Editing Word of Faith Fellowship (section)

=== Matthew Fenner case ===
In 2017, Matthew Fenner testified that, after he and his family joined the church in 2010, he witnessed members being shouted at for hours to remove "demons". In January 2013, Fenner<ref name=Delay/> was allegedly beaten for two hours "to break me free of the homosexual 'demons{{'"}}, he said in a police affidavit.<ref name=Gay>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-carolina-church-members-facing-charges-in-2013-beating-of-gay-man/|title=Church members charged with beating gay man|publisher=Associated Press|via=[[CBS News]]|date=December 15, 2014|access-date=June 29, 2017}}</ref> He said he escaped to the home of his grandparents, who reported the incident to law enforcement. Fenner tried and failed to get law enforcement agencies, including the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], to pursue the case. Because Fenner persevered, five church members were [[Indictment|indicted]] in December 2014 and charged with [[kidnapping]] and [[assault]].<ref name=Delay/> Fenner and his girlfriend at the time of the alleged incident, Danielle Cordes, testified in the trial. Observers have noted that there are "important differences in Fenner's and Cordes's recollections and telling of key events."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rccatalyst.com/column-fair-trial-for-matthew-fenner-compromised-by-media-bias-changing-witness-testimonies/|title=Fair Trial for Matthew Fenner Compromised by Media Bias & Changing Witness Testimonies?|last=Clayton|first=Gayle|date=July 17, 2019|website=RC Catalyst|access-date=July 20, 2019}}</ref>

In May 2017, Brooke Covington, with whom Fenner lived before his escape, became the first Word of Faith member to go on trial. Because the jury foreman shared documents that were not supposed to be made public, Superior Court Judge Gary Gavenus declared a [[mistrial]] and a new trial was scheduled for September 11, 2017.<ref name=Delay>{{cite news|url=http://www.greensboro.com/news/north_carolina/ap-authorities-delayed-investigating-gay-demons-case/article_f4b0d481-a6c3-5325-ba71-660591901df6.html|title=AP: Authorities delayed investigating gay 'demons' case |last1=Weiss|first1=Mitch|last2=Mohr|first2=Holbrook|agency=[[Associated Press]]|via=[[News & Record]]|date=June 26, 2017|access-date=June 26, 2017}}</ref> {{As of|October 2017}}, Covington's trial had not taken place but it would still be in [[Rutherford County, North Carolina|Rutherford County]]. Four other related cases were moved to [[Buncombe County, North Carolina|Buncombe County]]. Robert Walker was scheduled to appear in court in October but his case and those of Sarah Anderson, Adam Bartley, and Justin Covington were moved to January 2018.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2017/10/23/trials-assault-word-faith-fellowship-moved-bunbombe-courthouse/790773001/|title=Trials in Word of Faith beating case moved to Buncombe|last=Bordas|first=Alexandria|work=[[Asheville Citizen-Times]]|date=October 23, 2017|access-date=October 24, 2017}}</ref>

A month later on June 19, 2017, Matthew Fenner's grandfather Robert Marvin Rape was found dead in his yard from a gunshot wound to the chest. With the [[North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation]]'s assistance, District Attorney Ted Bell determined the death was a suicide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rccatalyst.com/02/da-closes-bobby-rape-death-investigation/|title=DA Closes Bobby Rape Death Investigation|last=Clayton|first=Gayle|date=July 5, 2019|website=RC Catalyst|access-date=July 5, 2019}}</ref>