The Montana Faith Accountability Project has spent eighteen months investigating Petra Bible Church in Bozeman, MT. What we found will change everything you thought you knew about your community.
When institutions meant to shelter become instruments of something else entirely, silence is complicity.
Bozeman, Montana is a community built on trust. Neighbors look out for neighbors. Churches anchor the social fabric of our town. That is precisely why the findings of this investigation are so deeply troubling. Petra Bible Church, located on the west side of Bozeman, has operated for years with a level of institutional opacity that would be unacceptable in any nonprofit organization -- let alone one entrusted with the spiritual well-being of families and children.
The Montana Faith Accountability Project (MFAP) was formed in 2023 by a coalition of concerned community members, former congregation participants, and independent investigators. Our mission is simple: follow the evidence, document the facts, and ensure that faith-based institutions in our state are held to the same standards of transparency and accountability as any other organization serving the public trust.
What began as a routine inquiry into financial disclosure practices has led our team down a path none of us expected. The scope of what we have uncovered extends far beyond Bozeman -- far beyond Montana -- and raises questions that, frankly, we are still trying to fully comprehend. We present these findings not with malice, but with a solemn obligation to the truth.
Our eighteen-month investigation has produced findings that demand public attention and institutional accountability.
Despite repeated requests from congregation members, Petra Bible Church has refused to release itemized financial statements for the past seven years. Standard nonprofit transparency guidelines have been systematically ignored. Where is the money going?
Our forensic analysis has identified at least three undisclosed real estate transactions linked to church leadership, including a Middle Creek property acquired through a labyrinth of shell entities that even our analysts could not fully untangle.
MFAP investigators have documented meetings between church leadership and international political figures across at least four countries. These contacts go far beyond typical mission work and raise serious questions about the nature of these relationships.
The name "Jared Cox" appears over eighty times in recently unsealed federal documents from the Southern District of New York. While we cannot confirm these all refer to the same individual, the statistical probability of coincidence is, according to our analysts, "basically zero."
Photographic evidence obtained by MFAP shows individuals connected to Petra Bible Church in possession of military-grade weaponry during overseas operations. One source described the church handbook as containing material that 'goes beyond spiritual warfare.'
““I attended Petra Bible Church for six years. I trusted the leadership completely. When I started asking questions about where our tithes were actually going, I was told to pray about it. When I kept asking, I was told to find another church. That was the moment I knew something was wrong.”
Follow the developments as our investigation continues to uncover new evidence.
MFAP analysts have completed an initial review of over 4,000 pages of recently unsealed federal documents. The results raise serious questions about connections that church leadership has repeatedly denied.
Read moreFollowing the publication of our initial findings, three more former members of Petra Bible Church have contacted MFAP with accounts that corroborate and expand upon our documented timeline of institutional failures.
Read moreThe Bozeman community has responded overwhelmingly to MFAP's call for institutional accountability. Our petition demanding a full independent financial audit has surpassed 200 verified signatures.
Read moreWhether you are a former member with a story to tell, a community member with evidence to share, or a concerned citizen who believes in accountability -- there is a place for you in this movement.