Gerald Weston: I may have been 2% wrong in my life, but we LCG ministers are the HARDEST working group of men in the church today and we NEVER bully members!

Brother Gerald Weston has a new editorial up in the July/August Living Church of God News. Once more it looks like we have tweaked his funny bone with all the comments and articles here about Living Church of God ministers being bullies and/or treating members in very unchristian ways.

In this age of the Internet and instant social media, COG groups are being held accountable in ways they never have been before.  This is why so many of them lash out at Facebook, Instagram, blogs and various online groups with frequency.  They don't want their shrinking memberships to find out how corrupt some of them are and how they've made a profession out of lying with endless false prophecies and bullet points on why God is speaking through them with dreams and revelations. Never has the Church of God had a more perfect set of ministers that it does today in 2019, regardless of which splinter group you look at.

Ministers are used to abuse from some members. That may shock you, but it is true, and often it comes from the very people you spend the most time and energy trying to help. I remember the letter I received from one man whom I had made every effort to help that began something like this: “I never liked you. You never helped me or my family. You only did anything for us because you felt obligated.” And believe me, the letter went downhill from there! 

Yes, some members do abuse ministers and take advantage of them, that is something we all have seen.  However, for the broad majority who criticize ministers, it is because they were abused spiritually and mentally, and in some cases, physically.   Mental and spiritual abuse is just as damaging to the psyche as sexual and physical abuse.  Of course, every COG out there claims they preach "pure" Christianity in the most loving manner imaginable.

Most people in all the COG groups he was over, regardless of which group they were aligned with now, know the truth behind that boast!

On another occasion, I received a letter from a former associate pastor decades after we had worked together. He had various complaints against me, including instances that I couldn’t remember. Now, I could understand why he might be upset about some situations, even though I had offered him correction for legitimate reasons, but for the most part it was stuff he should have gotten over long ago. What was interesting was that he put no return address on the letter; he did not want a reply. He simply wanted to “get it off his chest,” perhaps as a form of therapy.

Frankly, I have made many mistakes over the years that I would like to forget, and I am thankful our Creator is full of mercy and quick to forgive. But in general, I have a clear conscience regarding the above-mentioned circumstances, knowing the facts as they were.

I wonder how the people on Facebook, now adults, would react to this, considering how spiritually abusive he was to them at church summer camps.  There is little regard for him by most who have come in contact with him over the decades at church camps.  This does not include members of congregations he pastored!  We could fill this blog up for the next year with horror stories from those people.

In January 2014, the clergy in the United Church of Canada, a merger of Protestant denominations that dates to 1925, formed a union. The Toronto Star, the second-largest circulation newspaper in Canada as of 2017, reported the following:

The goal of the newly created professional association, called Unifaith, is to give faith workers, their family members, student ministers and retirees, a common voice. In addition to fighting for job security for clergy and other paid employees, the new union plans to help combat the bullying, and in some cases physical assaults, of clergy by members of congregations or outsiders…. In addition, many United Church clergy have complained about being overworked, another issue the future union plans to address (“United Church of Canada clergy form their own union,” January 21, 2014).

This is rather shocking considering how hard the ministry works in the Living Church of God. Also, I do not consider that the criticism we sometimes encounter rises to the level of bullying or physical assaults. The point is that we all see matters from our own perspective, and life and work in the ministry is not always exactly what some members may imagine it is. Children often think a parent cannot understand them, but children have never experienced parenthood, whereas every parent has been a child. In the same way—though I am by no means comparing members with children—all of us in the ministry have been lay members. We also have those in authority over us, and all of us, members and ministers alike, must answer to the Supreme Authority in our lives.

Yep, we get it!  There is no other Church of God who has a ministry that works as "hard" as LCG ministers do.  Most are from families who have interbreed in the COG through the decades and are accustomed to living life as one of the "elite" who has never worked an honest day of hard physical labor.  They moved into positions of power just because of their last name.

In spite of the anguish and anger LCG members have shared here about how they have been treated in LCG, Weston feels the criticism is uncalled for.  Weston then goes on to claim that because all of the ministers have been "lay members" in the past, they apparently are incapable of being abusive.  Supposedly, they would have been abused themselves and would never dream of doing such a thing to others.  One clear fact that the COG, worldly churches, civic groups and most corporations in "the world" know, is how many times that have heard people say, while still on the bottom rung, "If I ever were in that position I would NEVER do such things."  Then, once they get promoted or ordained and have drunk the kool-aide of power, they turn out more abusive and nastier than the people before them.  Does Weston honestly believe that when Rod McNair disfellowships members for working in nursing homes because he claims the elderly are possessed by demons, that this is normal Christian behavior?

Weston then goes on to proclaim he has never been abusive and that all the allegations against him are wrong.  Of course, as usual, he takes no responsibility and blames the old Worldwide Church of God for this problem.

So, where is this heading? Let me return to the opening paragraph of this editorial. While I had made many mistakes over the more than two decades I had been in the ministry at the time, I think I had a respectable reputation among most members and those over me. But then, after being transferred to a new assignment, my wife and I suddenly faced several accusations that were sent to the headquarters of the Church. One was that we “didn’t show enough love.” Whether true or not—and I assert that it was untrue—how does one defend himself against such an accusation? There were also three or four accusations that were totally false and could easily be proven so.

This was when the Worldwide Church of God was breaking down, and—as I have often said—when love is pitted against law, it is time to head for cover. The result of these accusations was that I was considered guilty regardless of the facts, at least those that could be verified one way or the other.

Some people look back on past events and learn, while others self-justify and frame their account of what happened to favor themselves. Enduring false accusations from members is something every minister must learn to accept, but when those “over you” carelessly pronounce you guilty when the clear evidence shows otherwise, it is another matter. I must confess it took both Carol and me a good three years to get past what happened, and only after we had left that organization due to the total apostasy taking place.

Even while talking to Dr. Meredith and Mr. Carl McNair about joining with them to do the Work, I mentioned briefly what happened and told them I would never again take such treatment sitting down. But I was wrong.  

I was wrong—not because anything similar has occurred since, but because my attitude disagreed with scriptural instruction. Peter taught, “For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:19–21).

Those are powerful words—words that are easy to read, easy to understand, yet difficult to practice on any level. How easily they roll off our tongues, but those words do not always reflect what comes out of our hearts! At that time, instead of comprehending what Peter instructed and what our Savior did, I discovered how many other men and women had similar experiences. Something Dr. Winnail recently said certainly applied in our case: “Disgruntled people find disgruntled people.”

I have never seen a Church of God splinter group get so easily butthurt over a blog as LCG does with this one.  Is it because so many LCG members read here and make comments?  Is it because they cannot control and stop those members, no matter how many times they threaten them?

Weston continues, and it is quite obvious, that he considers he was NEVER wrong in his past interactions with COG members, particularly those he was over in WCG.  Apparently, once he came over to the "true light" of Rod Meredith and the Living Church of God he was set on a new path, one of righteousness.  On this new path, he realized that all of those grumpy people in WCG were the issue and only about 2% his.

That was one lesson I had to learn, and it came only after I had a change in direction. Once I was focused again on preaching the Gospel, the anger subsided, and I could see more clearly. Then I was able to forget those things which were behind and look to those things which are ahead. 

The second lesson came as a result of learning the first. Only then was I able to evaluate what had happened with a fresh perspective. I know in my heart that most of the problem was not me, but I could finally admit to myself and to God that I could have handled the matter better. Yes, I was part of the problem. I cannot say whether my part was 10 percent, 15 percent, or 2 percent, but I at least had to take responsibility for my own shortcomings.

Still trying to ingrain in LCG members, is the requirement to submit to those over you.  Its the government thing almost every single time.  Grumpy and critical people are not submissive. After all, they are only doing what is right and the members are reacting wrong.  Then to further take no responsibility, he blames members again.

I drew several conclusions from this kind of situation. First, I needed to internalize Peter’s message about enduring wrongful suffering. Second, I needed to commit myself to never becoming bitter over someone else’s wrongdoing. Perhaps I will be corrected wrongfully, but that does not mean the person doing so has evil intent. Yet even if he does, Peter instructs us in the way to handle these things. I had to conclude that as long as those over me are God’s true, if imperfect, servants, I must submit to that authority. After all, following baptism, I had hands laid upon me. I had voluntarily admitted, even if

A minister’s mistakes come in many forms. We sometimes speak unwisely, even offensively. See the third chapter of James’ letter, where he warns us not to covet becoming a teacher of the truth: “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body” (vv. 1–2). Christ warns us about offending “little ones”—those who are new to the faith, lacking experience or wisdom (Matthew 18:6). Some are quick to quote this, but is this the scripture a longtime member should apply to himself? Or rather, should he not look to another verse: “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble,” or as it says in the King James Version, “and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165).

It is my hope, dear brethren, that you can learn from my experience. There is the easy way to learn and the hard way to learn. One leads to life and the other can ultimately lead to death. As Paul instructs us, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:14–15). 

So beware LCG members who complain to HQ about abusive ministers.  In their eyes, you are just as guilty as they are.  Once again the responsibility shifts to the members and not the ministry taking account of their actions. They are just weak little men just like you dumb sheep and make little mistakes, so please forgive them, you are REQUIRED to!  Them to you, not so much so.  Disfellowshipment is the answer or more two hour sermons on church government and why you must submit.

From time to time, complaints come to my attention about a minister who is thought to be mistreating someone or teaching something not quite right. Brethren, I have been guilty of each of those mistakes on some occasions. Yes, over a period of nearly 50 years, I have missed the mark more than once or twice—mostly through ignorance, never through intention to do so. I am not talking about doing away with the Sabbath or the law of God, but sometimes I have, without wrong intent, spoken incorrectly about a scripture or prophecy that I misunderstood. I have also overreacted in dealing with certain situations, but again, it was not with malice or evil intent. I’m human. So is your minister, and so are you.

Marriages often fail because one or both fail this test. Some individuals drop out of one Church of God to attend a different Church of God because they find that easier than putting up with their minister or other members. Some people stay within a Church of God group, but physically move to be near their favorite minister, one who “understands” or promotes them. Yet, Paul tells us that there are different “gifts,” “ministries” (“administrations,” KJV), and “activities” (1 Corinthians 12:4–6). No two ministers are the same. This is one reason we try to train ministers under more than one man. We learn different lessons from different individuals. Focus on what is good and do not look for the bad. We should be able to discern between a moment when someone’s particular weakness is on display and times when someone is clearly falling into rank apostasy. There is a difference!

Brethren, we must learn to get along together. Pride and oversensitivity are often at the heart of our problems. Sometimes ministers are insecure and overreact when challenged with a question they cannot answer, or when being told they are wrong about something. Both ministers and members must put aside pride and vanity. We must all learn to speak openly but respectfully with one another, and we must stop looking for the faults in others. Remember Jesus’ admonition: “Judge [condemn] not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:1–2).

Never once in the entire article does he actually take any responsibility for his actions nor those of the ministry that people are critical of.  He deflects throughout the entire article shifting the blame to the members and their bad attitudes.  Their refusal to submit to correction and church government is the ultimate issue that is causing all the negativity.  As usual, brethren, it is all your fault!

As Gerald Flurry Sinks Further Into Madness, the Youth are Leaving the Church and Half of the Members Find His Messages "Hard to Take"

From Exit and Support Letters

I came into the PCG in June of 1996 under Wilbur Malone, Dennis Leap and Cal Craven. I attended the Columbus and Cincinnati congregations for Sabbath and Holy Days. On the Sabbath on January 18, 1997, I remember hearing a Gerald Flurry sermon on cassette (this was before DVDs were used) where old Gerald prophesied that the Black Gentiles (his words) would rise up and riot against the White Israelite's of the USA because of Bill Cosby's son who was killed on HWA's death anniversary 3 days before on Jan. 16. 1997 by a White assailant. He said this would culminate in race riots in the major cities. Of course none of this transpired at the time and I filed it under a "delayed prophecy" that would eventually come true like all the other false prophesies of HWA that were just waiting to be fulfilled. 

I write this because of GF's latest false "prophecy" of D. Trump being re-elected and deporting all of the PCG members and then being assassinated. Gerald Flurry is a con man and a fraud and is only out to steal his gullible members' tithe and offering money. He cannot back up anything he predicts. Jeane Dixon had a better record of predicting the Future than old brother Gerry ever did. 

I was just wondering if any of your long time members remember this bogus Bill Cosby prophecy of times past. All of the cassettes have been destroyed like any good cult would do to cover itself.

I am in contact with one retired person in the PCG that still attends services. From what I have been told the congregations are split between the die hard Flurrites and those who are finding brother Gerry's new Revelations hard to take. Most stay in because of family members, spouses, jobs/positions in the congregations, and dating potential mates. There is a lot of pressure to attend Holy Days and Personal Appearance Campaigns as well as Fund Raisers and Fruit Sales. Most of the PCG youth are heading for the hills as soon as they reach 18 with the exception of the sons and daughters of the privileged elite such as contact persons, deacons, children of ministers and favored lackeys and cronies of the ministry. If you drink the Kool Aid as a PCG youth and be a good boot licker you might be able to attend PCG Youth Camp in Edmond.

Comment: Also, "Flurry declared the Los Angeles riots of 1992 were predicted in Ezekiel 5, even though the 'city' referred to in Ezekiel 5 is 'Jerusalem' (see Ezekiel 5:5)." (Quoted from footnote #2 in Jim Kazimir article "Does Gerald Flurry Misquote and Fail to Understand the Scriptures?") 

Restored Church of God: "Members who were treated with disdain by their parents might find it difficult to receive correction from the Church’s leadership, or even find it hard to talk to them."

Those fun folk over in Wadsworth, Ohio have a few words of wisdom on why church unity is so important and that it should produce a "joyful life."

Dave Pack's, Restored Church of God has a new article up on its web site by Salasi D. Jezhi, titled Is Your Joy Full?

If you are an RCG member there is a quick answer to that question and it is NO!  How can a church members life be "joy full" when Dave and his henchmen strip every bit of your humanity away by unnecessary demands and unchristian doctrines?

Jezhi writes:

“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This famous phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence summarizes the ultimate goal in each person’s mind—happiness.

Happiness is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a state of well-being and contentment…a pleasurable or satisfying experience.”

One way many seek to achieve this is by building a family. Many experience their greatest happiness within their families or with cherished friends. The support and security of family and friends provide a sense of content.

However, many people do not experience such support in their families. Instead they witness disagreement, division and chaos—leaving members unhappy. Others are isolated from family relationships or friendships.

Family was designed by God to foster joy. Yet mankind has not practiced obedience to the laws God put in place that would allow him to form and preserve reliable relationships. The result is the majority of people have not been able to have true, lasting joy.

God is joyful, and He wants His children to be this way as well. Jesus Christ made this clear when He described the path to full joy. He told His disciples: “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love…so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be full” (John 15:10-11). Christ’s joy was the result of keeping God’s Law, and it was full—meaning replete, crammed, leveled up, satisfied and finished.

Remember, this is the Restored Church of God speaking here.  A church that has ripped families apart and destroyed hundreds of lives over its few short years of existence. A church that is run by a megalomaniac who has alienated his own children, demanded that his followers give him everything they have, because he already owns it, and has uttered hundreds of failed prophecies that have the potential to lead to deadly consequences.

Jezhi continues by pointing out the roadblocks that are the  root of unhappiness that may occur in church members lives,

In God’s Church, His Holy Spirit gives us understanding of the right way to live. Regardless of what state we are in when He calls us out of the world, we can overcome our past problems and become united with our new spiritual family to live sincerely happy lives.

One of the most common roadblocks Church members face is moving past the problems that stem from their upbringing. When these are not properly addressed, they can cause a person to view the doctrines in God’s Church, its traditions, or the conduct of fellow brethren through a negative perspective. A few examples:

• Members who were reared in an economically depressed area might view successful brethren with suspicion. Or they may be critical of brethren who have finer homes or newer cars.
• Members who were treated with disdain by their parents might find it difficult to receive correction from the Church’s leadership, or even find it hard to talk to them.
• Members who were treated unfairly by their childhood peers might find it difficult to start friendships in the Church.

As usual, it is all the member's fault that they are not submitting to the overlords of the RCG and their heavy demands that they place upon members lives.  Having bad parents can cause you to rebel against correction from Dave Pack and his ministers.

Having a been picked upon hi school will lead you to mistrust church members and prohibit friendships.  Never mind the fact that so many church members are vindictive and manipulative in their so-called friendships. Friendships that are friendships as long as they can use you for their benefit.  "friends" that will gossip about you and turn you in to the ministry for the slightest infraction, practically if they think it will give them more power in the sight of the minister they are trying to impress.

The point is Christians often have excess baggage from their pasts that can affect them now—sometimes for the rest of their lives. Continuing to carry these issues can lead to withdrawing from Church activities and opportunities to serve and fellowship. The end result is tragic. Such individuals often leave God’s Church.

There is NOTHING tragic about RCG members leaving the church.  They find newfound freedom from abuse and from deadly doctrines that strip every bit of humanity away from individuals. 

Dave Pack and his henchmen have a hard time with anyone who does not participate 100% in all HQ and church functions.  It makes no difference if you are dead tired, have had no time off from work, sick, or on vacations.  If Dave calls, you are to drop everything and do his bidding at any activity he designates.

Role of Church Unity

Read Hebrews 10:24-25: “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting [comforting] one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.”

We cannot be comforted and provoked to love unless we meet with others. With our earthly families, we enjoy a network of love, support and encouragement naturally. But, in the Church, we must choose and put effort into developing bonds of unity and expressing outgoing concern.

Those full of joy are frequently involved, craving to be around others who are of like mind. They observe that it is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell (meaning remain) together (Psa. 133:1).

We must put the world behind us and befriend fellow brethren, those who will eventually stick closer to us than even our physical brothers and sisters (Prov. 18:24). God says we are to prioritize spending time with brethren over those outside the Church who do not share our beliefs (Gal. 6:10).

Unhappy, downcast members tend to avoid Church activities with excuses ranging from having “other things to do” to not liking a particular activity. Recognize that this is often the carnal mind justifying its preference to stay where it is—in the past!

Church activities (socials, picnics, dances, camping trips, potlucks and more) should not become routine in a Christian’s mind—events that must be done and with which we must get through. They are for the benefit of the Church and should result in fellowship for all involved. These events stimulate camaraderie among God’s people and help to build lasting friendships, which result in happiness.

Remaining unified with brethren ensures “iron sharpens iron” (Prov. 27:17) and we glean profitable experiences that help us overcome our weaknesses.

Ask: Am I as involved in Church activities as I should be? Do I willingly serve and promote unity to help brethren mature, overcome the past and become truly happy?

Those who do not want to participate in events are proving to others that they have no joy in their lives. Really?  They don't want to do these things because they are unhappy and downcast? Really?

It is also a well-known fact that Church of God brethren do NOT stick by other members better than close family members.  Church members will stab you in the back quicker than anyone else will.  Those who have left the church can testify to that and to the fact that those in the "world" treat them better than any church member ever did.

Jezhi then goes on to state that glum church members will find these words hard to swallow.  

Servitude is a requirement of Christians!  If you do what Dave commands of you, you WILL be happy!  Only when you lower yourself below Dave's level will you ever achieve happiness. So go ahead and debase yourself and be a willing servant to Dave! Give him all your belongings and money and you will be happy!

The contents of this article may be difficult to swallow for those of us who tend to be more glum. Yet we must all take an honest look at ourselves. Whenever people drown in their sorrows they focus on one thing—THEMSELVES!

Being preoccupied with personal problems causes people to neglect serving others and prevents others from effectively serving them.

When brethren become unhappy they find “reasons” to shun and pull away from serving others. They forget or neglect this biblical advice: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).

Servitude is a spiritual law that, if consistently applied, results in happiness. When we choose to serve people, we develop a selfless mindset because we lower ourselves. We then feel fulfilled knowing we contributed to improving others’ situations. This elation makes us want to repeat such acts to experience those emotions again.

Every Christian must suffer. We can endure trials and difficulties as they come and still rejoice because we know that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”

Remaining unified with and serving brethren in the Church are keys to building and maintaining joy in your life.

Strive to never miss ANY OPPORTUNITY to be around your spiritual family. Forget those things that are behind! With God’s help, crush thoughts of resentment and bitterness, realizing that Satan wants you to be socially isolated from others who have God’s Spirit.

Overall, remain obedient to God to ensure you experience happiness and are able to bring it to others. Ultimately, it will keep you on the path to the true fullness of joy in God’s Kingdom.

Everything in the Church of God boils down to obedience and being unified.  One must always be obedient to whichever overlord is in charge, no matter how ridiculous and absurd the man might be and the things he might say are.
God certainly never intended for the Dave Pack's, Gerald Flurry's, Bob Thiel's and James Malm's of the world to trap church members in such legalistic hellholes of existence.  It's no wonder people are miserable in the Church of God these days.  There is nothing to be happy about or to look forward to.  The only happy COG members are those who have left!

Why Does Living Church of God Have So Many Problems With Its Ministers?

We are to seek "wise counsel". Unfortunately many in the ministry have not been promoted because of their superior "wisdom", Biblical or otherwise. Nor were they given their titles and positions because of their overwhelming love and concern for the brethren they are supposed to be serving. They have their positions because they have demonstrated that they will support whomever signs their paycheck, even if that means going against Biblical principal, moral obligation, common sense, or even their own consciences. Their job is to defend the policies of the organization to which they belong, not necessarily to give sound, thoughtful, or even in many cases Biblical advice. They have proven that many of them are not equipped to give even the most basic financial, marital, child-rearing, or other advice, or to handle mental or emotional problems, domestic abuse, child abuse, addiction issues, or other serious problems people might have. Many have trouble answering even the most basic of Biblical questions, especially if someone challenges the corporate church position on a given topic. They can only resort to repeating the "official" position even if it doesn't answer the given question, or if there are Biblical holes in the argument. 

Many brethren have learned the hard way not to share too much personal information with the ministry not just because of the trust and confidentiality concerns, but also because the issue is completely mishandled the majority of the time, and in many cases, the problem is made worse by the "intervention" of the minister. Women, in particular, have learned to be very cautious about confiding any sort of marital issue, because most of the time the problem is never addressed and they are made the scapegoats. The pat answer is almost always that the female in the situation just needs to be more submissive, understanding, sexually available, etc. I have personally witnessed this being the case in everything from cases of domestic abuse to adultery, or porn addiction.

Rather than coming along side their fellow Christians as friends and brethren, gently leading and teaching by example, recognizing the gifts of others and equipping the body to work together and minister to one another, these men have been taught and conditioned to view themselves as some sort of superhuman spiritual gurus, who have all the answers no matter what the issue might be. In their arrogance, they do not know how to simply tell someone "I don't know" or "Let's find out together" or to realize when they are beyond their depth and need to refer the person to someone more qualified to help. Much rarer still will you hear any minister utter words like "I was wrong" or "I'm sorry".

I recently heard a minister in another cog group tell his audience he doesn't give out child rearing advice because he and his wife were not blessed with children of their own, and he had no personal experience to help him understand or relate to the issues people might have in that area. I walked away from that talk with a little more respect for this man, because though I might not agree with him on every issue, he at least showed that he had enough maturity to admit that he personally was not the most qualified person to give advice on this particular issue. This is a rare quality among cog ministry.

These men expect loyalty, trust, and monetary support from their fellow brethren simply because they were "ordained" and given a title by some other religious authority. Some even see themselves as modern day priests or Moses figures, the brethren being their personal "children of Israel". This however denies the Biblical principle of the priesthood of all believers, as well as the fact that we no longer need human priests to mediate between us and God. All Christians must test the spirits, and none of us is obligated to accept bad advice from anyone, minister or not.

Concerned Sister

August 8, 2019 at 1:29 AM

Living Church of God Members Still Are Not Seeking Counsel From Ministry

The above two pictures are from a Facebook page of a group that deals with spiritual abuse recovery from all kinds of churches and sects.

The first picture is of a child's coloring sheet that teaches children to unquestionably listen to what their pastor says and believe it.  That is what the Worldwide Church of God indoctrinated us all when it kept reinforcing that the ministry was a direct pipeline from God and God spoke to us through them. The ministry and especially top church leaders, were incapable of making a mistake, whether theologically or in daily counsel.  From YES lessons to the Bible Correspondence Course, it was all laid out in black and white as to what a person was to believe and to never question.

The second picture is of a similar vein in that church members are not to question a pastor on anything.  COG members were trained to never question the leadership, the ministry, doctrines, or anything printed in the myriad of books, booklets, and magazines.  To do so placed one's salvation in jeopardy.

Recently, there was an article up about how those in Christian churches who attend regularly are more prone to ask clergy for advice on certain important decisions.  The difference in Church of God ministers and ministers in many Christian churches is that many of those men are well trained in counseling techniques and have hundreds of hours of classroom work in counseling.  Church of God ministers, regardless of the affiliation, do NOT have training in proper counseling techniques.

Herbert Armstrong, Rod Meredith, and others regularly mocked and ridiculed therapists and psychiatrists as deceived agents of Satan, while touting the ministry of "god's church" as the true rightful heirs to counseling.  The counseling techniques used by many COG ministers have led to suicides, broken marriages, divorces, and even murder.

Living Church of God currently has issues with its members not listening to its church leaders. Scott Winnail is trying to reinforce in LCG members the need they should have to go to their ministers for advice.  Because, after all, any advice from a COG minister is directly inspired by God.

Given the abysmal track record of spiritual abuse in the Living Church of God, why would any LCG member ever do such a thing?

Regular Church-Goers Seek More Counsel: A new study published by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research highlighted an interesting finding: Among those who possess a religious affiliation, people who attend church services more regularly are also more likely to seek counsel and advice from their clergy concerning important decisions (APNORC.org, May 2019). These findings were true even among religious groups considering themselves more “liberal.” Regular church attendance appears to have a powerful impact not only on the way attendees view their ministers, but also on the degree to which their values are socially conservative in nature.

It is interesting how these recent findings confirm what the Bible has stated in its pages for millennia. Nearly 3,000 years ago, Solomon wrote, “a man of understanding will attain wise counsel” (Proverbs 1:5) and, “he who heeds counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15). The Scriptures also state that both “safety” (Proverbs 11:14) and wisdom (Proverbs 12:15) can be gained from a multitude of counsel. Being willing to seek counsel and advice is a hallmark of wisdom. Modern research shows that those who attend church regularly are more likely to include their clergy in such counsel—seeking feedback, advice, and direction. The Bible reveals that a willingness to seek counsel is something God desires of us—a key ingredient to growing in wisdom. To begin your journey of growing in wisdom, be sure to read “The Way to Wisdom.”—Scott Winnail