Growing Up in the Geelong Revival Centre: How Mandated Shunning Stole My Family

13/12/2025
By Lauren Zumpe

The Geelong Revival Centre (GRC) is a Pentecostal church located in Geelong, Victoria here in Australia that has been in operation for over 65 years. From an outsider’s perspective it may appear to be a devout congregation, but for those of us who were born into it, it’s an organisation that uses high-control and coercive control. These methods are not irregularities but are the essence of everyday life, that is emphasized by the ultimate weapon of compliance: shunning.

I was born into this environment and spent my first 18 years inside the community where my autonomy was denied. The doctrine within the group was not only incredibly strict and controlling but was to also keep men and women separate in their roles. Women were systematically denied leadership positions; their primary identity was strictly confined to the home. The expectation was clear, a woman’s spiritual success was measured by her submission in staying home, raising the children and most importantly following her husband’s interactions with no hesitation. This creates a deeply imbalanced power structure that was written by men.

This didn’t just stop here; it also extended into matters of health and well-being with horrific consequences. The GRC has a deeply harmful scepticism toward mainstream medicine (western medicine it was called), particularly in response to mental health and disability. Disability such as ADHD and Autism was often framed as something made up by doctors to provide “naughty” children medication and to steal our money. This belief denies children necessary support and often leads to parental judgement and an inability to address genuine needs forcing families to hide their struggles for fear of being deemed not seeing the victory in healing. This denial of basic medical reality further isolates members from the outside world and cements the organisations’ position as the one true church and the only organisation providing the truth.

Now all these years later I am raising children who identify with disability, and it’s been one of the most informative parts of my journey so far. Being able to see that this is a very real struggle for my children and helping them through it has been triggering but also the best thing I’ve done as a parent. Being able to reflect on my past and old teachings and change them in a healthier way has been amazing. Having an incredible team of allied health professionals provide strategies and the right information has been lifechanging. Watching my children improve their skills, their regulation and their communication teaches me now that through understanding, research and guidance it’s something that they’re able to navigate with less stress and anxiety. Something that I wish I was taught from a young age instead of being told to just pray about things to fix them.

When someone stops believing or wants to leave the organisation it is a big spiritual emergency. Pastor and the elders are called quite quickly for a meeting as soon as possible to try and deter the individual from leaving. When the individual stands up for themselves that’s when being disfellowshipped comes in (mandated shunning); the majority of the congregation will cast off the individual instantly and deny them any form of communication and support. As a teenager I started to struggle with my belief system and just wanted to fit in with the rest of the world, but I knew this choice would come with the unimaginable consequence – losing my parents, siblings and friends I’d known for 12 years.

By this point I had gone through a grieving process for other individuals who had also been shunned ranging from family friends to parents of friends. But when I left at 18, part of me didn’t expect it to happen to me; part of me wishfully had hoped that my family would be different and that they would go against the teachings. But they didn’t, which has led to a lifetime of pain, trauma and isolation – all in the name of spiritual protection and the hopes that I’ll hit a low enough point and return. During my adult years I did hit that point and almost went back to the place that hurt me the most. The dissociation that an individual needs to do to mentally overcome the shunning of a loved one is immense. It is the constant mental battle of the emotional truth – I love/miss my family and the indoctrination of they are going to hell. Chronic emotional stress and dissociation have neurobiological costs that I think should involve informed consent. I was not informed of the lasting effects on my body and mind, nor did I choose to consent to this system, as I was born into it; a child trapped in a coercive spiritual contract.

In a powerful response to this systemic harm, survivors have found each other, joining hands and creating their own online community. This collaborative action has given our individual pain a combined voice. We were able to provide the Victorian Government with our personal experiences of pain and heartbreak within the walls of places just like the GRC that need to stop harming people in the name of God. You can read many of the 278 submissions here: Submissions - Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups - Parliament of Victoria. The committee has also allowed individuals to remain anonymous or submit confidential submissions to protect the identities of those who wrote the submissions.

The inquiry committee put together a questionnaire for people to participate in – which you can read here: Questionnaire insights - Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups - Parliament of Victoria. 317 people took part in this questionnaire, and the statistics are heartbreaking. 81.7% said that they felt pressure to remain in the group or fear of punishment if leaving.

Reading these statistics alongside my own lived experience confirms that these systems need to change. The supports created must be survivor-led to ensure that people who have lived this trauma are at the forefront of designing appropriate resources for those leaving or still involved in places like this. These organisations promote a damaging, conditional love to children, teenagers and adults, and it needs to stop. No child should be forced to grow up with the understanding that one wrong thought or one wrong move could spiral their life into utter isolation with no familial support.

It is my hope that collectively, through advocacy, legislation, and public awareness we can bring change into the space of mandated shunning, backsliding, disfellowshipping, and disowning. However, it’s worded, it’s all the same thing: emotional and spiritual abuse. We must ensure that future generations are protected from this profound violation of the right to family and support.