A person would think that after 20 some years of claiming to be the only true church doing the work of God on the earth that the United Church of God knew exactly what it was they were supposed to be doing. Apparently not.
UCG will be meeting in Cincinnati this coming week to examine their mission statement, which apparently not too many of them pay much attention to.
Robin Webber writes
Ever since UCG was started in back room shenanigans in the SOG Apartments in Pasadena, it has been trying to find its identity. Even though we live in the 21st century and have new ways of communication and media, UCG still tries to emulate it's mother church. The Worldwide Church of God's model was based upon Herbert Armstrong's early 20th century advertising techniques and how the church operated on the financial economic excess of the 1980's. The WCG was truly an American made sect who failed to adjust to the peoples they tried to convert around the world. Whether you were in Oklahoma, France, South Africa, or South America, church members dressed, acted and did exactly the same things that the mother church in Pasadena did.The Council of Elders (CoE) of the United Church of God meets in Cincinnati from Feb. 29 to March 3. We are called together once again to ascertain and oversee how we might diligently fulfill the mission statement of the United Church of God “to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God, make disciples in all nations, and care for those disciples.” As followers of the Son of God we are to humbly yet boldly follow in His footsteps when He said, “I must be about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). He went on to further say in John 9:4“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”
Flash forward to 2016 and look at UCG today. It cannot relate to the citizens in it's own city, state or country. It's magazines no longer draw members or coworkers in. It has had a string of epic failures in personal appearance campaigns, outrageously expensive billboard campaigns and public "Bible studies."
UCG is out of touch with the concerns of the people around them and of the world. It cannot relate to African Americans or Latin Americans who make up a broad swath of American society today. UCG is still a white man's church that is run by American white men who promote subtle racist beliefs though Anglo Israelism specialness It's no wonder that in 2016 they have to continually meet to determine just what it is they are supposed to be doing.
Where is the humility in the UCG power structure? Where are the serving servants who get down other knees and wash the feet of the homeless or immigrants that does their landscaping? Where are the humble men in the UCG? These are men who are going to be god's one day, don't forget!
These two fundamental scriptures keep us in alignment with our purpose for meeting, and reminds all of us of the spiritual fervency needed now more than ever as we plainly see the ever-encroaching darkness of this age of man that confronts God’s desire for all humanity. What is “our Father’s business”? What has He granted us to understand by His grace? How does Scripture inform us what to believe and therefore what to do whether as members of a council or individual members within the Body of Christ? What spiritual principles guide the Council of Elders as we strive to determine with God’s guidance: 1) How to share precious spiritual truth and understanding both to the world and those in our midst, 2) How to best utilize the gifts and talents of the precious resource of our membership and ministry throughout the world, and 3) How to wisely utilize the faithful donations of our members and coworkers to this end to bear spiritual fruit?
Ah yes, the world is coming to an end and we have a message of hope to bring to the world, but first we need to tell you about all the death, doom and gloom that will befall you if you ignore us.
How has scripture informed the United Church of God when it ignores or puts Jesus on the back room as an inconvenient awkward relative they want to keep out of sight? Much like that they do with their beliefs on their website, conveniently hidden from view.
After a list of things that UCG claim to believe in (but doesn't practice), Webber has this this comment:
This is “our Father’s business” and what we will discuss in preparing Strategic and Operation Plans and Budget touching on all these spiritual needs for the GCE’s consideration in May. These guiding principles touch all that we will do and decide next week in regards to reviewing doctrines and teachings and wisely placing them under the light of Scripture; producing and promoting evangelistic tools such as the Beyond Today magazine and program, our Internet home page, and public appearance programs so that God’s ageless truths and values might become personally relevant to today’s audience; assuring that our congregations on all six inhabitable continents have pastoral care; and focusing on the needs of our youth to learn God’s ways and to create and maintain meaningful bonding programs for them that will stitch the Church together in the years to come.
Twenty years down the line and a few years after a major church break off, UCG is reviewing doctrines to change. One must not forget that all of these men in charge UCG were the very same men who disfellowhippeed and rebuked WCG members during the doctrinal changes when members disagreed. These very same men were enforcers of Tkach's reforms until it was obvious that the gravy train they were on was going to be soon be brought to an end. Money was too important to them. They could not step out in faith from the very first as they planned a new church, but instead had to connive and plan for months and moths while still on WCG payroll. Even today these very same men, after one epic church failure after another, still stay in power as UCG dwindles slowly down, refusing to do what is right.
Browsing through their magazines, web site and booklets a person has to look really hard to find anything specifically on Jesus Christ. That inconvenient dude is usually only invoked in the last few paragraphs of any article as an afterthought...IF...he is mentioned at all. Its only Hebrew scripture heroes and prophets who get the headline articles. Its Hebrew scripture personalities that make the magazines articles and web site stories. Jesus be damned when Abraham, Issac and David can be invoked!
Perhaps the UCG leadership should focus entirely upon on Jesus for week and see what they might discover.
You can read UCG's "mission" here: Robin Webber Letter
