The Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Plaster Rock, now known as the Family Worship Center, was founded in 1928 in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, by William Rolston, an Irish immigrant who began his ministry with tent revivals in the late 1920s. By 1932, a permanent church building was erected, marking the formal establishment of the congregation.
Leadership of the church passed to the McKillop family in the latter part of the century. Under Jim McKillop, the church operated under the umbrella of the United Pentecostal Church International but separated from that group in the late 1970s. After Jim McKillop’s death in 1982, Cecil McKillop became interim pastor until his son Dana, Jim’s brother, became senior pastor in 1984.
Under Dana McKillop’s leadership, the church experienced significant growth and expansion, with a second church established in New Brunswick and another in Maine. The church also began mission work in Belize.
In 2001, former church member Fletcher Argue filed a lawsuit that accused the church of cult-like practices. Argue stated that Dana McKillop fostered an environment of unquestioning loyalty, referring to himself as the congregation’s “Daddy” and promoting the shunning of individuals, including family members, who were not part of the church. Robert Pardon of the New England Institute of Religious Research backed Argue’s assertions. Since that time, other former church members have made similar claims, including one who has stated that the church has kept him out of contact with his adult daughter, who remains a member.
Dana McKillop’s son Daniel succeeded his father in 2010 and has taken the church online, with an active YouTube channel and a podcast called “Kingdom Speak.”
Steven Lambert, author of Charismatic Captivation: Authoritarian Abuse and Psychological Enslavement in Neo-Pentecostal Churches, said of the church under the McKillops, “Their structure, their government, the way they run it, it is indeed a cult.”
Key Sources:
Klager, B. (2001, February 25). Plaster Rock church at center of controversy, lawsuit. The New Brunswick Telegraph.
Klager, B. (2001, February 25). Plaster Rock: Founding traces back to 1928. The New Brunswick Telegraph.
Klager, B. (2001, March 5). Plaster Rock church leader inspires fear, devotion. The New Brunswick Telegraph.
Shannon, R. (2016, February 1). Plaster Rock ‘on edge’ over allegations about Family Worship Center. CBC News.
Shannon, R. (2016, February 3). Man says impact of ‘brainwashing’ remains 3 years after leaving Plaster Rock church. CBC News.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 