Rating: ★★☆☆☆
My Honest Experience With FBCG – Deep Respect for Pastor Jenkins, But Serious Concerns About the Online Campus & Staff
I want to begin by saying this respectfully and clearly: Pastor John K. Jenkins is a wonderful pastor. I have watched him for years and visited FBCG multiple times with my family before moving to New Jersey. My concerns are not with him.
My issue is with the online campus structure and the frontline staff representing the ministry.
My husband and I were online members for nearly a year. We joined with sincere hearts, seeking spiritual covering while growing our own ministries. But after 10–11 months, we made the difficult decision to leave, and here is why:
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1. The online campus lacks compassion, warmth, and genuine pastoral care.
Communication was often cold, inconsistent, or dismissive. Even when we were responded to, the tone felt administrative rather than pastoral. For people seeking spiritual support, this matters deeply.
At times, it felt like the focus was more on:
• membership numbers
• class sign-ups
• participation checkboxes
…than truly caring for people’s hearts. No one should feel overlooked or “less than” because they didn’t sign up for every class.
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2. I am not the only one who experienced this.
Over the years I have heard similar stories from others. This is not an isolated incident, which suggests a cultural issue among certain staff—not Pastor Jenkins.
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3. This behavior is not new. I experienced something similar years ago in person.
About 7–8 years ago, my family and I went to FBCG for membership classes. We were told to come even though we were running a few minutes late after getting lost.
When my sister and I walked in, the man leading the class immediately spoke to us harshly and tried to embarrass us publicly. He had no idea my parents were right behind us. My mother confronted the behavior and said, “This is not of God. There is a respectful way to address people.” She was absolutely right.
Seeing similar coldness and dismissiveness years later online made me realize this wasn’t just one bad moment. It reflects deeper issues in how some staff members interact with people.
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4. I truly hope Pastor Jenkins becomes aware of how some staff treat members.
This is said with honor. Pastor Jenkins is an exceptional leader, but I pray he knows that some staff:
• lack warmth
• lack compassion
• communicate rudely or dismissively
• fail to follow up
• treat people like numbers instead of souls
Many people join FBCG seeking healing, covering, and support. They deserve to be met with care and kindness.
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5. After almost a year, we decided it was time to move on.
We were patient, prayerful, and hopeful for change. But the culture of the online campus made it clear that this simply was not the right spiritual covering for our family.
We wish FBCG nothing but blessings. We still have deep respect for Pastor Jenkins and believe in the overall mission. But I also believe ministries must prioritize:
• compassion over convenience
• people over programs
• sincerity over statistics
• true ministry over membership quotas
Sometimes it’s time to get back to the roots.
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Where we stand now
My husband and I are both ordained ministers with active ministries of our own. While we haven’t opened a church yet, we were looking for spiritual covering during this season. FBCG’s online campus was not that covering for us.
This experience has pushed us to pray about:
• finding a local church home in New Jersey, or
• stepping boldly into what God is calling us to build
Either way, we trust God will guide our steps.
I’m sharing this not to tear anyone down, but because transparency matters. People entrust ministries with their spiritual lives. They deserve honesty.
I pray FBCG strengthens its communication, compassion, accountability, and care so future families don’t experience what we did. 💯🙏🏽
— Minister Ashleigh Hope Rivera
Heiress Of Hope LLC
