Did Word of Faith Ministers Really Hand Out Birth Control to Decide Who Had Children?

True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews · May 18, 2026 · 20m

Jane Whaley had no seminary degree, no ordination, and no formal ministry credentials. She was a former high school math teacher from rural North Carolina. And according to former members of the Word of Faith Fellowship, she allegedly controlled which of her followers could date, marry, have intimate relations with their own spouses, and have children. The church reportedly started in a converted steakhouse in Spindale in 1979 and grew into an organization with hundreds of members and affiliations across multiple countries. Former members told the Associated Press that the early days felt…