Recover From Coercive Control
A note before you read on:
The information on this page may bring up difficult feelings, particularly if you have personal experience with this group. That's a completely understandable response — what many members go through is genuinely harmful.
It's also worth noting that the overall score presented here is an average. Regardless of where a group sits on the scale, a single adverse experience — like being deceived, manipulated, or pressured even once — can be genuinely traumatic and deserving of support.
If you'd like help making sense of your experience, Renée offers specialised online counselling for survivors of high-control groups. Renée's counselling is built around understanding exactly how groups like this operate.
Christianity
Echo Church
Also known as Roman Catholic Church, Holy Catholic Church, Latin Church, Universal Church, or Western Church
Founded by Andrew Sedra and Noleen Sedra
2017
Sydney, NSW, Australia; church planting/ministry partnerships have been announced in United States, but the Australian church remains the primary base
Estimated followers: Unknown
Summary of Beliefs
Echo Church is an independent Pentecostal church founded in Sydney in 2017 by Andrew and Noleen Sedra, who were previously involved with Hillsong. While Echo Church is not formally affiliated with Hillsong, it reflects many characteristics associated with the Hillsong model, including contemporary worship music, charismatic preaching, modern branding, and an emphasis on evangelism and spiritual transformation. The church teaches conservative evangelical theology, affirming biblical inerrancy, salvation through Jesus Christ, spiritual warfare, traditional gender roles, and conservative views on sexuality and marriage.
The church has attracted significant criticism for sermons opposing LGBTQ+ identities, same-sex marriage, abortion, and aspects of contemporary social justice movements. In 2023, founder Andrew Sedra received widespread media attention after preaching that Sydney had become "Sodom and Gomorrah 2.0" and describing LGBTQ+ inclusion as evidence of moral decline. Equality Australia and other advocacy groups condemned the sermons as promoting harmful and homophobic rhetoric, while supporters defended them as an expression of traditional Christian beliefs and religious freedom.
Former attendees and critics have also alleged that Echo Church exhibits a highly controlling culture centred on the Sedra family, with strong emphasis on loyalty to leadership, ideological conformity, and polarising "culture war" messaging. These allegations have appeared primarily in online discussions and former-member accounts rather than through formal investigations or court findings. As such, while they contribute to concerns about the church's internal culture, they should be regarded as anecdotal rather than independently verified.
Analysis Using Renée's Cult Ranking
1. Authoritative Leadership
Score: 2
Echo Church is centred around founder Andrew Sedra and his family. Public material suggests leadership is highly centralised with little evidence of shared governance or independent oversight.
2. Control Over Information
Score: 1
There is no evidence of censorship, but critics and former attendees describe an environment where leadership's interpretation of Scripture is heavily emphasised over alternative viewpoints. Evidence is largely anecdotal.
3. Deception
Score: 0
No credible evidence of fraudulent recruitment, financial deception, or systematic dishonesty has emerged publicly.
4. Exclusive Knowledge
Score: 2
Sermons present biblical teaching as absolute truth and strongly reject competing worldviews on sexuality, gender and culture. While common within conservative evangelicalism, the certainty with which teachings are presented aligns with Level 2 definition.
5. Exploitation
Score: 1
Public fundraising and encouragement to financially support the church have attracted criticism, but there is insufficient evidence of coercive financial or labour exploitation.
6. Fear, Guilt, & Intimidation
Score: 2
Sermons repeatedly warn of spiritual danger, moral corruption and eternal consequences. Publicly available sermons include statements that homosexuality is sinful and portray LGBTQ+ acceptance as a threat to children and society. Equality Australia publicly criticised this rhetoric as harmful.
7. Isolation
Score: 1
No evidence members are prevented from seeing family or leaving. However, repeated messaging warning against "worldly" culture and progressive influences may encourage social separation from opposing viewpoints.
8. Micro-Management of Daily Tasks
Score: 0
No evidence of leaders directing members' daily lives or employment.
9. Monitoring Thoughts & Behaviours
Score: 0
No public evidence of surveillance or behavioural monitoring.
10. Punishment & Discipline
Score: 0
No documented evidence of formal punitive discipline or shunning practices.
11. Thought Reform
Score: 2
Sermons strongly encourage replacing secular beliefs with the church's worldview and frame cultural influences as spiritually dangerous. There is no evidence of coercive techniques such as sleep deprivation or confinement, but the emphasis on ideological conformity supports a Level 2 rating.
12. Us vs. Them Mentality
Score: 3
This is where the strongest evidence exists. Sermons characterise modern Australian culture, Pride, LGBTQ+ advocacy and progressive Christianity as being fundamentally opposed to God's will. Sydney has been described by leadership as "Sodom and Gomorrah 2.0", and public statements portray a broader "culture war". This reflects a pronounced us-versus-them framework.
Total Score: 14/36
Overall Cult Ranking: 4. A Bit Cultish
Echo Church displays some characteristics of a high-demand, ideologically controlling church, particularly in relation to:
centralised leadership,
absolutist religious teaching,
fear-based messaging around morality,
and a strong "us versus them" worldview.
However, there is currently little public evidence of many of the features typically associated with higher-scoring coercive groups, such as:
restricting members from leaving,
monitoring communications,
systematic shunning,
physical isolation,
financial exploitation,
or abusive disciplinary systems.
Consequently, based on the available evidence, Echo Church appears to fit more comfortably within the category of a high-control conservative evangelical church rather than a fully developed coercive cult. Additional evidence from former members, independent investigations, or legal proceedings could change that assessment.
Further Reading
Blogs:
Reflecting on NAIDOC Week 2024: Examining the Role of Major Churches in Aboriginal History
Church Act of 1836: The Reason Why Australia is a Secular Country Today
Understanding Cults: The Evolution of Perspectives on Coercion and Control
“Confess, Comply, Conform”: How Cults Weaponise Forced Confession and Public Shaming
IS IT A CULT?: Response from
Echo Church
No known response.
Support available for anyone impacted by a high-control groups or relationships, and want to speak to someone who understands coercive control and the road to recovery
These assessments evaluate group dynamics, particularly patterns associated with coercive control. They are not determinations about whether any individual has or has not experienced trauma, abuse, or harm. Personal impact varies widely. Coercive control often develops through an accumulation of influences rather than a single event, though specific moments — such as discovering deception or betrayal — can themselves be deeply distressing or traumatic. If your experiences in a group have affected your wellbeing, support from a trauma-informed counsellor or therapist can be an important step toward understanding, healing, and regaining a sense of autonomy. Assessments provided here are conducted using Renée's Cult Ranking system and reflect her personal opinions, which are based on online sources and personal testimonies. Renée acknowledges that groups can change over time, for better or worse, and that individual experiences within any given group can vary. Renée is open to respectful discussions and encourages diverse perspectives to foster a better understanding of matters raised.