top of page
Search

Church Check: Apologia Church in Mesa, AZ

Updated: Sep 1


Apologia Church Check

Basic Church Information


Church Name: Apologia Church

Senior/Lead Pastor: Jeff Durbin (Source: https://apologiachurch.com/meet-the-team/)

Governance Model: Board of Elders (Source: https://apologiachurch.com/meet-the-team/)

Board of Elders/Leadership Staff: Jeff Durbin, Luke Pierson, Zack Morgan, and James White (Source: https://apologiachurch.com/meet-the-team/)

Denomination: Baptist, Reformed/Calvinist, Theonomist, & Postmillennialist

Address: 717 N Stapley Dr, Mesa, AZ, 85203 (Church of the Redeemer)

Congregation Size: ~700-1,000 members; there are no public sources that share a reliable number of how many people attend or are members of Apologia Church, but individial reports from previous members and attendees indicate a membership of between 700-1,000.

Building Size/Church Property: N/A; Apologia doesn't own a church building; they meet in the Church of the Redeemer in Mesa, AZ.

Website: apologiachurch.com

Social Media Presence:


Church Specifics


Responsive/Open to Questions: No; There is a "Contact Us" form on the church's website, but all attempts to ask questions have been rejected and met with hostility due to the church's strict doctrinal dogmas excluding us from their denomination. They may be more open to answering questions from believers within their congregation or denomination.


Preaching Style: Topical Expository Mix


Membership Requirements: Yes; Former members and attendees have reported strict membership requirements and processes; Some former members have exposed a copy of the church's membership certificate, which is shockingly cultic

Church Discipline: Yes; Former members from Apologia Church, as well as the church's own stated practices on church discipline indicate strict and often abusive behaviors, including recording private discussions with members for alleged blackmailing purposes.

Tithes/Compelled Giving: Yes; The church has offering boxes and plays an "offering song" weekly

Financial Transparency: No; There is no publicly available financial information on Apologia Church, nor is the church willing to share financial information with non-members. It's unknown whether they share any meaningful financial information with their members, but when we asked, we were met with mockery and hostility. Apologia Church operates as an unincorporated entity, leveraging IRS exemptions for churches under Section 508(c)(1)(A), which means it is not required to file Form 990 returns, resulting in zero public disclosure of revenue, expenses, or fund allocation. This opacity can also be seen in Apologia Church's affiliated ministries:

  • Apologia Christian Ministries (EIN 26-1762060), a former 501(c)(3) tied to the church, had its tax-exempt status revoked by the IRS for failing to file required 990 forms for three consecutive years, with no filings ever publicly available.

  • Red State Reform (EIN 85-0705185), a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization linked to church leaders like Jeff Durbin and Luke Pierson also had its federal status revoked in August 2023 for non-filing, yet it remains active as a state-registered nonprofit per the Arizona Corporation Commission (AZCC) and continues soliciting donations via its website with unsubstantiated claims that "100% of your gift goes towards defending the liberty of all Americans."

  • End Abortion Now (EAN), another church-affiliated campaign "supported by the work of Apologia Studios" (now an LLC), routes donations through the church's platform with promises of "100% funding the end of abortion," but without independent audits or disclosures, there's no verification that funds aren't mixed or redirected to non-related activities, such as supporting the LLC's media operations. This pattern of non-compliance, revocations, and unverifiable promises across interconnected entities raises serious concerns about potential financial misconduct, including misuse of donor funds or avoidance of accountability.


Baptism Required: Unknown; While it appears to be a regular practice, it is unclear whether the church requires baptism for membership.


Worship Style: Contemporary/Hymn Mix


Ministry Affiliations:

  • Cultish

  • Alpha & Omega Ministries (James White)

  • Apologia Studios

  • Red State Reform

  • End Abortion Now

  • Doug Wilson (Canon Press, Christ Church of Moscow, ID)

  • Sheologians podcast

  • Action for Life


Safeguards Against Abuse: Minimal; While the church has a Board of Elders and discipline/oversight processes, frequent scandals and abuse allegations indicate serious gaps in accountability, particularly in handling knowledge of abuse allegations (e.g., the Hendrickson case) as well as abusive and cultic church discipline practices (See: Church Discipline)


Red Flags of Abuse & Corruption:


  • Church Discipline Scandals: Jeff Durbin, Apologia’s lead pastor, has been accused of recording church members (and non-members) without their knowledge and without their permission. The victims have confronted Apologia Church leadership with this abusive behavior, but they have yet to repent or apologize for this behavior. I have yet to find any apologies, remorse, or repentance from Apologia Church's leaders for this dishonest, abusive, and unethical behavior. There is a petition at change.org to get Apologia Church to repent of this behavior and change its ways.

  • Allegations of Slander & Breach of Confidentiality: Former attendee, Hailey Osborn-Merris has published multiple videos on TikTok accusing Apologia Church's elders of slander, gossip, and a breach of confidentiality against her and her husband, Cameron. This tracks with the many previous allegations of other former members who have accused Apologia Church's elders of breach of confidentiality and abusive discipline practices and using their private confessions unethically. I am currently writing a report detailing all of Hailey's allegations along with her supporting evidence. I will update this report accordingly once it is published.

  • Abuse Against Non-Members:

    • Jeff Durbin publicly maligned a man named Tim Hurd in an Apologia Studios episode called "Responding to False Witness" (See: Church Discipline under the Church Specifics section). Jeff admits to recording people as a practice of his pastoral care, doesn't apologize, and admits to doing the same thing to non-member and fellow believer in Christ, Tim Hurd. Despite these admissions, he calls Tim Hurd a liar dozens of times. In his response to Apologia’s accusation on his own YouTube channel, Hurd points out some things regarding the accusations made in Apologia’s video, including how they used an edited clip from one of his videos in order to accuse him of lying. Hear his response here.

    • Jeff Durbin has also publicly maligned and slandered Ex-Mormon Christian ministry leader, Shawn McCraney, on several occassions, accusing him of being a cult leader, calling him a "dangerous man," slandering his doctrinal beliefs by falsely claiming he is a Universalist, an apostate, and that he rejects the resurrection. He has also compared McCraney to David Koresh. Shawn McCraney, an alumni of Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel Bible College, is the leader of The Great News Network and has been in ministry teaching the Bible, criticising Evangelical and traditional Christianity, and as an ex-Mormon, comparing biblical Christianity to Mormonism McCraney on his shown Heart of the Matter, for nearly 20 years. In response to Durbin's slander and reviling, McCraney has reached out to Jeff Durbin privately many times to confront and correct him, and invite him to debate publicly on his doctrinal disagreements with McCraney. Durbin has always ignored these invitations and refuses to engage with McCraney.

  • Totalitarian Politics: When James White joined the leadership at Apologia Church, they made this announcement on their Instagram: (http://thewartburgwatch.com/2018/11/26/church-leaders-can-discipline-anything-they-want-but-you-can-get-out-anytime-you-want/)

ree

A commenter named Bridget understands why this is a clear red flag.

ree

If you recall what John Calvin’s Geneva was like and add Apologia's Theonomic teachings, including Durbin's assertions that women who have abortions should be executed for murder, these are significant indicators that Apologia Church espouses an anti-Constitutional theocratic and totalitarian government.


  • Protecting Child Abusers: In 2022, I received documentation and reports from a mother that revealed her adopted child was abused by her previous adopted parents, who were active and prominent members of Apologia Church. These parents refused counseling from DCS and reported multiple times during the DCS investigation that they were receiving counseling from the church. When I tried to question Jeff Durbin on these allegations, I was met with hostility, stonewalling, dishonesty, and aggressive legal threats. To read our reports on this red flag, please go here, here, here, and here.


  • Teachings on Child Discipline: Apologia church's leaders endorse and promote the child discipline practices of Doug and Nancy Wilson, and have discussed spanking babies as soon as "they're sinning," which according to one Apologia Studios episode, can be as early as 10 months old. In the same podcast episode, James White's daughter and one of the hostesses of the Sheologians podcast, Summer Jaeger, recites a parenting motto that smacks of authoritarianism: "Obedience now, all the way, joyfully."


  • Potential Financial Misconduct and Lack of Transparency: Apologia Church and its affiliates exhibit a consistent pattern of financial opacity and non-compliance that could indicate misconduct. Apologia Christian Ministries (now Apologia Studios, LLC) and Red State Reform both lost federal tax-exempt status due to repeated failure to file IRS Form 990s, leaving no public record of how donations were used during their active periods. Despite revocation, Red State Reform continues as an AZCC-registered nonprofit and solicits funds with an absolute "100%" allocation promise, which is often unrealistic and unverifiable without disclosures—potentially misleading donors about tax deductibility or fund usage. End Abortion Now, processed through the church, lacks separate entity status and financial reporting, with funds possibly flowing indirectly to Apologia Studios (an LLC not bound by nonprofit rules), allowing for flexible or unrelated spending. The church's unincorporated structure further evades any kind of third-party oversight. These are significant financial red flags that make donors vulnerable to to commingling, self-dealing, and tax evasion. There are no audits, lawsuits, or IRS findings that confirm outright fraud, but this church's repeated avoidance of transparency and accountability makes them prone to embezzlement or improper enrichment, especially amid other governance issues.


Pastor Background


Educational Background: Jeff Durbin holds a Master's of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry from Whitefield Theological Seminary. No additional formal academic credentials, such as an undergraduate degree, are publicly documented.


Ministerial History: Jeff Durbin founded and planted Apologia Church in Mesa, Arizona and has been the "Lead-Teaching Elder" since its inception in February 2010. Prior to this, he worked as head chaplain at a hospital focused on substance abuse and addiction recovery as a recovered drug addict himself. Durbin also founded Apologia Studios and leads the End Abortion Now ministry, which advocates for the criminalization of abortion. He is also involved in street evangelism and public debates. Before vocational ministry, Durbin was a martial arts instructor, business owner, stuntman, and actor. His conversion followed a personal crisis involving drug addiction and an overdose, after which he committed to Christian ministry.

  • Sources:

    • Apologia Church website (meet-the-team and doctrine pages)

    • End Abortion Now website

    • God Reports

    • ReformedWiki.org


Salary: Unknown. No public information is available on Jeff Durbin's salary or compensation from Apologia Church, Apologia Studios, or related ministries.


Red Flags:


  • Cult-like Accusations: Multiple reports from former members describe Apologia Church as operating like a cult, with practices including strict control over members, excommunications for disagreement, "spy games," potential blackmail, and emphasis on total alignment with leadership views. One former member stated, "They excommunicate people that don't agree with them 100%."

  • Controversial Advocacy on Abortion: Durbin has publicly advocated for the execution of women and doctors involved in abortions, framing it as a legal and biblical position, which has drawn criticism for extremism and potential incitement.

    • Sources:

      • AZ Central, June 24, 2024

      • Reddit (r/Christianity), June 20, 2020


  • Legal Threats, Information Control, & Pastoral Miscoduct: The church sent a cease-and-desist letter to Check My Church in 2022 over articles on the church's protection of court-ruled child abusers in their church, promising but did not pursue a defamation lawsuit in 2023, which is perceived as a bullying tactic. Reports also allege use of secret recordings of members in abusive "hard shepherding" practices.

    • Sources:

      • MinistryWatch, August 26, 2022

      • Check My Church, September 22, 2023 and March 30, 2021

      • Pulpit & Pen, January 7, 2020


  • Interpersonal Conflicts & Slander Against Other Christian Leaders: Involved in public disputes with and abuse against other Christian leaders, such as JD Hall, Tim Hurd, Leighton Flowers, and Shawn McCraney, over issues like holiness, ministry practices, Calvinism, eschatology, and other doctrinal disagreements, and has also faced backlash for using strong or foul language in responses to criticism.

    • Sources:

      • Alpha and Omega Ministries, August 3, 2016

      • YouTube (Apologia Studios), October 20, 2020

      • See the Red Flags section on abuse against non-members of Apologia Church


  • Lack of Transparency: Limited public details on governance, finances, or internal accountability, with criticisms that reveal red flags of abuse, legalism, and materialism.

    • Sources: Check My Church, March 30, 2021

    • MinistryWatch, August 26, 2022


Church Bylaws & Articles of Incorporation


  • Bylaws: Not publicly available in full. The church operates under a board of elders, including Jeff Durbin, Luke Pierson, Zack Morgan, and James White, with an emphasis on elder oversight and local church fellowship as described in their doctrinal statement. There is a membership agreement that includes commitments such as being "faithful unto death," but the full details are not publicly shared and remain under investigation. Governance includes ministry interest guidelines that require membership and a probationary period for leadership roles.

    • Sources:

      • Apologia Church website (doctrine and ministry-interest-guidelines pages, accessed August 15, 2025)

      • Pulpit & Pen, January 7, 2020


  • Articles of Incorporation: Not publicly accessible. Apologia Church appears to operate as an unincorporated faith-based organization under IRS Section 508(c)(1)(A) for automatic church exemptions, with no incorporation records found in Arizona Corporation Commission (AZCC) searches. It is associated with Apologia Christian Ministries (now apparently Apologia Studios, LLC), a former 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 26-1762060) whose tax-exempt status was revoked for non-filing of Form 990s, and Red State Reform, a state-registered nonprofit (Entity ID: 23072998) whose federal status was also revoked but remains active at the state level. This lack of formal incorporation for the church itself, combined with revocations of affiliated entities, contributes to concerns about accountability, as unincorporated status limits legal structure and public oversight while allowing funds to flow through exempt channels without transparency.

    • Sources:

      • TaxExemptWorld.com , accessed August 15, 2025

      • Arizona Corporation Commission website azcc.gov , searched August 15, 2025 and September 1, 2025

      • IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS), accessed September 1, 2025


Final Rating: Not Recommended


About Our Rating


Based on our investigation, Apologia Church in Mesa, Arizona, is not recommended due to significant red flags that raise serious concerns about transparency, accountability, financial misconduct, and potential abusive practices, including allegedly protecting child abusers, advocating for abusive child discipline tactics, a pattern of financial non-compliance across affiliated entities, and abusive church discipline and counseling practices including gossip, slander, and breach of confidentiality.


The church’s leadership, particularly Pastor Jeff Durbin, has been associated with controversies, including accusations of cult-like behavior, such as strict control over members, excommunications for minor disagreement, the unethical use of secret recordings in church discipline practices, gossip, slander, and breach of confidentiality. These issues point to a lack of safeguards against abuse and a culture of cultic control and abuse. The church’s aggressive advocacy for extreme positions, such as the criminalization and execution of individuals involved in abortions, has also drawn criticism for promoting divisive and potentially harmful rhetoric.


Financial red flags are also significant: The church's unincorporated status and church exemptions allow for no public financial disclosures, while affiliated nonprofits like Apologia Christian Ministries and Red State Reform have had tax-exempt statuses revoked for failing to file IRS Form 990s, with no historical filings available. Ministries like End Abortion Now solicit donations through the church with unverifiable promises, potentially allowing funds to flow to non-transparent LLCs like Apologia Studios. This opacity, along with unrealistic donation claims (e.g., Red State Reform's "100%" promise), indicate significant risks of misuse, commingling, or evasion, and leave donors vulnerable to fraud.


While Apologia Church emphasizes community outreach through ministries like End Abortion Now, this is overshadowed by recurring issues of information control, questionable governance practices, spiritual abuse, allegations of abuse and protecting abusers, financial red flags, a history of interpersonal conflicts with other Christian leaders, and other red flags of cultic control.


Our Christian perspective prioritizes the Gospel, honesty, transparency, liberty, integrity, Christ-like love, and protection of the sheep. The are qualities that we believe Apologia Church currently lacks, making it an unsuitable choice for those seeking a transparent, safe, and trustworthy church community.



Download a free PDF copy of this report:


Educate yourself on the red flags of church corruption and abuse by reading our free reports:


Anyone attending this church or any church should also check Dr. Steve Hassan’s BITE Model and Undue Influence Continuum to protect themselves from potential abuse and other cult-like treatment.




bottom of page