'I'm still healing from what happened at Soul Survivor'

When Kye* joined the staff team at Soul Survivor, he was a passionate believer in the ministry's values and mission. But his early optimism was soon dented by what he calls a "culture of control" overseen by the church's leader, Mike Pilavachi. Ahead of the release of Premier Christianity's new investigative podcast series, 'Soul Survivors', Kye shares his own story

Like the majority of the staff team, I was in my early 20s when I started working for Soul Survivor Watford. I was looking for a change in career and I wanted to do something with my life that felt like it had more meaning and purpose.

I’d previously done some youth work on a voluntary basis and was also involved in leading worship at my previous church, so a Christian organisation that ran youth festivals focused on worship seemed like the perfect fit. I believed this was God calling me to a new chapter in my life where I’d serve him and he’d give me purpose and meaning.