The Assembly at a Glance
George and Betty Geftakys began the Assembly in 1970 with the idea of getting back to a New Testament pattern of gathering--"This is God's true vision for the Church." George began travelling in the USA and Europe, and speaking at home Bible studies. Small Assemblies began springing up, united under the umbrella of what George called 'The Work'.
The ministry came apart in 2003 when George's serious moral failures were exposed. As more information came to light the Geftakys Assembly system was revealed to be a cult. Often unrecognized until later in life, injuries from the cultic system are deep and enduring in the lives of many former members. George died in 2014 and his wife Betty in 2022.
The Assembly Timeline, The Geftakys Assemblies - an Overview and Irons' History of the Geftakys Assembly Ministry give more in-depth coverage. The following snapshots are a quick birds-eye view of the Geftakys Assembly ministry.
Influences
George and Betty brought together strands from several sources and modified them to suit their purposes in
giving overall shape to the Assembly:
• The appealing emphasis on "New Testament gathering" from
the Plymouth Brethren
• The pious appearance of Betty's fundamentalist Bob Jones College background
• The higher life overcomer teaching of
Keswick and Watchman Nee.
• The youthful enthusiasm of the Jesus Movement
More about the background of the Assembly »»
Cult Dynamics
• Unaccountable authoritarian leadership
• Mind-numbing indoctrination
• Elitism
• Invasive control
• Constant Exploitation of time and assets
More about the Assembly lifestyle »»
2003 Implosion
In January, 2003, George Geftakys was excommunicated from the Fullerton Assembly following revelations on this website on this website of a decades-long cover-up of his son David's domestic violence, and George's own immoral relations with several Assembly women. Most of the Assemblies disbanded.
More about the final weeks of the Geftakys ministry. »»
Challenges Facing Former Members
The betrayal of trust is huge. The losses and damages are deep and enduring. The effects of having been in the Assembly are not over yet for most former members.
• Emotional and psychological damages
• Cognitive distortions
• Social displacement
• Relational losses
• Psychological and neurological damages
• Occupational, educational and financial losses
• Spiritual damages
More about the challenges and recovery.
Current Concerns:
• Continuing Assemblies:Most of the former Geftakys Assemblies have disbanded. Those that are still meeting no longer identify themselves with the Geftakys ministry. They are actively hiding their Assembly past and are dishonestly presenting themselves as groups of simple Christians with no Geftakys Assembly history.
• Former Assembly LeadersCertain former leaders are developing their own ministries, or have become involved in leadership in other churches. This is one example in Canada. These men were trained exclusively in "the schoolroom of the believer", i.e. trained by George Geftakys in his beliefs and practices in a cultic setting. They may be expected to bring their hidden Geftakys baggage over into a another context, unless they have publicly acknowledged and apologized for their errors and abuses. To this date, we have not been informed of such repentance. Recovery from cult immersion is difficult.
More about current concerns » »
