From Dennis Luker:
Dear ministers and home office staff,As you might expect, when organizations experience what the United Church of God is going through right now with my serious illness, rumors often start flying. This has already begun to happen and various inaccurate reports are circulating online—including that our Council of Elders chairman, Robin Webber, has taken over as UCG president.Robin and I can assure you that he has not taken over as president. However, LeeAnn and I do plan to return to our home in the state of Washington to pursue treatment for my health condition. This will also enable us be close to our family during that time. Should things change with me health-wise, please remember that in our bylaws we have a tried and true, established process to provide a smooth transition of leadership. Otherwise and God willing, I anticipate continuing as president as my health permits until my term expires on June 30.We appreciate your prayers and concern beyond words and will swiftly communicate any major news or changes to you. Thank you to each of you for your faithful service to Jesus Christ and His brethren! It gives us great comfort during this very difficult health trial to know that you are there keeping up the good fight of faith.With love in Christ,Dennis Luker
I think it was Malm that put the wrong information out about this.
ReplyDeleteHe tries very hard to be the "Jimmy Olson" of the COG world, to come up with "scoop" and either exaggerates or just downright makes up crap to garner attention to his website.
Once in a while the National Enquirer is entertainment reading, but that is all Malm is good for. Do not rely on his site for accurate rendering of anything, and his opinion any more valuable than gossip.
Joe Moeller
Cody, WY
Malm writes today that Dennis Luker will be starting chemo.
ReplyDeleteDennis Luker and the UCG have not made ANY announcement in regards to the treatment that he will be undergoing. Malm just pulls stuff out of his butt and throws it out there.
Rumor monger and petty gossip, with lying lips.
Joe Moeller
Cody, WY
Good guy, Denny Luker. Dying of cancer--keeps doing his job.
ReplyDeleteThere's an insignificant probability that Luker is coming back from metastatic cancer. He can put a brave face on it and hope for a "miracle" but I think we all know that "God" isn't really going to alter his chances of survival. Luker is a dead man writing. Metastatic cancer is basically all you need to know. But UCG doesn't really need interim presidents anymore anyways.
There might not be an interim president appointed because there is no need to fill a figurehead position.
After they fired Clyde Kilough, they amended the by-laws to say that no member of the council could also be a member of the "management team." They could violate the by-laws and install Robin Webber as interim president anyways. It probably isn't the first time they've violated the by-laws for political purposes. But strictly speaking, the president cannot be a member of the council anymore and there is no reason why Webber would need to be president anyway.
In 1995, they imagined that they were dividing up the shoes filled by Herbert Armstrong into a CEO and council of elders, which in WCG had no teeth, but was just an advisory body, but they gave the council some teeth, like in a for-profit corporation. David Hulme viewed the council as an advisory board, but when they fired him, he found out he wasn’t HWA. That set a precedent. After that, the president and council operated the way a CEO and board normally do, where the board sets broad policy, and the CEO has discretion to lead within those parameters.
Because of the fight that ensued between Clyde Kilough and the council, the relationship between the president and the council changed.
With the installation of Luker, the president became just a figurehead position. The council had an agenda to implement, and they were going to take no chances with another fight. They needed someone who was out of his depth. They needed someone who would be compliant. They needed someone whose integrity was for sale. They chose wisely: Denny Luker! And with that, the council took to itself all the executive power which used to be vested in the president. Luker never had any discretion to do anything on his own. The council told Luker exactly what they wanted him to do and exactly when and how they wanted him to do it, and Luker was more than happy to play along.
The original safeguards that were set up in 1995 to keep one man from gaining too much power have been defeated. If that were not so, this board would never have amended the by-laws to say that a council member couldn't be president. There's no way they would do that if there were any power left in the position of president. The last thing they want is another ugly and protracted struggle with someone who isn't a member of the council clique.
BTW, this is already the way in which Webber operates anyway. For anyone who has ever had to work with him as pastor, you know that he is always orchestrating every little thing, asking you to perform odd but specific little details that you don’t know the purpose of, but then you later see that he's creating "happy coincidences" that are supposed to look like God is serendipitously working things out, when it's not, it's just Robin micromanaging everything to make it appear as though Robin is the recipient of divine favor. Robin is a great snakeoil salesman.
Good guy, Denny Luker. Performing his job as figurehead right up until the end. How much you wanna bet that Robin wrote Denny's letter, and asked him to send it out under his own name. That's what the Robin Webber I know would do. I'd bet it's Robin setting the record straight. Robin must still have use for Denny as a shill, even from his hospital bed in Seattle...poor guy.
Maybe Filthy Lucre wants to hang in as prez long enough to rename the UCG as, "The United Cancerous Church of God"
ReplyDeleteI have my doubts that anyone in the UCG could set anything right.
ReplyDelete