Gerald Weston is locking control of LCG even further. Gone are the days of the public reading LCG magazines on the Internet without first resisting their names and email addresses. Weston claims that the church is facing a great difficulty in not knowing just how reads their rags.
The Internet is an exciting tool the Church uses to preach the Gospel to the whole world. At the same time, it presents unique challenges. We have always presented the Truth free of charge and will continue to do so; however, when we post everything we have on our Web sites, with no means of knowing who is reading our material, this creates some difficulties.This is the excuse he offered. They cannot create data bases on who responds to their materials so they can contact them later when they get kicked off TV stations due to their heretical content (which has happened.)
For example, we were on television for over four years in Hong Kong until the station ceased operations. During that time, we had thousands of people responding to the telecast by going to our H.K. Web site. And without a cost-effective telephone service, we were not able to capture names, addresses, etc., except for a few hundred that signed up for a monthly e-mail newsletter. We embarked on that initiative as an act of faith, because we are commissioned to go to the whole world. We knew that we would not be able to do things in Hong Kong or China like we do in the “Western” world, but the result is that we have no idea who these people were and no way of contacting them. If we had their e-mail addresses, we could have informed them of a new offer, a new station, or a Tomorrow’s WorldPresentation. The same is true in India, where our primary source for people responding to our telecast is by means of our Web site.Several from LCG have written to me stating that this is another form of control of the members. This tells LCG brass which church members are exactly reading their material. Weston has always been about control. Now that Meredith is out of the way, Weston has achieved his goal. Rough days are ahead for LCG members.
This is good news. It will throttle their message just as effectively as restrictor plates reduce race speeds in Daytona and Talledega.
ReplyDeleteBB
That's a no brainer, all the other groups do the same thing, even David Pack has said they do this.
ReplyDeleteHow does knowing who visits their website help? Why do they have to sign in to a secret members only site? To see which members sign in and how long they read church propaganda, that's why.
ReplyDeleteIf they monitor your tithing, they monitor your visit time and frequency.
To get in their good graces, sign in to their site and leave it open. Open another window and do your thing.
This should make them happy as the timer will show, someone spending time on the site.
I don't even read the magazine that comes in the mail.
Weston wrote: "...We embarked on that initiative as an act of faith, because we are commissioned to go to the whole world..."
ReplyDeleteSo far, their fulfillment of that commission has been as effective as any of the other xcogs, which isn't saying much. They are stiving to do HWA's work, but when his work was finished he died. What are they left with? Really?
Junk Food: e.g.
Looking for 10 kings in Europe to erupt on the world scene...
Looking for Jesus Christ to reign on planet earth for 1,000 years...and then, with his little helpers, fail when Satan comes out of the bottomless pit to again deceive the entire world...
Looking for USA to be beaten up and taken over by some Assyria...
Teaching that the Tree of Life had something to do with God's Holy Spirit (the Tree provided life........and a lot longer than we live today!!!!!!!)
Weston says it's all an "act of faith," but all of the fleeing ministers left WCG, also leaving their ministerial credentials behind in Pasadena, and demonstrated FAITHLESSNESS.
I sometimes read/skim the United Ass's literature, but who really cares and why? It is still filled with milk and junk food.....so, yes, well, I actually mostly skim their literature...it is a lot like old wcg...without any strong meat!
What have any of them accomplished?????? Striving to be some "Big Brother" to all of us?
Time is telling...
John
Before Jesus Christ fed the 5,000, did he first gather their names and contact details? Of course not!
ReplyDeleteWeston has always been a control freak. When he was over the teen camps he wanted to control what the pre-teen camps could and couldn't do. In Canada, he wanted his own version of the Tomorrow's World Presentations even though the rest of the world used the U.S. model. Throughout his career, given the choice between cooperation or self-aggrandizement, Weston has consistently chosen the latter. Now it seems that Weston has forgotten Christ's command to preach the gospel to all nations as a witness, and instead he wants to use that preaching to gather names of people to recruit for donations or membership. Christ didn't do it that way, but then again Christ wasn't an insecure, power-hungry ACOG minister.
Given all their print efforts, the fear noted in the last paragraph seems farfetched. Sounds more to me like Weston is concerned about shrinking membership over next couple of decades and trying to make more internet hits translate into PMs. But anythings possible.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Anything is possible. We could guess that Weston just wants to get a handle on the stats, but the past track record has been that the ACOGs have generally been over-enthusiastic when reporting subscriptions and growth.
DeleteThey've got a massive, massive public relations problem in that because of their rigid authoritarianism, the easiest motive to assume for any given policy is control.
BB
(chuckle) BB, my thought at the time was "That would be a terribly tedious and inefficient way to track the memberships reading habits..." and then realized that this is a COG we're discussing. You know how they love to exert unnecessary effort.
Delete6:24 Agree... Christ never operated this way. The way the COG's manage their marketing statistics is no way indicative of a "faith in God" mind frame, but in my opinion a rather faithless one. The "marketing" of the message for maximum financial return/followup seems to be the focus, under the guise of being "faithful stewards".
ReplyDeleteNo one reads their stuff because it is a "Israelites " are the only people God really loves religion.
ReplyDeleteAs one person said to me, "My heritage is Italian and this has nothing to do with me. They leave everyone else on the outside."
As long as they continue to preach the US/Britain stuff as 'doctrine', when there is not one shred of biblical proof for it, no DNA proof, and as long as it flies in the face of Christ dying for all mankind, they will be a weirdo religion no one wants to be part of .
This silly emphasis on Israel denies what Christ said about Israel really.. none of it good.
Christ accepts anyone of any race who believes on Him. End of Story.
NO2HWA wrote, "Now that Meredith is on the way out Weston has achieved his goal. Rough days are ahead for LCG members".
ReplyDeleteMY COMMENT - I think you meant "Now that Meredith's influence is on the way out". I don't think RCM has been resurrected, but it would have been tough act to follow by Pack, Flurry, Thiel, Kubik, Franks, Hawkins, etc. if he had. :)
Richard
I trained my puppy to shit on living church of god literature
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAnother person who missed his calling to be a gestapo agent. If ever I step inside another church I will want to know that they welcome me without vetting me and giving me security clearance. I went to a worldly church once, a few blocks from my house, and I was welcomed openly and after the service I was invited to eat at their potluck, plus there were a few bedraggled street people who turned up for the potluck but not the service, and they were welcomed too. I didn't go back though, I just felt too hypocritical to partake of their generosity, but still they seemed to have an example of what christianity should be.
ReplyDeleteThe Non-Armstrong Churches Are The Ones Who Seem To Have An "Philadelphian" Attitude. The Ones I Have Encountered Were The Ones With Christian Love.
DeleteLake of Fire...good catch! It was a post that had been sitting in my draft file from an LCG member. I changed the wording.
ReplyDeleteReading LCG literature? Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!
ReplyDeleteCodename: Manpower 2
ReplyDeleteSince my screen reader can't read the jumbled mess lcg's picture to text program makes of their pdf files doesn't affect me one way or the other (I'm very centrally blind)
ReplyDelete@ RSK 8:25 AM
ReplyDeleteGiven all their print efforts, the fear noted in the last paragraph seems farfetched. Sounds more to me like Weston is concerned about shrinking membership over next couple of decades and trying to make more internet hits translate into PMs.
Actually, that's not quite correct, as LCG's 2016 financial statement will verify:
2016 LCG Financials
In 2016, LCG tithes and offerings increased 8.3% to $15,094,585. LCG Holy Day offerings increased 3.1% to $3,442,083. That doesn't sound like declining membership. So, how did LCG use that increase?
Living University support increased 17.5% to $928,388
Administrative support increased 7.6% to $1,359,613
Support of local congregations increased 1.3% to $6,908,767
What was cut to make room for those increases?
Mail Processing decreased 1.6% to $1,751,838.
Television decreased 6.1% to $4,392,580.
Print media decreased 6.5% to $1,469,078.
Yes, Weston is turning inward, cutting back on preaching the Gospel as a witness so LCG can devote more resources to Living University and to HQ administration.
I didnt say membership was declining in the short term. Westons wish to have contact info for those internet hits sounds to me like hes worrying about long-term stagnation, trying to maximize any point of contact he can.
DeleteAs for "Weston is turning inward", I cant say. Sounds like he wants to have his cake and eat it too. :)
DeleteThe old technique was to preach the gospel as much as possible, with the intent of building a mailing list. Then, you work that mailing list for possible ministerial visits. Then, make them ask to come to church. Then, you make them read booklets, then make them wait, then finally baptize them. By the time you've weeded everybody out, you have almost no one left. Ron Dart, when he went out on his own in 1995-96 decided not to do that. He would take his message right to the masses. Rather than attention-grabbing broadcasts like "Why Christmas is Wrong" and "No One Will Go To Heaven", Dart taught sound Biblical doctrine right over the radio. One man sows and another reaps. Dart's gift was as a teacher, so that's what he did. He knew he wasn't a pastor, wasn't an administrator, wasn't a prophet. So he did what he was good at, and hoped that others would do what God had gifted them with. That's the way the church is supposed to work, isn't it? This idea of one man in charge of everything is contrary to the Bible.
ReplyDeleteWho's reading LCGs literature? 500,000 named subscribers to it's flagship publication Tomorrow's World Magazine.
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:19AM asked
ReplyDeleteWho's reading LCGs literature? 500,000 named subscribers to it's flagship publication Tomorrow's World Magazine.
Where do you get that 500,000 number? Their May-June 2017 magazine lists on page 4 a circulation of 355.000.
John said: "Looking for 10 kings in Europe to erupt on the world scene...
ReplyDelete"Looking for Jesus Christ to reign on planet earth for 1,000 years...and then, with his little helpers, fail when Satan comes out of the bottomless pit to again deceive the entire world...
"Looking for USA to be beaten up and taken over by some Assyria.."
I believe 10 leaders will appear on the European scene and be presided over by 1 supreme leader (Beast) who will ally himself with a Christian leader (False Prophet) as the apostle John prophesied (Rev 17).
I believe Jesus will return and usher in the Millennium imprisoning Satan in the abyss for that 1000 year period. In fact when he is released he will finally realize after his failed coup that he will never succeed against the Eternal Creator--period! And will NEVER be given an opportunity to influence and thwart God's plan again. God's will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven FOREVER!
I believe America will fall to a European superpower. It's on the rise now just as America's decline is evident for all willing to see.