Pastor Carson Culp of Christ Community Church.
In 2014, Pastor Tim Albrecht of Open Arms Mission approached me with an opportunity to help launch Celebrate Recovery in Welland. Tim sought leaders with experience in recovery and ministry leadership, and I was already serving as the worship leader at Redeemed Lives (The Barn). I was asked to lead worship, facilitate a group, and take on various leadership roles as part of the Celebrate Recovery team.
A Season of Growth
By 2015, both Celebrate Recovery and Redeemed Lives were thriving. The ministries provided me with invaluable coaching and leadership training, equipping me for service as a worship leader and mentor. I dedicated countless hours to these ministries and the men I mentored, often staying out until late at night to ensure their needs were met.
At the time, I believed it was the most meaningful and fulfilling chapter of my life. I was devoted to serving Jesus Christ and the people I cared for deeply.
It was during this time that Pastor Carson Culp, from Christ Community Church, occasionally participated in Celebrate Recovery meetings. One evening, he approached me with an offer. He was planning a sabbatical and needed someone to fill in as the worship leader at his church for nine weeks. Since it was temporary and I could continue my commitments at Southridge Community Church, I accepted.
A Growing Congregation
During my time at Christ Community Church, the congregation began voicing their desire for me to stay on as their permanent worship leader. They saw it as a solution to Pastor Carson’s workload and an opportunity to revitalize their worship experience.
The church was small, with about 15 regular attendees, but they were warm and endearing. By the end of my nine weeks, attendance had tripled, growing to 45 as people from Redeemed Lives and Celebrate Recovery joined the services.
It felt like all my prior experiences–as a worship leader at Wellspring, Southridge, Redeemed Lives, and Celebrate Recovery–were converging into a clear calling.
Resistance and Friction
When Pastor Carson returned from his sabbatical, he offered me the permanent position of worship leader. The vision was to modernize worship, attract new members, and make the church more self-sufficient. However, the older members of the congregation quickly became resistant. They wanted to return to the outdated hymns they had grown up with, many written in archaic English.
Pastor Carson’s wife became a constant source of friction. She complained weekly about song keys, unfamiliar songs, and other trivial matters, despite refusing to engage with the Worship 101 manual or attend any training sessions designed to address her concerns. Her complaints created ongoing tension within the team and undermined the very vision Carson and I had agreed upon.
The Turning Point
Under pressure from his wife and the older members, Pastor Carson began asking me to reintroduce traditional hymns. This alienated many of the younger and middle-aged attendees who had joined because of the modern worship style. Families like Frank and Debbie Lapointe left, expressing their frustration with the shift back to outdated music.
Despite my reservations, I complied with Carson’s requests. Each week, the congregation dwindled, and it became increasingly clear that Carson’s inability to stand firm on our shared vision was sabotaging the church’s growth.
Andrew Thompson’s Return
Just as I was grappling with these challenges, Andrew Thompson ( see Case #2) resurfaced. Out of nowhere, Andrew contacted Pastor Carson, raising baseless concerns about my role in Celebrate Recovery and Redeemed Lives. He claimed I was favoring one ministry over the other and suggested I was a confidentiality risk.
Andrew requested a meeting with Carson but insisted I not be present. Despite knowing this violated ethical principles, Carson agreed.
This betrayal hit hard. Just two weeks before, I had invited Andrew to lead worship at Redeemed Lives, where he publicly praised me, calling me “a man of integrity” and encouraging others to follow my example. Now, he was undermining me behind closed doors.
Two Meetings Without Me
Carson assured me he believed in fairness and transparency, yet he allowed Andrew to meet with him again, still excluding me. This time, the stress triggered a severe PTSD flashback–a deeply unsettling experience that left me shaken.
Andrew’s accusations were not only unfounded but politically motivated. After their second meeting, Andrew “generously” donated a soundboard to Christ Community Church–a transparent bribe wrapped in a political gesture. Despite already having excellent equipment, Carson accepted the gift.
The Final Straw
Carson’s decision to give Andrew his ear–twice–broke my trust completely. When I pushed Carson to share what Andrew had said, it became clear the accusations were ugly and damaging. Despite my pleas for him to honor his own convictions and refuse the second meeting, Carson chose diplomacy over loyalty.
Between his wife’s relentless interference and his willingness to entertain Andrew’s politically charged attacks, I could no longer remain at Christ Community Church. I submitted my resignation, heartbroken by the betrayal and the daily PTSD flashbacks it triggered.
A Question of Leadership
How is Carson’s behavior any different from Andrew’s? While Carson didn’t cause my PTSD, he became the final straw that broke my trust–not just in him but in church leadership as a whole.
When politics and diplomacy become more important than the people you’re called to shepherd, something is deeply wrong. Love that fails to rise above ordinary human behavior is no evidence of divine power.
Final Thoughts
If this is the only case you’ve read, I encourage you to explore Case #1, #2, and #3. My journey away from faith wasn’t the result of one dysfunctional church but a cumulative experience of betrayal, hypocrisy, and misplaced priorities within the church community.
Sincerely,
–Don