Members of the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast Committee say they would not knowingly accept groups with cultic tendencies and are encouraging Christians to be judicious in choosing their leader for religious guidance.

Reverend Samuel McCook of Hope Fellowship Church, who is chairman of the prayer breakfast organising committee, addressed the issue at this week’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange in response to a question about whether organisations like Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries, which was headed by late cult Pastor Kevin Smith, could find space in an event like the prayer breakfast.

“We encourage every Christian to be a discerning Christian and not be carried away by charisma, eloquence or even the supernatural powers of their leader, but to anchor their faith in a biblical understanding, because we serve one God and He does not have demigods,” Rev McCook said.

He defined cults as groups that have values and teachings that conflict with orthodox understanding of the Christian faith.

“The example of Kevin Smith is one of someone who had some elements of biblical truth, mixed with his own position. He used his religious setting for his agenda which ended up being a destructive agenda, which is something that the church could not be party to,” he said, adding “it is not always easy to discern these groups before they display extremist tendencies.”

McCook’s colleague committee member, Reverend Major Canute Chambers, who is also chairman of the Jamaica Pentecostal Union, agreed.

“For my assembly, I often say to persons to know the word of God for yourself so that you can differentiate any deviation from what the word is saying and from what God requires. I promote humility as a servant leader. I don’t elevate myself above persons,” Rev Chambers said.

“It is definitely a challenge in our society, in churches because some were sent and some went. So not everybody who leads an assembly is somebody that is called out genuinely by God with the heart of a shepherd to lead people in the right way,” he added.

Last week, during at the National Day of Prayer at Power of Faith Ministries in Portmore, St Catherine, Prime Minister Andrew Holness addressed the issue of false leaders, saying that they are not people who randomly emerge on the scene, but are have been around for decades.

“Many of these people who you see coming up with all kinds of foolishness are mercenaries being paid to execute an agenda to mislead, misdirect, and disrupt,” the prime minister said.

“I am urging every Jamaican to refocus at this time as we look towards the celebration of our 60th [anniversary of Independence]; the country must be unified. The 60th year is an important year. We are in the decade when we should be achieving Vision 2030,” Holness said.