Global Revolution Church is an evangelical congregation founded in October 2008 in Orlando, Florida, by pastors Blake and Beverly Lorenz. Blake Lorenz had previously spent 16 years as pastor of Pine Castle United Methodist Church; Beverly Lorenz, a third-generation pastor, joined him in launching the new ministry.
The church built its identity around end-times theology, spiritual warfare, and digital outreach. Blake Lorenz frequently interpreted global events in civilizational terms, framing conflicts between religious traditions as signs of the end times and an intensifying struggle between good and evil. The church also relied heavily on online platforms, particularly Facebook, to reach young Christians and prospective converts nationwide.
The congregation drew international media attention in mid-2009 after becoming entangled in a high-profile custody dispute involving Fathima Rifqa Bary, a 17-year-old Muslim Ohio high school student who had converted to Christianity and left home. Bary had connected with Beverly Lorenz through Facebook, and in July 2009 traveled by Greyhound from Ohio to Florida, claiming her family intended to carry out an “honor killing” against her for abandoning Islam.
After arriving in Orlando, Bary stayed with the Lorenzes for nearly three weeks. The pastors did not immediately notify law enforcement or her parents that a runaway minor was staying with them, a decision that drew scrutiny under Florida laws on concealing runaway minors.
Allegations that the church operated in a cultlike manner surfaced soon after Bary’s location became public. Her father Mohamed Bary accused the church of effectively kidnapping, sheltering, and brainwashing his daughter. Representatives for the family argued that the church and affiliated evangelical networks had exploited a vulnerable, withdrawn teenager, allegedly stoking fears of martyrdom and honor violence to construct a dramatic conversion story. Islamic community leaders in Central Florida likewise questioned whether the church was reframing what might have been an ordinary runaway situation into an ideological campaign centered on conversion and opposition to Islam.
As law enforcement and family courts examined the case, further allegations emerged. Investigators looked into whether church associates had helped coordinate a broader national network of potential destinations for runaway minors, with the Orlando congregation described as a possible planned sanctuary. A former church administrator alleged in an affidavit that Blake Lorenz had privately admitted to helping purchase Bary’s bus ticket under an alias, despite being warned of possible legal consequences. Lorenz’s attorneys disputed this, maintaining the pastors had sought legal advice, repeatedly contacted state child welfare authorities, and acted out of genuine concern for Bary’s safety.
Child welfare agencies and law enforcement in both Ohio and Florida investigated Bary’s claims that her family had threatened her life, and both states ultimately reported finding no credible evidence supporting such a threat. In August 2009, Florida’s Department of Children and Family Services removed Bary from the Lorenzes’ home and placed her in state foster care, determining the church environment was inappropriate for her custody while the dispute was resolved. Authorities in both states also examined whether adults connected to the church or its wider network had illegally helped a minor cross state lines as a runaway.
No criminal charges were ultimately filed against Blake Lorenz, Beverly Lorenz or other ministry associates. The controversy gradually faded after Bary turned 18 in August 2010, and the dependency proceedings were dismissed without any formal judicial finding on whether the church had operated as a cult or on the competing claims about Bary’s family situation. Bary would later write a book about her conversion to Christianity, reiterating her claims that her parents had intended to kill her.
Key Sources:
Bary, R. (2015). Hiding in the Light: Why I Risked Everything to Leave Islam and Follow Jesus. Waterbrook Press.
Campo-Flores, A. (2009, September 9). The Christian Runaway. Newsweek.
Edwards, A. (2009, September 2). Couple who took in Muslim teen who converted to Christianity say they have no regrets. The Orlando Sentinel.
Heagney, M. (2010, August 10). Case ends as Rifqa Bary turns 18. The Columbus Dispatch.
Padgett, T. (2009, August 24). A Florida culture war circus over Rifqa Bary. Time.