Larry Gazelka founded Built Anew Ministries in Minneapolis in the early 1980s after announcing a divine calling during an Assembly of God crusade. After a few years, Gazelka left his ministry after he was confronted by other pastors for allegedly spreading a false rumor about his own pastor, which he confessed to being untrue.
Around this time, Gazelka also left his first wife and children. He and his high school sweetheart, Helen, moved to Great Falls, Montana. Several followers from Minneapolis followed the Gazelkas to Montana.
In Great Falls, Gazelka held various jobs, including at an automotive shop and as a window installer. The ministry became dormant for a time. However, in 1995, Gazelka resumed his efforts by mailing weekly newsletters to interested individuals. A year later, he established a chat room on the internet. This online presence became the primary means for Built Anew Ministries to attract new followers, operating out of the basement of a private residence.
The ministry’s website, filled with biblical verses, presented a focus on seeking the “kingdom of God.” It also listed times for various international cities, creating the impression of a global reach, though former members claim this was not the case.
Around 1999, Marilynn Gann, a recently widowed woman from Oklahoma battling cancer, discovered the ministry’s website. Gazelka helped move Gann to Great Falls. According to Gann, after she arrived, Gazelka had her destroy photos of her late husband, work long hours as his secretary, and give him a significant portion of her disability check. She also claims she made him the beneficiary of her life insurance policy.
Gann left the ministry briefly in 1999 and created a website that was critical of Built Anew Ministries. She claims this action caused a significant drop in the number of participants in the ministry’s chat room. Gann eventually returned to the ministry. After she left again, she said on her revived website that she had been pressured to increase her financial contributions to the ministry.
Built Anew Ministries continues to exist as an online ministry offering range of services aimed at spiritual growth, including Bible studies, newsletters, and counseling.
Key Sources:
Bradley, C. (2001, September 23). Ex-members assail Great Falls online “cult.” The Great Falls Tribune.
Doctrine of Christ Ministry. (2025). Built Anew Ministries archive.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 