I read a book about Jim Jones
He was a wolf in sheeps clothing...He infiltrated the church, the strange thing is that he got ordained by the Disciples of Christ church, who maybe didn't really check that he was bonafide. Then he started preaching all this strange marxist stuff.
He was in it more for himself, very charismatic, and possibly entertaining. For many people he offered a way out of their previous existence, which many churches didn't actually do at the time - provide food and accomodation. And then he got them to do a lot of work, but this was through his force of personality, rather than anything else.
He also held 'healing' services where he tricked people into coughing up chicken guts and that was said to be their tumors. He had plants in his rallies, and spies to call out people who he would then say they were healed etc. It was all very Barnum and Bailey stuff.