Is Grace Communion International a trusted theological voice?

Grace Communion International recently moved its world headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina.  It is a time of opportunity for another fresh start and that begins with a new web site.

Here is one of the things they posted:

Grace Communion International places great emphasis on the gracious triune God (Father, Son and Spirit). Our pastors and the people they serve point others toward the Triune God so that union and participation with Christ happens.

We are inclusive informers, teachers, and pastor-theologians who pursue God’s Word (the written Word, the Holy Scriptures and the Living Word Jesus). It’s our quest to follow where He leads.

We are passionate about equipping, training, and proclaiming the relational nature of God. Our goal is healthy churches who want to be a part of God’s renewal.

We are intentional about developing leaders; and new, growing, and multiplying churches. We lead with belief into the liberated love and life of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Our consistent effort is high support, high challenge, and grace always.

Grace Communion International is a trusted theological voice, who has proven that we are willing to lose it all so that we may gain Christ. We see our people, and others who join us, embracing and sharing the love of God in genuine ways.

While GCI was certainly willing to lose it all, I just wonder about the "trusted theological voice" can really be trusted?

Many ask—“What are your distinctives—what makes you different, or superior?” The bottom line is that we aren’t in competition with other Christian churches. We are simply striving to be the healthiest expression of Christian church that we can be.

"Healthiest expression of Christianity?"

By the power of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit we seek to proclaim the Good News in all of our communication and in the way we interact with others. The Gospel about Jesus really is good news and that’s what you will hear and experience in Grace Communion International.

LCG: We Are Being Persecuted for "Courageously Preaching the Truth"

"Her Majesty reacts to  LCG 's continual whining about being persecuted..."

Poor Gerald Weston. He believes that the Living Church of God has been suffering much persecution after he gained power. Stations are not letting some of LCG's programs to be aired.  But never fear!  Weston says they will continue to be a forceful witness to the world.  If he is referring to his witnessing here in Los Angeles, you would be hard-pressed to find anything from LCG available.

June 20, 2018

Dear Brethren and Co-Workers,

The assault against religious freedom is massive throughout the so-called Western world, and too many professing Christians fail to see what is at stake. Censorship of religion is real. We at Tomorrow’s World experience this first-hand. We see our world transforming on a daily basis.

I received a letter recently from someone complaining that our message is not strong enough. Little does he understand how many Tomorrow’s World telecasts are turned down in his country for reasons that would be laughable five years ago. For example, our program mentioning the miraculous weather at Dunkirk was banned because we did not mention global warming. What global warming had to do with events in 1940 is anyone’s guess.

Another program was turned down for saying that abortion and pornography are sins. Programs on family are censored for not promoting “non-traditional” families. Apparently, upholding the traditional family and not recognizing same-sex “marriages” is no longer permissible. The list could go on.

Weston clams they have to warn the unrighteous in the world, yet his HQ is a hotbed of unrighteousness.

Please do not misunderstand. Tomorrow’s World will continue to preach the truth and will not back down from doing so, but sometimes one station or another will refuse to air our message due to their own constraints. We are called to courageously tell the truth. We are to preach the good news (gospel) of the Kingdom of God as a witness to the entire world. This requires a call to repentance from sin, which means we must define sin in a world that no longer understands what sin is! “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–10). Yet, those behaviors can be changed, as seen in the next verse: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (verse 11).

Just like his predecessor Rod Meredith, Weston has a burr up his butt about a certain group of people.  One guess as to who they are...the gays!

The behaviors listed in this Bible passage are the very ones promoted today, and anyone who fails to celebrate them will pay the price in this society. It is in this context of political correctness that we see our freedoms of speech, expression, association, and religion eroding away. How long will it be before it is impossible to tell the truth by way of mass media?

One baker in Colorado experienced firsthand the power of the LGBT movement when he refused to bake a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding. He did not discriminate against homosexuals in general, but he refused to use his talents to create a wedding cake for a celebration with which he disagreed as a matter of religious conscience. He also refused to bake Halloween cakes as they too went against his conscience, but no one protested that. Thankfully, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in his favor, but only after great damage was done to his business and personal finances. Also, the decision was based on narrow factors, and other court victories will be needed before small business owners who hold strong religious convictions can breathe more easily.

What happened north of the U.S. border is not encouraging.

Trinity Western University, a small evangelical university in Langley, British Columbia, found itself on the other end of a Supreme Court of Canada decision. The court decided that they will not be allowed to confer law degrees, because all their students must sign a “community covenant” that prohibits sexual relations outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. The law societies of Ontario and British Columbia decided that no one who signs such an agreement is fit to practice law in Canada. Or, to put it another way, you cannot openly agree with biblical standards and be a good lawyer! Why? It would not be fair to the LGBT community.

Some wonder why we talk so much about the LGBT movement. This is why. It is a defining issue of our day. It is not a matter of private individual behavior, although that is something that must be repented of if one cares to be given eternal life in the Kingdom of God. However, LGBT activists are out to destroy ALL biblical foundations of morality. This is more than a culture war. It is a war against God! These anarchists are not interested in discussion. They are not interested in diversity. They are interested in removing all biblical restraints and silencing all opposition, and this is why the decision on the Trinity Western University case is so chilling. If these radicals can silence individuals who hold strong contrary views, they can control the judiciary—which they already do for the most part. So while they call for “tolerance” and diversity, it is only tolerance and diversity for their views.

My friends, the speed with which our freedoms are collapsing in country after country is shocking, as the noose tightens on anyone holding godly values. How much longer will we be able to openly proclaim the truth? How much longer before a loving God must step in to save mankind from itself?

We don't know how much time we have left, but it is getting rough for us now!

People often ask, “How much longer do you think we have?” The simple answer is, we do not know. What we do know is that events in this world are moving rapidly in the direction the Bible indicates (see Matthew 24:32–39). Morality is plummeting. Marriages and families are in shambles. The forces of evil are growing stronger. The Middle East is in perpetual turmoil. The majority of nations are lined up against the Jews in Israel, and Jerusalem is a troublesome stone to all nations (Zechariah 12:3). Europe is coming to a crisis state, where a strong leader will step in and the Beast power will rise up. It is evident from a historical perspective that time is short.

The prophet Daniel speaks of our day. “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. . . . Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:1, 3).

The prophet Malachi also refers to the time leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’ Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him” (Malachi 3:16–18).

then Weston gets to the gist of the matter.  He wants money.  It has been a task laid upon church members to support the church.  If you do not, then Jesus cannot come and you will be left behind to suffer horrible indignities. Give him money and his god will NOT be ashamed of you.

Dear Members and Co-workers, the task laid upon us is great. It is great, both collectively and individually. The time has come when each of us must stand up and be counted, just as the Colorado baker refused to violate his conscience in the face of persecution. As Jesus said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. . . . For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:34–35, 38).

God has called you to be part of His Work at the end of the age. The challenges ahead will be great, but, for those who fulfill His will, the reward will be far greater. Thank you for your prayers and generous support.

Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston

Does Weston even have an original thought in his head?  This is the same crap that Armstrongism has been preaching for decades as a tool to scare people.  With all of the beauty in the world and in peoples lives, both in and out of his church, you would think he could write an uplifting article on the goodness of God every once in a while.  That might inspire members to give some money.  This doom and gloom crap is turning them off.

PCG: HWA Prayer Rock Was Crying Out From Oregon During Copyright Trial

What does Queen Elizabeth and Stephen Flurry have in common?  They both made a monumental decision on the same day.  One made a horribly bad decision and the other made a proper decision.  One guess as to who made the right decision!

When Queen Elizabeth made the horrendous decision to return the most "precious thing on earth" to Scotland, the Stone of Scone, a different stone started crying out to be discovered!

The PCG loves to use the court trial, where they were humiliated into having to pay for the rights to publish HWA's works, as a symbol of something they call god working in their midst. All through the court trial, the Stone of Herbert was crying out to PCG so they would win the court case.  Jesus heard the stone crying in the damp woods of Oregon and personally appeared to the PCG to intervene in the trial and to let Flurry's emissary find the Stone of Herb. Jesus needed Flurry to find the Stone of Herb in order to take possession of it and eventually deliver it to Petra for 3 1/2 years and then into Jerusalem so he could come back and sit on it.

I seriously want to know how PCG members can sit there and believe this crap?

Habakkuk 1:6-11 discuss the resurrected Holy Roman Empire conquering America and Britain. This united European power will conquer the people who have the old throne of David and the old stone of destiny (Hosea 3:4). The stone sitting in Scotland is about to be seized by the Holy Roman Empire, and there is no telling what will happen to it beyond that. But God has given a new stone to His Church!

Remember, in the August 1996 Trumpet magazine, I said I believed the stone of destiny in Scotland was “the most precious physical thing on this Earth. I also believe that Queen Elizabeth just made the worst decision of her life! And the British government has made the biggest mistake in its history! [England’s] actions have scorned the omnipotent living God. And there’s going to be a terrifying penalty unless they repent.” I wrote this just before we entered our court battle over Mystery of the Ages.

The stone of Scone was moved out of Westminster Abbey on Nov. 15, 1996. It was officially placed in Edinburgh Castle on November 30. That was the same month my son contacted a copy- right lawyer about the legalities of reprinting Mystery of the Ages.What is more, the process of finding, acquiring and moving

Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock from Oregon to our headquarters campus in Edmond, Oklahoma, took place during the court case years (sidebar: “Timeline of Events,” page 49).

Habakkuk says the stone was crying out! The revelation about the new stone of destiny brings another spiritual dimension to this prophecy.

You can certainly see that the Stone, referring to God, was crying out to His people as we fought in the court case. He was crying out for us to act and fight for His truth! But God is also revealing that while Christ was fighting the battle for us, the literal stone—the new stone of destiny, Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock—was “crying out.” We heard that cry and retrieved the stone. Though we didn’t know it then, Jesus Christ was about to establish a new throne and a new stone!

What a marvelous blessing! Even as we were fighting forMystery of the Ages, we were being given a new stone of destiny, which led to us receiving a new throne to proclaim God’s wonderful truth to the world! When the stone was crying out of the wall, God was stirring us up and getting us ready to receive the throne of David!

Let me make it abundantly clear what the double wonder is. While we were fighting a six-year court case, the new stone— Mr. Armstrong’s prayer rock—was “crying out.” The rock is Jesus Christ personified. He was crying out for us to retrieve this prayer rock, which was to become the new stone of destiny. This stone symbolizes the throne of David and God’s promise to him, which will climax at the Second Coming of Christ.

We also have a descendant of David to sit on that throne— which means that we have the new throne of David. Britain no longer has the throne of David.

The new stone, which symbolizes the new throne, is the first wonder of the double wonder. 

PCG: Jesus Christ Made A Personal Appearance To The PCG

Did you know that Jesus Christ made a personal appearance to the Philadelphia Church of God?  He apparently came back to intervene in the right of PCG to publish Herbert's Mystery of the Ages. The other reason he came back as to make sure the Stone of Herbert was restored to the PCG so that he could eventually come back and sit on it.

This is about as absurd as Dave Pack claiming Jesus is returning to Wadsworth BEFORE he goes to Jerusalem.  Both of these nutjobs believe the creature they call "christ" is coming to their campuses or their church first.

Plus, the fact that Mystery of the Ages is as important to the salvation story as is a dirty old rock from Oregan, shows the depth of lunacy that has taken over the mind of Gerald Flurry.

“For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it” (Habakkuk 2:11).

As I wrote in my booklet on Habakkuk (request a free copy), the “stone” is God; He is “the stone of Israel” (Genesis 49:24). As our Leader and Head, Christ is crying out to the pcg. This Stone is crying out of the wall—right out of the house of God,spiritually and even physically to a certain degree today. Stone, wall, beam and timber are all materials in a physical house, but this is primarily a spiritual house.

The Hebrew word translated “beam” means to join together or connect; it is derived from a root that means “to fasten” and signifies “a connecting girder.” The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary says it is “the cross beam or the main rafter connecting the timbers in the wall.” The beam brings everything together. I wrote in Habakkuk that this beam is Mystery of the Ages. It brings things together because it is a synopsis of the Bible; it connects the whole Bible. We are together and we fight together because we have the most important book since the Bible! Mystery of the Ages connects everything—it is foundational to our understanding! It connects God’s people to each other, and connects us to the whole world, and connects the world to God!

God revealed the truth about Habakkuk 2:11 toward the end of 2002, just as our court case revolving around Mystery of the Ages was reaching its climax. Our court battle began over this book.

Yet I have come to realize that the “beam” in this verse is more than just Mystery of the Ages. That book is the centerpiece, but the “beam” includes everything that happened with that book— all the history of the court case, including all the other writings we obtained in it. The Stone was crying out, and we heard that cry in the midst of those crisis years. Mystery of the Ages and our copyright battle spells out the answer to this crisis!

It also includes the stunning truth revealed in Amos 9:1 that Jesus Christ made a personal appearance during the court battle! The “Stone” came in person; it was a real appearance; it was not just symbolic. While we were battling in court, God was working something out. He was there and He won that battle for us! (We will discuss this in the next chapter.)

When it says, “the beam ... shall answer it,” we have to consider everything that happened during the court case.

Not only did we obtain the copyright to Mystery of the Ages,but we also received new revelation and had a personal appearance from Jesus Christ Himself to the Church!

Why was it so important that Jesus Christ make a personal appearance when He did? He was concerned about the throne that He will rule on forever. This is something that we have to build our faith in. We didn’t see Him, but we saw what He did!

Mayfair - Pasadena Campus For Sale

Here is your chance to buy one of the original buildings that Herbert Armstrong bought to start the Pasadena campus.  Mayfair served for many years as the dorm for men, women and cafeteria for the students.  Annie Mann, one of the orginal Pasadena campus workers who lived here till she died.

You too can live here for a pittance:  $8,380,000.00

10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms

Sotheby's

182 S ORANGE GROVE BOULEVARD 

PASADENA, CA 91105

Ron Weinland, Felon, Makes British Newspaper Over End Of The World In June 2019

End of the World COMING: 

Doomsday prophet claims apocalypse less than ‘ONE YEAR AWAY'

Ron Weinland, our favorite Church of God felon, has caught the eye of the British Press due to his prediction the end of the world will begin in June of 2019.  Like all of Weinland's previous asinine utterances, come July 2019 the world will once again see that Weinland is a liar.  Weinland has had one embarrassing failure after another since he claimed 2008 was the end of time.

Though the article is brief, it is very apparent that whoever wrote it has been checking out COG blogs related to Ron and his loony family.  There is no escaping the Internet any more for these charlatans!

Ronald Weinland is the founder of the Church of God Preparing for the Kingdom of God (COG-PKG). 

The author of multiple books on the subject of the end of the world, Weinland now claims Judgment Day will come in June 2019. 

Formerly a minister of the Worldwide Church of God, based in North Carolina, he formed the COG-PKG in 1998. 

Ever since, Weinland has warned his followers the end times are upon us, telling those who mock him or his church they will be cursed with “a sickness that will eat them from the inside out”.  End of the World COMING: Doomsday prophet claims apocalypse less than ‘ONE YEAR AWAY'

PCG: Going into Kingdom of God is like a dilating cervix contracting...

As King of the Church of God, Gerald Flurry and his little band of minions is the "advance team" preparing the world for the return of the creature he calls "christ."  King Flurry tells his members they are the "transition period" right now. He then goes on to claim that this "transition period" is just like a dilating cervix that has started contracting to prepare for birth.

The prophecy surrounding David’s throne has tremendous depth. It is about our birth into God’s Family. It all begins for us when we are born again into the Kingdom of God, ruling with Jesus Christ forever.

We are part of a transition movement into the very throne of God and Christ ruling the world. This is the first step into Christ’s headquarters’ rule. Having this throne ought to make the rule of Christ on David’s throne far more meaningful and real to us! We will be used to solve this world’s problems. We must think like God’s kings and priests! We have the throne that Christ is going to rule from—and we are in that transition period right now!

Look at the transition period in a physical birth. That process happens in three stages. According to BabyCenter, “The first stage begins when you start having contractions that cause progressive changes in your cervix and ends when your cervix is fully dilated. This stage is divided into two phases: First, early labor: Your cervix gradually effaces (thins out) and dilates (or opens). Active labor: Your cervix begins to dilate more rapidly and contractions are longer, stronger and closer together. People often refer to the last part of active labor as ‘transition.’”

It is called transition because it is right after this that the mother begins pushing, which is the second stage. It is the transition to the actual birth. The third stage, after the baby is born, is the delivery of the placenta.

We should think seriously about this because Mr. Armstrong said that physical birth is a direct type of our birth into the Kingdom of God! It happens the same way, but on a spiritual level (John 3:3-6).

Why is it that when ever a Church of God leader cannot prove one of his "revelations" that he has to refer to it as being on a "spiritual level?"

Did our receiving David’s new throne start our descent into being born again?! Are we now in the pushing stage into our birth in God’s Kingdom?

Surely God would give us a dramatic sign of when this pushing stage begins! Keep this understanding in mind when you look at the terrible evil in this world and the trials coming upon God’s new royal Family.

We must see spiritually and realize we are in a transition stage! This is different from what it has ever been before. We have the very throne that Jesus Christ will sit on and rule this world from forever! We are transitioning right into becoming the Bride of Christ. At that time, we won’t have these physical problems anymore; we will be God beings!

PCG: "We must spiritually nurture [HWA's Prayer Rock] that is in our presence in every way we possibly can!"

If you think the convoluted story about the Stone of Herb cannot get any weirder, read on:

This prophecy is dated: It is specifically about going to the place of safety with the new throne of David. We had to break away from the lukewarm Worldwide Church of God. God is focusing our minds on the place of safety, and also on conducting ourselves like King David did.

This prophecy shows not just a leader going to that place, but all of God’s faithful people going there together. Daniel 12:8-11 paint a similar picture. We are all in this together; we leave together and are taken to a place of safety together. It says, “And from the time that the daily [the Work of God] shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” Subtracting the 1,260 days we are in the place of safety from this 1,290 days indicates we have 30 days to get to a place of safety, and all of us go together.

"We are all in this together; we leave together..."  Of all of the splinter groups of Armstrongism, the Philadelphia Church of God and the Restored Church of God are the two groups that have the potential to lead their followers into some kind of death scenario. Their members blindly follow ANYTHING their leaders say as god delivered fact. 

And notice verse 10: “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried.” God wants us to be purified. I think that has a lot to do with us having the new throne of David. God wants a purified throne and a pure people when He arrives! Verses 12-13 talk about the wonderful ending of all this: It is leading right into the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when He receives the throne of David!

Amos 7 tells us when we go to the place of safety. There you see a priest, Amaziah, telling the king, Jeroboam, about God’s prophet. There is a confrontation, and the priest does the dirty work. He tells God’s prophet, “O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there” (verse 12). This is spiritual Antiochus—Satan incarnate!

All indications are that this is how the nobility of Israel will go: We will be outcasts, sent to a cave! But we have the very throne of David! We don’t look to things or to people—we look to God! It doesn’t matter where we go as long as God is directing us!

Flurry, admits to his faithful that no where in the Bible is it mentioned that Jeremiah took a stone to Ireland.  Nowhere.  What the Philadelphia Church of God does claim is that Herbert Armstrong PROVED that Jeremiah took the stone to Ireland along with the Ark of the Covenant and David's harp.  Herbert did no such that.

In its account of the history of Jeremiah rescuing Zedekiah’s daughter to transplant the throne, the Bible never mentions him taking a stone. We know he did because it is a symbol of David’s throne. Jeremiah had to have the coronation stone—after all, he was taking the throne of David to Ireland! Mr. Armstrong proved from Irish history that when Jeremiah came to Ireland with Tea-Tephi, he had an ark, David’s harp and a stone called lia-fail.But these last three items were not mentioned in the book of Jeremiah when it discusses the king’s daughters. The same is true in Micah: It mentions a king but doesn’t say anything about the stone. As with Jeremiah, that is covered elsewhere. But we need the symbol of David’s throne, and we need somebody to rule from it!

The PCG idolatry grows more each day.  Just how can a person "spiritually nurture" an inanimate object in "every way possible?" The church has always mocked Catholics for revering statues, and Flurry is doing the exact same thing he mocks.

We must spiritually nurture the throne of God that is in our presence in every way we possibly can! God has given it to us to care for it and to be responsible for it.

GCI: Fully Embracing Revised Common Lectionary For Worship Practices

Grace Communion International has informed its members across the board that it is moving into a liturgical style of worship.  Many congregations have been doing this for some time, others not so much so.  Liturgical worship is geared towards the seasons of the church year and also involves using a standard set of Bible readings for each day of the year.  The GCI is now using the Revised Common Lectionary, which is standard for Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, some Methodists and in recent years, many Evangelical churches. In the course of three years, the entire Bible is read if a person follows it on a daily basis.

Many people find liturgical worship to be richly rewarding, but this is going to be a heavy cross for many GCI congregations to bear, as some are still steeped in the belief that anything connected to the Catholic Church is wholly pagan.  However, many will adjust to this once they realize that it has a purpose.  Fitting in good liturgical worship music will be a challenge for many GCI congregations.

Music to fit the liturgical calendar follows hymns that have been traditional for hundreds of years.  COG members have been ingrained to avoid those hymns as being too Protestant. Thus the assumed need to sing Dwight Armstrong hymnody. For many in the GCI, having to listen to modern day hymnody that borders on songs that sound like someone is making love to Jesus or that he is some long lost boyfriend that someone has been panting for and never quite finds him, is not the best worship mood setter.  There certainly are some great modern worship songs out there, but spending a lifetime trying to sound like Hillsong singers is NOT a good thing!

For those that have a strong avoidance to Easter and Christmas, this new liturgical practice will drive the nail in the coffin even faster for some.  Liturgy is all geared around Christmas and Easter.  Those still uncomfortable with Christmas and Easter will now have full in the face.

The other issue this will present for some is that weekly communion will now be a recommended practice. For those that like to leave Jesus on the High School gym floor after Passover each year and never mention him much after that,  it will be a struggle to have Jesus as a weekly reminder.

Here is the GCI stance on liturgical worship:

The worship of God is central to the church. Through its worship services, GCI seeks to glorify God and edify those who attend by proclaiming the gospel through Scripture reading, preaching and singing; the administration of the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper); praise and intercession in prayer; and the giving of offerings.

Gospel-focused worship pattern

Along with many others in the body of Christ, worship in GCI follows the Christ-centered and gospel-shaped pattern of the Western Christian calendar as detailed in the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). This pattern of worship is organized around a weekly celebration of the gospel (see the recommended order of services below) that is typically held on Sunday, the day the risen Lord Jesus was first encountered. As shown in the diagram and list below, the worship pattern then includes several annual celebrations that highlight key aspects of our Lord’s life and ministry along with other key aspects of the gospel.

(source)

• Advent (four Sundays preceding Christmas)
• Christmas eve and Christmas day
• The season of Christmas (Christmas through January 5)
• Epiphany Sunday
• Transfiguration Sunday
• Ash Wednesday
• Lent (Ash Wednesday through Palm Sunday)
• Holy Week services:
  • Palm Sunday (celebrated as Passion Sunday when there are no Maundy Thursday and/or Good Friday services)
  • Maundy Thursday
  • Good Friday
  • Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil)
  • Easter Sunday
• Easter season (Easter through Pentecost)
• Ascension Sunday
• Pentecost Sunday
• Trinity Sunday
• All Saints’ Sunday (Sunday after All Saints’ Day)
• Christ the King Sunday

Liturgies for church services & ceremonies

To assist congregations in following its standard worship pattern and content, GCI publishes RCL-synced sermons in GCI Equipper (click here to access) and the liturgies linked below for worship services and church ceremonies.

• Weekly worship service (and see the diagram below)
• Communion (The Lord’s Supper)
• Baptism
• Baptism of an infant
• Blessing of a child
• Confirmation
• Wedding
• Renewal of marriage vows
• Anointing the sick
• Funeral
• Commissioning of a ministry leader
• Ordination of an elder
• Installation of a pastor

Flexibility granted

GCI congregations may adapt the denomination’s standard liturgies to accommodate local customs and needs (though the basic formats and content should be followed). Congregations may also adapt GCI’s standard pattern of worship, though all should provide services that celebrate Jesus’ birth during the Christmas season and his resurrection during the Easter season. It is then recommended that the other key events in Christ’s life (see the list above) be celebrated in a weekly worship service at the designated time of year.

GCI congregations may hold their primary weekly worship service on any day of the week, though Sunday is the norm. Also, congregations may determine how often to offer the Lord’s Supper, though it should be offered no less than quarterly, and at least once during Holy Week. Offering the Lord’s Supper every week is recommended.

In making decisions concerning adaptations to GCI’s standard worship pattern and liturgies, congregational leaders should seek divine guidance, understanding that worship is the divinely created response to the glory of the triune God revealed in Jesus Christ. 

GCI: Reigning In Some Chaotic Worship Services And Ending Saturday Meetings

This was sent to me today:.

It appears GCI is setting forth some uniform standards as to what happens in weekly worship services. It seems that due to its relaxed standards of letting each congregation set their own guidelines for worship, things have gotten rather chaotic in some congregations  

The GCI has given some latitude towards some congregations in allowing them to continue to meet on Saturdays for the last twenty years.  

Those days are now coming to an end.

Ordering our worship

Dear Pastors and Ministry Leaders:

Greg and Susan Williams

Is there a particular way that worship services in the church should be conducted? That’s not a new question—the apostle Paul addressed it in his first letter to the church in Corinth. Their services had become contentious and chaotic, and Paul wanted to help them solve the problem. He did so by noting that, while their desire to exercise their spiritual gifts in worship was commendable, they must do so in ways that build up the church rather than causing division and confusion (1 Cor. 14:26, 33). Paul exhorted them to conduct their worship in “a fitting and orderly way” (1 Cor. 14:40). Believing that Paul’s exhortation is relevant for us today, I encourage all our pastors to gather with their leaders (including those who plan and direct worship) to evaluate their worship services.

History of worship liturgy

Let me share some relevant history. As various worship traditions developed, some churches and whole denominations adopted a “liturgical” approach to structuring their worship services, while others adopted an approach called “non-liturgical.” By definition, liturgical churches follow a set liturgy (order of worship). Some utilize a “high liturgy” that is fully-scripted while others have a “low liturgy” that, being less-scripted, allows more flexibility. Non-liturgical churches, while still having an order of services, are even more flexible. Historically, many Protestant churches became non-liturgical—not because they were against order in their worship, but because they did not like what they felt was the excessive ritual of the liturgy practiced in their day.

Whether liturgical (high or low) or non-liturgical, all churches (whether acknowledging it or not) have a liturgy—some sort of “order” to their worship. That’s good because a lack of order can lead to the chaos Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians 14. Interestingly, there is a movement today among some non-liturgical churches to return to certain elements of the ancient, more formal liturgy of the church (click here and here for more information). They find that this shift makes their worship more appealing and inspiring to both regular attenders and visitors.

GCI’s history and a challenge for us today

Historically, worship in GCI (reaching back to WCG and beyond) followed a highly structured, standardized order. With our reformation came greater flexibility in how our congregations ordered their worship services. However, it is my observation that in adopting a less structured approach, some of our services have become somewhat chaotic and thus not as edifying as they need to be. Given that situation, I ask all our pastors and fellowship group facilitators to gather with their leaders to examine how they are conducting their worship services. Here are some questions to ask:

• Do our services focus on who God is as revealed in Jesus?

• Do they reflect the communal nature of our triune God who exists in harmony and unity?

• Are our services uplifting and hope-filled, or are they uninspiring?

• Do all aspects of our worship build up the church, or is there confusion and chaos?

• Do all who are open to hearing the gospel (including non-Christians) feel welcome in our services?

Conducting this evaluation and making needed changes will take careful and intentional effort. That’s appropriate since the root words of liturgy mean “the work of the people.” Wanting to assist you in that work, we have published in this issue an article that addresses worship in GCI congregations. It includes a standard order of services (liturgy) that, though not required, is strongly recommended. Over the next six months in GCI Equipper, we’ll publish additional articles that will provide further guidance to help you discern the Spirit’s direction concerning your worship services. As you go through this time of discernment and restructuring, I encourage pastors to discuss their insights and plans with their Regional Pastor (U.S.) or Regional Director (elsewhere).

Points to ponder about congregational life

Though our worship services are vital, they are only one part of a congregation’s life. With this broader perspective in mind, as pastors gather with their leadership teams to evaluate their liturgy, I challenge them to also evaluate some other key issues. To help them do so, I’ve listed below some points to ponder. It’s my observation that we’ve tended to overlook some (many?) of these issues. Perhaps that’s because we’ve been (necessarily) focused on doctrinal and theological renewal over the past several years. I believe it’s now time to attend to these other issues as we enter a new season of living out of the loving, inclusive relationship we have through Jesus in the power of the Spirit.

• If your congregation is functioning more like a small group (with high levels of interaction and sharing of the leadership/facilitation role), it’s likely that you should consider yourself a “fellowship group” rather than a “church” that provides a well-planned and executed worship service. Healthy churches need to have a combination of both well-executed worship services as well as small group gatherings where disciples are enriched, and depth of community is built. Please be satisfied with what you can currently offer, and trust the Lord for the future growth you desire.

• If you are holding your primary worship service on Saturday, that puts you out of step with most of GCI and the rest of the Christian world. Doing so sends a misleading signal about who GCI is. While circumstances may have prevented some GCI congregations from moving to Sunday services, making that change should now be a priority. In my far and wide GCI travels, I have rarely experienced a strong, vibrant and growing GCI church that is meeting on Saturday.

• If you are meeting at an awkward time of day that makes it hard for people to gather, then you need to make a course correction.

• If you are gathering in a hall that is difficult to locate and is out of the flow of normal activity, then consider how to improve your location, and find a target community to be immersed in.

• If you are renting space in a church building that is owned by another congregation/denomination, consider the problems you face with identity. Is it clear that you are a congregation of a separate denomination?

• If you have a rotating speaking schedule with multiple preachers, it’s likely that you are in “maintenance mode,” lacking cohesive leadership and vision for your church. The lead pastor should preach a minimum of three times per month, and it is even better if they preach five out of six weeks.

• If your lead pastor also fills the role of “chief deacon,” then members need to step up. Perhaps the pastor needs to let some things go.

• If you have people conducting the musical aspects of your worship (instrumental and/or vocal) who are not musically gifted, something needs to change. Get people involved in worship, but in accordance with their giftedness.

• If your weekly worship service is structured in accordance with GCI’s past tradition, and hasn’t been examined in a long time, now is the time for a “come to Jesus” meeting! Take a good, hard look and have the difficult conversations. You will be glad you did!

Once again, I encourage pastors to discuss their findings concerning these points with their immediate supervisor. Let us work together as a team to bring improvements to the worship and other aspects of congregational life in our churches and fellowship groups. Thank you for your cooperation.

Your brother in Christ,

Greg Williams, GCI Vice President

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