Sadly, this is the face of so many of the "elders" leading churches today
These are the qualifications for elders in the LCG:
Qualifications of Elders
1 Tim 3:1-7; 2 Tim 2:24-25, 4:1-2; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4• Must be blameless (above reproach, no grounds for accusations) Right out the gate many elders fail the qualifications. Sadly, the number of elders who are above reproach and suffer no grounds for accusations are few and far between.• Willing to serve - The track record for far too many elder's in the church has never been one of service. They expected to be served, waited on hand and foot. Clean their houses, mow their lawns, take care of the dry cleaning, paint their homes, etc.• Husband of one wife For some, at least.• Temperate (marked by moderation, not extreme) Far too many elders and ministers are volatile and overreact to members questions and life circumstances• Sober-minded (serious) This one does describe many elders in the church. Some of them seem to have never cracked a smile since they were ordained! Far too many take themselves far too seriously. God forbid if you ever laughed at one of them to their face!• Of good behavior Child molesters, serial stalkers, adulterers...you name it and the elders have done it or are doing it. Not all of them, mind you, but far too many have!• Hospitable For some elders and ministers, if they deem you worthy to be in their presence then they are hospitable to you, otherwise don't disturb their bubble with your presence.• Humble LOL! Let's start with Rod Meredith and Gerald Weston. Humility just reeks from these guys, right?• Able to teach (explain, exhort, convince, inspire, correct) Just how many times does an elder/minister need to repeat the same sermon? Enough with the sermons with 7,14, or 21 points over a 1 1/2 hour time period. Enough! An effective speaker can get across the main point in 15 minutes or less. No one needs to stand up there for hours on end lecturing. That is the problem right there. They lecture. They don't inspire, they don't convince, they lecture.• Not given to wine Oh Lordy This is COG ministers and elders we are talking about. The sad fact about far too many in the COG ministry is that too many of them are raging alcoholics.• Not violent How about the elders that strike their wives or are emotionally abusive? Or the ones that are child molesters? Or the stalkers and rapists? Fortunately, there are not that many in the church, but they are there and the church does its best to cover up their bad deeds.• Not greedy for money What about the ministers and elders who get peeved that lay members make more money than they do and have better things and then proceed to make the lives of those people miserable if they don't regularly cough up their money. COG ministers are well known to court and pamper well-off members. They get invited to the minister's home and are able to slide by when they do things not kosher in the church's eye. Don't forget around holy day offering times as their eyes glaze over as they demand members put more and more money in the offering plate. It is important to them that they look good in HQ's eyes.• Gentle Some of the most abusive and heavy-handed men in the church have been ministers and elders wreaking havoc in their congregations. Do you remember Rod Meredith as a gentle soul?• Self-controlled See not given to wine, above• Not quarrelsome or quick tempered Most church members have never seem a group of men who can get pissed off and angry so fast than they do with the ministry. They are quick to jump the gun and make snap judgments without getting all the facts.• Not self-willed• Not covetous How dare a lay member have better things than a minister Or, better yet, the freedom to do what they want so let's make them come over and paint my house on their time, mow my yard, and deleaven my home for me.• Ruling well their own children and households (demonstrating Godly leadership in their family) From Rod Meredith's children to the children of far too many COG ministers and elders, this has NEVER been the case. Drug abuse, arrests, sexual assaults premarital sex, you name it and COG ministers children have done it and are still doing it. For far too many of their children are not even members of the church anymore. Some example that is!• Having children who are good examples see above• Not new to the truth, but having a track record Sadly that "track record" is nothing to be proud of in the church considering the decades of theological and spiritual abuse the church has dished out. Just because someone has read all of HWA's books and articles doe snot make them a theologian or ministry material. Reciting church doctrine by rote is not a good track record either.
• Having a good reputation among those outside the church If church members are told continually to not be a part of the world, why would an LCG elder be well thought of in their community? They self isolate in order to not be tainted by the unclean and god forbid if they associate with those "so-called" Christians, Buddhists, or Muslims who might be their neighbor.• A lover of what is good• Just and holy Justice in the Church of God. What a novel concept!• Holding fast the faithful word as taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.A lot of good this has done over the decades. If the ministry in the LCG really believed this they would have never allowed the heretic Bob Thiel to pull the crap he has done nor would they have massaged his delicate ego by telling him that he was a prophet. Because Jesus is not part of the picture, sound doctrine is not part of the bigger picture in the church. Because of that they cannot effectively exhort and convict people to be lovers of The Way. They know enough to force the law and government down the throats of people, but not Jesus.
From the LCG's Advanced Leadership Training Program, Class 24
