Is your church actually a cult? Use the BITE MODEL test to find out.

How do you assess how “high control” a church culture is? This is the question I asked Chat GPT and was promptly led to the BITE model “gold standard” in cult assessment. Turns out there are actually concrete, measurable patterns! Hooray! 98% of this post was written by Chat GPT (and fact-checked by yours truly) and this survey allows you to assess for any unhealthy themes of coercion in their church. NOTE: This post has nothing to do with theology. Weird or extreme beliefs do not equal a cult. Highly coercive cultures equal cults.

Using Steve Hassan’s “gold standard” BITE Model to assess Coercive Cultures:

Control exists on a spectrum. You don’t need all of these items for a culture to be considered coercive. The more boxes checked—and the more intense the patterns—the higher the control. You are to rate each of the six categories below with a score of 0-5 points (5 is clear high control culture).

1. Behavior Control

Ask: How much of my life does the church regulate?

Red flags:

• Leaders dictate dating/marriage/sex, politics, parenting, or other family decisions

• Expectation to attend services/events weekly (or more)

• Pressure to volunteer or engage in unpaid “ministry” work

• Sleep deprivation or other notable physical symptoms (from stress)

• Financial control (heavy emphasis on tithing, transparency about finances required, etc.)

• Punishment for noncompliance with leaders (church discipline, loss of status, etc.)
  

🚩 Big indicator: You can’t freely say no without consequences.

2. Information Control

Ask: What am I allowed to read, hear, or question?

Red flags:

• Discouraged from outside books, media, or other “worldly” sources

• Leaders label critics as “deceived,” “bitter,” “divisive,” “rebellious,” or even “demonic”

• Former members portrayed as disloyal or dangerous—often put under “discipline”

• Questions or scrutiny answered with avoidance or slogans (instead of clear explanations)

• Members may even be discouraged from engaging with outsiders

🚩 Big indicator: The church is above scrutiny and filters your reality for you.

3. Thought Control

Ask: Do they tell me how to think, not just what to believe?

Red flags:

• “Lean not on your own understanding” or “trust your leaders” used to shut down doubts

• Black-and-white thinking (us vs. them, saved vs. lost, etc.)

• Loaded language and slogans replace nuanced thought—“Bible says it, that settles it”

• Leaders presented as uniquely anointed or unquestionable “authorities”

• Personal doubts/choices are framed as sinful rebellion

🚩 Big indicator: Critical thinking = spiritual failure.

4. Emotional Control

Ask: How do they manage fear, guilt, and shame?

Red flags:

• Emphasis on hell, judgment, or end times theology

• Fears of losing salvation, family/friends, ministries, God’s protection, etc.

• Shame for normal human needs or normal human emotions

• Love and inclusion is conditional on obedience to authority

• Forced confession or forms of “accountability” used to humiliate (pressure to confess to sins you did not do, pressure to meet with leadership to receive church discipline, suspension, excommunication, disfellowshipping/shunning, etc.)

🚩 Big indicator: Fear is the primary motivator—obey your authorities or else.

5. Leadership Structure (this one matters a LOT)

Ask: Who has power—and can they be challenged?

Red flags:

• One charismatic leader with no real outside accountability (beyond an “in house” group)

• Leadership answers only to itself or “God” (avoidance of any third-party accountability)

• Dissent = rebellion (if you disagree, you will be disciplined or disfellowshipped, leaders will often claim to be “under attack” by those who dissent)

• Lack of financial transparency or normal “checks and balances” on power/money

• Leaders exempt from rules which members must follow (emphasis on their “authority”)

🚩 Big indicator: There is no safe way to disagree.

6. Exit Cost

This is the fastest litmus test.

Ask yourself: What would I realistically lose if I left?

Red flags: High-control churches often involve:

• Loss of your friends/community

• Family pressure (either through “loving on” you or through shunning you)

• Loss of ministries, housing, job, childcare, or other resources

• Character assassination, public defamation and/or private smear campaigns

• Fear of divine wrath and punishment
  

🚩 Big indicator: Leaving feels catastrophic, not just sad.

A Simple Self-Check

Rate each category from 0–5:

• Behavior

• Information

• Thought

• Emotional

• Leadership

• Exit cost

Scores above 15–20 total usually indicate high control culture not just “strict theology.” But here are a few more important nuances to keep in mind:

Important Nuances

• Not all conservative or evangelical churches are cults.

• High-control ≠ weird beliefs. It’s about coercion, not doctrine.

• If you feel anxious even reading these questions, that’s important information.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you need a deeper dive on how to recognize cults and leave them safely, then please visit THIS POST.