The Brief
- Former church worker Leslie Portillo is relieved following federal raids and arrests of David E. Taylor, leader of the Kingdom of God Global Church, and executive director Michelle Brannon.
- Portillo spent more than three years working at Taylor’s ministry in Michigan and said she saw firsthand what she describes as abusive and manipulative practices.
- Portillo said Taylor exploited young, devoted followers for labor and money, using religion as a cover for coercion and control.
TAMPA, Fla. – Leslie Portillo’s friend, Danielle Hendrick, first encountered David E. Taylor on a call-in worship show in 2015, seeking prayer for a medical condition. Soon after, Portillo and Hendrick were recruited to help market Taylor’s company, Joshua Media Ministries International, which eventually became the Kingdom of God Global Church.
Portillo lived at Taylor’s Michigan ministry for several months while working. She said she witnessed verbal abuse and manipulative behavior, describing how staff members were humiliated and conditioned to unquestioningly follow Taylor’s teachings.
“He conditioned them to think a certain way, they all fell for it. We all did,” Portillo said, “even myself. Anybody who donated, anybody who was involved, we all like at some point, believe we wanted to believe that it was a good place, a good person. But unfortunately, it’s not.”
The backstory:…