by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief, reporting from the Netherlands
TILBURG, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – Dutch police detained controversial Christian preacher Tom de Wal late Friday after he proceeded with a banned prayer-healing service in the southern Dutch city of Tilburg, authorities said.
De Wal and other believers had earlier been ordered by police to end their gathering inside the Praise Church in Tilburg, a city of about 220,000 people located some 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Amsterdam, following concerns over public order amid protests by LGBTQ+ activists.
The acting mayor of Tilburg, Onno Hoes, said he had banned the service because “the event did not have the required permit and there were concerns it could lead to a disruption of public order.”
As police presence increased, additional units — including officers with police dogs — arrived outside the church, while demonstrators gathered in the surrounding area, witnesses said. Police also barred additional visitors from entering the building.
Despite this, De Wal said he instructed his team to proceed with the service. He recalled that the group began praying and worshipping inside the church, while he told those present that they would cooperate peacefully if police intervened.
“If the police really come in, then we will go along without causing a disturbance or resisting,” De Wal explained to them, according to his video message.
POLICE ENTERING CHURCH
Police officers then entered the church and escorted attendees outside, while they continued singing Christian songs, video footage showed.
Soon afterward, De Wal prayed for people outside the church in cold winter conditions, with temperatures around freezing, witnesses said.
He then moved toward a reporter from Omroep Brabant, the provincial public broadcaster. De Wal told the journalist it was “bizarre” that police could break up a church service in the Netherlands, a liberal nation far from Communist-run China, which has seen similar actions against Christians.
Moments later, several police officers intervened and detained De Wal, pushing the reporter aside as they took him into custody, Worthy News observed.
De Wal, 35, later said in a video message obtained by Worthy News that he had been released early Saturday after spending several hours in a police holding cell.
“I have just been released from the holding cell, and I want to thank everyone who prayed for me and everyone who supports us,” he stressed. “What happened today was truly bizarre.”
DISPUTE OVER ALLEGATIONS AND VENUES
De Wal denied allegations by LGBTQ+ activists that he had sought to “heal homosexuals.”
“It all started because of media lies,” he said. “We have never prayed for the ‘healing’ of homosexuality.”
He said the controversy began earlier Friday when a planned service at a Van der Valk Hotel in nearby Eindhoven was cancelled after protests.
“That location no longer dared to host us because of threats and protests,” De Wal said.
According to De Wal, his organization then sought a last-minute alternative venue and contacted a church of a friend in Tilburg, where police were already present when he arrived.
He said officers later ordered him to stop the gathering on behalf of the municipality, warning the building could be cleared if the service continued. De Wal said he questioned the order’s legality and asked for written documentation, which he said was not provided at the time.
FRONTRUNNERS MINISTRIES WORSHIP SERVICES
It was the latest controversy surrounding De Wal, a Dutch charismatic Christian preacher and founder of Frontrunners Ministries, a traveling ministry established in 2016. The married father of five regularly organizes prayer, healing, and worship services across the Netherlands
His meetings have drawn controversy over public statements and beliefs associated with faith healing, as well as accusations from critics that his prosperity teachings are harmful — allegations he strongly denies.
Dutch authorities have stressed that the intervention in Tilburg was not based on religious content, but on permit requirements and public-order concerns.
No charges had been announced as of Saturday, and it remained unclear whether De Wal or his organization would face further legal action.
REACTIONS AND STATEMENTS
De Wal urged prayers and asked people in his video message to turn to faith in Jesus Christ if they had not yet done so.
Additionally, Arenda Haasnoot wrote on social media platform X that “it’s astonishing that no one can intervene during a pro-Hamas demonstration, yet here they suddenly turn a church service into an ‘event’ and are suddenly able to intervene.”
Referring to the Bible, Haasnoot added: “What is good will be called evil, and what is evil will be called good.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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