Chain of Command part 3
PRETEND
05/26/26
•34m
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In part three of Chain of Command, we hear from those who grew up in the New Testament Christian Churches of America. From Victor Johanson, a former Army soldier who confirms on tape that NTCC ministers got vasectomies because children would interfere with their ministry. From a woman we're calling Kaylee, who was raised inside the church and was groomed and assaulted by a family member who was also an NTCC minister. And we look at how the church's CEO, Michael Kekel, has publicly stated at one point that no church is under a legal obligation to report child abuse.
This episode discusses sexual assault and the grooming of minors. Please take care while listening.
Want to keep going? Bonus episodes featuring the full unedited conversations with Victor Johanson and Kaylee are available right now on PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts and on Patreon. You'll get bonus episodes and full access to the PRETEND archive.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Stay Away From NTCC (former member YouTube channel run by Tracy Pelfrey)
- The Mountain News (Bruce Smith's reporting on NTCC)
- Washington State Senate Bill 5375 (clergy mandatory reporting law, May 2025)
Support and resources:
If you or someone you know is currently serving in the military and feels pressured by a religious group, you have options. Military OneSource is available 24/7 at 1-800-342-9647. Your installation chaplain can also provide confidential support across all faiths.
If you're a former member of NTCC or another high-control group and looking for support, the International Cultic Studies Association at icsahome.com offers resources, recovery workshops, and a directory of professionals familiar with high-control group recovery.
If you've experienced sexual assault, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at rainn.org.
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Previous Episode
Chain of Command part 2
May 19
•31m
Part one was about control. Part two is about the money.
Behind the soul-winning and the sermons and the bylaws, the New Testament Christian Churches of America runs a very well-funded business. Tithing is tracked, enforced, and tied to your military paycheck. Fall behind and you go before the general board. Fall further behind and you lose your credentials.
So where does the tithing money go? Church CEO Michael Kekel told his congregation they owed $25,000 a year in property taxes on the fellowship hall. But tax records tell a different story. The fellowship hall paid $9.65. The $25,000? That's the bill on a personal house in the name of Kekel's wife.
In this episode:
-Tracy Pelfrey, former NTCC member of 17 years
-Bruce Smith, reporter, The Mountain News, who has covered NTCC for nearly two decades
-Sarah DeJonghe, former Navy Seabee and NTCC ex-member
-Archival recordings of R.W. Davis, founder of NTCC
-Archival recordings of Michael Kekel, CEO of NTCC
Next time on Pretend: Former members say that NTCC fosters a culture where adult men courting teenage girls isn't just tolerated — it's encouraged. That's next time.
Listen to Part 3 now:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985
If you or someone you know is currently serving in the military and feels pressured by a religious group or organization, you have options. The Military OneSource confidential helpline is available 24/7 at 1-800-342-9647. You can also reach out to your installation chaplain, who can provide confidential support across all faiths and no faith at all.
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Next Episode
Chain of Command part 4
June 2
•42m
Note: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse and psychological manipulation.
It started with a revolt. Thirty ministers walked out of NTCC mid-service and never looked back. They thought they were done with high-control leadership, mandatory tithing, and pastors who ruled by fear. They were wrong. In this episode, former pastor Arlen Bradeen and Greg Shepard tell us what happened when they followed Rony Denis to Georgia — and what it cost them to finally get out.
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