Calvary Chapel Pastor Chet Lowe’s Discipleship Boot Camp Includes Simulated Torture, Former Students Report

Chet Lowe, an influential and emerging Calvary Chapel pastor, leads a Christian boot camp known as Patmos: Reality Discipleship, which has drawn criticism for its intense and controversial methods. According to former students who spoke with The Roys Report, the camp includes simulated torture as part of its discipleship process. These experiences, which include firing squads and middle-of-the-night chases by “Muslims,” are designed to push participants beyond their breaking point, forcing them to rely on God. Some students reported being left traumatized or questioning their faith, with one former student leaving the camp in a wheelchair and another surviving alone in the snowy mountains for four days with only communion crackers and grape juice.

Ashley Ruiz, a former student and staff member at Patmos, described the camp’s approach as manipulative. “It was meant to break you down,” she said. “That’s what abusers do. They break you down and put you back together the way they want you to be. That’s exactly what Chet would do. He viewed that as his mission.” Ruiz emphasized the need for greater awareness of Lowe’s practices and their impact on participants.

Lowe, a former missionary, was appointed senior pastor of Calvary Chapel South Bay (CCSB) earlier this year. In recent years, he has also received resources from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa (CCCM), the flagship church of the Calvary Chapel network. Former students claim that Lowe has been allowed to recruit participants from Calvary Chapel Bible College, the main Bible college of the denomination. The college confirmed that Lowe used its campus for Patmos discipleship as recently as 2018.

Patmos has inspired a spin-off version for eighth graders called Pierced, which was started in Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale by a different youth pastor while Lowe was still a pastor there, according to former students. The Roys Report has sought comments from CCSM’s senior pastor, Brian Brodersen, and Jeff Gill, a former senior pastor of CCSB and former Patmos board member, but has not received responses. Lowe has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Roys Report.

Lowe founded Patmos in 2005 while serving as the adult family and outreach pastor at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. The camp’s website describes it as a 16-week adventure program for adults aged 18-35, aimed at stretching participants spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. The program’s emphasis on hardship and suffering aligns with broader themes within the Calvary Chapel movement, which often emphasizes spiritual warfare and personal sacrifice as pathways to deeper faith.

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