Twelve Tribes communities
Twelve Tribes | |
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Classification | |
Structure | Apostolic Council[2] |
Region | North America, South America, Western Europe, Australia[3] |
Founder | Elbert "Gene" Spriggs |
Origin | 1972 Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States |
Members | 2,500–3,000[4] |
Official website | www |
The Twelve Tribes, formerly known as the Vine Christian Community Church,[5] the Northeast Kingdom Community Church,[6] the Messianic Communities,[6] and the Community Apostolic Order,[7] is a movement that is defined as either a cult[14] or a new religious movement.[7]: 155 It was founded by Gene Spriggs and sprang out of the Jesus movement in 1972 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[2] The group calls itself an attempt to recreate the
The group's origins in Chattanooga led to
The group's strict courtship rules and their views on child rearing have been a source of controversy. The use of community labor, in which all funds are managed by the group as opposed by individuals, has been criticized for being exploitative and allowing child labor.[15]
They have been criticized for their beliefs and practices, including for their supremacist views against black and Jewish people outside of their membership. The group's teachings have been characterized as "racist, misogynistic and homophobic", and ex-members report excessive corporal punishment, failure to stop child sexual abuse, and exploitation of followers for labor.[16]
History
Origins
The origins of the Twelve Tribes movement can reportedly be tracked back to the "Light Brigade," a 1972 teenagers' ministry.
Their withdrawal from the religious mainstream turned what had been a friction-filled relationship into an outcry against them.
Move to Vermont

The move to Vermont, combined with an initial period of economic hardship, caused some members to leave.
During the 1980s, Twelve Tribes members followed Grateful Dead tours by bus, recruiting members from their concerts.[26]
Expansion

By 1989, the church had become widely accepted in Island Pond[29] 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 phase, the group used the name Messianic Communities, before deciding to rename itself The Twelve Tribes.
Through the mid-
Death of founder
The founder of the movement, Elbert Eugene Spriggs Jr. (May 18, 1937 — January 11, 2021), died in 2021 while visiting his Hiddenite, North Carolina, property. Within the movement Spriggs was also known as "the anointed one" and by the Hebrew name "Yoneq".[33]
Beliefs and practices
The Twelve Tribes's beliefs resemble those of
One noted aspect of the group is its insistence on using the name "Yahshua",[6] as opposed to Jesus.[1] Because the name "Yahshua" represents the nature of Jesus, the group similarly bestows upon each member a Hebrew name that is meant to reflect the personality of the individual.[36]
The group believes there are Three Eternal Destinies. It believes that after the
Leadership and structure
The leadership within is structured as a series of Councils which consists of local councils, regional councils, and a global Apostolic Council;[2] the group is also overseen within these councils by a fluid number of teachers, deacons, deaconesses, elders and apostles.[7] Gene Spriggs is highly regarded as the first person to open up his home to brothers and sisters, but members state that he is not regarded as a spiritual figurehead.[28]
The group operates as a
Courtship and marriage
Courtship within the Community involves a "waiting period"
Weddings are dramatized pre-enactments[8] of what the group believes will happen at the end of time when "Yahshua" returns to earth for his bride.[19][28]
Children
Children have been noted to play a central role in the group's
Businesses
The Twelve Tribes supports itself through means that allow its members to work together, without the need to seek outside employment. 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.[44]
- Commonwealth Construction: construction contracting, primarily in the Southeastern US.[45][46]
- Greener Formulas: A soap and bodycare research and development firm with ties to its other business, Common Sense Farm.[47]
- Maté Factor: a yerba mate import company that also runs two cafés, in Manitou Springs, Colorado and Savannah, Georgia.[15]

- Tribal Trading: an organic foods distribution company based in Irún, Spain.[48]
- A farm in Kansas.[49]
- A construction business in Colorado. For that particular community, construction using unpaid labor is their main source of income.[49]
The group also runs restaurant chains:
- Yellow Deli Restaurants[15]
- Common Ground Café Restaurants
Controversies
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 in order to research it. He also received information on the group's teachings from high level former members.[10] 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."[50]
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."[51]
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.[52] Swantko, who also represents the group in legal matters,[53] has presented at conferences[52] including the Communal Studies Association[54] and Society for the Scientific Study of Religion[55] 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
The Island Pond raid

On June 22, 1984, Vermont State Police arrived at the Twelve Tribes's 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.[7]: 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".[7]: 153
The Vermont Chapter of the
In 1992, John Burchard, who had been the State Commissioner of Social and Rehabilitation Services, and Vanessa L. Malcarne, published an article in
Teachings about Jews
The group teaches that the
Child labor and homeschooling
In 2001,
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.[68][47]
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 homeschooling their children, with a particularly long and protracted dispute between the community in Klosterzimmern, in the municipality of
Views on slavery
According to a 2018 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Twelve Tribes teaches its followers the curse of Ham as a racial curse that made Ham a servant of his brother, Shem. This teaching is used to justify slavery. Their teaching states that slavery was "a marvelous opportunity that blacks could be brought over here to be slaves so that they could be found worthy of the nations".[73] Nevertheless, there are Black members of the Twelve Tribes, which teaches that "slavery is over for those who believe".[73] The SPLC concludes that since Twelve Tribes views only themselves as true believers, this does not apply to any black person outside the group.[73]
Other issues
On September 5, 2013, German police raided two communities belonging to the Twelve Tribes and removed 40 children to protect them from continued abuse.[74] 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.[75] In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights upheld the German move to take away the children from the sect.[76][77]
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."[78]
On June 26, 2018, the group was showcased on the 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.[79]
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.[80]: 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.[80]: 4, 7–8, 40, 51
On February 19, 2020, police in New South Wales, Australia, executed a search warrant as part of Strike Force Nanegai, 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.[81] On March 3, 2020, police returned for a more extensive search operation for stillborn babies buried on the property at Peppercorn Creek Farm and another of the group's properties. On March 7, an updated report said the body of 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.[82][83]
In December 2021, 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 burn intentionally started on the Twelve Tribes residential property six days prior on December 24, 2021.[84] 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 is not illegal in Boulder County.[85]
Outreach


The Twelve Tribes utilizes mobile operations and vehicles to evangelize at various events.
- 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.[86]
- Peacemaker I & II Buses: A custom PD-4501 Scenicruiser with added floor from the roof of an Aerocoach[3]
See also
- Antisemitism in Christianity
- Black Hebrew Israelites
- Groups claiming affiliation with Israelites
- Jesus Army
- Jesus People USA
- Restorationism
Notes
References
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- ^ a b Wallgren, Christine (July 23, 2006). "A festival of peace Twelve Tribes opens its Plymouth home to curious neighbors". The Boston Globe. pp. 1–3. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
- ^ Legere, Christine (June 4, 2009). "Sect to increase holdings Plan would link harbor, downtown". The Boston Globe. p. 2. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Church to sell Yellow Delis, other properties and relocate". Chattanooga Times. WEHCO Media. March 26, 1979.
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- ^ ISBN 9780190927097.
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.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-138-23973-9.
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.
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Sangosti, RJ (2022). "Twelve Tribes' businesses like Yellow Deli exploit cult followers for free labor, ex-members say : Religious sect runs businesses around country including Manitou Springs' Maté Factor Café". Colorado News. ISSN 1930-2193. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
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- ^ Jamie Merrill (September 16, 2013). "'It is our right to use the willow cane': Inside the Twelve Tribes Christian fundamentalist sect at centre of childcare controversy". The Independent. London. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
- ^ Gesley, Jenny (April 19, 2018). "Germany / European Court of Human Rights: Caning of Children Justifies Withdrawal of Parental Authority". Library of Congress.
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.
- ^ admin (August 23, 2019). "Case of Wetjen and Others v. Germany (European Court of Human Rights) – LawEuro". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
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- ^ Johnson, Curtis; Dougherty, Michael. "Marshall Fire Investigative Summary and Review" (PDF). Boulder County.
- ^ Drugan, Tim (June 19, 2023). "Marshall Fire investigation raises questions about safety of slash burning laws in Boulder County". Boulder Reporting Lab. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ Felty, Dana Clark (November 29, 2008). "Savannah Now article". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved December 23, 2008.