While this comment is made in regard to the ongoing problems in the Living Church of God, it is also an issue in many of the corporate COG groups. The leadership of LCG and most of the other corporate COG's are completely out of touch with their members. It seems as if most of them do not really care. Good shepherds are hard to find.
Most ACOG members figured out years ago that the power of the holy people has been scattered and that the rebellious "shepherds" are mostly to blame. Most members by now have friends in several groups other than their own, and they see for themselves that these members are more serious about their Christianity than most of the bickering hirelings in any of the groups. When Weston causes a division, he instantly creates a bond between LCG members and the divided group. Very few LCG members anymore are particularly loyal to LCG, it's just that LCG is their primary loyalty and convenient social network. As Weston is starting to learn with the Monson fiasco, every division strengthens the loyalty among brethren while weakening individual loyalties to splinter leaders. It is getting easier and easier for LCG members to feel comfortable shifting their primary loyalty away from LCG. Eventually, Weston will find that his whining won't bring the sheep back once they've found a pasture where the Good Shepherd's voice isn't being muzzled by hireling men playing at being shepherds.
