Online Flock -- I prayed with LA’s ‘TikTok Apostle’ whose followers shake & collapse as she ‘casts out demons’ – ‘cult’ red flags I saw

I prayed with LA's 'TikTok Apostle' whose followers shake & collapse as she 'casts out demons' - 'cult' red flags I saw

A Former follower of LA’s controversial “TikTok Apostle” has revealed the disturbing warning signs he spotted while worshipping alongside her.

He claimed desperate people were being drawn into a ministry centered on one woman’s supposed supernatural powers.

Matthew, a former attendee of Kathryn Krick’s Five-Fold Church, told The U.S. Sun how he spent months watching the preacher perform dramatic “deliverances” before becoming increasingly alarmed by her teachings, demands for loyalty, and appeals for money.

The Los Angeles-based preacher has become an internet sensation, with videos showing followers shaking, screaming, and collapsing as she claims to cast demons out of their bodies.

But Matthew, who attended her services between 2022 and 2023, believes the scenes are driven largely by psychological suggestion rather than divine intervention.

“I don’t believe she has the Holy Spirit or any godly power,” he told The U.S. Sun in an exclusive interview.

Matthew, who is in his 40s, first encountered Krick’s ministry in January 2022 while searching for a new church after becoming disillusioned with several prominent Los Angeles congregations.

He had moved from Chicago to California in 2017 and was looking to reconnect with his Christian faith after years away from organized religion.

While scrolling through Instagram, he discovered a gathering called Revival in the Park and decided to attend.

His first visit took him to Griffith Park, near the Griffith Observatory, where he joined a crowd worshipping outdoors.

He returned for six consecutive weeks, initially believing he had found the spiritual community he had been seeking.

But small details soon began to trouble him.

Matthew recalled that Krick would arrive just as worship began and leave immediately after speaking and praying over attendees.

He said a group of seven or eight men would escort her to her car, leaving little opportunity for ordinary churchgoers to speak with her.

“Even before watching any exposé, I thought it was odd that someone holding meetings in a park wasn’t actually talking to people unless it was on camera,” he said.

A turning point came when Matthew heard Krick warn followers against watching videos criticizing her ministry.

According to his account, she dismissed her critics as “Pharisees” and liars.

Rather than obey the warning, he went home and watched an online video that challenged her teachings.

The experience prompted him to stop attending, though he returned several months later.

In January 2023, Matthew resumed attending Five-Fold Church after the ministry moved into an indoor venue in downtown Los Angeles.

He said he initially tried to put his earlier concerns aside, attending services almost every week until August.

But he began to notice an increasingly troubling emphasis on Krick’s own authority.

“I started noticing the sermons were all about Kathryn every week,” he said.

He alleged that Krick discouraged other members from praying over people, presenting herself as the person with spiritual authority inside the church.

“Nobody has authority to pray here except me, this is my domain,” Matthew recalled her saying.

He described it as one of the clearest warning signs he witnessed.

“I started seeing real signs of controlling behavior, which doesn’t match a church at all, and doesn’t match what Jesus taught,” he said.

Matthew also questioned the ministry’s repeated warnings against people who criticized Krick.

He said followers were encouraged to view outside criticism as persecution, comparing their leader’s experiences to those of Jesus.

According to Matthew, the message could make people feel guilty for questioning the church.

He recalled being troubled by claims that those challenging Krick had a “religious spirit” or were behaving like biblical Pharisees.

“It’s a thought-terminating device,” he said.

“It happens in basically every cult.”

His description reflects his personal experience and assessment of the ministry, rather than an independent finding that Five-Fold Church is a cult.

Krick has amassed a global following through videos showing people convulsing, crying, and dropping to the floor during prayer.

The self-described apostle presents these encounters as spiritual deliverances, which she teaches can free people from demonic oppression.

Her supporters credit the ministry with transforming their lives, while critics have questioned the extraordinary displays.

Matthew said he personally witnessed numerous deliverance sessions during his time at the church.

While he suspected some moments were staged, he stressed that he could not say the majority were fake.

“Back when I attended in the warehouse, there were a few moments that felt clearly staged. But I don’t think the majority are,” he said.

“I honestly don’t fully know what’s happening.”

He instead believes the atmosphere surrounding the ceremonies could influence how people react.

According to Matthew, Krick repeatedly encouraged audiences to expect miracles before praying over them.

He argued that such messages could prepare followers to respond dramatically once she approached.

“You’re told, ‘When you meet me, you’re going to encounter the power of God,’ and some people respond accordingly,” he said.

“At minimum, I think it’s the power of suggestion on desperate people.”

One encounter has stayed with him.

Matthew recalled seeing a woman who had traveled from Texas with her blind daughter, hoping the child would experience a miraculous healing.

He said Krick prayed over the girl, but he saw no improvement in her sight during the service.

According to Matthew, the preacher suggested that the healing would become apparent over time.

“That’s the kind of thing that breaks my heart,” he said.

“She’s targeting desperate people.”

The U.S. Sun has not independently verified the child’s medical condition or what happened after the service.

Matthew also raised concerns about the church’s approach to donations, alleging that followers were encouraged to give money as part of their spiritual commitment.

He claimed Krick frequently taught the importance of “sowing into the anointing,” a phrase he interpreted as linking financial contributions with receiving spiritual blessings.

“I wouldn’t call it ‘charging,’ but it’s baked into her regular teaching,” he explained.

Matthew alleged the messaging created pressure to donate because followers could fear losing spiritual protection or blessings if they stopped giving.

“It plants this fear that if you stop giving, you’ll lose God’s protection and blessing,” he said.

He argued that such teachings were especially concerning given the number of people he believed attended because they were struggling with illness, trauma, or personal difficulties.

Matthew also recalled Krick warning followers not to give a “dinky seed,” which he believed encouraged people to contribute more than they could afford.

His concerns come amid a significant increase in revenue reported by Five-Fold Church.

Publicly available nonprofit filings show the ministry reported approximately $33,000 in revenue in 2020, rising to $814,484 in 2021.

That figure climbed to $2.18 million in 2022 before reaching $3.97 million in 2023.

The 2023 filings also recorded approximately $3.9 million in expenses.

However, more recent financial figures are unavailable, as the church is not required to file annual tax returns with the IRS.

Krick was listed as the organization’s president, with no direct compensation reported in the filings for those years.

The records document the church’s financial growth but do not establish that Krick personally received its revenue or improperly used donations.

Matthew said he had separately researched Krick’s living arrangements and believed she had moved into increasingly expensive properties.

The controversy surrounding Krick has also deepened following allegations against the Tanzanian preacher she calls her spiritual father, GeorDavie.

An August investigation by The Guru Magazine reported claims that women had accused GeorDavie of sexual misconduct and that Krick had been informed of allegations as early as 2018.

One woman, Melissa Archer, alleged that the preacher subjected her to inappropriate questions and instructions during a purported spiritual deliverance session.

The publication reported reviewing messages and an audio recording connected to Archer’s account.

Former members also alleged that Krick defended GeorDavie when concerns were brought to her attention.

GeorDavie has categorically denied the allegations.

“I have never sexually assaulted anyone,” he said in a statement reported by ChurchLeaders.

He also rejected claims that his prayers or ministry sessions involved sexual misconduct, saying his intentions had been misrepresented.

Krick has publicly expressed support for her spiritual mentor despite the allegations.

Matthew said his departure from Five-Fold Church did not begin with a dramatic confrontation.

Instead, he stopped attending regularly in August 2023 after accepting a job that required him to work on Sundays.

The break gave him time to reconsider what he had experienced.

He returned for one final service in December, when he said his doubts became impossible to ignore.

“It’s not really about Jesus, she’s using His name, saying ‘praise God, hallelujah’ but nothing else adds up,” he recalled thinking.

He has since stepped away from organized church attendance but insists his experience has not destroyed his Christian faith.

Instead, Matthew said he continues to pray and read the Bible daily, while remaining cautious about religious leaders who claim extraordinary spiritual authority.

He also believes in miracles, making clear that his criticism is directed at Krick’s ministry rather than Christianity or supernatural healing generally.

“I follow Jesus, though not in an organized-church sense, especially after the 5F experience,” he said.

Matthew said his greatest concern is for people who approach the church believing their lives, health, or families could be transformed.

He warned that the promise of being part of a major religious revival could be particularly appealing to those searching for hope.

“When you’re spiritually hungry, you want that,” he explained.