Ex-member of Arise Church told she was 'choosing to be depressed', she says

Friday, 13 May 2022

Darshini claims the church struggles to help members of the congregation with mental health issues.

A woman who attempted suicide while feeling overworked in the Arise Church intern scheme claims the controversial group fails people with mental illness.

Darshini, who only wanted to use her first name, struggled with depression and undiagnosed bipolar disorder during her 10 years in the church.

Darshini said she paid $1000 to be an intern for the Arise Church’s Wellington base for a year in 2013. People pay the church to be part of the intern scheme, which has been criticised for being exploitative.

She worked 70 hours a week because she had to do a part-time job to financially support herself during the internship, she said.

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“My mental health got quite affected, and I needed help. I was getting quite unwell and made a suicide attempt.”

She stayed with the church and moved to Christchurch in 2016.

She still struggled with her mental health and felt like the church was ostracising her. Church leadership roles were taken away from her after she talked with mentors about her mental health issues.

She claims the controversial Arise Church intern scheme led to mental health issues.

They supported her, but they were struggling, she said.

“People in the church don’t know how to deal with it very well. They say they are trying to help you, but it makes you feel like you are being targeted.

“It sends a message that you are not well enough, and you are not right and there is something wrong with you.”

They told her she was “choosing to be depressed rather than choosing joy”.

Arise Church senior pastor John Cameron, seen here in 2015, has resigned from the church’s governing board.

“They would say that joy is a choice.”

She had a psychotic episode in 2020 and tried to sleep on the doorstep of one of the pastor’s homes. She scared their daughter and the police were called.

A service at Arise church in Wellington in 2012.

After the incident, she was sent an email saying she was not allowed to attend church services or contact any staff or pastors directly. She was trespassed from the pastor’s home and told she would be arrested if she returned there.

But the email said she was allowed to watch services online.

“When participating in chat environments please ensure your contribution is uplifting and appropriate for a general audience,’’ the email stated.

Arise Church's main building in Petone, Lower Hutt.

She said the reaction was unfair, ignoring her decade of service and thousands of dollars of donations to the church. She felt frustrated that she couldn’t tell her side of the story.

“I deserved the benefit of the doubt. They knew what I was going through.

“They cut me off completely. They were acting like I had done something violent. I have never done anything violent to anyone.”

A spokesperson for Arise Church, which has vowed to change following a wave of criticism over its practices, said they could not comment on the specifics of Darshini’s claims. They said her claims about the church “paint an incorrect picture of the situation”.

“Due to privacy obligations we are unable to comment on specific situations or allegations,’’ they wrote in an email.

“However, we are deeply saddened that Darshini feels that Arise Church handled her mental health problems poorly and that she felt ostracised from the church.

“We are resolute in our desire to see any change or correction that is necessary as a consequence of the review process that is currently under way.”

Pastors from Arise had been involved in supporting mental health journeys, the statement said, with professional guidance “at every step” from mental health professionals and police.

“Sometimes professional advice has included putting clear parameters in place – for the safety of all individuals involved,” the spokesperson said.

Darshini left the church in 2020 and now feels like she is better able to manage her bipolar disorder.

She said she was speaking out on the issue because she didn’t want other people to suffer at the church.

“Nothing has changed. That is what I am afraid of.

“It is so dangerous. They don’t like people with mental health, or they can’t handle it, or it is too much for them.”