UCG is trotting out an article written in 2008 by Scott Ashley concerning biblical leadership and UCG members are sending it to their social media pages as a shining example of what is wrong with leadership in the government, instead of what is wrong in the leadership of their own church.
Well, if God looks at the example that the United Church of God leadership has set, then we are really screwed over!
Ashley writes:
What does God look for in a leader? Does He expect certain standards and behavior in a person chosen for a role of leadership and service to others?
At a time many Americans are asking themselves what behavior they should expect from their president, and the holder of that office is frequently heard quoting the Bible, perhaps we should examine what God expects of a leader.
The Bible is clear that God expects one put in a position of responsibility to meet certain qualifications. This is first brought out when God began working with the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt. God was working with a nation of former slaves, shaping and molding them into a new nation. Where would He begin?
One problem quickly became apparent. Since the people brought their questions, problems and disputes to Moses, the decision-making process quickly became a bottleneck and ground to a halt. The solution? Share the load by delegating authority to capable leaders.
By what criteria were leaders to be chosen? Moses was advised to “select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness …” (Exodus 18:21).
With a core leadership of able, God-fearing, truthful, unselfish men, the new nation would build a firm foundation. Moses solved his immediate problem and gave his people a sound start on nationhood.
Through the apostle Paul, God enumerated requirements for positions of leadership and service within His Church. Consider the standards, listed below, that Paul gave to his fellow minister Timothy for choosing such leaders:
“… The presiding elder must have an impeccable character. Husband of one wife, he must be temperate, discreet and courteous, hospitable and a good teacher; not a heavy drinker, nor hot-tempered, but gentle and peaceable, not avaricious, a man who manages his own household well and brings his children up to obey him and be well-behaved: how can any man who does not understand how to manage his own household take care of the Church of God? … It is also necessary that he be held in good repute by outsiders, so that he never falls into disrepute and into the devil’s trap.This certainly does not describe UCG leadership. From pedophiles, adulterers, inappropriate touching, stalking, and verbal harassment, UCG has led the way on how to NOT do what is right.
“Similarly, deacons must be respectable, not double tongued, moderate in the amount of wine they drink and with no squalid greed for money … They are first to be examined, and admitted to serve as deacons only if there is nothing against them” (1 Timothy 3:1-10, New Jerusalem Bible).Many of the leadership in UCG were well know around Pasadena as alcoholics.
Apparently, we are also to believe that UCG leaders are NOT arrogant, hot-tempered, not heavy drinkers, or filed with avaricious. Seriously?
Titus 1:7-8 adds: “The presiding elder has to be irreproachable since he is God’s representative; never arrogant or hot-tempered, nor a heavy drinker or violent, nor avaricious; but hospitable and a lover of goodness; sensible, upright, devout and self-controlled …” (New Jerusalem Bible).
We should ask ourselves: If these are minimum qualifications for overseers of a small congregation of believers, what should we expect from those who oversee states and nations?
Those who excuse the president’s admitted peccadilloes fail to note that any schoolteacher or principal, university professor or supervisor in private business would likely be immediately fired for such conduct. Military officers would be discharged, court-martialed or imprisoned—and many have been—for actions many are willing to tolerate in the nation’s commander in chief. Many Americans don’t seem to appreciate the irony that they hold the presidency to lower standards than any of these jobs.
Moses and Paul understood that leadership requires moral authority to be credible. If one is to accept advice, decisions and instructions from leaders, one must have confidence in the core values and moral foundation behind their words. GNLeadership in the church does require a moral authority to be credible. Sadly, the Church of God leaders across the board have failed in this matter abysmally.
19 comments:
How about a fresh lecture from Ashley asshat on societal collapse?
How about a lecture on the evils of poor leaders and what they do to a church?
*How about a lecture as too why HWA left his family business to a guy who would dismantle it?
How about a lecture on integrity and why the acog's have little to none?
*Comment from youtube channel: "So called "God’s church " has been dissolved as a corporation, the doctrines changed because they were wrong. It does not exist and never changed names. The wcg was a fraud to start with and was revealed to be a fraud not of god, but by man. The successor appointed by HWA destroyed it. This is proof that God hated what HWA taught using His name. So God had HWA appoint Tkach as the new dear leader in order to carry out His will and destroy the teachings of HWA. "Eye on art", you are of Satan the devil. God will not be mocked! Remember that or the lake of fire will be waiting for you."
Nice spinning on your part.
But if this article (actually from 1998) is being posted by UCG members now, what does this say about the current U.S. President? And traditional COG support of Republicans?
Oh no from 2008 or worse 1998. Considering the year 2020 so far, a fresh article should have been written.
Joe Biden and his son, plus the Clinton's aren't Snow White either. In my view, bringing up politics took away from the article.
Today's Republicans have shifted to the old Liberal position, and the Liberals have gone full communist. The old Reagan Republicans are no more.
To do a really valid in-depth analysis of how leadership developed in the WCG, one would have to have access to sources that I do not have. I can sift through the obvious and add a dash of speculation. Leadership in the WCG for years was modeled by HWA and GTA. I have been told that HWA was very different in his early years before Loma died. I was not witness to that. When I arrived on the scene as an Armstrongist lay member, HWA's leadership style was a fairly simplistic form of authoritarianism with Mosaic undertones. And this seems to have influenced all those in any kind of leadership role in the WCG. This authoritarianism has an appeal. Some people like this way of doing business as long as they feel their interests are being addressed and others (preferably those they disapprove of) are the object of its harshness. Think of the success of Donald Trump among people who mistakenly believe he represents their interests.
The only variation I know on the HWA Authoritarian model was espoused by Donald Ward on the AC/BS campus when he taught there. I do not recall Ward's model in any detail. But if it offered a shift from authoritarianism, it does not seem to have had any lasting effect on Armstrongism.
What seems not to be present within the Armstrongist community is something called Servant Leadership as exemplified by Jesus. My guess is that it will never be present because it does not fit the Armstrongist business model. Armstrongism is, after all, foremost a religious business. I don't think Armstrongists can recognize that but it seems to me to be obvious. And the kind of business that seeks control at every level is not compatible with Servant Leadership.
I would deem Armstrongism to be totally impervious to any change in leadership methodology because of the inexorable requirements of its business model. And it is convenient that the antique and superseded Mosaic hegemony is there to be recruited to support HWA Authoritarianism.
“From pedophiles, adulterers, inappropriate touching, stalking, and verbal harassment, UCG has led the way on how to NOT do what is right.”
The disUnited Church of Godlessness, an International Abomination (UCGaIA) is where unrepentant, unconverted unbelievers go to behave very badly while playing church. After the 2010 split, what was left of the UCGaIA became a haunt of apostates, newly-credentialed fake ministers, stalkers, and demons.
Leadership always requires an accountability process from those who are being led. Lifetime appointments without redress will always result in mediocrity.
7:10 said, I would deem Armstrongism to be totally impervious to any change in leadership methodology. It's hard to put new wine in an old wine skin. To change would mean that those in power would have to give up their power and position. Don't hold your breath for that to happen.
"Servant Leadership" was a buzz word in LCG for a few years probably around twelve to fifteen years ago. But while lip service was paid to it, the idea of clergy ruling over laity largely prevailed with an exception here and there. Unfortunately in all too many cases both in the COG and elsewhere, servant leadership turns into "you serve me, while I rule you." I don't really think that's what Jesus had in mind, when He stated that he came not to be served, but to serve. Matthew 20:28
Concerned Sister
Servant Leadership was never a buzz word under Rod Meredith rule in LCG. Maybe you are getting mixed up with Roy Holladay introducing Servant Leadership when he was President in United.
https://www.lcg.org/lcn/1999/july-august/what-servant-leadership
https://www.lcg.org/lcn/2011/january-february/growth-through-servant-leadership
https://www.lcg.org/lcn/2010/july-august/servant-leadership-vital
https://www.lcg.org/lcn/2015/january-february/loyalty-unity-and-servant-leadership
I hope these are sufficient to make my point. Like I said, lip service is paid to it, but truly putting it into practice is another subject all together.
Concerned Sister
4:30pm loves to make authoritative statements on things that he thinks can't be proven. Concerned Sister just showed him! Hilarious!
8.51 AM
Sadly what you say about the UCG is true. Former ministers of mine who openly rejected justice, are now high up in that church. They are not even whitewashed tombs.
I just read the UCGs most recent issue of Beyond Today. It's all basic material. It's the usual message of the tribulation is near, repent, and do your prayer and bible study. Where's the spiritual meat? This makes it easy for the ministers to informally push all manner of moral distortions.
After reading the UCG's Post - plus also reading the RCG post, I can honestly say, after being in the WCG, CGI and taking interest in other offshoots (not that they mattered), I can only state (from my own perspective that leadership and past reports have shown me that these man made organizations seem designed to take care of their own brain washed souls, and not care that much for the rest of us. I have my own experiences in these churches and mad to walk away from the hypocrisy they seem to emanate. That's saying it mildly of course. If these churches want to be exclusive, then state that upfront in the beginning. That's why I consider myself an independent believer.
After reading the UCG's Post - plus also reading the RCG post, I can honestly say, after being in the WCG, CGI and taking interest in other offshoots (not that they mattered), I can only state (from my own perspective that leadership and past reports have shown me that these man made organizations seem designed to take care of their own brain washed souls, and not care that much for the rest of us. I have my own experiences in these churches and had to walk away from the hypocrisy they seem to emanate. That's saying it mildly of course. If these churches want to be exclusive, then state that upfront in the beginning. That's why I consider myself an independent believer.
The problem is that you do not meet true Christians with the Holy Spirit in the UCG. You meet bad people with evil spirits. You won't make good friends for life in the UCG, but you might get a stalker for life.
So, UCG started off 25 years ago with somewhere in the vicinity of 25,000 members, and as a DIRECT RESULT of their "leadership" they've managed to cut that number in half? And they guy who is the president now has been on the board the entire time, and bears as much responsibility for that as anyone.
Please, UCG, keep managing things the way you've always managed them. You're only doing a service society at large by removing your toxic organization from existence. Just don't tell us how you're doing it. We don't care. As long as you finish the job, that's good enough.
Ain't that the truth Anon 1:02.
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