And if so, have you had any personal experience with it?
My parents got deeply involved in this in when I was about 4 in 1969. They knew a man by the name of Bob Mumford personally, who on his website still mentions the Princeton, NJ- Friday night prayer meetings that they both attended. My parents left the meetings with no explanation as to why in 1978. The whole thing is a taboo subject in my family. Because of this fact, I never knew that those Friday night prayer meetings in someone's house was part of a larger movement until just this weekend.
I began my search with 'Cults' and 'Church's that Abuse' and found Bob Mumford's name under both. I was shocked to learn how extensive this movement was. And though it lasted less then 15 years, there was alot of damage done. I'm still in therapy...
Some info:
Shepherding MovementFrom Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherding_MovementThe Shepherding Movement (sometimes called the "Discipleship Movement") was an influential and controversial movement within some British and American charismatic churches, emerging in the 1970s and early 1980s. The doctrine of the movement emphasized the "one another" passages of the New Testament, and the mentoring relationship described in 2 Timothy.
History
It began when four well-known Charismatic teachers, Bob Mumford, Derek Prince, Charles Simpson, and Don Basham, responded to a moral failure in a charismatic ministry in South Florida. Witnessing this failure, the four men felt mutually vulnerable without greater accountability structures in their lives. They also felt the charismatic movement was becoming individualistic and subjective. These realizations, led them to mutually submit their lives and ministries to one another. Ern Baxter was later added to the core leadership of the group, and they became known as the "Fort Lauderdale Five."
Their relationships, and the doctrines which they began to emphasize in support and definition of these relationships gained wide approval, as they addressed a strongly felt need of many in the burgeoning charismatic movement - greater accountability, character development and deeper relationships. Other charismatic ministers began to submit to the authority of the Five. The relationships that were formed became known theologically as "covenant relationships." A network of cell groups were formed. Members had to be submitted to a "shepherd", who in turn was submitted to the Five or their representatives. At its height, an estimated 100,000 adherents across the US were involved in the networks.
snip.........
Criticism and controversy
The movement gained a reputation for controlling and abusive behaviour, with a great deal of emphasis placed upon the importance of obedience to one's own shepherd. In many cases, disobeying one's shepherd was tantamount to disobeying God. A few of these criticisms were exaggerated, but many lives were damaged. One such testimony can be found in the book Damaged Disciples by Ron and Vicki Burks. Noted Baptist evangelist Bailey Smith, for example, in his work "Real Evangelism" mentions having collected a very large number of testimonies of people he had encountered who were damaged by Shepherding teachings.
more at link.......
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