CHARLOTTE (NC)
WCNC
by Dave Wagner / NewsChannel 36
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — He is a Charlotte pastor who calls himself an “apostle” and is described by some as “charming” and “charismatic.” But former church members tell the I-Team, there is a darker side to this self-proclaimed disciple.
Pastor Clavon Leonard started the Church of Philadelphia in Charlotte’s Hidden Valley neighborhood. “We live by the word. People do by the word. It’s a church of love,” said Leonard.
But six former church leaders have come forward with accusations of spiritual, physical and sexual abuse. “I would describe him as barbaric,” said former minister of music Talitha Williams. Former church member Ayanna Armstrong described Leonard as a cult leader. “His whole being, that’s all he is, is mind control,” said Armstrong.
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