Community Groups
Scripture. Discussion. Encouragement.
Disentangling Faith Together
Are you concerned that the church group you’re part of may be distorting the gospel with extra-biblical rules, authoritarianism, or even spiritual abuse? Are you considering leaving an unhealthy church—or maybe you already have—but are unsure where to go next?
If you’re disentangling faith from hyper fundamentalism, the Berean Holiness community groups were created for you. They are designed to not only be an opportunity to learn, but also a supportive and encouraging community during a season of change. Only your time and commitment are required—fellow believers have generously covered the cost on your behalf!
What to Expect
Berean Holiness groups are designed to be a supportive, faith-based community where people disentangling from hyper fundamentalism can not only learn from biblically-sound teaching, but also question, apply Scripture, and process with believers who understand. To accomplish this goal, Berean Holiness groups:
- Meet via Zoom on the same evening each week for 6 weeks
- Meet for 90 mins, optional Q&A may follow for 10–30 mins
- Alternate between teaching and discussion during the meeting
- Limit the number of participants to optimize interaction
- Teach from the view of the Berean Holiness Statement of Faith
“Searching for a healthy church is no small task when you’ve only known extremes and dysfunction. I am so grateful for resources like Berean Holiness and the community group for providing biblical support and encouragement during such a vulnerable time in my faith journey. This ministry is so unique in its mission to walk alongside the weary and point the way back towards Christ. As someone that once embraced the emptiness of deconstruction, it’s more common to find voices in support of leaving the faith altogether than those that champion rebuilding from a healthier understanding of the gospel. Thank you for modeling integrity and the love of Jesus.”
— Amanda
About the Leader
Hello! I’m Ethan Greer, the Advancement Director at Berean Holiness. I began working for Berean Holiness in March of 2025, and it has been exciting to take part in the mission of this ministry.
I connected with Berean Holiness when my family and I returned to the U.S. after 10 years of church planting in Japan. Japan is a very religious country with many cults and cultish groups. By God’s grace, in the church plants we were involved with, we got to see many people leave those groups and join a biblical church, experiencing the freedom of the gospel and the genuine love of the family of God. I learned a lot in the last four years in Japan especially as we saw God bring many people out of one very abusive and high-control group in particular.
I am very happily married to my wife, Audrey. We have five sweet and energetic kiddos. I have a BA in Christian Ministry from Ozark Christian College, over 12 years of local church ministry experience, and I currently serve as a bi-vocational pastor of a wonderful congregation in Joplin, Missouri.
Ethan Greer takes the leading role in both teaching and developing curriculum for Berean Holiness community groups. He is assisted by fellow team members at Berean Holiness, as well as volunteers.
Expectations of Applicants
Each 6-week community group requires several dozen hours of labor from multiple team members, and due to the nature of small groups, seats are very limited. This results in a high cost per member (hundreds of dollars, depending).
Incredibly, there are believers—many who have been where you are—who are willing to cover the cost on your behalf! A limited number of spots are fully sponsored. In the interest of stewarding these gifts well, there are established expectations that must be agreed to in order to take one of the few seats available.
- A fully completed application with clear, thoughtful answers
- Reasonable demonstration of need
- Commitment to complete an exit survey upon leaving the group
- Stable internet connection or phone service for calling in
- Ability to attend at least 4 meetings, including the first meeting (exceptions for unforeseen circumstances)
“We were both very positively impacted by being a part of this group. It has allowed us to not feel so isolated and alone. We were able to personally connect, through the zoom meetings, with others who were in similar situations. With those who were right there with us at the start of their journey we found companionship. With those who were farther along and already in new, healthy church bodies we found hope. We give this experience a 10 out of 10. We would highly recommend it.”
– Jason and Vanessa
Upcoming Group
When It’s Time to Leave: Finding a Healthy Church
Have you ever been part of a church group that sees the vast majority of Christianity as compromised or lost? Have you had concerns about extra-biblical rules, dress codes, authoritarianism, or even spiritual abuse within your church?
Whether you’re currently involved in a hyper-fundamentalist movement or left one years ago, if you’re ready to start looking for a healthy church, this group is for you. While there’s no such thing as a perfect church, there are many biblically faithful churches—that’s what this group is designed to equip you to find.
The goal of Berean Holiness is not to point you towards any one denomination, but rather to teach the characteristics of a healthy church from Scripture and offer practical advice for finding and vetting local churches. While we cannot make the hard decisions for you, we can and will walk with you through the process.
As we study Scripture and meet weekly via Zoom, we will discuss questions such as:
- “There are so many denominations—where do I start?”
- “What should I prioritize when deciding on a church?”
- “How can I discern if the leadership is trustworthy?”
Topics of teaching and discussion will include: justification by faith, denominational differences, exegesis vs. eisegesis, expositional preaching, doctrinal triage, servant leadership, plurality of elders, church discipline, and much more.
Participation in this community group will require research and study in your personal time (around an hour per week). This homework will not only supplement the group discussion, but also be a practical benefit to your church search.
Are you ready to have a community you can share and process with? Are you ready to be equipped to find a healthy church? Don’t miss this chance—this may be the only time we’re able to host the When It’s Time to Leave: Finding a Healthy Church group in 2026. Apply today!
July 7 to August 11 (via Zoom)
Tuesdays at 4:30pm PT | 5:30pm MT | 6:30pm CT | 7:30pm ET
What Participants Say:
“Berean Holiness Study groups has been exactly what I needed when leaving UPC. I knew what I had been taught was not biblically correct and these groups helped me to ask the right questions and showed me how to research and study the Bible in context. Berean Holiness has played a huge part in finding the true gospel and growing my relationship with Jesus. I have such a deeper relationship with the Lord because of these small group studies. Also- this ministry and the people I met in the small groups have acted as my church family and have provided loving/wholesome fellowship in a time when I was desperately needing it.”
– A.B.
“This group has been so beneficial for me. When I left an unhealthy church, I was carrying deep confusion and pain. The environment I was in had twisted my view of God and left me with a lot of fear and shame. I didn’t know who to trust, and for a while I felt completely lost in my faith.
The Berean Holiness group gave me language for what I had experienced and helped me realize that I wasn’t alone. The resources, teaching, and community here helped me separate God’s truth from man-made control. I began to see the difference between toxic patterns and the real gospel of Jesus Christ. That gave me the courage to fully walk away and the hope that a healthy community does exist.
Now, I’m beginning to plant myself in a new, life-giving church where I can grow in faith and build real relationships. The peace and freedom I’ve found would not have been possible without first being reminded of who God really is through Berean Holiness. This group has been a lifeline, showing me that healing, hope, and genuine faith are possible.”
— Brianna
“Berean Holiness has given me a sense of community and encouragement in the Lord. I was able to find fellowship and was empowered to dive deep into scripture and stand by the word of God unashamed… This group helped me to feel safe and loved while I was on a journey of learning what the Bible says about faith, salvation, and holiness. I feel confident to read the Bible for myself now and spend time in His word. I think if I did not have such a strong group that Berean Holiness provided which supplied fellowship and encouragement, I would have gone through this process feeling much more lonely and less comfortable to step out in faith.”
– Julia
“I recently left my Church due to legalism, doctrinal error, man-made traditions and standards & spiritual abuse. I had no idea what to do or where to turn, I felt alone and uncertain. I do honestly believe that Berean holiness was a God-send because I was able to talk with others who had gone through similar experiences. I had help and resources to grow deeper in relationship with God in a healthy manner and the fear was removed and replaced with grace through faith in Christ.”
– Jasmine W.
“I have been in two Berean Holiness groups so far and they have both been extremely helpful on my journey of leaving the UPCI. The first group helped me disentangle specific unbiblical doctrines and the second one was a study of Romans, in which justification by faith and salvation in the epistles was beautifully presented. I would encourage anyone who has concerns about or is leaving a hyper fundamentalist church to sign up for a Berean group study. You won’t regret it!”
– L.C.
“I can’t recommend Berean Holiness Community groups enough…
My walk with God has become deeper than ever before because I’m diving in and searching the scriptures with a renewed mind & heart. I was challenged to search the scriptures & to view them within context. The revelation that the work at the Cross was enough, Jesus’ sacrifice was enough, His grace is truly enough had me in tears during one Bible study. This was a completely different narrative than I had heard all my life. I am truly thankful for their ministry & all the time and energy that’s being invested into this incredible resource. I would challenge and encourage anyone wanting to deepen their walk with God, dive deeper into His word, be able to discuss the scripture with like minded believers, to join a group & see what God has for you.”
– Cat