Allegation: They say members are not allowed to go to university or work for businesses not owned by group members or tied to the church.
Response:
As a community, we take pride in offering alternatives through vocational schooling, apprenticeships, and higher learning, such as the Ploughshare Institute curriculum. We also fully recognize that some careers require a traditional university education.
A number of our members are currently pursuing higher education in fields like medicine, engineering, business, and accounting, and we have hundreds of college-educated members, including PhDs, MDs, attorneys, professors, teachers, and CPAs.
We are fortunate to enjoy 100% employment within our community, with a high percentage of entrepreneurs and others holding executive or professional roles in companies outside our church community.
Like many Americans, we see challenges within the university system. College can be financially burdensome, as many degree programs do not provide useful training, skills, or knowledge, and the college experience can also be potentially detrimental to young people’s faith.
Allegations:
- They say the church expects women to get married and reproduce.
- They say church officials decide whether members can get married.
- A church leader told a former member, “I was not worthy of being a wife at the moment because I was not showing wife character traits.”
Response:
We believe in the inherent dignity of all God’s children—whether married or unmarried, old or young, female or male. Our value is rooted in being children of God, not in what we do or produce.
In a modern world that often measures worth by economic productivity, we strive to uphold the timeless value of being made in God’s image. We are grateful for the flourishing families in our community but equally respectful of those who pursue different callings.
Regarding marriage, we’re humbled but grateful for our 50-year record where divorce is virtually unheard of for those who remain in our church community. This success is largely due to our emphasis on educating and equipping young people before they take this pivotal step. As the most sacred union, we believe marriage must be founded on deep love and a personal commitment to a lifelong partnership. Our pre-marital counseling is never about determining “worthiness” or discouraging two people from marrying. Instead, it’s focused on preparing couples to build strong, enduring relationships and to avoid the pitfalls that so often undermine marriages today.
Allegation: They say instead of receiving a high school education, former members were instructed to read thousands of pages of the church’s literature and write essays on it.
Response:
Our church ministry is committed to providing a well-rounded education for high school students, which includes access to a wide range of higher education books, lectures, and discussions. Essay writing is also a key component of our recommended syllabus, designed to develop critical thinking and communication skills. These resources are intended to complement and enhance a traditional high school education, not replace it.
Allegations:
- A former member said she started working for the church’s cafe at 13 but only started getting paid at 19.
- An employee of Homestead Heritage’s cafe fired a former member on the spot after the member said she needed to take a step back from the church and figure out what to do with her life.
Response:
Café Homestead is committed to creating a positive and lawful work environment where all employees are valued and treated fairly. We strictly adhere to labor laws, ensuring that any involvement of young people is fully compliant with Texas regulations, as reviewed and confirmed by Texas authorities.
Café Homestead is proud of the excellent food, service, and hospitality it provides to the larger Waco community. We employ mostly members of Homestead Heritage but also individuals from other backgrounds, including those who do not attend our church or agree with our faith. No one has ever been fired simply for contemplating leaving our church. Employment is based entirely on finding a good fit between skill, personality, experience, and the mission and ethos of the restaurant.
Allegation: A former member said officials permitted him to work in a mechanic shop at age 12 (also unpaid).
Response:
Our community is home to around 1,200 congregants and hundreds of privately owned businesses, each of which is committed to service, excellence, and Christian values. We focus on providing guidance and encouragement, trusting our members to make responsible choices that align with both their faith and the law.
This includes dads spending time with their sons, teaching mechanic skills after school hours, and other similar parental or mentor engagement. Additionally, our high school curriculum includes hands-on, skill-based internships and apprenticing opportunities as part of their well-rounded education.
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