There are certainly 10's of thousands that have and are having bad experiences, but, I don't recall saying that I have had many bad experiences. On the contrary, I have had many good experiences. I know many fellowships (non 501-c3) where the elders live by faith and never talk about money and don't expect people to pay them a salary, medical benefits, life insurance and retirement. And yet, everyone's needs are met and their good works are not trumpeted. And the people are not used to looking to one man to satisfy all their needs. The Church members minister Christ to each other and thus grow up into mature, functioning Believers, being weaned from the milk. A healthy congregation of Believers is one where all are looking to Christ and able to minister Christ to each other. They are all on the same level and call each other brothers and sisters. No special titles are needed or even wanted. Remember, Luke 22?
On the other hand, I am not naive about the religious system and the heart of man.
The Lord told us a long time ago what a carnal man would do to His sheep if the sheep insisted on having a man over them and that man not being Jesus Christ.
1Sam_8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
1Sam_8:9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
Yes, how will this "King" rule over his subjects? You will see the modern day (carnal) tithe prophesied in the following scriptures.
1Sam_8:11-19 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. (He will put a ministry staff in place). And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants (his family and friends). And he will take the tenth of your seed, (tithe) and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants (pay his staff a salary from you tithe and offerings). And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work (and call it "the ministry of the Lord"). He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; (And if you don't like him and your congregation is able, you will fire him and get another "king" to reign over you. Any wonder that there are more than 15,000+ church splits a year in carnal, American Christendom?)
And all of this is done in the name of God, today. Putting the Lord's name on something does not make it holy and right. Many are fooling the sheep, but the Lord is never fooled. And one day they will appear before Him and begin bragging about all the great things that they did. Imagine, standing in front of Jesus Christ and talking about yourself!! Some of these religious leaders are very subtle in their speech while others are obviously not, yet the "sheep" still follow. I don't believe the true sheep will follow man's voice, though.