The Assembly began in 1970 at the crest of the Jesus Movement when George and Betty Geftakys left the Plymouth Brethren, who in their estimation had become worldly, to begin their own independent ministry. Their Assembly formula was initially a mix of Plymouth Brethren "church truth", early Keswick / Watchman Nee "higher life" concepts, and the youth and enthusiasm of the Jesus People.
The result was a host of small Geftakys gatherings that sprang up across the USA and abroad, compromised largely of students who were zealously recruited on many college campuses. George consolidated these groups under his authoritarian leadership, appointing loyal local leaders in every gathering. He called his ministry "the Work" and developed an elite corps of "Workers" to lead the movement.
Within a few years cultic tendencies began to appear: increasing control from top-down leadership, lots of rules, isolation from main-stream Christianity, skewed doctrine which injected an element of fear, communal living, separation from families of origin, intolerance of criticism, vilification of those who left, etc. The numbers fluctuated, as there was a high turnover, but at the peak of the movement, there were perhaps 1500 members in 75 or more locations (not including Nigeria, where the numbers are unknown).
It must be noted that not all Geftakys Assemblies and outreaches were identical. This introduction describes most closely the Assemblies in the USA, Canada and Nigeria. New outreaches, and Assemblies in other countries may not be accurately represented here.
In January, 2003, George Geftakys was excommunicated from the Fullerton Assembly following revelations on this website of a decades-long cover-up of his son David's domestic violence, and his own immoral relations with several women. Most of the Assemblies disbanded that year, but a few still continue to meet. Some may still remain loyal to George, but most have renounced association with him.
To borrow a quote from Eugene Peterson in Working the Angles, "The sheer quantity of wreckage around us is appalling: wrecked bodies, wrecked marriages, wrecked careers, wrecked plans, wrecked families, wrecked alliances, wrecked friendships, wrecked prosperity. We avert our eyes. We try not to dwell on it. We whistle in the dark. We wake up in the morning hoping for health and love, justice and success, we build quick mental and emotional defenses against the inrush of bad news, and we try to keep our hopes up. And then some kind of crash or other puts us or someone we care about in a pile of wreckage....Are there any promises, any hopes that are exempt from the general carnage? It doesn't seem so." Peterson was not referring to the Assembly disaster, but the description is tragically apt. "Wrecked faith" can be added to the list.
Introduction to the Movement
2003 Disbanding of the Ministry
Assembly Lifestyle
Problems with Assembly Teaching and Practice
Definition of an Abusive Group
Current Concerns
Challenges Facing Former Members - Help for friends and family of those who have left the Assemblies
List of Assembly Locations and Outreaches