A Swansea church has been accused of radicalising university students and leaving them "damaged", claims that the church strongly refutes.
Swansea University's student newspaper The Waterfront published a report online in December claiming that Freedom Church Swansea had been "banned" from campus, which has subsequently been reported in local press.
While it appears that this was a misrepresentation of the university's position, and the church has not explicity been banned, the institution has raised concerns about the church's "cultic style of operation" and taken steps to "protect" students from the church.
A statement from a university spokesman said: "Swansea University is committed to the protection of its students through its Safeguarding Policy and the UK PREVENT Agenda, which urges public bodies, including education institutions, to have a critical role in preventing extremism, terrorism and radicalisation.
"Concerns have been raised by various organisations and individuals in Wales and elsewhere about the operational methods used by the Freedom Church to recruit members by targeting vulnerable members of society and their cultic style of operation."
The student article included a number of anonymous accounts from students who had attended the church and subsequently had doubts about some of its practices. They spoke of the church's leadership structure, a focus on approaching new people at the church and making the church appealing to young people.
One student told The Waterfront: "I am embarrassed to say I was so easily almost 'brainwashed' into not noticing anything I didn't like as I was just so blinded by how nice they were."
Head of student services at the university, Kevin Child, told Christian Today: "We have enough evidence to make sure they [Freedom Church] don't operate on this campus. I also have a group of students who have been badly damaged."
Kris Coppock, location director for Freedom Church, said: "We obviously disagree with some of the things that have been said about us, we don't think that portrays in any way how we should be operating as a church and how we do operate.
"Part of the grounds that were cited was the responsibility of the university under the UK PREVENT agenda to prevent the radicalisation of students. The UK PREVENT agenda doesn't say anything that relates to Christian communities worshiping in a city where there are students. We were surprised that that piece of government advice was being applied to an evangelical Christian group meeting to worship."
Responding to the allegation that people had been damaged by the church, Coppock said: "It's something that I'm troubled to hear. I think our heart would be to be meet with anyone that has a negative perspective on the church. That's obviously certainly not something that we're about."
When asked about the specific 'cultic' practices that had raised concerns, Child's response was limited by the need for confidentiality. However, he said there was one specific concern about the "very clear profiling system of new arrivals."
"The first time you enter a meeting, you're profiled in depth: date of birth, background, activities, everything else," Child said.
Coppock said: "We don't profile anybody, I really strongly refute that."
He added that the church has one form for those who wish to sign up to the mailing list, which it uses to tell people about events at the church and to send newcomers a thank you card, something that Coppock said had been "warmly received" by many people.
"The whole idea is to make guests feel welcomed, embraced and loved," Coppock said.
Freedom Church in Swansea began as an offshoot of the other Freedom Churches in Wales, the main church based in Hereford, and another church campus in Cardiff. The different church sites use a video link for Bible teaching.
The church began as a small group of people meeting in a hired room on the university campus, but stopped meeting on campus last summer and launched elsewhere in September 2014. According to Coppock, Kevin Child gave them a positive reference when they finished using the university's meeting room.
"We were not aware of any concerns about us or any ill feeling," Coppock said. "We weren't actually meeting on the university campus anyway, so it's strange to be banned from somewhere that you're not meeting."
Child said that his concerns about Freedom Church were shared by people from other institutions. "I have a number of people I work with quite closely in other institutions and organisations throughout the UK, and when this first came to light I just asked around. It was highlighted to me then that Freedom Church has been stopped from operating on the Cardiff campuses," Child said.
When asked about the problems with the Cardiff church, Coppock told Christian Today: "We haven't had any problems. There was a reference to the fact that we've been banned from Cardiff University... to the best of our knowledge that isn't true – we've never had any correspondence from the university. We've not met at the university."
Swansea university removed about 250 posters that the church had put up around the campus before freshers' week in the autumn. It appears this has little to do with the church's religious status or practices but was done because the university does not allow outside organisations that are not affiliated with the student union to put up posters or hand out fliers.
The university spokesperson also said in the initial statement: "We have also been sharing our concerns with other organisations in the Swansea area to ensure that our students are protected from organisations such as the Freedom Church when outside of the campus as well. Our Student Support Service team will continue to provide support to all of our students in any way that we can."
Child told Christian Today that the university was not opposed to students evangelising on campus and that he had discussed his concerns about Freedom Church with the Christin Union. He added that he might send an email to students to warn them about the experience of people have had at the church.
"I am very open to all kinds of faith practice," Child said, "and this one just rang some bells. And I now have students who, there is no question, have been damaged by their experience. I don't think any Christian organisation, or any faith-based organisation, would be content knowing they have damaged people."
The church has requested a meeting with Swansea University to discuss their concerns.
Freedom Church is a member of the Evangelical Alliance, the umbrella body for evangelical Christians in the UK. The Alliance said in a statement to the South Wales Evening Post: "Freedom Church has demonstrated exemplary commitment to serving in areas of social concern and throughout its history has also exhibited an enduring commitment to mainstream evangelical Christian beliefs and practices as is required of members of the Evangelical Alliance."
