Lara also made controversial statements about the Trinity that cost her the support of many churches and Christian institutions that had previously endorsed her.
Former Members Detail Toxicity, Abuse
Glen Wingerd, who used to live in Brentwood, likened the Remnant Fellowship community to “The Handmaid’s Tale” or “The Stepford Wives.” In the docuseries, Glen and his wife, Carey, share the story of losing their daughter, Delaney, to Remnant after she began dating a boy who was involved in the church.
Episode 2, “A Family Affair,” looks at Lara’s family specifically, including the impact of the church on her children and her divorce from her first husband, David Shamblin, after a 40-year marriage. The episode also explores how Gwen Shamblin Lara and Remnant impacted other families, including Joe Lara’s former girlfriend Natasha Pavlovich (who had a daughter with the “Tarzan” actor) and congregants Joseph and Sonya Smith.
The Smiths were convicted of murdering their eight-year-old son, Josef. The docuseries implies the Smiths’ actions were influenced by Remnant’s teachings on the use of corporal punishment and the importance that children obey. Their story is expounded on in the third episode, “Seen and Not Heard.”
One former Remnant member who wanted to remain anonymous said the church’s teachings on weight brought back her eating disorder and pushed her to the brink of death. Gwen Shamblin Lara threatened that the woman would losing custody of her child if she tried to leave Remnant, the woman says, so she decided to have an affair with Michael Shamblin (who had a habit of being unfaithful to his wife). She then used the threat of going public as leverage to get custody of her child and leave the church.
Other members recount experiencing depression, mental abuse, and abusive teachings on wives submitting to their husbands. Wilson said that when she would confront her husband about his infidelity and addiction, he would threaten to turn her in to church leaders for not being submissive enough.
Former member Teri Phillips said she was told to deal with depression by praying her demons away instead of taking the antidepressants that were helping her not to have panic attacks. After she sought help from a doctor because she was thinking about suicide, authorities took her to a mental health facility and put her with a highly disturbed roommate. When Phillips called her husband to get her out, he told her a prominent church leader had said she deserved to be there and deserved “hell on earth.”
Remnant Fellowship Responds
The “Way Down” producers say that starting in January 2021 they contacted Remnant Fellowship repeatedly for eight months to get the church’s response to the allegations made in the documentary as it was being filmed.
