Phil Aguilar: Faithful Flee from Set Free

Adultery, financial-mismanagement accusations leveled against ministry of ‘biker pastor.’

For several years, former members of the Anaheim, California-based religious organization Set Free have claimed there is more to this offbeat group than meets the public eye.

In recent months, several of Set Free’s top leaders have left, alleging financial irregularities, adultery, and authoritarian control as their chief concerns.

Led by “biker pastor” and ex-convict Phil Aguilar, Set Free began as a church of about 200 in 1982. Over the years it acquired various properties, including homes for ministry leaders and ranches where young people were sent to overcome addictions to drugs and alcohol.

Spurred by Aguilar’s regular appearances on Paul Crouch’s Trinity Broadcasting Network, the organization’s numbers took off, with attendance at Sunday services reaching an average of 5,000 by 1991. Today, that number has dropped to under 400, according to ministry spokesperson Lois Trader.

Confronting the pastor

Former elder John Ohanian left Set Free in June after he and two other elders approached Aguilar with what Ohanian describes as “some very serious issues related to financial accountability and the appearance of immorality.” Ohanian says Aguilar “refused to discuss anything with us.”

Among the elders’ concerns was adultery, which, Ohanian charges, was taking place among Set Free leaders. “I have no proof that Phil was involved in that,” says Ohanian. “If he wasn’t, he was guilty of bad judgment.”

Stacee Aguilar left Set Free in late June upon discovering what she considered irrefutable evidence that Geronimo Aguilar—her husband and Phil’s son—was sexually involved with a 14-year-old girl.

‘Believe the best’

In 1991, Set Free attorneys wrote several letters on Stacee Aguilar’s behalf, warning her parents, who had left the group, against trying to make contact with her. Those who leave are typically regarded as enemies. Stacee now believes she was manipulated, saying, “I was totally controlled by my husband and by Phil.” She adds, “When any of us saw things that didn’t seem right, we were conditioned to look the other way and believe the best.”

Several former members who spoke with CHRISTIANITY TODAY say that anyone who questioned even the most minor decisions made by Phil Aguilar risked punishment, ranging from public humiliation to banishment to one of Set Free’s ranches.

Nanette Aguilar, who left in 1988, alleges that brother-in-law Phil assaulted her physically twice when she crossed him. She also alleges she was regularly physically abused by Phil’s brother, Bert.

Westmont College sociologist Ronald Enroth, whose book Churches That Abuse opened the door to widespread criticism of Set Free, says it is difficult for the average person to understand the appeal of such groups.

“Many of those who were living in the Set Free homes had major problems in their lives,” Enroth says. “They had nowhere else to go. Despite some of the questionable things they experienced, they also saw a lot of good being accomplished.”

Ministry spokesperson Trader says it is difficult for the average person to understand Aguilar. “Pastor Phil has strong opinions. If people don’t like the way Phil acts, or if they think his strong opinions make us look like a cultish group, that’s sad.”

As for the accusations of adultery, Trader claims that Aguilar has handled all instances of acknowledged moral failure appropriately.

She denies that Phil Aguilar ever has been involved in an adulterous relationship, again attributing such allegations to the pastor’s style, noting that he has no qualms about being seen alone with a woman to whom he is ministering. Trader says the allegations of adultery involving Geronimo Aguilar are also false.

Offering accountability

In addition to the issues of sexual morality and authoritarian control, former members testify to a lack of financial accountability within Set Free. They allege that Aguilar and his top assistant, Wayne Palmer, have for years routinely taken the cash from each Sunday morning’s offering without further explanation about where the money ended up. Contributors, according to Set Free’s critics, received no receipts, even when they requested them.

Some former Set Free members have been interviewed by the local district attorney’s office, giving rise to questions of criminal misconduct within the Set Free organization.

Meanwhile, Aguilar is spending much more time on the road. Critics say he has worn out his welcome in Anaheim.

But Trader maintains the biker pastor always has done a lot of traveling, and now, because of the low numbers, does not feel as much of an obligation to be back for church on Sundays. In terms of Set Free’s activities, Trader says, “Everything’s the same. Nothing’s changed.”

With that, at least, the ministry’s critics would agree.

By Randy Frame.

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