COG Veritas: COGWA, UCG, Regional Pastors, Inappropriate emails, Coverups, No Accountability (Part 1)

 

It is not every day that women in the Church of God movement publicly speak their minds and expose deeply concerning issues in the church, but here we are with one brave woman. This apparently short-circuits the power-structure neurons in certain COG ministers’ brains—neurons that, one suspects, were never wired for much beyond “submit  to everyting I say, do not question me, and bring the casserole.”

After all, women in the Churches of God are expected to remember their place and never speak out against the ministerial overlords who micromanage them. These men, if given half a chance, would prefer women stay in the kitchen making sandwiches or cleaning the house rather than becoming outspoken confronting issues. Be the perfect helpmeet and walk three steps behind your husband. Thankfully, those days are swiftly coming to an end across the COG groups—much to the visible distress of men who once preached freedom from “Babylonian hierarchy” while quietly building their own.

This is particularly true in the UCG and COGWA empires—two sister organizations that themselves were born in rebellion, complete with passionate speeches about corrupt leadership and the urgent need for accountability. Now, private emails and a Facebook group exposing them are now circulating. How inconvenient.

What is the Purpose of COG Veritas?

COG Veritas will be a series of articles from interviews with the brethren of the Sabbath-Keeping churches.    The information & truth has been largely hidden from the congregations for a very specific purpose.   

Have you ever wondered why those that speak the truth are attacked?   Think of men ranging from Charlie Kirk to Jordan Peterson or Jesus Christ.   These men are savagely attacked or killed when they speak from a place of principle and truth.    

The Truth Threatens False Power.   The Truth Threatens those that gained powered through politics and lies.    This has happened in the Sabbath keeping churches.   Those in society that Threaten this power are sometimes killed.   In the COG world, those that speak the truth are often Disfellowshipped.   It is the same spirit.

COG Veritas is meant to share the truth about events that have been largely hidden, so that the MEMBERS can make an informed decision about who to trust for Spiritual Leadership.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. The overlords will first attempt to control this woman and shut her down. Then they will deny any culpability in the issues raised. Covering up scandals has long been an important part of the Church of God movement—practiced with the same enthusiasm once reserved for criticizing the previous administration. Look at how well it worked—until the internet opened the floodgates and the underhandedness and lack of accountability were thrust into the limelight. Suddenly the same men who once thundered about “transparency” discovered that transparency is delightful only when applied to someone else.

Another roadblock is the idea of members offering solutions to the churches’ issues. COG members have never had a real voice in the operations of the church, in any aspect. In fact, in all COG groups that are registered as corporations, the ONLY members are the Board and no one else. Democracy is apparently a fine concept—until the congregation starts asking awkward questions about their shepherds. 

COGWA states this as the reason for the organization of the church:

The Bible teaches that the Church of God is a spiritual body of believers led by God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 4:3-5; Romans 8:9, 16). Each member has a part to play in the work of the Church, as do the parts of the human body (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). As we yield to God’s divine leadership, we collectively grow “into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21).

The Bible also teaches that Jesus Christ is the Head of His Church; and as the spiritual leader, He guides and directs His Church throughout all ages (Colossians 1:18). He has also provided human leadership for the Church since the time He walked the earth. “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).

The leadership of Christ and the teachable attitude of the ministry and membership are essential to accomplish the preaching of the gospel, caring for congregations and general running of the Church.

This all sounds fine in a perfect world—or at least in the brochure. But what happens when one of the church leaders goes astray and causes serious issues? Who holds anyone accountable? The chairman? The board? Regional directors or regional managers? The local ministers? Or the members holding their ministers accountable?

In almost every single instance, accountability is not something members are allowed to exercise toward those over them. They are told to submit and shut up, or they will be disfellowshipped—the COG equivalent of duct tape over one’s mouth. The same organizations that split because they could not stomach unaccountable leadership now treat the mere suggestion of accountability as spiritual treason. 

The first issue out of the gates is a whopper. It carries over from UCG pre-split into COGWA’s present-day operations.

COG Veritas reports this:

Doug Horchak and Dean A

Dean A was in the Dallas, Texas congregation and going through a divorce.   An already painful experience was magnified when he found something shocking….    Inappropriate emails going back and forth between his wife and his pastor, Doug Horchak.

The process to adjudicate these matters is to take these issues to the Regional Pastor. This was a man named Ken Giese out of Houston, Texas.   

In a Heartbreaking email to Ken Giese that these authors have seen, Dean A laid out what he found between Horchak and his wife.  He clearly articulated he was ready to share the emails and documentation with Ken Giese.   

He requested a meeting with Ken Giese.  

The unspoken message in Dean’s emails was a deep sense of betrayal by his Pastor.

His last line in his email was: “And, Mr. Giese, I HAVE PROOF”.

Ken Gieses’ response: “Dean, I am praying for you.”

That was it.   No meeting.   No investigation.  Doug Horchak was not fired.   Doug’s inappropriate emails and evidence would not be reviewed.  

Ken Giese buried it.    

Dean A followed the ONLY process a member had.   Guess what happened to Dean A?

Dean A was disfellowshipped.

How many people go to COGWA and listen to Ken Giese’s sermons, as if he has credibility?    Ken Giese is dirty.    If you attend COGWA, will you look the other way or find a way to justify this scandal?