It was a long standing policy of the Worldwide Church of God to keep files on church members. Every letter you ever wrote to HQ was copied into your file. Every counseling session and many conversations you had with your minister were also recorded into these files, especially if he found anything you said to be going against or questioning church teaching or polices. Your attendance records were kept. You tithing records were routinely accessed to determine who was in "good standing" with the church. Slackers were reported to the field ministers and soon the guilty ones were chastised or kicked out.
This policy has carried over into all of the larger controlling groups like Living Church of God, Restored Church of God, United Church of God and Philadelphia Church of God, just to name a few. The more legalistic the group is the more that is kept in your files.
Living Church of God has had a long record of doing that and using it against members. A reader here wrote this comment on another thread:
I know that some ministers (not all) keep files on members. I had the pleasure of running afoul of a LCG minister a number of years ago. After a lengthy debate back and forth via email, this minister accidentally sent me an email that was addressed to my minister back home. In the email, he warned my minister of our conversation and forwarded all my emails of the conversation to him. He said to keep this in my file, should anything ever happen with me when I return home.
My FILE?!
Thankfully when asking for forgiveness from God, He says he forgives. Ask for forgiveness from some ministers and they just keep it in a file so that someday that can use it against you. HA
Ask your local minister if he keeps a file on you and your family. If he is man of ethics and integrity he will say if he does or not. If he does not, then thank him for being a man of integrity. He he says he does then ask to see it. An ethical and transparent minister who is a true servant would be willing to share it.
If they kept comprehensive files on me, they'd know that I fart in their direction.
ReplyDeleteJesus told me to do that!
Whether or not you had any aptitude for additional responsibility in the congregation, as I understand it, consideration always began with the TITHE record. Can't you, even now, just hear the guy saying, "If you can't properly handle your own money . . . ."
ReplyDeleteAnd if the tithe record wasn't a listing of every-two-weeks amounts, or something similar, that was the "minister"'s easy-out when he was "counseling:"
"You MUST be having these trials right now because you're not faithful about tithing." Thanks a lot, fella. Thanks for stopping by.
Absence from troubles, additional stability in life, God's favor -- all for sale. Remit to Pasadena.
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ReplyDeleteIdiot!
DeleteLet's not forget about the screen shots of Facebook posts that could in some remote or perceived way be viewed as unsupportive of LCG that are printed out and added to member's files.
ReplyDeleteApparently, Jesus needs Facebook to find people He doesn't "like"...
ReplyDeleteEven though they now have the experience, it's unfortunate that the CIA won't hire these ministers because they are too old.
ReplyDeleteAnon. 3:54..pretty sick comment. You must think only perverts like yourself come to this site for information. Not so, keep the garbage to yourself, there are many ways you could have made your point other than the non intelligent one you made.
ReplyDeleteSorry that comment slipped through!
ReplyDelete