Editing Twelve Tribes communities

{{Short description|Organisation characterised as a cult and a religious movement}}
{{About|the Christian communities|other uses|Twelve Tribes (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2026}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox Christian denomination
| name               = Twelve Tribes
| image              = Twelve_Tribes_Logo.jpg
| imagewidth         = 283
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| main_classification = {{Plainlist|
* [[Messianic Judaism]]{{Efn|"In attempting to restart the New Testament Church, the group has developed a physical and artistic culture that is its interpretation of first century Messianic Judaism translated into 20th century terms."{{r|palmerraising|p=186}}}}
* [[Christian fundamentalism]]<ref name="palmerraising"/>
}}
| orientation        = 
| polity             = 
| structure          = [[Apostolic Council]]<ref name="Livingasone"/>
| leader/moderator   = 
| leader             = 
| fellowships        = 
| associations       = 
| area               = North America, South America, Western Europe, Australia<ref name="Festival"/>
| founder            = Elbert "Gene" Spriggs
| founded_date       = 1972
| founded_place      = [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]], United States
| members            = ~5,000<ref name='Waterfront'>{{cite news | first=Christine | last=Legere | title=Sect to increase holdings Plan would link harbor, downtown | date=June 4, 2009 | url =https://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/06/04/plymouth_plan_would_link_waterfront_downtown/?page=2 | work =The Boston Globe |page=2 | access-date = November 4, 2009  }}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://twelvetribes.org}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
[[File:Twelve Tribes Dance 1.theora.ogv|thumb|A Twelve Tribes [[circle dance|dance]]]]

The '''Twelve Tribes''', formerly known as the '''Vine Christian Community Church''',<ref name='Vine Church'>{{cite news | title=Church to sell Yellow Delis, other properties and relocate | date=March 26, 1979 | publisher= WEHCO Media | work =Chattanooga Times}}</ref> the '''Northeast Kingdom Community Church,'''<ref name="Palmer1998">{{cite book
 |last=Palmer
 |first=Susan J.
 |author-link=Susan J. Palmer
 |editor-last=Bromley
 |editor-first=David G.
 |editor-link=David G. Bromley
 |date=1998
 |title=The Politics of Religious Apostasy: The Role of Apostates in the Transformation of Religious Movements
 |chapter=Chapter 9: Apostates and Their Role in the Construction of Grievance Claims Against the Northeast Kingdom/Messianic Communities
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CmFKAYRIwOMC
 |location=
 |publisher=[[Praeger Publishing]]
 |pages=187–204
 |isbn=0-275-95508-7
}}</ref> the '''Messianic Communities''',<ref name="Palmer1998"/> and the '''Community Apostolic Order''',<ref name=childNR/> is a movement which is described as either a [[cult]] or a [[new religious movement]].{{refn|name=def1|<ref name="Lewiscultsectsnrm" /><ref name="mediacovraid" /><ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Inside an American white supremacist cult |date=August 5, 2018 |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2018/darkness |access-date=December 28, 2020 |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref><ref name="amc" /><ref name=WhRo20/><ref name=LaMc18/><ref name="childNR" />{{Rp|page=155}}}} It was founded by Gene Spriggs and it sprang out of the [[Jesus movement]] in [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]] in 1972.<ref name="Livingasone"/> The group calls itself an attempt to recreate the [[Apostolic Age|1st-century church]] as it is described in the [[Acts of the Apostles|Book of Acts]].<ref name='Livingasone'>{{cite news | first=Mark | last=Barna | title=Twelve Tribes living as one | date=January 2, 2009 | publisher=[[Freedom Communications]] | url =http://www.gazette.com/articles/twelve-45677-tribes-springs.html |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304015320/https://gazette.com/articles/twelve-45677-tribes-springs.html|archive-date=March 4, 2012| work =[[The Gazette (Colorado Springs)]] | access-date = January 13, 2022  }}</ref>

The group's origins in Chattanooga led to [[Church planting|planted churches]] in surrounding areas. In the late seventies, the group established a community in [[Island Pond, Vermont]]. The group eventually left [[Tennessee]] and primarily moved to [[Vermont]]. The Twelve Tribes's beliefs resemble those of [[Christian fundamentalism]], the [[Hebrew Roots]] movement, [[Messianic Judaism]], and the [[Sacred Name Movement]]; however, the group refuses to align itself with any denomination or movement because it believes that all other [[Christian denominations|denominations]] are fallen. Additionally, the group exclusively uses its own recreation of the original [[Hebrew name]] of [[Jesus]], "[[Yahshua]]".<ref name="Palmer1998" /><ref name="palmerraising" /> Believing that the name "Yahshua" represents the nature of Jesus, the group gives each member a Hebrew name that is meant to reflect the personality of the individual.<ref name=":1" />

The group has been criticized for its beliefs and practices, including its [[Supremacism|supremacist]] views towards [[Black people|black]] and [[Jews|Jewish people]]. The group's teachings have been characterized as [[Racism|racist]], [[Misogyny|misogynistic]] and [[Homophobia|homophobic]], and ex-members of it accuse it of inflicting excessive [[corporal punishment]], failing to stop [[child sexual abuse]], and exploiting members for labor. Authorities removed forty children from the group in Germany after a journalist showed evidence of [[child abuse]]. The action was upheld by the [[European Court of Human Rights]].

Common sources of funding that enable the group to interact with the public include restaurants like '''The Yellow Deli''' and community marketplaces.

==History==

=== Origins ===
The origins of the Twelve Tribes can be traced back to the "Light Brigade for Jesus Christ," a 1972 teenagers' ministry.<ref name='Glance'>{{cite news | first=Gary | last=Warth | title=The 12 Tribes at a glance | date=October 3, 2009 | publisher=Lee Enterprise | url =http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/valley-center/article_a68bc3cf-981d-5250-9525-e064a002bf1d.html | work =North County Times | access-date = November 11, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Livingasone"/> The ministry operated out of "The Lighthouse,"<ref name="palmerraising">{{cite journal|last=Palmer|first=Susan J.|author-link=Susan J. Palmer|date=May 1997|title=The Northeast Kingdom Community Church of Island Pond, Vermont: Raising Up a People for Yahshua's Return|journal=[[Journal of Contemporary Religion]]|volume=12|issue=2|pages=181–190|doi=10.1080/13537909708580798|author2-last=Bozeman|author2-first=John M.}}</ref> a small [[Coffeehouse|coffee shop]] in the home of Gene Spriggs and wife Marsha. The Light Brigade began living communally<ref name='Hunt'>{{cite book | last = Hunt | first = Stephen | author-link = Stephen J. Hunt | title = Christian Millennialism | publisher = Indiana University Press | year = 2001 | location = Bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana | pages = 209–223 | isbn = 978-0-253-21491-1 }}</ref> and opened a restaurant, "The Yellow Deli", while its members were attending several churches, before they decided to join the [[First Presbyterian Church (Chattanooga, Tennessee)|First Presbyterian Church]].<ref name="hosts"/> Members of the Light Brigade, while affiliated with First Presbyterian, caused friction within its establishment by bringing in anyone who was willing to come with them, including members of different social classes and [[Race (classification of human beings)|racial groups]], a practice which was not engaged in at that time.<ref name="palmerraising"/> On January 12, 1975, the group arrived at First Presbyterian only to find out that the service had been cancelled for the [[Super Bowl IX|Super Bowl]],<ref name="palmerraising"/> leading the group to form The Vine Christian Community Church.<ref name="Hunt"/> During this time, the group "[[Church planting|planted]]" churches, each with its own Yellow Deli, in [[Dalton, Georgia|Dalton]] and [[Trenton, Georgia]]; [[Mentone, Alabama]]; and [[Dayton, Tennessee]].<ref name="Vine Church"/>

Their withdrawal from the religious mainstream turned what had been a friction-filled relationship into an outcry against them.<ref name="Palmer1998"/> They began holding their own services, which they called "Critical Mass" in Warner Park in [[Chattanooga, Tennessee]],<ref name='Palmer2010'>{{cite journal|title=The Twelve Tribes: Preparing a Bride for Yahshua's Return |journal=Nova Religio |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/nr.2010.13.3.59 |date=February 2010|first=Susan J.|last=Palmer |author-link=Susan J. Palmer |volume=13|issue=3|pages=59–80|doi= 10.1525/nr.2010.13.3.59 |jstor=10.1525/nr.2010.13.3.59 }}</ref> appointing elders<ref name='elder1'>{{cite news | first=Alan | last=Murray | title=Vine elders concede church has authoritarian character | date=January 19, 1978 | publisher=Chattanooga Publishing Company, Inc. | work =Chattanooga Times}}</ref><ref name='Bankrupt'>{{cite news | first=Bill | last=Castel | title=Elder: 'We have no money' | date=December 1, 1980 | publisher=Chattanooga Publishing Company, Inc. | work =Chattanooga Times}}</ref> and baptizing people outside any denominational authority. The deteriorating relationship between the group and the religious and secular Chattanooga community attracted the attention of [[FREECOG|The Parents' Committee to Free Our Children from the Children of God]] and the [[Citizen's Freedom Foundation]] who characterized the group as a [[cult]] and described Spriggs as a cult leader.<ref name="Palmer1998"/> Starting the summer of 1976, [[anti-cult]]ist [[Ted Patrick]] began a series of [[deprogramming]]s that sought to convince Twelve Tribes members to leave the Twelve Tribes community.<ref name='hosts'>{{cite news | first=Joan | last=Garret | title=Chattanooga: Yellow Deli hosts reunion, betrothal | date=May 3, 2008 | publisher=Chattanooga Publishing Company, Inc. | url=http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/17/chattanooga-yellow-deli-hosts-reunion-betrothal/ | work=Chattanooga Times Free Press | access-date=November 7, 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305034837/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/may/17/chattanooga-yellow-deli-hosts-reunion-betrothal/ | archive-date=March 5, 2011 }}</ref> The group nevertheless largely ignored the negative press and the wider world in general, and continued to operate its businesses<ref name="Palmer1998"/> opening the Areopagus café and a second local Yellow Deli in downtown Chattanooga.<ref name="hosts" /><ref name='Return'>{{cite news | title=Yellow Deli In Comeback Popular Christian Eatery From 1970s To Be Revived | date=April 5, 2006 | publisher=John Wilson | url=http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_83232.asp | work=Chattanoogan | access-date=November 8, 2009 | archive-date=April 7, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060407125348/http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_83232.asp | url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1978, [[Bryan College]] in Dayton, Tennessee, 
[[Tennessee Temple University]] in Chattanooga and [[Covenant College]] located in Georgia near Chattanooga, issued edicts banning students from patronizing the Yellow Deli.<ref name='Palmer2010'/> In 1978, an invitation was received from a small church in [[Island Pond, Vermont]], for Spriggs to minister there; the offer was declined but the group began moving in stages to the rural town, naming the church there The Northeast Kingdom Community Church.<ref name="Palmer2010"/> One of Patrick's last deprogramming cases in Chattanooga occurred in 1980; it involved a police detective who, according to Jean Swantko, had his 27-year-old daughter arrested on a falsified warrant to facilitate her deprogramming, with the support of local judges.<ref name='amc'>{{cite journal|doi=10.1023/A:1022021125576|title=The Twelve Tribes' Communities, the Anti-Cult Movement, and Government's Response|journal=[[Social Justice Research]]|year=2000|first=Jean|last=Swantko|volume=12|issue=4|pages=341–364|s2cid=140807868|url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1023/A:1022021125576.pdf|access-date=January 16, 2022}}</ref> The group continued moving, closing down all of its Yellow Delis and associated churches except for the one in Dalton.<ref name="Vine Church"/> At one point, a leader conceded that the group was deeply in debt<ref name="Bankrupt"/> before closing the Dalton church down and moving the last members to Vermont.<ref name="palmerraising"/>

=== Move to Vermont ===
[[File:Common Sense Café 28 Cross Street Island Pond VT May 2013.jpg|upright|thumbnail|Common Sense Café and Yellow Deli in Island Pond, Vermont; owned and operated by Twelve Tribes. Permanently closed,{{Disputed inline|date=March 2026}} as of 2019]]

The move to Vermont, combined with an initial period of economic hardship, caused some members to leave.<ref name="palmerraising"/> The Citizen's Freedom Foundation conducted several meetings in [[Barton, Vermont|Barton]] to draw attention to the group. The Citizen's Freedom Foundation had made allegations of mind control in Chattanooga, but now it made accusations of [[child abuse]].<ref name="amc"/> In 1983, charges were brought against Charles "Eddie" Wiseman (an elder in the group) for [[misdemeanor]] [[assault|simple assault]]; this, combined with multiple child custody cases, formed the basis for a search warrant. On June 22, 1984, [[Vermont State Police]] and Vermont Social Rehabilitation Services<ref name='mediacovraid'>{{cite journal|doi=10.2307/3512176|title=Media Coverage of Unconventional Religion: Any "Good News" for Minority Faiths? |journal=[[Review of Religious Research]]|date=December 1997|first=Stuart A.|last=Wright|author-link=Stuart A. Wright|volume=39|issue=2|pages=101–115|jstor=3512176 }}</ref> seized 112 children.<ref name="palmerraising"/> Forty cases were dismissed as the parents refused to give the names of their children.<ref name="religionnews">{{cite news | title=Children of Sect Seized in Vermont | date=June 24, 1984 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/23/us/children-of-sect-seized-in-vermont.html | work =The New York Times | access-date = November 12, 2009}}</ref> Due to what the group perceived were a massive misunderstanding of the events and concerns leading up to and surrounding the raid, its members began formal relationships with their neighbors.<!-- repcite:"Palmer1998" --> Two months after the raid, the case against Wiseman fell apart after the main witness recanted, saying he was under duress from the [[anticult movement]].<ref name="Palmer1998"/> The case was later dropped in 1985 after a judge ruled that Wiseman had been denied his right to a [[speedy trial]]. Eddie Wiseman's public defender, Jean Swantko, who had been present during the raid, later joined the Twelve Tribes and married Wiseman.<ref name='Married'>{{cite news | first=Scott | last=Wheeler | title=The Raid on Island Pond 25 Years Later – A Personal Look | year=2009 | publisher=Scott Wheeler | url=http://www.thekingdomhistorical.com/index.php/latest-news/210-the-raid-on-island-pond-25-years-later.html | work=Northland Journal | access-date=February 26, 2010 | archive-date=July 17, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717005334/http://www.thekingdomhistorical.com/index.php/latest-news/210-the-raid-on-island-pond-25-years-later.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The group had become more isolationist<!--  this term might be better off replaced here, isolationist generally has immigration or nationalistic connotations. --> after the group's departure from Chattanooga. Now realizing that this had caused outsiders to view the group with suspicion, the group changed tactics and became more open, establishing more cordial relationships with neighbors and authorities.<ref name='Palmer2010'/>

In about 1985, Gene Spriggs said he had received revelation about the [[Book of Daniel]]. Spriggs believed that his community would bring about the [[Second Coming|return of Jesus]]. The group started to believe that it was the spiritual Israel. About this time the community began referring to Jesus by his likely name in Hebrew, [[Yahshua]], and members of the community started being given Hebrew names—Spriggs took the name "Yoneq". The group also started to incorporate Israeli dancing and folk music into their traditions. In the summer of 1987 the entire community in Island Pond was baptized in a ritual that, one scholar wrote, "[washed] themselves from the perceived flaws of contemporary Christianity."<ref name='Palmer2010'/>

During the 1980s, Twelve Tribes members followed [[Grateful Dead]] tours by bus, recruiting members from their concerts.<ref>{{cite web |title=At Concerts {{!}} Twelve Tribes |url=https://www.twelvetribes.org/concerts |website=www.twelvetribes.org |publisher=Twelve Tribes |access-date=September 6, 2024}}</ref>

=== Expansion ===

[[File:TT-literature.jpg|thumb|right|"We Need Radical Change", an example of Twelve Tribes "free paper" commonly distributed at events as a form of evangelism<ref name="Livingasone"/><ref name="a church of their own"/><ref name="WomeninNR"/>]]
By 1989, the church had become widely accepted in Island Pond<ref name='underfire'>{{cite news | title=Vt. Village Warms to Church | date=July 5, 1989 | publisher=[[Tribune Company]] | work =The Hartford Courant |page=17}}</ref> and grew substantially during the 1980s and 1990s, opening branches in several different countries, including the Czech Republic, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina, and the United Kingdom. During this expansion in the early 1990s, the group used the name Messianic Communities, until 1995 when the group became known as the Twelve Tribes.<ref name='Palmer2010'/>

Through the mid-2000s, the group remained controversial, with allegations of [[child labor]],<ref name="labor">{{cite news | first=Kenneth | last=Lovett | title=Upstate 'Soap' Cult fined for Child Labor | date=October 4, 2001 | publisher=[[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]] | url =http://www.nypost.com/p/news/upstate_soap_cult_fined_for_child_Eoi0z2cBQc5W4LlE1al4FK | work =New York Post | access-date = December 15, 2009  }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=March 2026}} [[Child abduction#Parental child abduction|custodial interference]],<ref name="amc"/> and illegal [[homeschooling]].<ref name='homeschoolgerman'>{{cite news | title=Fundamentalist Christian Group Gets School of Their Own | date=August 31, 2006 | url =http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2151809,00.html | work =Deutsche Welle | access-date = November 17, 2009  }}</ref> In 2006, the Tribes re-established a community in Chattanooga. This group also established its 12th and final tribe, Benjamin—named after the historical [[Tribe of Benjamin]] of Israel—centered around the [[Southeastern United States|American southeast]].<ref name='Palmer2010'/> In 2006, the group held a reunion in Chattanooga commemorating the occasion.<ref name='Return2'>{{cite news | first=Robert T. | last=Nash | title=Chattanooga Yellow Deli Reunion Draws Crowd | date=April 16, 2006 | publisher=Chattanooga Publishing Company, Inc. | url=http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_83886.asp | work=Chattanoogan | access-date=November 17, 2009 | archive-date=June 28, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628210127/http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_83886.asp | url-status=dead }}</ref> The Tribes opened a new Yellow Deli in Chattanooga in 2008, nearly 30 years after leaving Chattanooga.<ref name="hosts"/>

=== Death of the group's founder ===
The founder of the Tribes, Elbert Eugene Spriggs Jr. (May 18, 1937 – January 11, 2021), died in 2021 while visiting his [[Hiddenite, North Carolina]], property. Within the Tribes, Spriggs was also known as "the anointed one" and by the Hebrew name "Yoneq".<ref name="TimesFreePress2021-02-03">{{Cite news |last=Massey |first=Wyatt |date=February 3, 2021 |title=Death of Twelve Tribes founder leaves future uncertain for international Christian movement founded in Chattanooga |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2021/feb/03/death-twelve-tribes-founder-leaves-future-unc/540927/ |access-date=January 13, 2022 |work=[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]]}}</ref>

=== Recent activity ===
On December 24, 2021, Twelve Tribes members burned scrap metal, branches and other junk on one of their properties. The fire was contained and its embers were buried. A week later, on December 30, the weather had become more dry, leading to embers reigniting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thakore · |first=Ishan |date=2025-09-24 |title=Xcel settles Marshall Fire lawsuit just before trial begins in Boulder |url=https://www.cpr.org/2025/09/24/xcel-energy-marshall-fire-settlement/ |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=Colorado Public Radio |language=en}}</ref> Videos were taken of a burning shed and field.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-11 |title=Everything we know about the ‘cult’ living where Colorado fires allegedly began |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/colorado-fires-boulder-twelve-tribes-cult-b1986654.html |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> High winds carried sparks from the fire towards a broken power line about 2,000 feet away, which caused an explosion, resulting in the [[Marshall Fire]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Phillips|first1=Noelle|last2=Bradbury|first2=Shelly|title=Marshall fire started by week-old embers on Twelve Tribes property and a sparking Xcel power line, Boulder sheriff says|website=The Denver Post|date=June 8, 2023|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2023/06/08/marshall-fire-cause-origina-investigation-boulder-colorado/|access-date=March 15, 2026|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608144654/https://www.denverpost.com/2023/06/08/marshall-fire-cause-origina-investigation-boulder-colorado/}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=March 2026}}

In the aftermath, the Twelve Tribes members were concluded to not be at fault for the fire. According to Boulder County District Attorney Dougherty, there was no sign that the Twelve Tribes members created an unjustifiable risk when starting their fire,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-30 |title=Marshall Fire: Body-camera footage shows investigators talking to Twelve Tribes member |url=https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/wildfire/marshall-fire/marshall-fire-investigation-twelve-tribes-bodycam-video/73-141ed049-e778-4499-be75-20879f85c9f9 |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=KUSA.com |language=en-US}}</ref> and said the incident had been handled responsibly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prentzel |first=Olivia |date=2023-06-08 |title=Marshall fire was caused by reignited burn on residential property, Xcel Energy power line, Boulder County authorities say |url=https://coloradosun.com/2023/06/08/marshall-fire-investigation-results-colorado/ |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=The Colorado Sun |language=en-US}}</ref> Initially, no charges were held against either the Twelve Tribes members or [[Xcel Energy]], whose broken power line was investigated.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-09 |title=The cause of Colorado's most destructive wildfire ever revealed |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cause-colorados-destructive-wildfire-ever-revealed-rcna88576 |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> However, a later report concluded that Xcel Energy was primarily at fault. Xcel Energy was sued by victims of the fire for their involvement. However, Xcel Energy denied having any role, and later settled, the terms of which include stating that it was not at fault.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thakore · |first=Ishan |date=2025-09-24 |title=Xcel settles Marshall Fire lawsuit just before trial begins in Boulder |url=https://www.cpr.org/2025/09/24/xcel-energy-marshall-fire-settlement/ |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=Colorado Public Radio |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Xcel Energy ‘prepared to go to trial’ to fight Marshall Fire liability {{!}} Utility Dive |url=https://www.utilitydive.com/news/xcel-energy-marshall-wildfire/756536/ |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=www.utilitydive.com |language=en-US}}</ref> The Twelve Tribes were not listed as a defendant in the trial.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-21 |title=Marshall fire lawsuit set for trial in September as attorneys battle over cult’s role in catastrophic blaze |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2025/08/21/marshall-fire-xcel-trial/ |access-date=2026-03-17 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Beliefs and practices==
The Twelve Tribes' beliefs resemble those of [[Christian fundamentalism]], the [[Hebrew Roots]] movement, [[Messianic Judaism]] and the [[Sacred Name Movement]]; however, the group believes that all other [[Christian denominations]] are "fallen" and it refuses to align itself with any denomination or movement.<ref name="palmerraising"/> Based on the group's practices, scholars describe the group as a cult.<ref name=WhRo20>{{cite book|last1=Whitsett|first1=Doni|last2=Rosow|first2=Natasha Post|title=Women's Journey to Empowerment in the 21st Century: A Transnational Feminist Analysis of Women's Lives in Modern Times|chapter=Global Violence of Women in Cults|editor-last1=Zaleski|editor-last2=Enrile|editor-last3=Weiss|editor-last4=Wang|editor-first1=Kristen|editor-first2=Annalisa|editor-first3=Eugenia|editor-first4=Xiying|year=2019|location=Oxford|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|pages=343–368|doi=10.1093/oso/9780190927097.003.0020|isbn=9780190927097|url=https://academic.oup.com/book/38724|quote=The Twelve Tribes of Israel is an existing cult that still functions with thriving communities...Sarah’s former cult, The Twelve Tribes, is still very much intact and flourishing on four continents. It recently appeared in the news after authorities in Cambridge, New York, discovered child labor law infractions at one of its communities. This has also happened in Germany, where the court recently held up the removal of children from a large Twelve Tribes community in Bavaria.}}</ref><ref name=LaMc18>{{cite book |last1=Lalich |first1=Janja |last2=McLaren |first2=Karla |title=Escaping Utopia: Growing Up in a Cult, Getting Out, and Starting Over |date=2018 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=Abingdon/New York |isbn=978-1-138-23973-9 |pages=16–20, 88–89 |url=https://www.routledge.com/Escaping-Utopia-Growing-Up-in-a-Cult-Getting-Out-and-Starting-Over/Lalich-McLaren/p/book/9781138239746|quote=In fact, many Twelve Tribes escapees eventually return to the cult because they can’t tolerate the supposed evils of the outside world...Children in most cults are required to study, attend lengthy indoctrination sessions or church services, and work. For instance, the many businesses of the Twelve Tribes involved extensive child labor.}}</ref> It believes that for the messiah to return, the Church needs to be restored to its original form as described in [[Acts 2]]:38–42 and [[Acts 4]]:32–37. This restoration is not merely the restoration of the [[Christianity in the 1st century|1st-century Church]], but the creation of a new Israel consisting of Twelve Tribes, which would be located in twelve geographic regions.<ref name="palmerraising"/><ref name="Glance"/> Part of this process of restoration is the return to observing the [[Sabbath in Christianity|sabbath]], maintaining some of the [[Mosaic law]],<ref name='a church of their own'>{{cite news | first=Heather | last=Stephenson | title=A church of their own | date=September 10, 2000 | publisher=Herald Association | work =Rutland Herald}}</ref> including [[Kashrut|dietary laws]] and the [[Jewish holidays]].<ref name="a church of their own"/><ref>{{cite news | first=Gary | last=Warth | title=VALLEY CENTER: Twelve Tribes Christian community lives as an example of its faith | date=October 4, 2009 | publisher=Lee Enterprise | url =http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2009/oct/04/valley-center-twelve-tribes-christian-community/ | work =North County Times | access-date = December 13, 2009}}</ref> Its interpretation of the restoration of Israel has led the group to believe that the end times have arrived.<ref name="Livingasone"/><ref name='farm'>{{cite news | first=Kim | last=Folstad | title=Life on the Farm | date=December 2, 2000 | publisher=Cox Enterprises | work =Palm Beach Post | pages =9–12}}</ref> On April 22, 2022 ([[Passover]]), the Tribes began a 49-year "race".<ref name="All Who Believed" >{{cite book |last1=Mathieu |first1=Tamara |title=All Who Believed-A Memoir of Life in the Twelve Tribes |date=May 21, 2021 |publisher=Rootstock Publishing |isbn=978-1578691173 |chapter=Ch. 26 The Race}}</ref> The Tribes expects Yahshua to return in the 50th year, which will be a [[Jubilee (biblical)|year of Jubilee]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Confederation of Twelve Tribes: A Manifesto |url=https://www.twelvetribes.org/article/confederation-twelve-tribes-manifesto |access-date=September 26, 2025 |work=www.twelvetribes.org |date=February 24, 2022}}</ref> The Tribes attaches significance to this as the year 2070 is about 100 years since the founding of the Light Brigade.<ref name="All Who Believed" />

One noted aspect of the group is its insistence on using the name "[[Yahshua]]" for Jesus.<ref name="Palmer1998"/><ref name="palmerraising"/> Believing that the name "Yahshua" represents the nature of Jesus, the group bestows upon each member a [[Hebrew name]] that is meant to reflect the personality of the individual.<ref name=":1">{{cite news | first=Matt | last=Stearns | title=Disciples maintain a life of simplicity – Despite controversy, – group lives quietly | date=January 6, 2002 | publisher=[[The McClatchy Company]] | work =[[The Kansas City Star]] | pages =B1}}</ref>

The group believes there are ''Three Eternal Destinies''.<!-- repcite:'3ED' --> It believes that after the [[Fall of Man]], every person was given a [[conscience]],<!-- repcite:'3ED' --> and that after dying, every person goes to a state of being called death regardless of their faith.<!-- repcite:'3ED' --> Upon the future [[second coming]], believers will be brought back for the thousand years to reign with "Yahshua" before the [[last judgment]].<!-- repcite:'3ED' --> At the end of this millennium, all of the nonbelievers will be judged according to their deeds and put into one of two groups: the righteous and the filthy/unjust.<!-- repcite:'3ED' --> The filthy and the unjust will be sent to the [[Lake of fire]] while the righteous will go on into eternity and fill the universe.<ref name="3ED">{{cite web | last=Twelve Tribes | title=Three eternal Destinies of Man | date=June 2001 | publisher=Parchment Press | url=http://www.twelvetribes.org/pdf/freepapers/3ED7.pdf |website=twelvetribes.org | pages=9–22 | access-date=December 7, 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231162951/http://twelvetribes.org:80/pdf/freepapers/3ED7.pdf |archive-date=December 31, 2006 }}</ref> 

After relocating to Island Pond, the Tribes developed a distinctive style of dress. Men wore modest, long shirts paired with vests and tied their shoulder-length hair back in a club. Women dressed in long pinafores, skirts, or pantaloons with loose-fitting blouses. They kept their hair long and, following 1 Corinthians 11:5, covered their heads during church services with a headscarf—a symbol of submission to their husbands and to the elders, who themselves submit to the authority of Yahshua. Their diet centered on whole-grain bread, which they regarded as nourishment for both body and soul.<ref name='Palmer2010'/>

=== Leadership and organizational structure ===

The leadership of the group is structured as a series of Councils, which consist of local councils, regional councils, and a global Apostolic Council;<ref name="Livingasone"/> the group is also overseen within these councils by a fluid number of teachers, deacons, deaconesses, elders, and apostles.<ref name='childNR'>{{cite book | last = Palmer | first = Susan J. | author-link = Susan J. Palmer | title = Children in New Religions | publisher = Rutgers University Press | date = 1999 | location = New Brunswick, NJ | pages = 153–171 | isbn = 978-0-8135-2620-1 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=c4RuQgAACAAJ | access-date= January 16, 2022 |ol=369790M}}</ref> Gene Spriggs is highly regarded as the first person to open up his home to members, but members state that he is not viewed as a spiritual figurehead.<ref name='WomeninNR'>{{cite book | last = Palmer | first = Susan J. | author-link = Susan J. Palmer | title = Moon Sisters, Krishna Mothers, Rajneesh Lovers | publisher = Syracuse University Press | year = 1994 | location = Syracuse, New York | pages = [https://archive.org/details/moonsisterskrish0000palm/page/133 133–153] | url =https://archive.org/details/moonsisterskrish0000palm| url-access = registration | isbn = 978-0-8156-0382-5 }}</ref>

In the United States, the group operates as a [[501(d) organization|501(d)]] organization (a for-profit organization with a religious purpose and a common treasury). The community pays property taxes, but the 501(d) structure tends to result in no income tax liability.<ref name="Livingasone"/><ref name="hosts"/> The group operates as a tax-exempt religious organization in Australia.<ref name="AU taxes">{{cite news |last1=McNally |first1=Gillian |title=Secretive Twelve Tribes religious sect 'cashing in on charity status' |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/secretive-twelve-tribes-religious-sect-cashing-in-on-charity-status/news-story/ade948b97b56d80cbeb4f7617e93b59a |access-date=September 26, 2025 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=September 7, 2019}}</ref>

=== Courtship and marriage ===

[[File:Twelve Tribes Wedding 003.JPG|thumb|Twelve Tribes wedding (2009)]]
Courtship within the community involves a "waiting period"<ref name="hosts" /><ref name="Waiting">{{cite news | first=David | last=Filipov | title=Forgiven and free | date=June 28, 2009 | url =http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/06/28/religious_group_opens_its_ship_peacemaker/?page=1 | work =The Boston Globe | access-date = December 27, 2009}}</ref> in which the man or woman expresses their desire to get to know another person.<ref name="WomeninNR" /> The potential couple then receives input from the community while spending time together.<ref name="WomeninNR" /><ref name="Waiting" /> The couple is [[betrothed]] (engaged) if their parents (or the entire community, if they are adults) confirm their love and compatibility;<ref name="childNR" /><ref name="WomeninNR" /> the couple is then permitted to hold hands.<ref name="Waiting" />

Weddings are dramatized pre-enactments<ref name="Lewiscultsectsnrm">{{cite book |last=Palmer |first=Susan J. |author-link= Susan J. Palmer |editor=James R. Lewis |title=The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects and New Religions |chapter=Messianic Communities/North East Community Church |year=1998 |publisher=Prometheus Books |location=Amherst, New York <!--|access-date=January 16, 2022--> |pages=334–335 |isbn=9781573922227 |ol=360149M}}</ref> of what the group believes will happen at the end of time when "Yahshua" returns to earth for his [[Bride of Christ|bride]].<ref name="hosts" /><ref name="WomeninNR" />

=== Children ===
Children, especially the sons, have been noted to play a central role in the group's [[Eschatology|eschatological]] beliefs. The Twelve Tribes believe that it is the parents' responsibility to properly enforce a consequence for sin (wrongful action, words, behavior) so as to allow the child to maintain the state of a clean conscience. Over time, the children's children will be better equipped to deal with or "overcome" the faults of their predecessors. This will enable future generations of the group to hopefully be the "144,000" of [[Revelation 7]].<ref name=childNR/><ref name="WomeninNR"/> Children are [[homeschooled]].<ref name=childNR/><ref name="WomeninNR"/> Within the group, children are apprenticed to elders by the age of 13 to be trained in "crafts and specialized labor".<ref name=childNR/>{{rp|158}}<ref name="noapology">{{cite news |last=Staff Writer |date=April 13, 2001 |title=Tribes speak, but don't apologize |work=[[Bennington Banner]] |publisher=[[MediaNews Group]]}}</ref><ref name="fifteen">{{cite news | title=Healing Buildings and Healing Souls in the Catskills | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E5DA173FF937A15754C0A9639C8B63 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529192430/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/realestate/healing-buildings-and-healing-souls-in-the-catskills.html |archive-date=May 29, 2015 | access-date=October 28, 2009 | work=The New York Times | first=Fred A. | last=Bernstein | date=July 24, 2005}}</ref> 

The group practices [[corporal punishment]] of children<ref name=childNR/><ref name="fifteen"/> with a "reed-like rod",<ref name="a church of their own"/> like a balloon stick (a minimum),<ref name='Balloon'>{{cite news | first=Brad | last=Pokorny | title=Island Pond has message for Media: Paint Brighter Picture or Get Lost | date=February 24, 1985 | publisher=[[New York Times Company]] | work =The Boston Globe |page=32 }}</ref> across the child's bottom,<ref name=childNR/>  though many former members, including children raised in the group, say punishments can include severe beatings to the point of bleeding or collapse, and are often repeated daily.<ref>{{cite news |title=In Germany's Twelve Tribes sect, cameras catch 'cold and systematic' child-beating |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/in-germany-s-twelve-tribes-sect-cameras-catch-cold-and-systematic-childbeating-8807438.html |first=Tony |last=Paterson |date=September 11, 2013 |newspaper=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Yellow Deli restaurant linked to organization accused of child abuse, CUI investigation finds |url=https://www.cuindependent.com/2019/12/11/cult-twelve-tribes-child-abuse-boulder/ |first=Colie |last=Dorfman |date=December 11, 2019 |newspaper=[[CU Independent]]}}</ref> Corporal punishment could be theoretically meted out by any adult member of the group, even those not related to the family, but more recently the parents have been made primarily responsible for disciplining their own children.<ref name="They are evil">{{cite news |last1=Bradbury |first1=Shelly |title="They are evil": Ex-Twelve Tribes members describe child abuse, control inside religious cult |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2022/03/03/twelve-tribes-cult-child-abuse/ |access-date=September 25, 2025 |work=The Denver Post |date=March 3, 2022}}</ref>

=== Countercult movement ===
Bob Pardon, the executive director of [[Christian countercult movement]] [[New England Institute of Religious Research]], has done extensive research on Twelve Tribes. According to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, Pardon first became aware of Twelve Tribes when a former member reported potential evidence of child abuse. Because he was initially skeptical, he was given access to the group to research it.  He also received information on the group's teachings from high level former members.<ref name=":0" />  Pardon released his research and findings in a report that stated, "Messianic Communities, under the leadership of Spriggs, has tended towards an extreme authoritarianism" and a "Galatian heresy."<ref name="bobpardon">{{cite web |title=My Analysis of the Twelve Tribes |url=http://www.neirr.org/conclusn.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215195028/http://neirr.org/conclusn.html |archive-date=December 15, 2005 |access-date=October 23, 2005 |work=New England Institute of Religious Research website}}</ref>  By controlling information released or that members can access, groups like the Twelve Tribes greatly discourage people from reading anything "contrary to the group and does not have TVs, radios, newspapers or books," explains Pardon. "The person has essentially no access to outside information."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nielsen |first=Jason |date=February 14, 2002 |title=Religious Cults in Today's Society |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/205202469 |journal=Jewish Advocate |volume=193 |issue=6 |pages=9 |id={{ProQuest|205202469}} |via=Ethnic NewsWatch Collection}}</ref>

Since their inception roughly 25 years prior to the publication (around mid-1970s), they have found themselves the subject of scrutiny from the anti-cult movement, first in North America and later in Europe.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Swantko |first=Jean A. |date=December 1999 |title=The Twelve Tribes' Communities, the Anti-Cult Movement, and Government's Response |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1023/A:1022021125576 |journal=Social Justice Research |language=en |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=341–364 |doi=10.1023/A:1022021125576 |issn=0885-7466 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In France, the group was listed on the 1995 Governmental Report by the [[Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France]] under the name "Ordre apostolique – Therapeutic healing environment."<ref name="assembleenational">{{cite web |title=French National Assembly: On Sects |url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/rap-enq/r3507.asp |access-date=May 9, 2008}}</ref>

Twelve Tribes members Jean Swantko and husband Ed Wiseman have made efforts to combat social stigma and the anti-cult movement by engaging in dialogue with the media and government authorities.<ref name="Jones">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2005 |title=Twelve Tribes |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Religion |publisher=[[Macmillan Reference USA]] |location=New York |last=Palmer |first=Susan J. |author-link=Susan J. Palmer |editor=Lindsay Jones |edition=2 |volume=14 |page=9409}}</ref> Swantko, who also represents the group in legal matters,<ref>{{Cite news |author=Sally Johnson |date=March 12, 1993 |title=Defender of the faith |work=The Boston Globe}}</ref> has presented at conferences<ref name="Jones" /> including the Communal Studies Association<ref name="CSA">{{cite web |year=2010 |title=Communal Studies Association, 2010 New Harmony, Indiana |url=http://www.usi.edu/libarts/communal/2010CSA-Abstracts.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720193424/http://www.usi.edu/libarts/communal/2010CSA-Abstracts.pdf |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |access-date=December 13, 2010 |publisher=Communal Studies Association}}</ref> and [[Society for the Scientific Study of Religion]]<ref name="SSSR">{{cite web |year=2010 |title=Society for Scientific Study of Religion and Religious Research Association Annual Meeting 2010 |url=http://www.sssrweb.org/pdf/2010SSSRRRAprogramv3.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128094328/http://www.sssrweb.org/pdf/2010SSSRRRAprogramv3.pdf |archive-date=January 28, 2018 |access-date=December 13, 2010 |publisher=Society for Scientific Study of Religion and Religious Research Association Annual}}</ref> as well as a chapter in [[James T. Richardson]]'s ''Regulating Religion: Case Studies from Around the Globe''.

The Twelve Tribes has been cited by [[Stuart A. Wright]] as a group suffering from "[[front-end/back-end disproportionality]]" in media coverage.<!--repcite:mediacovraid--> According to Wright, the media often focuses on unsubstantiated charges against the group, but as charges are investigated and as cases fall apart, the media covers them significantly less at the end than it does at the beginning.<!--repcite:mediacovraid--> Wright then asserts that this leaves the public with the impression that the group was guilty of the disproven charges.<ref name="mediacovraid" />

===The Island Pond raid===
[[File:Island Pond raid.jpg|thumb|Members leaving the courthouse with their children on June 22, 1984]]
On June 22, 1984, Vermont State Police arrived at the Twelve Tribes' Island Pond residences and took custody of hundreds of group members with their children, based on an investigation of accusations of child abuse.  All cases were dismissed when a judge found that the search warrant was unconstitutional.<ref name="childNR" />{{Rp|page=153}} Frank Mahady, the judge in the case, called the action a "grossly unlawful scheme", while Judge Wolchik, who had signed the initial search warrant, said that he was given "false or unreliable information".<ref name="childNR" />{{Rp|page=153}}

The Vermont Chapter of the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] (ACLU) also criticized the raid, calling it "frightening" and "the greatest deprivation of civil liberties to have occurred in recent Vermont history."<ref name="ACLU">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Colin |date=June 26, 1984 |title=ACLU: Raid on Sect was Lawless act by Vermont |work=The Boston Globe |publisher=[[New York Times Company]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> [[Richard Snelling]], the governor of Vermont who had authorized the raid, reportedly drew the "hottest political fire of his career" in the weeks after;<ref name="laditude">{{cite news |last=Nickerson |first=Colin |date=July 25, 1989 |title=Island Pond Case: How Much Latitude Does the Church have? |work=The Boston Globe |publisher=[[New York Times Company]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> while [[Vermont Attorney General]] [[John J. Easton Jr.]] attributed the raid to assisting his campaign for governorship.<ref name="govenorrace">{{cite news |last=Kranish |first=Michael |date=June 26, 1984 |title=Governor's Race a nail biter, Legislature Might Decide winner |work=The Boston Globe |publisher=[[New York Times Company]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

In 1992, John Burchard, who had been the State Commissioner of Social and Rehabilitation Services, and Vanessa L. Malcarne, published an article in ''[[Behavioral Sciences and the Law]]'', encouraging changes in the law that would have allowed the raid to succeed.<ref name="Buchard">{{cite journal |last=Buchard |first=John D. |author2=Malcarne, Vanessa L. |year=1992 |title=Investigation of Child abuse/Neglect in Religious Cults |journal=Behavioral Sciences and the Law |volume=10 |pages=75–88 |doi=10.1002/bsl.2370100108}}</ref><ref name="Boulder2011-05-12">{{cite web |date=May 12, 2011 |title=Father, son & holy toast |url=http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-5583-father-son-holy-toast.html |access-date=October 17, 2017 |work=[[Boulder Weekly]]}}</ref>  The group held anniversary events in both 1994 and 2000;<ref name="16thani">{{cite news |last=New York Times |date=June 19, 2000 |title=Island Pond Journal; Trip Home to Stand Up For Their Community |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/19/us/island-pond-journal-trip-home-to-stand-up-for-their-community.html?pagewanted=1 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527142128/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/19/us/island-pond-journal-trip-home-to-stand-up-for-their-community.html |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |access-date=January 10, 2010 |work=New York Times}}</ref> and produced a 75-minute documentary.<ref name="Bigbro">{{cite news |last=Freyne |first=Peter |date=July 27, 2005 |title=When Big Brother Ran Vermont |url=http://www.7dvt.com/2005/when-big-brother-ran-vermont |access-date=January 10, 2010 |work=Seven Days |publisher=[[Seven Days (newspaper)|Seven Days]]}}</ref>

===Teachings about Jews ===
The group teaches the belief that [[Jews]] are [[Jewish deicide|collectively responsible]] for the [[Crucifixion of Jesus|death of Christ]], quoting Matthew 27:25.<ref name="Guardian2000-7-3">{{cite news |last=Vasagar |first=Jeevan |date=July 3, 2000 |title=Racist sect digs in at rock festivals |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/jul/03/race.religion |work=The Guardian |location=London}}</ref> They are often labelled [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]], although the group repeatedly denies this accusation. Twelve Tribes' members observe a [[Sabbath]] on Saturday, similar to Jews, as well as the Jewish festivals of [[Pesach]], [[Yom Kippur]], and [[Sukkot]]. Youth hold [[Bar Mitzvah]] and [[Bat Mitzvah]] celebrations, and they regularly perform Israeli folk dances.<ref name="benningtonbanner11-3-07">{{cite news |last=Goswami |first=Neal |date=November 3, 2007 |title=Let Us Pray: Twelve Tribes, honoring the past |url=https://www.benningtonbanner.com/local-news/let-us-pray-twelve-tribes-honoring-the-past/article_77bbd900-6cf7-539b-b348-c85899b2dcc4.html |access-date=January 13, 2022 |work=[[Bennington Banner]] |location=Bennington, VT}}</ref>

===Child labor and homeschooling===
In 2001, ''[[The New York Post]]'' ran an article accusing the group of [[child labor]] violations;<ref name="Worshippers">{{cite news |last=Moeller |first=Katy |date=April 15, 2001 |title=Worshippers of Yahshua as savior weather storm – Cambridge farm counters criticism |work=Daily Gazette |publisher=John E.N. Hume III |pages=A–01}}</ref><ref name="allegations">{{cite news |last=Associated Press |date=April 14, 2001 |title=Twelve Tribes sect opens farm to Press group Denies Charges of Child Labor, Racism |work=Watertown Daily Times |page=29}}</ref> and later attributed itself as having prompted the investigation.<ref name="Postresponsibility">{{cite news |last=MacIntosh |first=Jeane |date=April 9, 2001 |title=State probes cult in Child Labor Scandal on heels of post report |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/state_probes_cult_post_child_labor_ejnbb0yjhckbYDg0QWMiJK |access-date=January 3, 2010 |work=New York Post |publisher=[[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]]}}</ref> The Twelve Tribes responded with a press conference at the Common Sense Farm where the alleged child labor had taken place.<ref name="Worshippers" /><ref name="allegations" /><ref name="noapology" /> The Twelve Tribes reported that during a random inspection by [[Estée Lauder Companies]], the company discovered that several 14-year-olds had been found assisting their fathers in the factory.<ref name="allegations" /> This report was later confirmed by Estée Lauder who terminated their contract with Common Sense products.<ref name="noapology" /> The group's official statement at the press conference stated that they believed that it was a [[family-owned business]], and children ought to be able to help their parents in the business while making "no apology" for it.<ref name="Postresponsibility" /><ref name="noapology" /> The [[New York State Department of Labor]] stated that they intended to visit all five of the Twelve Tribes' businesses. State Attorney General [[Eliot Spitzer]] said that apprenticeships amounted to [[indentured servitude]] and were illegal. [[Robert Redford]]'s [[Sundance Group#Sundance Catalog|Sundance Catalog]], who had contracted with Common Wealth Woodworks (another of the group's industries that made furniture), also terminated their contract as a response to the allegations.<ref name="noapology" /> The Labor Department found no violations at Common Sense Farm or Commonwealth Woodworks. They did propose a fine on two other industries: $2,000 for allegations of child labor law violations that the group's spokesperson, Jean Swantko Wiseman, was quoted in a news article as saying were for a 15-year-old pushing a [[wheelbarrow]] and another 15-year-old changing a [[lightbulb]].<ref name="fifteen" />

In June 2018, another New York State investigation into the Common Sense Farm was launched, yielding allegations of child labor, after an ''[[Inside Edition]]'' hidden camera investigation revealed children working in the group's soap factory. The Twelve Tribes-owned business Greener Formulas had been contracted with brands including Acure and Savannah Bee to manufacture its private label body care products and was using the facilities of Common Sense Farm (also owned by the group) for production. Both Acure and Savannah Bee terminated their contracts with Greener Formulas following the airing of the ''Inside Edition'' story.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2018 |title=Undercover Investigation Exposes Child Labor in New York Compound |url=https://www.insideedition.com/undercover-investigation-exposes-child-labor-new-york-compound-43812 |access-date=March 2, 2020 |website=Inside Edition |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Rulison" />

In Germany and France, the controversies centered on the issues of homeschooling, health, child abuse, and religious freedom. The group has several times been in conflict with authorities in Germany and France over [[child abuse]] and homeschooling, with a particularly long and protracted dispute between the community in Klosterzimmern, in the municipality of [[Deiningen]], Bavaria, and Bavarian education authorities.<ref name="Richardson2004">{{cite book |author=Jean A. Swantko |title=Regulating religion: case studies from around the globe |publisher=Springer |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-306-47886-4 |editor=James T. Richardson |editor-link=James T. Richardson |pages=197–199 |chapter=The Twelve Tribes Communities, the Anti-Cult Movement, and Governmental Response |access-date=August 27, 2011 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U6opyVE_IYkC&pg=PA197}}</ref><ref name="welt">{{cite news |author=Alexander Görlach |date=February 4, 2006 |title=Sieg der Sekten-Eltern |url=https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article195835/Sieg_der_Sekten_Eltern.html |access-date=August 26, 2011 |work=Die Welt}}</ref> Homeschooling is illegal in Germany, with [[Homeschooling in Germany|rare exceptions]].<ref name="Richardson2004" /> When fines and arrests failed to have an effect on the community, authorities granted the group the right to operate a private school on the commune's premises in 2011, under state supervision.<!--repcite:welt--><!--repcite:Spiegel--> The agreement entailed that the school would not teach [[sex education]] or [[evolution]].<ref name="welt" /><ref name="Spiegel">{{cite news |last=cpa/jol/dpa |date=August 29, 2006 |title=Schulboykott. "Zwölf Stämme" erhalten eigene Schule |url=http://www.spiegel.de/schulspiegel/wissen/0,1518,434193,00.html |access-date=August 26, 2011 |work=[[Der Spiegel]]}}</ref> Authorities revoked the school's right to operate in 2013, after it refused to answer to allegations of physical abuse and a lack of certified teaching staff.<ref name="dlf">{{cite news |date=June 7, 2013 |title=Aus für bayerische Sektenschule |url=https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/aus-fuer-bayerische-sektenschule.680.de.html?dram:article_id=249316 |access-date=September 13, 2021}}</ref>

===Views on slavery===
According to a 2018 report by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]], the Twelve Tribes teaches its followers the belief that the [[curse of Ham]] is a racial curse that made [[Ham (Genesis)|Ham]] a servant of his brother, [[Shem]].  This teaching is used to justify [[slavery]].  According to the group's stated teaching, slavery was "a marvelous opportunity that blacks could be [[Atlantic slave trade|brought over here]] to be slaves so that they could be found worthy of the nations". Nevertheless, there are Black members of the Twelve Tribes, which teaches the belief that "slavery is over for those who believe". The SPLC concludes that since the Twelve Tribes only consider themselves true believers, this belief does not apply to [[Black people|black persons]] who are outside the group.<ref name=":0" />

===Departure from Germany===
On September 5, 2013, German police raided two communities belonging to the Twelve Tribes and removed 40 children to protect them from continued abuse.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 5, 2013 |title=German Christian sect raided and children put in care |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23977577 |work=BBC News}}</ref> The raid was prompted by undercover reporting by Wolfram Kuhnigk, who secretly recorded how the sect beat their children. The group admits that they use a "reed-like rod" for discipline but denies abusing their children.<ref name="stentwood">{{cite news |author=Jamie Merrill |date=September 16, 2013 |title='It is our right to use the willow cane': Inside the Twelve Tribes Christian fundamentalist sect at centre of childcare controversy |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/it-is-our-right-to-use-the-willow-cane-inside-the-twelve-tribes-christian-fundamentalist-sect-at-centre-of-childcare-controversy-8820271.html |access-date=September 17, 2013 |work=The Independent |location=London}}</ref> In 2018, the [[European Court of Human Rights]] upheld the German move to take away the children from the sect:<ref>{{cite web |last=Gesley |first=Jenny |date=April 19, 2018 |title=Germany / European Court of Human Rights: Caning of Children Justifies Withdrawal of Parental Authority |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2018-04-19/germany-european-court-of-human-rights-caning-of-children-justifies-withdrawal-of-parental-authority/ |website=Library of Congress |quote=Furthermore, the ECtHR [European Court of Human Rights] decided that the risk of inhuman or degrading treatment of children, which is prohibited in absolute terms in article 3 of the ECHR, justified the partial withdrawal of parental authority and the splitting up of the families.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=August 23, 2019 |title=Case of Wetjen and Others v. Germany (European Court of Human Rights) – LawEuro |url=https://laweuro.com/?p=8248 |access-date=September 24, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref>

{{blockquote |text=In [the ''Wetjen v. Germany'' case], the parents believed, based upon their religion, that they had the obligation to cane their children under the age of 12 when they were disobedient. The Court distinguished the right granted to parents to pass on their religious and philosophical beliefs from the Wetjen's actions stating that, "[w]hile the Court has accepted that this [the passing on of moral convictions] might even occur in an insistent and overbearing manner, it has stressed that it may not expose children to dangerous practices or to physical or psychological harm."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Family Ties: The European Court of Human Rights' Protection of the Family and its Impact in Future Litigation |url=https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/jil/vol52/iss1/32/ |first=Rebecca J. |last=Cambron |journal=[[Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law]] |volume=52 |issue=1 |article-number=32 |page=711 |year=2020}}</ref>}}

Some children were returned to their parents and some were not. The Twelve Tribes left Germany for the Czech Republic in 2017.<ref>{{cite podcast |host=Tim Elliott |date=January 2, 2023 |work=Inside the Tribe |title=Under Investigation – 07 |url=https://dm.org.au/podcast/inside-the-tribe/ |publisher=DM Podcasts |time=23:00 |access-date=September 9, 2025}}</ref>

===Killing of Darren Cody Gambrel===
In November 2024, Darren Cody Gambrel, a member of the 12 Tribes, was found stabbed to death at the 12 Tribes community in [[Pulaski, Tennessee]]. Adam Arthur Rosenthal, who had joined the Twelve Tribes five to six months earlier, confessed to police of killing Gambrel to prove to God his faith.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fraga |first1=Jesse |title=What we know about Macon murder suspect's 2nd homicide case, missing persons report |url=https://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article296613459.html |access-date=September 25, 2025 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Harmon |first1=Chandler |date=December 17, 2024 |title=Investigator Testimony: Suspect Admitted to Killing – Main Street Media of Tennessee |url=https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/local/investigator-testimony-suspect-admitted-to-killing/ |access-date=September 25, 2025 |work=Pulaski Citizen}}</ref>

===Other issues===

In 2018, the group was showcased on the [[Vice Media|Vice HD]] channel in the United States on an episode of their [[Cults and Extreme Belief]] series, as former member Samie Brosseau accused the group of abusive practices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Twelve Tribes – Cults and Extreme Belief, Season 1 Episode 4 |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1743444035943/twelve-tribes}}</ref>

In July 2019, the American [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) released a 40-page summary of the results of a closed preliminary investigation stemming from allegations of child abuse at the group's Hiddenite, North Carolina, property.<ref name="FBI">{{Cite web |title=Twelve Tribes Part 01 of 01 |url=https://vault.fbi.gov/twelve-tribes/twelve-tribes-part-01-of-01-1/view |access-date=March 2, 2020 |website=FBI |language=en-us}}</ref>{{rp|page=1}} The documents revealed the existence of other investigations over the years to include suspicions of child abuse in other compounds. There were also deaths alleged to be suspicious.{{r|FBI|pages=4,7–8,40,51}}

In January 2020 Scott "Chen" Czarnecki, a former elder who helped establish the 12 Tribes in Australia, gave an interview detailing his reasons for leaving the Tribes to Australia's [[A Current Affair (Australian TV program)|''A Current Affair'']]. Czarnecki said he knew of babies that had been born [[stillborn]].<ref>{{cite news |date=January 15, 2020 |title=What drove religious elder to leave controversial cult? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=918Su4VgiY4 |access-date=September 26, 2025 |work=A Current Affair}}</ref> In February 2020, police in [[New South Wales]], Australia, executed a search warrant on the group's Peppercorn Creek Farm property, seizing documents and other evidence in what has been a prolonged investigation into allegations of child abuse in the group.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Secretive Sect Twelve Tribes Picton Farm Targeted by Police Search Warrant |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/macarthur/secretive-sect-twelve-tribes-picton-farm-targeted-by-police-search-warrant/news-story/3ba1b14bb36e45e532f353ce96b466c3&usg=AOvVaw3At1AHgtfGUOgMD_Dy0lcn |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref> In March 2020, police returned for a more extensive search operation for stillborn babies buried on the property—Czarnecki had leveled accusations that the group buried babies on their property— at Peppercorn Creek Farm and another of the group's properties.  At least one infant was found at the farm.  In September 2020, NSW police announced in a statement they anticipated a close of the investigation late 2020 or early 2021.  No official closure or criminal charges has been announced as of October 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sparks |first=Hannah |title=Religious sect Twelve Tribes under police investigation after dig for remains |url=https://aboutregional.com.au/religious-sect-twelve-tribes-under-lengthy-police-investigation-following-dig-for-remains/ |access-date=February 11, 2022 |website=About Regional |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sparks |first=Kayla Osborne and Hannah |date=March 3, 2020 |title=Police establish crime scenes at Twelve Tribes properties in Picton and Bigga |url=https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/6658826/police-establish-crime-scenes-at-twelve-tribes-properties-in-picton-and-bigga/ |access-date=February 11, 2022 |website=Illawarra Mercury |language=en-AU}}</ref> In August 2020 Scott "Chen" Czarnecki was found dead with penetrating wounds in his New South Wales home. A 17-year-old boy was charged with his murder.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flemming |first1=Tessa |last2=Gazy |first2=Matt |last3=Sibthorpe |first3=Clare |date=July 19, 2022 |title=Scott 'Chen' Czarnecki alleged murder trial continues in Coffs Harbour court |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/lismore/scott-chen-czarnecki-alleged-murder-trial-continues-in-coffs-harbour-court/news-story/db3efedc3788b3c57e98fa6d65904240 |access-date=September 26, 2025 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref>

In December 2021, [[Marshall Fire|a fire broke out]] in [[Boulder County, Colorado]]. In June 2023, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office issued its investigative summary of the fire in which it concluded that the Marshall Fire originated from two sources, one of them being a [[slash (logging)|slash]] burn intentionally started on the Twelve Tribes residential property six days prior on December 24, 2021, the second later fire being ignited by sparking power lines operated by [[Xcel Energy]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Curtis |last2=Dougherty |first2=Michael |title=Marshall Fire Investigative Summary and Review |url=https://assets.bouldercounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/marshall-fire-investigative-summary.pdf |publisher=Boulder County}}</ref> The slash burn was visited by local firefighters after a community member noted the size of the fire, however, the responders were reportedly unconcerned with the fire. A resident at the property told detectives that he allowed the fire to burn to coals at which point he covered the fire with dirt, but did not extinguish the coals with water. Criminal charges were not brought against those at the property as slash burning was not illegal in Boulder County.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Drugan |first1=Tim |date=June 19, 2023 |title=Marshall Fire investigation raises questions about safety of slash burning laws in Boulder County |url=https://boulderreportinglab.org/2023/06/19/marshall-fire-investigation-raises-questions-about-safety-of-slash-burning-laws-in-boulder-county/ |access-date=June 19, 2023 |publisher=Boulder Reporting Lab}}</ref> In September 2025, Xcel agreed to pay $640&nbsp;million to plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit. The Twelve Tribes was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Phillips |first1=Noelle |date=September 24, 2025 |title=Xcel Energy agrees to pay $640 million to settle lawsuit over ignition of Marshall fire |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2025/09/24/marshall-fire-lawsuit-settled-xcel/ |access-date=September 25, 2025 |work=The Denver Post}}</ref>

== Communal businesses ==
The Twelve Tribes supports itself through means that allow its members to work together, without the need to seek outside employment. The communal businesses the group owns and operates include:

* Parchment Press: A printing company offering printing services and also printing and selling the group's literature.
* BOJ Construction: A general contractor based in Plymouth, Massachusetts and operating nationally, using unpaid and child labor.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 4, 2016|title=FOX25 Investigates: Video Prompts Child Labor Investigation|url=https://www.boston25news.com/news/fox25-investigates-kids-working-on-local-construction-site/417099843/|access-date=January 8, 2022|website=Boston 25 News|language=en}}</ref>
* Commonwealth Construction: Construction contracting, primarily in the Southeastern US.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Staff Writer|title=Career forum at JFK school today|url=https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2008/04/04/career-forum-at-jfk-school/45067362007/|access-date=January 8, 2022|website=Savannah Morning News|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lebos|first=Jessica Leigh|title=Meet me at the Maté Factor|url=https://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/meet-me-at-the-matandeacute-factor/Content?oid=2525457|access-date=January 8, 2022|website=Connect Savannah|language=en}}</ref>
* Greener Formulas: A soap and body care research and development firm with ties to its other business, Common Sense Farm.<ref name="Rulison">{{Cite news|last=Rulison|first=Larry|date=June 4, 2018|title=State finds 'multiple' child labor law violations at Twelve Tribes Farm|url=https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Inside-Edition-airs-video-alleging-child-labor-12965339.php|access-date=January 8, 2022|website=Times Union|language=en-US}}</ref>
* Maté Factor: A yerba mate import company that also runs two cafés, in Manitou Springs, Colorado and Savannah, Georgia.<ref name=Bradbury>{{cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2022/03/07/yellow-deli-twelve-tribes-cult-exploitation/|title=Twelve Tribes' businesses like Yellow Deli exploit cult followers for free labor, ex-members say |website=[[The Denver Post]]|author=Bradbury, Shelly|date=March 7, 2022 |access-date=March 7, 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Tribal Trading store (Twelve Tribes), Irun, Spain.jpg|thumb|Tribal Trading store in Irun, Spain]]
* Tribal Trading: an organic foods distribution company based in Irún, Spain.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Las Doce Tribus|url=http://docetribus.com/|access-date=January 8, 2022|website=docetribus.com}}</ref>
* A farm in [[Kansas]].<ref name=Bradbury/>
* A construction business in [[Colorado]]. For that particular community, construction using unpaid labor is their main source of income.<ref name=Bradbury/>
* Stoneybrook Farm Market in Hillsboro, VA. A restaurant, bakery, and market located on a 45-acre farm close to the border of West Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stoneybrook Farm Market in Hillsboro |url=https://www.twelvetribes.org/community/hillsboro-store |access-date=August 3, 2025 |website=Twelve Tribes}}</ref> 
The group also runs restaurant chains:

* Yellow Deli Restaurants<ref name=Bradbury />
* Common Ground Café Restaurants

==Outreach and community organization==
[[File:12Tribes bus.jpg|thumb|upright|A Twelve Tribes 'Hippie bus' (2007)]]
[[File:Peacemaker1.jpg|thumbnail|upright|Peacemaker 1 bus (1984)]]

The Twelve Tribes evangelistic methods have been described as "unobtrusive".<ref name='Palmer2010'/> The Twelve Tribes uses mobile operations and vehicles to evangelize at various events:

* ''[[Peacemaker (ship)|Peacemaker Marine]]'': A Class-A [[barquentine]] sailing ship bought and restored by the group sailing on the Eastern coast of the United States. The group now gives tours and evangelizes at ports.<ref name="sn">{{cite news|url=http://savannahnow.com/node/625617|title=''Savannah Now'' article|last=Felty|first=Dana Clark|date=November 29, 2008|newspaper=Savannah Morning News|access-date=December 23, 2008}}</ref>
* Peacemaker I & II Buses: A custom [[PD-4501 Scenicruiser]] with added floor from the roof of an [[Aerocoach]]<ref name='Festival'>{{cite news |last=Wallgren |first=Christine |date=July 23, 2006 |title=A festival of peace Twelve Tribes opens its Plymouth home to curious neighbors |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/23/a_festival_of_peace/ |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |pages=1–3 |access-date=November 4, 2009}}</ref>

The Tribes also sends out members on missionary excursions. The first missionaries, or "walkers" relied on the goodwill of strangers and evangelized to anyone who would offer them a ride, water or a place to stay. According to a member, "We would go into town looking for people who loved God with all their hearts. Our backpacks got smaller as we realized people were really going to take us in. There are quite a few people in our community who we first met through Walkers." The group passes out [[Tract (literature)|tracts]] called "freepapers" inviting guests to visit or even stay with the group. Other events explicitly aimed at the public, such as Friday night celebrations and weddings, draw interested persons.<ref name='Palmer2010'/>

==Locations==
Locations as of 2025:<ref name="ITN 2025">{{cite news |title=The Intertribal News June/July 2025 edition |work=The Intertribal News |issue=June/July 2025 |page=2}}</ref>
;Tribe of Benyamin (Southeastern U.S.)
*[[Arcadia, Florida]]
*[[Asheville, North Carolina]] (Gladheart Farm)
*[[Brunswick, Georgia]]
*[[Chattanooga, Tennessee]]
*[[Hillsboro, Loudoun County, Virginia|Hillsboro, Virginia]] (Stoneybrook Farm)
*[[Pine Island (Lee County, Florida)|Pine Island, Florida]] (Gatherings Grove Farm)
*[[Pulaski, Tennessee]]
*[[Savannah, Georgia]]
*[[Mobile, Alabama]]

;Tribe of Yehuda (Northeastern U.S.)
*[[Bellows Falls, Vermont]] (Basin Farm)
*[[Cambridge, New York]] (Common Sense Farm)
*[[Coxsackie, New York]]
*[[Hamburg, New York]]
*[[Hyannis, Massachusetts]]
*[[Island Pond, Vermont]]
*[[Ithaca, New York]]
*[[Lancaster, New Hampshire]]
*[[Oak Hill, New York]]
*[[Oneonta, New York]]
*[[Milton, Massachusetts]]
*[[Plymouth, Massachusetts]]
*[[Rutland (city), Vermont|Rutland, Vermont]]

;Tribe of Manasseh (Midwest and Colorado)
*[[Boulder, Colorado]]
*[[Overbrook, Kansas]] (Fieldstone Orchard)
*[[Lawrence, Kansas]]
*[[Manitou Springs, Colorado]]
*[[Warsaw, Missouri]]

;Tribe of Yowceph (Western U.S.)
*[[Valley Center, California]] (Morning Star Ranch)
*[[Raymond, Washington]]
*[[Vista, California]]
*[[Egegik, Alaska]] (fishing outpost)

;Tribe of Gad (Canada)
*[[Chilliwack, British Columbia]] (Fairfield Farm)
*[[Courtenay, British Columbia]] (New Sprout Farm)
*[[Kingston, Ontario]] (Abbey Dawn Farm)
*[[Nelson, British Columbia]] (Mount Sentinel Village Farm)
*[[Winnipeg, Manitoba]] (Little Mountain Farm)

;Tribe of Asher
*[[Katoomba]], New South Wales, Australia
*[[Kyoto]], Japan

;Tribe of Issachar (Argentina)
*[[General Rodriguez]]
*[[Sierra de los Padres]]

;Tribe of Shimon (Spain)
*[[Corella, Spain|Corella]]
*[[San Sebastián]]
*[[Orio, Spain|Orio]]
*[[Pedreguer]]

;Tribe of Levi (Eastern Europe)
*[[Mšecké Žehrovice]], Czech Republic
*[[Skalná]], Czech Republic
*[[Hvězdlice]], Czech Republic
*[[Cluj-Napoca]], Romania

;Tribe of Naphtali (Brazil)
*[[Campo Largo, Paraná|Campo Largo]] (Sítio Vale do Rio Verde)
*[[General Carneiro]]
*[[Itapecerica da Serra]]
*[[Londrina]] (Farm in Londrina)

;Tribe of Zebulun
*[[Honiton]] (Stentwood Farm)

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Twelve Tribes Communities}}
* [http://www.twelvetribes.org/ Twelve Tribes official website]
* [https://psmag.com/social-justice/children-of-the-tribes/"Children of the Tribes" (article by Julia Scheeres in ''Pacific Standard Magazine'')]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080705134923/http://www.twelvetribesteachings.com/ Twelve Tribes Teachings: Archive of teachings of the Twelve Tribes]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8621MWqFE "Children of the Island Pond Raid: An Emerging Culture" (documentary on the Island Pond Raid at the Twelve Tribes YouTube channel)]
{{New Religious Movements}}
{{Simple living}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Twelve Tribes (Movement)}}
[[Category:1972 establishments in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Christian communities]]
[[Category:Christian fundamentalism]]
[[Category:Christian new religious movements]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1972]]
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[[Category:Culture of Chattanooga, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Intentional communities in the United States]]
[[Category:Island Pond, Vermont]]
[[Category:Jesus movement]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 1970s]]