When the Method Becomes the Message

Inside the 2x2 Ministry’s Rigid System—and the Toll It Takes on Those Who Serve

The foundation of the 2x2 church is that its ministers go out two by two, following the account of Jesus sending out the twelve disciples to Israel. These men and women are to sell everything they have, leave their jobs and homes, commit to remaining celibate, and dedicate their entire lives to the ministry. They are to take no bag for their journey or extras, just what they need.

A Method Elevated Above the Message

The church’s understanding is that this is how Jesus sent the ministry, despite the fact that the ministry was sent out differently when spreading the message to the Gentiles. This method is a core tenet of the 2x2 church doctrine.

It’s safe to say that if you ask anyone about “the way”, they will say that itinerant ministers go out 2x2 to preach the gospel. Arguably, there is more of a focus on the method than on the message.

The ministry looks different today than it did in the early years after William Irvine founded the religion, and even different now than it looked when I was a child in the 1990s. Small changes over the years have had a significant impact.

The Illusion of Celibacy and Purity

Today, ministers are still homeless, giving up what they have, and dedicating their lives to the ministry. They are all single now, but married workers were allowed in the early years of the religion. As we have found out since the Dean Breur sexual abuse allegations and subsequent findings, many of the ministers are not celibate, although they portray themselves to be.

Several ministers have had affairs with one another, including both heterosexual and homosexual relationships. Others have had affairs with married women or men. There is a prevalence of porn-consumption, some ministers referring to it as “just something men do.” And most horrifically, countless ministers have allegations of child sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and rape.

What’s most astounding is that these guilty ministers have been able to function as overseers and workers, speaking on the platforms at convention and in gospel meetings as if they are the celibate, itinerant ministers that their congregation believes them to be. There is zero conscience of their duplicity, and some even feel they have done nothing wrong.

The Shadow Cast by Silence

All of this said, I’m sure there are workers who live by their calling faithfully. Unfortunately, the actions of other ministers have cast a shadow on the ministry as a whole.

Even so, most workers, guilty or not, have dug in their heels on the ministry's method rather than focusing on the message and living by it. They choose, instead, to ignore the victims' cries, feign care, or proclaim helplessness in the matter. Few have stood up for victims, spoken against leadership, or taken significant actions to promote change. Those who have will inevitably leave the work or are kicked out.

A Rigid Hierarchy and Loss of Autonomy

There is a hierarchy in the ministry, where the overseers are at the top, brother workers next, and sister workers are lowest. They lose their personal agency, and every choice is that of the overseer or older coworker. They are told what field they will serve in, what state, or even country. They’re told who their coworker will be each year and when and if they can visit their families. Their lives are largely controlled by the system in the name of submission to God.

At first glance, it looks like an incredible act of faith—and it is. But a closer look reveals a high-control system that controls the lives of these individuals. They can spend their entire lives in this system, serving faithfully, and the moment they leave, they’re left with nothing. Not to mention, they may also lose their entire community of coworkers who they thought loved them.

There is incredible shame for anyone who decides they can no longer be in the ministry and decides to go back to a “normal” life. Even if they have dedicated the majority of their lives to the ministry, following all of the rules, once they leave the ministry, there’s a certain stigma attached to them. However, I would say that ex-workers tend to hold onto a certain status that’s slightly higher than the average friend's.

It’s easy to say that workers can freely enter the work and freely leave. However, unless they have supportive families who will help them financially, many do not have the ability to leave even if they wanted to. Since many ministers enter the work straight out of high school, they have no life experience or job training. They’d have no money, no job, and nowhere to live.

What’s incredibly sad is the depth of shame and guilt that many ex-workers carry. When leaving the work is equated to leaving their calling and God’s will for their lives, it can do significant psychological damage to these individuals. Being in the ministry is touted as “the highest calling,” and to leave that feels like a failure.

Simplicity Then vs. Now

As a child, I remember the workers living more like what is described in Matthew 10. One worker in particular had two outfits that she had knitted and made herself. She wore one, and the other she would wrap up and use as her pillow at night. She truly carried very little with her.

Workers have always driven vehicles given to them by the friends. As a child, I remember them having old vehicles, some not having vehicles at all, and having to rely on the friends to transport them from house to house or to their gospel meetings.

Today, their vehicles are almost always brand new. A certain overseer was known to drive a Cadillac. Another brother worker drives an $80k truck. However, I would say the typical worker car is a white or maroon Impala. These vehicles are a stark contrast to the bicycles the early workers pedaled from home to home.

None of this is to say that any of these physical gifts and necessities are wrong. But to say it’s a homeless ministry is a bit far-fetched. The workers are well taken care of, as long as their superiors provide them with the money and materials needed—of which there is no lack. There are accounts of sister workers, especially, not being given what they need to survive, wondering how they’re going to buy personal care items. But I think that’s fairly rare.

Evangelism Becomes Inward Focus

As a teen and adult, I noticed a change in the ministry. As a child, the older workers would go door to door and hand out invitations to their gospel meetings, even having my siblings go along with them on this mission.

Around 1979-80, the overseers made a decision that evangelizing was no longer necessary, and that they would preach to those within the group, counting on current congregants to bring potential new members to meetings. I only recently learned about this, but it explains the slow but steady change from evangelizing and having “outsiders” in gospel meetings, to workers seemingly only meeting with “outsiders” that the friends have brought in, and there rarely being outsiders in gospel meetings. In essence, the ministry morphed from evangelism in its early days to primarily pastoral care in modern times.

A Narrowing of Mission

Since the 2x2 church believes its congregants are the only ones (hopefully) going to heaven, it is interesting that they decided to stop evangelizing and sharing the one true way with the world. It’s likely at this point that the group started to become more insular, especially since its members were not supposed to marry anyone outside of the group.

So, what does it look like for modern-day ministers to go out 2x2? The workers have vehicles, nice clothing, Apple watches, and definitely carry more than one bag. All necessities are provided by the congregants through donations, which are done in secret and never tracked.

Hosting the Workers

We’ve had many kind and caring workers in our home. They have played with our child, and occasionally, some would study the Bible with us, though, oddly, that was rare. Most of the time, they would be in their rooms, which were our daughter’s bedroom and a guest bedroom, while our daughter slept in our room while they visited.

When the workers visit, you make sure your home is clean and try to make everything as perfect as possible. It’s important to find out about any of their dietary restrictions, as it seems that most have some. You’re usually safe with a meal of meat and vegetables, avoiding gluten, dairy, and carbs.

Food was such a huge burden when having workers. Over the years, many workers complained or made remarks about what I served. Towards the end, I rarely made anything other than stew because no one complained about stew.

I will never forget the first time we had workers in our home. I went to a lot of work and cooked a full meal for them. One of them remarked, “Do you ALWAYS make this much food?” I was crushed. Of course, we didn’t always have that much food; we had done it for them. I do remember his coworker glancing over at him, knowing it was rude.

Most workers were incredibly health-conscious, which is fine, but can be difficult when you rely on the friends for your meals. Our fridge would be filled up with kumbocha, liquid vitamins, their preferred fruits and vegetables, and anything else they carried along with them from home to home. If you entered their rooms, the dresser and tables would be covered with bottles of vitamins and health supplies.

A Life Not Meant to Be Sustained

I understand this trend now differently than I did while I was inside the 2x2 church. I truly believe that the way that the ministry lives is not healthy nor was it intended by God to be done long-term.

Imagine rarely getting a moment to yourself. Imagine not having something to work on or a job to keep you busy. Imagine not having physical touch and genuine human connection with loved ones. Imagine your nervous system after years of constantly having to be “on” and interacting with the friends in their homes. It’s no wonder most of them have health problems or are always searching for a natural cure to their ailments.

Worker relationships aren’t what they seem, which we have learned through many, many accounts from ex-workers. Abuse is prevalent, whether physical or emotional. It’s heartbreaking.

Lost in the System

The greatest travesty is the number of young workers who enter the ministry full of love and hope. They truly want to spread the gospel and care for others. But once they’re in, they find it’s not what they expected. They learn to adapt, begin to shut off their emotions, and become disconnected, morphing into a shell of who they once were.

Kudos to the ones who thrive in the ministry, but I am confident there are few, especially considering the rate at which workers leave throughout the years. The number of people who actually stay is fairly small.

In fact, someone did the footwork to figure this out statistically. From 1990 to 2009, within seven midwestern states, 49 out of 62 people, or 79%, of people left the work by 2024. That's a rate of approximately 21% of workers who actually stay in. The average length of service was 13 years, with a range of 1 to 34 years. You can find this study here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-54MOvl_jzuESAzcUTlolwaieZGBRtjJ/view?usp=sharing

But this is not what God intended. He didn’t intend individuals to squash everything that they are to fill a role of conformity and control. Every person has unique and beautiful gifts, and that’s what God can use. He wants the full person, not the shell of a person run down by years of emotional neglect.

Even if the 2x2 church was started with good intentions to get back to the basics, it is far from that now. It is not what is presented, another way in which "the truth" has become a lie.

There Are Better Ways to Serve

There are so many roles available that are much healthier and more useful. Serving the poor, the homeless, and the sick, whether as chaplains, pastors, volunteers, or in some other capacity. The world is needy, and keeping care within a small group of people whose needs are already met seems selfish.

Yes, God wants to feed our souls, and He does, but Jesus served the outcasts.

---

If you are/were a worker, or know of a worker, who needs a way out—there is help available. Contact Bridges & Balm by visiting https://www.bridgesandbalm.org/ for confidential support—both financial and emotional.