I find it interesting to watch the ministers in the various COG's as they jump from one group to the next keeping their jobs as ministers. Every single one of them never has the balls to step out on their own without first negotiating with the church they want to go to about their jobs.
Those that were in Pasadena saw Kubik, Orchard and others gathering loyal followers around them while still on the WCG payroll. They plotted and schemed behind the backs of their leaders.
Meredith is well known for doing this. While the WCG was fightingthe lawsuit that Leona McNair brought against him, Meredith was plotting with various men in Pasadena to form Global Church of God. Then when Raymond McNair plotted to overthrow him, Meredith had his loyal group of men plotting behind the scenes to form Living Church of God.
Gerald Flurry did the same thing. David Hulme did the same thing, as did David C Pack.
Recently we watched as David Hulme's ministers plotted behind his back to form Church of God Father's Call. Yet within one month of it forming, Peter Nathan and others were already plotting to move to Living Church of God and United Church of God. Nathan was so slick that he negotiated with Rod Meredith to keep his ministerial titles, secured his housing and is promising to bring into LCG the churches in Kenya he was over while with Hulme
...Peter Nathan said that he expects to be joining Living Church of God as an employed minister as soon as arrangements are finalized. He will be supervising congregations in all Africa and probably teaching at Living University, LCG's college. He hopes to move to LCG and the Charlotte, N.C. area around the end of March and would like to be in Africa for Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Charlotte is the headquarters location for LCG.
Mr. Nathan has been concerned about the Church he pastored in Kenya during his last several years in COGaic. This gives him the opportunity to serve ministers and members in Kenya more effectively (because LCG has certain government permissions in Kenya that COGaic has not had) and at the same time supervise more congregations in the rest of Africa. Peter Nathan Is Goign With Living Church of God
Now we soon may see these men and others jumping from LCG into COGWA and other groups. These men are currently negotiating with other COG's so they can move right over and keep their jobs and salaries as ministers.
Stupidly, the churches are negotiating with them. How many months down the line do we have to wait for yet another group of men to start plotting to jump ship again?
These men have no integrity any more yet members still flock to their sides in these matters of dispute.
Why would they jump from one COG to another? Usually they go from one COG to a newly created COG.
ReplyDeleteand they're probably all grumbling that in the old WCG, they'd be getting paid more than in the shrinking splinters. God and mammon...
ReplyDeleteEffin Q.E.D. Brilliant post, Gary. And is any post complete without including the adjective "stupid" somewhere? I think not!
ReplyDeleteThere's a lack of credibility of all Armstrongist ministers.
ReplyDeleteThey lie to you and then take your money.
How can any of them have any credibility?
It is because some churches have better potluck suppers than others.
ReplyDeleteTrust me on that.
"Stupid is as stupid does!"...Forrest Gump
ReplyDeleteAnd when stupid is, stupid does necessarily follows.
ReplyDeleteCall me spoiled, but I don't like pot lucks. Good idea in theory bad idea in practice. Why? Because, no matter how good (or bad) something might be, by the time it's gotten cold during a pointless, longwinded, repetitive, pointless, longwinded, sermon, and then warmed over it's automatically leftovers, ~aNd~ because anything that winds up on top of that folding table is automatically "casserole." Not that casserole is bad. But how often is it good? And it might be 95% psychology at that. All I know is, if you went to a restaurant and ordered prime rib and a loaded baked potato, and what you got was primerib&loadedbakedpotato casserole, you'd be pissed. Psychological or otherwise, pot lucks systematically eradicate 50% of the utility of food which in any other setting might actually be pretty good. And that's the best case scenario. Then you have the other half of the congregation, who all bring food which wouldn't taste good in any setting. I wish they had a separate folding table that all those people's treats could go on just to put the minefield all in one place. As in, God is not the author of confusion, and all that bull.
First, I agree with Gary's article as well as the comments made so far. But, in attempting to search for more of the picture, I'm going to try to depart from my normal cynicism.
ReplyDeleteIn many cases, (and this is most likely a Class of '95 phenomenon), I believe that there were a certain percentage of members and ministers who probably had a deeply conditioned attachment to original Armstrongism, and who were taken completely by surprise by what they saw as unwanted changes and the breakup of the chief constant in their lives. I was long gone, and was not there to watch this, but if what I suspect is true, these folks would now be filled with angst, would have a largely unscratchable itch, and would be in constant search of something somewhere which could approximate the original conditions which they desperately crave. There is only one problem. An environment with these conditions no longer exists. It only lives in their memories, and even that memory is distorted by their own personal exaggerations.
This certainly explains a large percentage of the phenomenon we know as "splinter jumping". Many of the leaders of the 700 splinters club are also aware of this angst to one degree or another, and even play on it in their own attempts at empire building. They put themselves on a level above typical members and typical ministers, styling themselves as "providers" of the candy now missing.
It's a mess, a continuing mess which started in the 1930s, and which has exploited and affected us all in different ways. Those who haven't been able to walk away continue to be exploited, and as with the victims of other types of scams, some actually may still be ignorant of the fact that it is and was a scam, or even that they are victims. Whether or not some of these ship-jumping ministers are actually angst-filled victims themselves is something only they know.
BB
I always hated potlucks. I mean, it was supposed to be the Sabbath, right? But what did the women end up doing? Setting up and then cleaning up after everyone. Some Sabbath! I much preferred going home and having a sandwich.
ReplyDeleteMaybe COG's should follow the example of U.S. pro sports. Have an official "free agency" period every year for ministers.
ReplyDeleteOther groups could sign them to offer sheets, which the original group would have to match.
Or perhaps certain ministers could be given a "franchise" tag, making them untouchable - maybe even with an ordination to a higher rank.
The best time to do this would be during COG "off season" - roughly from the day after Blessing of Little Children (second Sabbath after the Feast) through December 31.