Published March 11, 2023
I was abused — spiritually, mentally, and emotionally — by Doug Troyer and the elders of Crosstrain Church of Peoria, Arizona, back when the church was called Cornerstone Church and met in Glendale, Arizona. The abuse included harassment, invasion of privacy, coercion, enforced accountability and obedience, silencing, gaslighting, infliction of emotional distress, and when I resisted it, public shaming in front of the entire congregation. Efforts were even made to have my wife divorce me. I never agreed to allow the pastor nor elders to do any of these things to me, and the abuse left me traumatized for years.
I write about this publicly not just for my healing, but also for the healing of others who may have experienced similar abuse at Crosstrain Church. What happened to me was not a disagreement between the pastor, the elders, and myself. What happened to me was abuse. There are laws in place that should have protected me from the things these men did to me, but the pastor and elders did not take those laws into consideration. Laws against the invasion of privacy, coercion, harassment, and infliction of emotional distress were broken with complete impunity. The elders do not require a person’s agreement to subject them to such treatment and they allow no way out of it. This fact alone convinces me that this church is a danger to any individual or family who attends.
I have written here what I have wanted to write for years but found it too painful to do. I am withholding my name to avoid further reputational damage to myself than Crosstrain has already done. Anyone interested in contacting me may send an email to stillhealing@stopabusive.church