Wednesday, January 23, 2019

GCI Institutes New Leadership Model



As Grace Communion International seeks to define itself in being more grace-based, they have come up with a new model of leadership.  Instead of the old pyramid power structure, they are looking at REAL Teams, a model based upon the trinitarian understanding of the Godhead.
Dear GCI family,

Greg and Susan Williams

Hopefully you have taken the opportunity to see the video series where I spoke about REAL Teams. If not, you can check it out here on our Resources site. It is our goal to be more creative in the ministry tools we are producing, and we are designing these tools for ease of understanding as well as application.
A clear understanding of REAL Teams sets the precedence for what we are hoping to accomplish with the new organizational structure we have in GCI for every circle of leadership.
In short, REAL Teams reflect the perichoretic union of Father, Son, and Spirit; the holy, mutually interdependent, completely harmonious relationship shared by the three members of the Trinity. This same kind of love, intimacy and inclusion was displayed by Jesus in the way he interacted with the original disciples.
In John 15:13-16 Jesus told his disciples that they weren’t mere followers or workers, they were his friends. Friends with whom he shared the insights he received from the Father. Friends with whom he shared life-on-life experiences and in-depth dialogue (Luke 24:13-45). Friends that he shared teachings with, which were not disclosed to others (Matthew 13:36-52). Friends to whom he gave high challenges, always with high support seasoned with grace (John 13:1-17). Friends who received tender acts of love from Jesus (John 13:1-17). Friends who were present to share the deepest and most painful experiences of Jesus (Matthew 26:38). This type of friendship expresses the very nature of the Triune God in which we are privileged to commune.
The following chart is the best way to present the new GCI organizational structure. It is not 100% uniform as each region and country has its own set of nuances, but the alignment is close, and it provides me a meaningful way to communicate and serve our pastors and churches around the globe. The biggest upside for me is when I visit one of the six areas around the world, I will meet with 3-4 leaders at one time and it reduces my travel and hopefully amplifies my effectiveness.


GCI Ecclesiastical Chart
Note: GCI has National Boards in most of the countries included above. These are governing boards that provide oversight for their administrative leaders and body of churches. The appointment of national or regional leaders is done in concert with the GCI President with final approval from the GCI Denominational Board.

It is my desire to develop good chemistry with each of the six teams that we call “Communities of Practice,” and to whole-heartedly support each of the Superintendents. I am dedicated to listening, dialoguing, collaborating and planning with each group and as we bathe our times together in prayer. We expect the Lord of the Harvest to guide and bless.
This is a brave new undertaking and several of the leaders are new to the mix, so please join me in your prayerful support of each name on the chart. Even as I more fully step into the shoes of the GCI presidency, several others are stepping into bigger shoes as well, and I truly believe Jesus has raised up the right leaders for such a time as this.
I will work closely with the media team to keep you abreast of what is happening around the world of GCI. “We are GCI” and we are in this together!
Greg Williams

14 comments:

Tonto said...

Same old crap, with a hierarchical "flow chart". Sure a new President , who serves under a supposed "board of directors" And who is the Chairman of the Board? ... none other than Joey Tkach!

Window dressing in an attempt to appear normalized. When , oh when, will the descendant orgs of the WCG ever practice true enfranchisement and let the laity have a vote and say ?

Anonymous said...

"let the laity have a vote"

I already voted. With my feet.

Anonymous said...

In short, REAL Teams reflect the perichoretic union of Father, Son, and Spirit; the holy, mutually interdependent, completely harmonious relationship shared by the three members of the Trinity.

This sounds like a great recipe for bullying. Father, Son, and Sprit are one, and subsist in each other; though different they never oppose each other, nor do they work for separate purposes. That's a great model for orthodox Christian theology, but it's a scary and cultic model for a business. Instead of delegating authority from top to bottom, this model implies that disagreement is ungodly. It sets up the top leader as the de facto God of the organization, with whom all must be united to a degree that is never seen among fallible, limited human beings. Normal businesses expect some creative tension, and they have policies and procedures through which differences and disagreements can be managed in a respectful way for the good of all. In this model, daring to question your supervisor is made the moral equivalent of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. That's bad, very bad.

GrittyMan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

“Perichoretic union of Father, Son, and Spirit; the holy, mutually interdependent, completely harmonious relationship shared by the three members of the Trinity.” What the &()%$&^&)?

I’ve used the term “Gobbledygook” before to describe GCI’s deliberate use of words that they know 98% of their members don’t understand in order to confuse and mislead. They know that since the average person won’t know what a Perichoretic union is, they will simply have to believe and trust the 2% who claim they do.

Yet another pathetic attempt to appear scholarly to the rest of Evangelicals and another diversion away from the simplicity of the teachings of Jesus.

Anonymous said...

Nice sounding words, but what goes on below the waterline. These ACOGs have mastered pharisaic appearances. They have it down to an art form.
And Jesus guiding them? Then why so many splinters?

Anonymous said...

Nothing has been said about James Malm. Did he die without telling us?

R.L. said...

Words such as "perichoretic" make GCI seem downright nerdy. Will that accomplish the Great Commission any better than its spinoff groups are doing?

Anonymous said...

And who is the Chairman of the Board? ... none other than Joey Tkach!
- absolutely right Tonto - this is more obfuscation

From GCI website:
Dr. Joseph Tkach: Board Chairman
“... He attends yearly regional and international conferences with leaders of the Grace Communion International to encourage Christian growth, share ideas, motivate and discuss the church’s goals for the upcoming year.” (emphasis added)

Nothing is said of Tkach's salary as "Chairman of the Board"
Did he get a pay raise for now not having to come into work every day??
--just now travel on international junkets to "inspire the troops"

What kind of suckers does he think his vestigial Armstrongites are?
The world's greatest suckers?

Anonymous said...

"Perichoresis" describes the mutual indwelling of the persons of the Trinity.

By extension, in GCI management-speak, this means that your supervisor dwells in you. It's a direct attack on your autonomous personhood, quite unlike the experience of the Holy Spirit dwelling within each individual Christian.

Anonymous said...

For those who perceive that he benefited handsomely from the sale of acres of downtown Pasadena mansions, a prediction could emerge: He will soon "find an excuse" to quit working and hand over the annoying day-to-day job-for-life of being Pope-of-the-transmorgrified-Armstrong-Doomsday-Cult to a lesser 'insignificant' who'll gladly take the accompanying six-figure-salary, while he, of course, maintains his even greater six-figure-salary?

In retrospect then, High-School-dropout-Herbert - driven by madness - was an accidentally brilliant real estate investor?

Lake of Fire Church of God said...

When I was young and attended the Worldwide Church of God (1968 - 1976), I could rattle off the names of most of the key people on the organizational chart even down to the Pastor level throughout the USA. Today, I don't recognize a single name on the GCI/WCG organizational chart presented here on Banned.

The re-branding of the mother Armstrong Church hasn't changed the purpose of the product - and that purpose is to provide a select few with a lifetime income stream without any real work.

Richard

Sweetblood777 said...

Just another cult making out as if they really care for the flock.

TLA said...

The biggest strike for me against the Joes, is that both of them were liars, and who wants to knowingly follow a liar.
With the COGs, I think some of the leaders actually believe all they teach.

I kept studying the Bible and finally realized there were too many holes - errors of commission and omission - plus some impossibilities.

Whatever happened to the other weasels who were the ringleaders in the "reformed" WCG?