The controversy surrounding self-described "Apostle" Kathryn Krick just took a much more serious turn.
Krick, the viral leader of Los Angeles' Five-Fold Church, is facing explosive accusations from former insiders who claim she knew about sexual abuse allegations involving her longtime spiritual mentor, Tanzanian preacher GeorDavie, as far back as 2018-and allegedly defended him when confronted.
Christian YouTuber Ruslan recently sat down with former Five-Fold Church worship leader Cassandra Cymbal, who says she personally brought disturbing allegations about GeorDavie to Krick seven years ago. According to Cymbal, Krick's response was not what she expected.
"My hope is the same as it was in the beginning when I first called Kathryn, that...she would actually listen and see that this man is a predator," Cymbal told Ruslan.
Cymbal claims she was serving as a worship leader at Krick's church in 2018 when a woman approached her alleging that GeorDavie had sexually abused her. Cymbal said she was also shown screenshots that she says came directly from GeorDavie and appeared to corroborate disturbing aspects of the woman's account.
Cymbal has not publicly released those screenshots, saying that decision belongs to the alleged victim.
But what happened next is now putting Krick under intense scrutiny.
According to Cymbal, she contacted Krick the very next morning, expecting her to be alarmed by what she had heard. Instead, Cymbal claims Krick immediately became defensive, attempted to identify the alleged victim and ultimately dismissed the accusations.
Cymbal recalled Krick allegedly saying words to the effect of, "Daddy would never do this," while defending GeorDavie as a "gentle man." Cymbal further alleged that Krick characterized the accusations as Satan working against the church and called the woman a liar.
Cymbal said the reaction left her "pretty shocked."
The allegations are particularly significant because GeorDavie was not simply another preacher in Krick's orbit. Krick has publicly referred to him as her "spiritual father," and he was instrumental in commissioning her as an apostle.
Their organizational connections also stretch back years. Federal tax filings cited by ChurchLeaders show Krick served as secretary of Geordavie Ministries International in 2016 and 2017, while GeorDavie was listed as a director. By 2018, Krick was listed as director and executive director. The nonprofit later operated as Five-Fold Church, with Krick serving as president.
And Cymbal is not the only person now making serious claims.
Promise Keepers CEO Shane Winnings released a lengthy video on Aug. 8 warning Christians about Krick's ministry. Winnings, who says he ministered alongside Krick in 2021 and later confronted her privately, claimed he has personally spoken with women who accuse GeorDavie of sexual abuse.
"She has known about this for seven years and she covered it up," Winnings alleged, going even further by claiming Krick participated in a "smear campaign" against one of the women.
Winnings said some of the alleged victims remain unwilling to identify themselves publicly because they are afraid.
"There are victims out there of real crimes, criminal things," Winnings alleged. "Kathryn knows this."
Those are extremely serious accusations, and they remain allegations. The accounts described publicly by Cymbal, Winnings and others do not by themselves establish criminal guilt or prove that Krick deliberately covered up a crime.
Still, another former church member, Melissa Archer, has also publicly discussed her experience. Archer shared an investigation published by The Guru and said she left the church after learning about the allegations.
Archer told ChurchLeaders that Krick allegedly called her and said the woman making the accusation was lying and could not be trusted.
The controversy comes at an already turbulent moment for Krick, whose dramatic deliverance ministry and massive social media presence have increasingly drawn criticism from other Christian voices. Conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey recently issued a public warning about what she called Krick's "dangerous" ministry, including raising concerns about her connection to GeorDavie.
Krick has amassed more than 2 million followers across social media and become one of the most visible-and controversial-figures in the online deliverance movement.
Now, however, the debate is moving far beyond disagreements over theology, apostleship or viral exorcism videos.
The central question being raised by former insiders is much more serious: What exactly did Kathryn Krick know about the allegations against the man she called her "spiritual father," when did she know it, and what did she do after being told?
Cymbal says her reason for finally speaking publicly is straightforward: she hopes doing so could prevent someone else from being harmed.
"If this helps one person from being assaulted," she told Ruslan, then speaking out will have been worth it.
For Krick, the growing chorus of allegations could become one of the biggest controversies her rapidly expanding ministry has faced yet.
