Joe Tkach, President of Grace Communion International (Former Worldwide Church of God) has announced he is retiring as of January 1, 2019. Greg Williams is replacing him as head of the GCI.
During the conference, I announced that on January 1, 2019 I will be retiring—stepping aside as President of Grace Communion International. On that date, GCI Vice President Greg Williams will become GCI President. After retiring from GCI employment I will continue serving as Chairman of GCI’s Board of Directors and Russell Duke will continue serving as Vice Chairman.These changes in our leadership, recently approved by our Board of Directors, will be accompanied by the move in April 2018 of our Home Office from Glendora, CA, to Charlotte, NC. We’re thankful to God for the way he has provided our next generation of denominational leadership, both in our Home Office and in our other GCI offices around the globe. Thanks for your prayers about these transitions! Leadership changes; humans in relationship
As one person mentioned to me, this is 12 years after he previously announced he was retiring.
Well, I am not holding my breath on this ever happening! I sat there in Pasadena and heard him state that he did not want to stay in the position for long. He wanted no repeat of the HWA years. Now he is sitting pretty with full retirement and all of its benefits while those of us that were promised retirement were cashed out several years ago because they church mismanaged the funds. All of the Glendora employees still have guaranteed retirement though.
ReplyDeleteU all should have known by their fruits, prove all things! If you all were praying & talking to God & asking in name of His Son Jesus Christ, for wisdom, knowledge, & understanding, you wouldn’t have been screwed by the Tkach!s in the 1st place! Now, deal with & move on.
DeleteAs a member of GCI this announcement comes as a relief.I have never come across such vacuous leadership in all my life. My only hope is that Greg Williams will be more dynamic.Even if he leads the church even more off course ie taking the whole denomination to Sunday observance at least it will all be bought to a head.More life in a dead corpse than in this present set up.
ReplyDeleteHappy retirement, Joe! Who would ever have known back in the day?
ReplyDeleteBB
So let me get this straight. After he and his dad ripped my family apart, sending siblings and parents into 5 different COG's he is now retiring and the focus is all about love now. I feel like I need to vomit! My feet will never cross the door of a church again.
ReplyDelete"... the focus is all about love now."
ReplyDeleteDon't think so! A crooked man lies for years about "changes", makes sure he gets his pension, forgets all about the decades long employees out the cold.."
Love? Really?
I am no great fan of the Tkach's however I atleast give them credit for opening the lid on Pandora's box that exposed Armstrongism for what it is. I have left Armstrongism and have never looked back.
ReplyDeleteIt is finished. This time for sure. I mean it. Trust me...
ReplyDeleteGood riddance Tkach after all the underhanded ways he lead the church in order to grab everyone's money and left people spiritiually broken, confused, separated from loved ones, etc... Hope he means it this time.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how G. Flurry will spin it if he does retire as JTjr was suppose to be the Amaziah priest (aka end-time Joshua priest) who accuses PCOG to Trump's Jeroboam to have them kicked out?
He claims he's retiring, but in another statement he admits he's still going to be "chairman of the board." Sounds like the same ol'e WCG double-speak to me! The whole WCG/GCI "transformation" (from cult to Christianity) has been nothing but a horrible experiment and train-wreck. It's like transgenderism. You can change some things on the outside, but you can't literally change your sex! Same goes for a cult; you can change its outward appearance, its name and some beliefs & practices....but you can't literally change its identity and sordid past. Makes me sick to my stomach!
ReplyDeleteIf Robert E Lee has a statue, shouldn't the followers of HWA and Tkach have one for their leader as well?
ReplyDeletePerhaps Dave Pack will put up a statue of himself in his compound.
TRANSLATION:
ReplyDeleteI will not have to mess around with any day to day piddle work as President/Operations Head, this will now be Mr. Williams chore, but will retain my title as "Chairman of the Board" , attend a couple of worthless meetings a year and most importantly ... STILL DRAW A LARGE SALARY WHILE I PLAY GOLF AND JACK OFF ALL DAY!
Remaining as chairman of the board of directors probably means that he will still be the informal head huncho of the church.
ReplyDeleteBesides, he has to remain on board to protect his pension.
I guess Connie is 100% right.
ReplyDeleteGets to thief until he dies, only now without any effort to thief.
By any standard the most miserable person ever to rule a corporation. Although this asset of course was a gift from the former owner.
Nck
Ed has a point when he wrote:
ReplyDelete"I am no great fan of the Tkach's however I atleast give them credit for opening the lid on Pandora's box that exposed Armstrongism for what it is."
While I also don't necessarily credit the Tkach's with any good intentions, the end result is that their watering down of HWAism did lead to major multiple split ups of the WCG and dilution of its power, which I guess we can only count as a good thing.
You could imagine countless "what if" scenarios, but what if, say RCM (or some other Armstrongist hardliner) had been appointed as HWAs successor? Might be reasonable to assume that WCG would have continued largely in its '80s form up to the present day. Certainly not much new growth, but I guess they'd probably still have nearly 100,000 members. There's more power in solid numbers and more damage that can be done.
So, at least the mother harlot has been somewhat neutered :)
"informal" really.
ReplyDeleteStanley Rader was a payed consultant to the church until 2002.
I am still not sure who really decided to finish "the Work".
Nck
" STILL DRAW A LARGE SALARY WHILE I PLAY GOLF AND JACK OFF ALL DAY! "
ReplyDeleteI simply cannot get my head around a woman talking like this.....
Then you probably dont get much from women either...
DeleteThat's because it isn't a woman.
DeleteNobody really knows anything about the current magnitude of the assets, what was spent where, or who gets what pensions. We only know the approximate value (if that was not indeed inflated) prior to the changes.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, a huge affluent campus requires astronomical sums of money just to maintain from day to day. The buildings and land were still under WCG's ownership after the changes, the mass rejection of the corrections, and the members voting with their feet. These assets would need to be maintained in saleable condition with vastly diminished income. Were any of these buildings sold at market value? It appears that the most valuable buildings from the original package are now on the market, with real estate values having largely recovered, so assuming GCI still holds title, there could be a windfall.
I doubt that the release of an accurate accounting would resolve the issues in most peoples' minds. It would just raise more questions and unleash further criticism. Some want the assets to promote their version of the HWA gospel, some want their pensions or retirement, some want their tithes back, but all of the people who might have stood up and changed the outcome when that was possible walked away and started up their own franchises.
I let go of the financial aspects back in 1975, considering it a total loss. It is what it is, he who died with the most toys actually won, and at this point there is nothing that anyone can do about it all, except complain. HWA would have gotten a chuckle out of his stiff-necked, complaining Israelites right to the bitter end.
BB
GCI owns nothing in Pasadena. Every square inch was sold for pennies on the dollar. The only present property owned is their building on Financial Way in Glendora. If they had been smart they would have maintained land rights and would have had financial security till the Germans invade. But the church hated the property because of all the ties to HWA and they were eager dispose of the property and move. Their upcoming move to the east coast puts the final nail in the coffin.
ReplyDeleteGoodbye And Good Riddance!
ReplyDelete11.16 PM
ReplyDeleteIf you can't get your head around a woman talking like that, you should meet my sister.
I don't know that Herbie ever played golf, but he certainly kept a flog log. It was apparently part of his physical fitness program.
DeleteBB
12.39 AM
ReplyDeleteI agree that the properties were sold for pennies on the dollar out of hatred, murder and malice. They didn't care about the economic security of church members. It's a application of Cain murdering Abel.
Why are the millionaire WCG executives leaving Southern California? For the wealthy, California offers so much more: Luxury automobile dealerships, exclusive shopping (Rodeo Drive), year-round golf (imaging what the Tkaches spend on golf club memberships alone!?)(more than most of us make in a year!)
ReplyDeleteTo all the Misogynists on here who have not yet grown beyond their dominate male WCG conditioning, let me put your hearts and souls at peace...
ReplyDelete1) RECIPE FOR UNLEAVENED COOKIES
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup pecans (chopped)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces cream cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Cream butter and cream cheese. Slowly add sugar and flour that are mixed together. Add lemon juice and vanilla. Finally add the pecans. Bake at 350ยบ for 12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Don’t overbake.
2) Sabbath Poetry...
The Seventh Day of every week,
Is God’s great Gift for us to seek.
The Sabbath is for us to rest,
When Friday’s sun sets in the west.
He gave the Sabbath from the start.
He liked Creation, every part.
The Seventh Day – a Gift for us,
We gladly rest, and stop our fuss!
(freely copy and distribute without copyright worries! LOL! )
3) Word Associations, --
Kittens, Lace, Knitting, Nail Polish, Children, Romance, Wine, PMS
Notice the books behind Joe in the photo. This is a old trick that the ministers use. The implication is that they are educated, wise and well read. Yep, they are like king Solomon.
ReplyDeleteAnd not forgetting, he hasn't read any of those books behind him.
Connie, thank you for reassuring everyone on this board that you do properly know your place in the world, and can concentrate on proper womanly pursuits, and nice fluffy thoughts. No doubt a sigh of relief echoed around the board with your last posting!
ReplyDeleteBut I am surprise that people didn’t understand your original meaning with your comment on ‘jacking off’.
Do the people on this board not know the game of Lawn Bowls? (Which is a game suitable for both elderly gentlemen and ladies).
The game begins by rolling the jack to the other end of the green (obviously this is known as ‘jacking off’). The jack then serves as a target, and the players take turns to roll their bowls as close as possible towards the jack.
Obviously Connie’s statement of:-
" STILL DRAW A LARGE SALARY WHILE I PLAY GOLF AND JACK OFF ALL DAY! " is merely showing the in his retirement Joe can spend his time playing golf and bowls all day.
What other possible meaning could there be from a lady such as Connie?
Anon 139 - and some could be "fake books".
ReplyDeleteYears ago I read where a famous author had some shelves with only book spines fastened together.
It's been over 30 years since HWA made his fateful choice of successor. What began with tweaks became stealth changes and escalated to fast devolution and eventual gutting of the WCG. In ways, thinking about the "transformation" still bewilders me.
Connie Schmidt - Exactly how will Tkach Jack Off and Play Golf? Don't you need two hands to hold a Golf Club?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHow do Tkach church ministers get paid today now that many churches only have 10 or 20 members??
Let's say they donate $10,000 in a year and Tkach takes half, that leaves only $5,000 for minister?
We know Tkach is taking six figures, but how does it work in the field?
Speaking of changes in the GCI I wonder if the GCI pastor(s) who so adamantly supported Trump will repent now that his racist tendencies have become so obvious.
ReplyDelete7.01 PM
ReplyDeleteGood point. Makes you wonder whether GCI ministers work part time or are on minimum wage. What choice do these ministers have? The alternative is window washing, with no little people to boss around.
Only about 10% of CCI pastors are full-time church employees - they are in churches of 60 - 100 members (or circuits with that total attendance) that can afford to pay a salary. Most of these receive their health benefits through a spouse's employment. Another 10% are part-time employees. 80% of GCI pastors are what they refer to as "bi-vocational" and they receive no paycheck. Most are retired from other careers and a few have other jobs. This makes sense when you realize the average congregation has an attendance of around 25. The headquarters employees, together with a handful of regional pastors, as well as hq operating expenses are paid from two revenue streams: a little over half the money comes from earnings on the invested proceeds from the sale of the Pasadena property and the rest comes from taking 15% of the donations in each congregation. Hypothetically, GCI's U.S. membership could dwindle from its present 6,000 to zero and HQ could still keep its doors open, in a diminished way, from the investment income off the property sale.
ReplyDeleteMakes you wonder whether GCI ministers work part time
ReplyDeleteEven 'Vlad the Impaler' must be amazed by Californian Christian Cults:
"In Transylvania we suck people dry and impale them on stakes, but these American cults make our blood run cold!"
Some observations:
ReplyDeleteJoe Jr. is by no means perfect. (Recovering Armstrongists have a pathological weakness for wanting to believe that leaders can and should be perfect.) But he did manage the movement of a small church from heresy into the pale of orthodoxy. This is a far greater accomplishment that criticism alone can achieve.
Schmidt's language is not surprising - this language is common among women in certain social classes - just inappropriate for this discourse.
Most of the people who support The Donald are not going to recoil from his blatant racism. After all, that's what they liked about him. Most Armstrongists will revel in his supporting White Supremacists who persecute people of color. But the same Armstrongists will feel uneasily ambivalent about the White Supremacist attacks on Jews. The exception will be some of the Big Sandy Armstrongists who are anti-Semitic.
They can revel in the whole theater.
She must be very rich then, since "grab em by the pussy" is apparently acceptable in Trump circles. ;)
DeleteComing partially from the outlaw biker community, I'm not shocked or offended by Connie's choice of words, or her knowledge of the technique. It's just one of several tools scooter ladies lovingly use on their significant other during that time of the month.
ReplyDeleteBB
Thank you near earth object for sharing your observations on the above comments. Brethren have always naively expected the ministry to have the character of a king, unfortunately they repeatedly realize this is not the case. Any man who does have decent character is more likely to be exception to the rule than the normal. That also applies to the ministry wives, which leads me onto your other point of Schmidt's dabbling in double meaning induendo talk which seems to be so enjoyed by QuesterUK.
ReplyDeleteThe older I get, I realise Garmner Ted's problems were not only limited to himself. The seems a sewer like tendency amongst the elite to be not that far removed from the depths GTA went to. He simply had more time and money on his side.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I think Bannon's firing from the White House is the best news in the last 6 months!
ReplyDeleteBB
Good riddance to bad rubbish, a total thief and scoundrel like all the tkach's
ReplyDeleteJust for the record - My satirical comment on Connie's post was aimed at the hypocrisy and sexism of some others who seem to feel that her comment would have been fine from a man but unacceptable from a woman.
ReplyDeleteBut then satire is rarely understood in the US.
I have not seen comments that Connies language is inapropriate.
ReplyDeletePersonally I sometimes feel that het syntax, sentence structuring, choice of words might be male. That is not a judgement but an observation.
I would not be surprised with a picture with a soft spoken guy unable to grow a full beard. Or the sexy christian lady on the picture either way.
Nck
ReplyDeleteDid you know the name 'TKACH' is actually Transylvanian?
nck said...
ReplyDelete"I have not seen comments that Connies language is inappropriate."
Maybe you don’t read the comments then, just a few…
- “I simply cannot get my head around a woman talking like this.....”
- “That's because it isn't a woman.”
- “Schmidt's language is not surprising - this language is common among women in certain social classes - just inappropriate for this discourse.”
- “which leads me onto your other point of Schmidt's dabbling in double meaning innuendo talk”
As I said above, I doubt if any of the above comments would have been stated if it had been by a man.
No doubt this is also why Connie commented “To all the Misogynists on here who have not yet grown beyond their dominate male WCG conditioning,”….
I understand given your interesting cultural explanation. As you speak I am entertained by the spectacle of a latvian guy attempting to negotiate his car and mobile home through a windy italian street. His wife is on the phone ignoring his calls for instruction and "pushing" rather caressing the car with one hand.
ReplyDeleteI would expect a woman like Connie to have rounded up 24 horses, yihaa to pull tbe car, drive it out of its precarious situation herself or most likely not have entered that street in the first place by clever reasoning.
Nck
"That's because it isn't a woman."
ReplyDeleteHad thought that. Would a woman be interested in this stuff?