Me and a few of my friends like to write short stories. Two of us are thinking of writing a short horror story and submitting it to one of those creepy story sites.
We want it to revolve around an underground church in Chicago. The “pastor” is a bit shady and wants to make a few bucks (you know how churches have tithes, offerings, and membership fees) by having church services in his apartment. The pastor’s shady idea pisses off some spirits including the holy ghost. For revenge, the spirits would make the elevators stuck at random times. Stuck long enough that people die of thirst/starvation. The story ends with the spirits fucking with the cables that sends the pastor freefalling into hell.
So, we’re a bit unfamiliar on the subject of illegal churches. We know they are out there though. I have some questions. What are some famous illegal churches in history? Which kind of denominations are usually involved? How do they recruit? How do they get caught? What are the typical penalties?