THE sudden death of Gwen Shamblin Lara in a 2021 plane crash marked a new chapter for the Remnant Fellowship Church, the controversial religious community she created.
After allegations of being a cult and of controlling followers' weights, lives, and finances, the group is now being led by a leadership team, including the weight loss guru's daughter.
It was believed she would continue to lead the megachurch, along with her brother Michael, People reports.
But it seems that Elizabeth Hannah does not run the church alone.
In fact, the church is now led by a group of followers including Hannah.
Her husband Brandon Hannah was one of those also killed in the plane crash that left her mom dead.
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The church states on its website: "Our full leadership team consists of 120 people who serve and meet the needs of the congregation through ministries and counsel.
"Under the leadership and direction of Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah, we have an incredible hope for the future as we continue to heal and grow in love for God as a congregation."
Hannah's brother Michael is understood to have abandoned any leadership role completely, divorcing his wife and leaving the church in the wake of his mother's death.
Gwen - who was known for her distinctive blond hairstyle - was 66 when she died.
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She founded the Remnant Fellowship in 1999.
Gwen had earlier been the author of the 1997 book The Weigh Down Diet, which credited God for helping people shed the pounds, before launching the Weigh Down Workshop.
Shamblin Lara would deliver conferences where fans would hold up banners that read: “God has taken 86 pounds off me.”
But she soon faced accusations of running a cult and of using money raised for the church for her own personal wealth.
One follower even claimed she suffered irreparable damage to her kidneys as a result of the weight loss program as she starved herself "for God."
Others accused the church of "emotional, psychological, and physical abuse," according to researchers.
A new Lifetime movie about Gwen and the church starring Jennifer Grey airs on February 4.
An explosive HBO documentary, The Way Down, also aired months after Gwen died in a plane crash in Tennessee.
It had been in production at the time of her death.
A synopsis read: "Despite a carefully curated image, Lara and the church soon fielded accusations of emotional, psychological, and physical abuse, and exploitation for their alleged cult-like practices."
The Christian guru was among seven people killed when a Cessna plane plunged into Percy Priest lake near Smyrna, Tennessee, in May 2021.
The group - which included her Tarzan actor and second husband Joe Lara, 58 - were thought to have been heading to a Women Fighting For America event.
Air traffic control data revealed that the plane started to drop after just 90 seconds in the air.
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The church told HBO documentary makers it “categorically denies the absurd defamatory statements and accusations made in this documentary.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Remnant Fellowship Church for comment.
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