Four Reasons the Next CEO Must be an Outsider

Gang,

It is likely that the time is near that word will come down from the CGGC mountaintop that a new CEO has been selected to run the CGGC corporation.

Yet, as far as I know, no selection has been made by the search committee and, certainly, the Ad Council has not yet met to place its rubber stamp on the recommendation.

I think that, if we are going to have a new CEO foisted on us, that that man, and we all know that it will be a man, must come from outside the CGGC. 

I say this for four reasons:


1.  The Rosenberry reign has left the CGGC much more deeply divided than anyone except me, apparently, seems to be willing to acknowledge.

Think about the division in the 2010 and 2013 General Conference sessions and the opposition ON THE FLOOR OF GENERAL CONFERENCE--at one time, nothing more than leadership's rubber stamp--to initiatives presented by CGGC GC staff. 

2.  The increasingly strident distrust of and, perhaps, even resentment toward some of the people whose names are being mentioned as possible successors to Ed as CEO.

Recently, I was having a chat with a CGGC clergy person in which we were throwing out scenarios about who the next CEO will be.  And, he shocked me when he said, very transparently,

"I'll tell you this:  If it's ------ ----- [a current mountaintopper very highly regarded in Findlay], I will hand in my ordination!"

I was in Findlay when Wayne was chosen and Evelyn was on General Conference staff at the time.  And, I was well connected when Ed was elevated. 

And, I heard none of this stridency toward others in the small pool of possible CEOs from within the CGGC.  There was the standard curiosity, of course.  And there was low-level anxiety.  But I know of no one who was prepared to bolt from the whole CGGC body before the selection was made.

Think back.  Things have changed in the CGGC.  And, they have not changed for the better.  The time for us to begin to be honest about the rising level of cynicism and anger toward those who run things.  There is unrest in the camp.

3.  (And, this will, no doubt, be the most offensive of my arguments among some.)  The "de-pentance" of the pool of potential CGGC CEO candidates.

I acknowledge that I'm speaking out of my own subjectivity here. 

There was a time when there was a community of young guns in the CGGC who courageously embraced the spirit of these times and were willing to walk in the Spirit wherever the Spirit might lead. 

These were people unafraid of the criticisms the Emerging Church (now a faded fad) was leveling at the traditional church.  They distrusted tradition.  They were cynical regarding evangelicalism's fads of the month.  They embraced the possibilities offered by organic church and simple church.  Those people were saying things promoting Kingdom and denouncing the Christendom church and hierarchical, priestly leadership.  They opposed the church as institution.  They yearned for the formation of a Christian movement in their own time and hungered and thirsted to be a part of it.  They were, truly, ahead of their time.

These days, those voices are silent and the people who held that vision have become church-focused, institutional and traditionalized.

In short, the people once anxious to function as apostles and prophets have been Christendomized, in short, in the CGGC context, "Rosenberried."  They are now meek and mild priestly Christendom progressives acceptable to the CGGC mainstream that superintends our decades-long spiritual and numerical decline.

None of them, in my opinion, are fit to lead the CGGC into the next decade in the blessing and power of the Holy Spirit.

4.  The perceived corruption of the current batch of CGGC leaders by more than a few in our body.

I was very intentional in publishing my blog post on corruption and collusion in the 2013 General Conference before I published this.

My guess is that the person who made me aware of the issue will not pursue his evidence.  He is a humble and truly a gentle man.

But, I've been in some behind-the-scenes conversations since them.  Now, I am certain that, as soon as many heard about it, they immediately thought this sort of corruption is possible, even COMMONPLACE--among the current regime of CGGC leaders in several of our regions.

This being the case, no one--at least no one currently perceived to be on the mountaintop--is capable of leading the body with the trust of the entire body.

We must repent. We must bring in new blood.

The best way to do this is to no longer have a CEO.  But, because we probably still will, we need fresh, outside, blood in the position of CGGC CEO.

How's This for Evidence of the CGGC's Comfortable Instiutionalism?

This is merely one sentence which fits the flow of Ed's latest eNews.  Kyrie eleison.

Because Winebrenner Seminary is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Churches of God, General Conference, the Administrative Council also needed to approve the MOU and subsequent property transfer.

Wholly owned subsidiary, eh?

We need to get out of the wholly owned subsidiary business!

What a missional movement we are, eh?!

Theological Corruption and Theological Bankruptcy in the 2014 CGGC MINISTRY REVIEW

Gang,

For the past two years I have intended to respond prophetically to the statistical report sent out to the congregations of the CGGC.  Both times, the emotion became so intense that my spiritual wires got crossed and the static in my soul became so loud that I was stymied.

What has come down from the mountain reeks of institutionalism, ecclesiolatry, high church-ism, Medievalism, "to talk-ism," organized hypocrisy, cheap grace and a false church-based definition of righteousness.

I will attempt to illustrate these realities in a number of shorter posts

-------------------------------

For the moment, I will start here with a big picture rhetorical question:

Since our mission--to which even the mountaintoppers must submit--involves establishing churches on the New Testament plan, have you noticed how much of what the Scorecard values has absolutely no authority from the New Testament and derives either from recent fads or Middle Ages Roman Catholicism?

Gathering 1-29-15

There is no norm when our gatherings gather. That reality is comforting to me and I think that it is attractive to others.

We are willing to submit to the leading of the Spirit and--and, I think this separates us from typical Christendom churches--also to submit to the needs of each other, even the less prominent among us. That's why it is so important that there is no parish priest to run things.

Last night, weather was an issue. It was already snowing when we began and the forecast was for snow to continue into the early hours of the morning.

So, we threw out our norm and ate our meal, including the taking of the Lord's Supper, and then went to our homes.

The meal lasted about an hour. We spent a lot of time reflecting on the sacrifice of Jesus, not in dying on the cross, but in becoming flesh in order to die the horrible death He died AND in our sin of taking those things lightly.

While doing that, we were sharing ways He has been blessing us day by day.

Then we went home.

Gathering 1-25-15

I sometimes feel as if people reading these journalings of our gatherings must find what I write to be unbelievable. I always record using superlatives but I am being honest and forthright.

On Saturday night I often find myself wondering what there will be to write about the Sunday gathering. I am naturally pessimistic and so I normally imagine that this will be the Sunday that I will have to acknowledge that the gathering was less than heavenly in nature.

This, however, is not that Sunday.

We spent little time in the word today because we spent a huge amount of time in the confession of sin and prayer for forgiveness for ourselves and for each other.

One thing that separates this gathering of Jesus followers from other churches I have attended is that the people don't put on their best faces in church. Instead, they are transparent and honest about themselves and willing to be spurred on to lives of love and good works that they have not yet achieved.

Today was a day of confessing failings of attitude and unrighteous actions that are fruit of sinful attitudes.

Forgiveness among ourselves was granted freely, as was council offered humbly. After that, there was much intercession for people we know who have yet to repent and believe His Good News.

Another invigorating gathering.

Was There Corruption and Collusion at 2013 General Conference?

In my opinion, the most historically important contribution of Barack Obama's presidency is that he has brought Chicagoland politics to the U. S. Federal government.

This reality can best be illustrated in the passage of Obama Care in the face of overwhelming public opposition.  To accomplish this feat, many of the "vote early and vote often" ways of Chicago politics were employed.  Congressional deals were made, votes were bought, trades were made, political extortion was practiced and opposition was brutalized and neutralized in a way that went well beyond what is the norm even in Washington politics and the huge congressional majorities held by the President's party created a revolutionary law that most Americans opposed and a large number of Americans opposed vehemently.

----------------------------

Recently, as what really was essentially an aside in an email to me from a member of the CGGC clergy, I received a disturbing comment. 

While I have no wish to expose the identity of the person who wrote this, undoubtedly, some mountaintoppers may know who this is from the details.  For that I apologize to the writer.  I am quoting as briefly as possible.  He said,

I was not invited to attend the last General Conference as a delegate and I have some fairly solid evidence why:  I was opposed to the new “We Believe.”  The GC knew this due to a letter I wrote to the Administrative Council.

-----------------------

My friends, the CGGC governs itself through a system of church government that theologians describe as "Presbyterial."

The New Testament Greek word presbyteros is the word translated into English by the word elder.  Our body has always shared the conviction that its highest human authority rests in the "Eldership," that is, the community of those holding ministerial authority and those holding positions of ruling authority in our congregations.

From the days of John Winebrenner, our body held "Eldership" meetings, now called Conference sessions.  This is true to so great an extent that it was at a meeting of elders that the Church of God was formed in October 1830.

Every person in our fellowship has always been subject to the authority of the whole community.  No one person or group of people, by the agreement of all of us, has authority over the Eldership or the Conference.  On a human level, from Day One, the community of Elders has always reigned supreme among our people. 

As a matter of commonly shared belief, we trust that the Spirit will operate through the will of assembled elders.

Therefore, this belief involves what we hold to be true about the church and to what we believe about God--thus, the doctrine of the TRINITY.

Crucial to the integrity of the Eldership is the necessity that its membership be formed openly and honestly.

As far as the highest human authority in our body--the members of the General Conference, i.e., General Conference delegates is concerned--this requires that General Conference delegates be chosen honestly and freely by the members of the Conferences without corruption, collusion or manipulation.

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Now, I know the person who wrote the email I quoted fairly well.  I know him to be a person of truth and integrity, honesty and humility--to a degree that is rare among the ministers of the CGGC.

And, I believe all of his words.

I have no idea of the nature of the 'solid evidence' he has available to him.  And, I have already written to him and told him that, in my opinion, he owes it to the body to pursue this in a Matthew 18 way.

And, for the sake of the integrity of the CGGC, I hope and I will pray that he does pursue it.

I have also written to him and told him that I am convinced that anyone who has colluded in keeping him from having an opportunity to participate in General Conference in 2013--and who is credentialed--absolutely MUST have their credentials removed.  If what he believes to have happened did happen, a great sin against our body and against what we believe about the Holy Spirit has been committed.

----------------------

It would not surprise me if the charge leveled regarding the make up of the body of General Conference delegates proves to be true.  In fact, it is consistent with the manner in which Ed and his staff kept tight control over issues to be decided at General Conference in 2013.

I actually strongly suspect that this collusion took place and I expect that this collusion, if it is investigated successfully, will prove to have been organized at the highest peak on the CGGC mountain.

During our days in Findlay, there were times when the people in the highest seats of CGGC power lost track of what is important and became concerned with prevailing in the body--i.e., getting their way, no matter what the will of the Eldership might have been.

In those days, however, those people would not pursue their will at any cost.

I don't trust the current gang to remember that they are obligated to submit to the authority of us all as a community of elders. Sadly, I don't trust them, as a group, to behave with integrity.

There is already evidence available to everyone that they chose to avoid even knowing the will of the community in 2013.

And, my guess is that the degree of cynicism among the people of the CGGC is so high that, as people read this blog or hear about it, many will suspect that there was, indeed, collusion and corruption in the formation of the body of General Conference delegates.  As I have already indicated, count me in this group.

And, many others will be absolutely convinced of the corruption and collusion.

We must repent.

"Gathering" 1-22-15

Well, the best laid plans...

I announced what we intended a week ago. It didn't happen.

The back story behind the plan requires too much info but we know of an elderly couple on assistance living in two different rest homes. We intended to take the husband to visit the wife, treating him to a meal out on the journey.

One of our group was injured working out; several others have colds bad enough not to take into a nursing home.

So Evie and I picked up the husband and took him to Subway, which he loves, and met one other gatherer there and gave our friend his choice of the menu.

He HATES the home, especially the food. He clearly had a great time. We love him, even if he's not especially likable.

We are very purpose driven about what we do. This was a "least of these" time. We celebrated the mercy Jesus has shown us.

Remembering Wayne Boyer

Knowing that the General Conference Administrative Council has appointed a Search Committee that is the CGGC version of the Catholic's College of Cardinals, I have been wondering when word will come down from them proclaiming, "Habemus Papam! (" i.e., We Have a Pope!")."

I have been wondering to what extent they will choose a Rosenberrian who will carry on Ed's distinct vision--or if they go the non-Rosenberry direction.

Very recently, however, I have been thinking a lot about Wayne Boyer and the impact of his leadership, which Ed has, by now, essentially reversed.  I have been thinking about the impact of Wayne on me personally.

And, I have also been thinking about the differences between Wayne's and Ed's radically distinct visions.  And, I also have been wishing for the next CEO to be a, well, Boyerian.?!

My last meeting with Wayne still moves me and his final words to me, as we parted, still ring in my ears.  (You may remember this because I wrote it out in an obituary of sorts that I published on Brian's blog.)

---------------------------------

At the time, Wayne was my Pastoral Care Worker, appointed by the ERC to stay in contact with me and to listen to and to advise me in my, um, pastoral ministry. 

I'm sure his task was daunting because, even in those days, I had ceased to function as a pastor and was exploring what it meant for me, believing that I am gifted to be a prophet, to live among the people of the congregation I was appointed by the Conference to pastor.

More to the point, though, at that time, I was doing some private study in Einstein's Theories of Relativity and in Quantum mechanics. 

I explained to a dazed Wayne that I was trying to understand what truths about God can be known from the fact that Einstein has been proved to be correct about relativity and that Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle is universally accepted.

Wayne was polite and allowed me to go on and on as, I'm certain, my eyes gleamed.

When I had finished and he'd said all he needed to say as my PCW, he paid the bill and we both began to walk to our cars.  As I reached my car, I hear my name being shouted, "Bill!  Bill!  Bill!..." until I turned in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Wayne calling out to me.

He was beaming that wonderful grin that you may still remember.  And, he shouted, "Keep thinking!  Keep thinking."  Then he waved and got into his car.

And, I have. 

I am still thinking.

I am not the same person in the Lord that I was then.  And, I will continue to take Wayne's advise.  I will be, no doubt, continue to grow in understanding, if not wisdom.

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That's the driving force I want to be the prime motivator of our next CEO. 

I want to hear that man--and we all know it will be a man--to call me up early on and say, "Bill, I want you...I want everyone in the CGGC...to keep thinking.  Keep Thinking!"

Amazing and Timely Wisdom on the Issue of Leadership

Gang,

It is my opinion that the greatest wisdom I have ever published on this blog or walt's old Forum or Brian's Emerging CGGC Blog has been from other people, usually copied from emails they have sent me privately.

As I pointed out recently, Ed has wondered to me why no other godly people have a message similar to mine.  And, as I mentioned then, I wonder what universe Ed resides in.

Below you will find an email sent to me recently by a member of the ERC clergy commenting on a seminar planned by the Conference for the coming weekend which Kevin has been promoting rather aggressively lately.  If you are of the ERC, you know what of I speak.  For those of you who are not, the seminar has been dubbed, Leadership Wars.

As is usual, the only editing I have done is for the purpose of preserving the anonymity of the author who is capable of revealing himself if he is inclined to.

-------------------------------------

Bill, 

 

(Are) there really leadership wars in the church? It seems to me what we need to combat these wars is a good old-fashioned dose of What Jesus Said. 

 

I think repentance is the only answer to leadership wars. 

 

If I called the Conference and said, “Hey I have a leadership war,” I’d resign right after I made the call.  Confession and repentance is the only seminar these people at war need.   

 

It’s getting downright scary out there!

 

Recently I had a misunderstanding with one of my key leaders over . . ..

 

The first thing I did was contact him and tell him if I was wrong I ask for forgiveness. Secondly I told him I will not go any further. . .until our relationship is restored. It was (restored), and we went on. We both learned something about repentance.

 

My one elder got wind of what went on and I told him the story. Sunday we had communion and the elder went to this man and asked if he had wronged him in any way. The man said, "No, it’s me,"...my elder said if there is something between us I will not take communion. The fellow assured him everything was okay and that they both could take communion.

 

NO WARS!

 

Recently, we had a reorganizational meeting at a local restaurant. It was very relaxed and informal. The waitress was a jolly girl and when she brought our food my elder took her hand and said pray with us. she did, and I did pray and we had a wonderful meeting. God was honored through it all.   

 

I just can’t believe we are advertising a seminar on leadership wars sharing ideas around a table. Why not pray for each other around a table and forget the war.

 

---------------------------------

 

See what I mean about where the real wisdom comes from among the things I publish?! 

 

I told this guy that I had been trying to put together comments on this unbiblical Leadership Development fad fiasco--so much the rage these days in Findlay and Harrisburg--for a year and that he had said it better than I ever would be able to.

 

 

BTW,below is part of my reply to my wise Jesus-obeying, Gospel-living servant friend:

 

Amen!

I think this Leadership Development stuff is a grievous sin.  In a kingdom, the only leader is the king.  Does anyone (in the ERC) remember what Jesus said about great in the kingdom?

We need servant/slave wars.  Not leadership wars. 

May God have mercy on their well-intentioned, blasphemous souls.

bill

 

Ed, the High Church Gang and the Amish

I live in Amish country in Pennsylvania. Our local Wal Mart has a special parking area that provides cover for the horses that pull their buggies. Local culture is significantly impacted by Amish ways. Many of us here think about the peculiarities and the wisdom of the ways of the Amish.

As I think about the second annual Anglican Advent mass led by Ed and his High Church cronies, garbed in their priestly regalia, I think of their folly compared to the wisdom of the Amish.

When a person joins the church among the Amish, they join what the Amish understand to be the priesthood of all who follow Jesus. Men and women alike groom themselves and attire themselves in the same way every member of the church does.

This is an act of INCLUSION in the priesthood they all share. By the way they dress and cut and style their hair, the Amish proclaim that every one of them is INCLUDED in the Christian priesthood.

Imagine, now, those pics of Ed and the High Church gang, dolled up in their clerical collars at WTS. Now, think of the image of the congregation, all dressed in finery but all dressed differently than the leaders of the Mass.

What's the message?

The message is that the congregation is EXCLUDED from the Christian priesthood. How quintessentially Rosenberrian!

Where in the New Testament plan do you find justification for the farce Ed and the gang performed?

I never thought I'd compose these words but, if I have a choice between the Rosenberry Road or the way of the Amish? You can just call me Jakey Stoltzfus!

Thankfully, I don't need to make that choice.

We need to enforce accountability on the CGGC mountaintoppers. We need to enforce their repentance.

Gathering 1-18-15

A very rare gathering in which I did the amount of talking that a preacher does.

We continued sharing stories of God in the flesh that inspire us. I assumed that I would be one of the last to speak. To my surprise, the group that was gathered asked that I give mine today.

I read the story of Jesus and the disciples caught in a furious storm on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus was roused from a deep sleep to command the wind and the waves to be quiet and still.

I found myself "exegeting" the story, from Mark 4, on the fly. The morning turned into, for me, an energizing interactive search into the meaning of the actions and words of Jesus and the people with Him on that boat.

When it was time for Evelyn to return our friends from the nursing home I couldn't believe how much time had passed.

A good morning. One I will remember for a long time!

Five Responses to My Prophetic Ministry Among People of the CGGC

1. Right on, brother. Preach it!  There are probably more of these people than most CGGC institutionalists and mountaintoppers would like to imagine.  For generations there has been a CGGC counter-culture that chafes at the mellow, lukewarm ways of the mountaintoppers.  Rarely has that group had someone who has spoken their convictions so openly and has not left the CGGC in frustration.  For such a time as this, I am that person.

2. I agree with you but I wish you would be more gentle. There are, as far as I can tell, also quite a few of these.  These tend to be people of the counter-culture and one of two things are true of them:  Either they have some shepherd gifting in them or they are so new to the body that they haven't become as cynical about CGGC leadership as they probably will be later on.

3. If you don't stop sending me this bilge, I'm going to take legal action against you.  I have actually gotten this from one of the people who holds the title of Executive Director in the CGGC.  I have also gotten it, from one holding the E. D. title in the form of, "Since I am not the sort of person to take legal action..."  This is, of course, the way of the 21st century American world.  To these threats, I have not bowed, though I have been more circumspect in the nature of the blogs I send to these people.  I have no desire to be unnecessarily, well, polemic.

4. You need psychiatric help.  Interestingly, when I lived in Findlay and Evelyn was General Conference staff, we heard this sort of thing about the radicals in the body at the time.  It usually goes something like, "There must really be some serious hurts from the past that s/he is dealing with."  George Jensen once said this of me on Brian's blog.  I went ballistic.  Implied in this is, "To be so opposed to the wise leadership we are providing, you must be emotionally damaged."  What arrogance!  Recently, however, I got the "You need help," comment in those words from the place on the mountaintop where the air is most thin. (Let the reader understand.)

5. Would you please just SHUT UP?  This is rare but it happens from time to time.  My take on the people who have said this to me is that they are very shepherdy and institutional and also very sincere about wanting peace in the CGGC at what ever the cost--and because they believe that peace is the best thing for the body.  This usually comes in a moment of frustration.

It strikes me that, if you read the Old Testament and the Gospels, you see all of these responses to Jesus, John and the OT prophets.

There is nothing new under the sun.

Gathering 1-15-15

This is the smaller group of the intensely committed.

This is an evening meeting so we begin with the meal and the taking of the Lord's Supper. That is always a time of intimate fellowship in which the participants share the triumphs and struggles of their walk with Him. It is also flavored with reflection on His death on the cross. Last night, we did that by reflecting on Jesus telling the disciples that He had "eagerly desired" to share the Passover with them before He suffered.

Intense moments.

The last part of the evening consisted of reflection on being a lukewarm Christian. One of us insisted that she is and we spent more time than the length of a typical sermon exploring her conviction.

Interestingly, later on, this same woman told the story of being in a local restaurant and one of the patrons coming to her table to ask her to pray over her party's meal.

Talk about the priesthood of all believers!!!

As usual, we were provoked to love and good works--or, I, at least, was.n

The plan for next week is to go together to a nursing home to check in on one of our "least of these."

Oh. One final note: We also discussed opening the gathering to others. That went well.

My "Indignation" Post

Based on the stats I get from Google, my post "In Praise of Indignation," from September 2013 has been getting quite a few hits for about a month.

I'd love to know who is reading it and why.

The Insulation and Isolation of CGGC Leadership

Because of my temperament, my gifting in the Spirit, my APEST theology and my extensive training as a historian, I have a different way of perceiving reality--CGGC reality, in particular--than anyone else I know.

I have written more than a little history and I find that that experience, along with the temperament, gifting and theology give me the ability to imitate how a historian of the future might see the things that are and are not taking place in the CGGC body today.

Here is one of the most important impressions I have formed:

Ed Rosenberry, for better or worse, ranks among the most powerful and influential people in the history of the CGGC.  (I have detailed some of the reasons I believe that in earlier posts.) 

I believe that is important to note that the year 2010 was extremely significant in forming the manner in which Ed would lead the body in the years that followed. 

It seems to me that that was the time when he lost his idealism, some naiveté and a belief that his own way would easily prevail in the body simply by the exercise of his whim.  His response to those things, I believe, has been disastrous for the CGGC community.

As I see it, 2010 was the year that Ed attempted to fashion the future of the CGGC in a way that would impact a generation and would assure his place among the great names in CGGC history.

In that year, Ed shepherded into existence a revision of We Believe as well as a new plan for credentialing members of the CGGC clergy.

His attitude and approach in 2010 was open and confident.  He scheduled numerous meetings in which the people of all CGGC regions were invited to come together to comment on both documents.  In the end, with that feedback, Ed presented both documents to the General Conference Administrative Council.

It was in that Ad Council meeting Ed's momentum began to change.  The proposed revision of We Believe was not even passed on for approval by General Conference in session in 2010. 

Then, at General Conference, response to the credentials proposal was so cool that, after much spirited discussion and some outright opposition, the delegates voted to table it. 

Ed, then, took the proposal off the table the very next day, tweaked it on his own authority and succeeded in achieving its approval, yet only after much more discussion and as the result of a far from unanimous vote and only with the understanding that a new proposal must be presented in 2013.

From that moment on, the tone of General Conference leadership has changed markedly. 

This change is best observed in the fact that there was no open discussion among the CGGC community, of We Believe and the credentials proposal in anticipation of General Conference in 2013.  General Conference staff kept tight control of the process of the development of the documents and the process by which they would be presented for approval.

I was not a delegate to General Conference in 2013.  All accounts that I have received of it suggest that discussion of the two documents was, again, spirited and lengthy and approval was reluctant and far from unanimous.

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There was a time, when Brian Miller's blog was operating and hosting lively conversation, that there was talk of the breaking down of leadership hierarchy, of openness, of collegiality and of egalitarianism in leadership and the diminishing of the clergy-laity divide in the CGGC.

The result, in the wake of 2010 and 2013 developments, is that, under Ed Rosenberry's leadership, the CGGC body has gone in the opposite direction on each of those issues AND that the leadership core is, as I understand our history, more insulated and isolated from the rest of the body--and less accountable to it--than it has ever been. 

This is not a good thing and it certainly is not consistent with "the New Testament plan."

In my opinion, we lost the opportunity to form a hopeful future with the revision of We Believe and with the creation of this credentials document, both of which are tradition-bound and out of step with the world we need to reach. 

If we choose poorly in determining who will lead us and how leadership will function now that Ed has resigned, we may very well be signing the CGGC's execution warrant.

We must repent. And this is a crucial moment to do it.

The Wisdom of A CGGC Cynic

Gang,

Recently in an exchange of emails, Ed Rosenberry asked me, "How is it that other godly people do not bring the same or similar message (as you do)?"   And, I wondered what universe it is that Ed lives in.

It seems to me that many in CGGC leadership choose to comfort themselves with the myth that I am a lone wolf whacko and that, apart from my insanity, all is goodness, light, peace and perfect unity within the CGGC.

Many others, however, know that that is not the case.

Below is an edited version of a note I received recently from a member of the CGGC clergy.  I have deleted only the portions of his note which might reveal his identity to the vengeful eyes of the dons of the CGGC Shepherd Mafia.

This guy speaks with passion and prophetic clarity.

You will deduce that this guy is from the ERC.  Please note the recent straw that broke his back.  [Another faithful CGGCer bites the dust.]

I am not alone in understanding the reasons for the generations of CGGC decline.

--------------------------------

Bill,  being more (cynical) than you, I would say you are correct in your thinking. I like Ed a lot  but I’m tired of hearing all about his travels.   I don’t get involved anymore.  ...another issue for me is trying to follow a system that is circular in style and practice, never going anywhere.

In the nineties we had the healthy church plan/program.... Recently Dr. Richardson challenged his team to respond  to what they think a healthy church is?  (This) it is the straw that broke my back.

 

I’m not angry, critical or anything else, I just don’t care anymore what my superiors think.   (My wife and I) are trying to live out what we believe Jesus is like and be honest to His word as (we) understand it.  We use  Platt, Chan, Stanley, and  others for additional study.  We always come back and do a word/book study in the class I help teach.

 

This class is close to being Discipleship makers. We try to be honest and I’m glad to say the class has shown growth.

 

...Ours is a very generous church in every way....I’ve been told many times we are the first couple who are so loving and kind. At the same time I’m no pushover. I’m living out my giftedness and I am having a ball!  

 

Like you, I try and live before an audience of one. That is the most freeing experience I ever had....

 

What you are doing is the right and only way to lead the church today.

 

You have a much larger/stronger platform at Weaver (Markets) than you ever had in the church.  If the only problems you have are in the church you have missed the whole point. 

 

Ed thinks the conference is the means and the end. If he worked part time he would be better equipped to lead all of us. 

 

This is a disjointed note to  a guy I respect a bunch.

The Curse/Blessing of Insomnia

For me, it's genetic.

I can remember, growing up, every morning, no matter how early I'd get up, I'd find my mom sitting on "her chair" reading her Bible and a devotional book or two. And, she'd been awake for hours.

For years, my brother has been arising at 3:00 on his own because he is finished sleeping by then. His 30 year old daughter is developing the same sleep pattern.

And, I also am cut from that cloth, though I normally stay in bed until about six. I use the awake time mostly to meditate on Scriptures I have memorized or to pray or--I have old Sony Walkman radio with presets on four Christian stations and I check out what's going on them.

The other night I caught DR. JAMES DOBSON'S FAMILY TALK and heard a "classic" interview with, I think, Doug? Murrow who has written the book, WHY MEN DON'T LIKE GOING TO CHURCH.

Awesome stuff.

A reality that can be drawn from his research and conclusions is that the local church based programs and strategies are too prissy to be biblical or from the Spirit and that the CGGC is hitching its wagon to are failing and doomed to fail even more miserably in the coming generation.

We must repent. We must do it soon. And, we need kingdom oriented people, not shepherds and the shepherd-whipped, providing spiritual vision for us and our people.

House Gathering 1-11-15

This is a hard one to journal.

First of all: It was a great gathering.

But it was a bit of a challenge due to what I at least, think church is. There's not opportunity in this context for me to break down what I see about the church in the Word. Needless to say, I see what passes as the church today as coming from the Middle Ages, not from the Word.

In the Word the church is the congregating of God's people. OT and NT. The church is not a place for believers and seekers to gather for a show.

1 Corinthians 11 does mention what might happen if an unbeliever or an untrained person comes in to a gathering of believers.

One of my coworkers invited himself to our gathering. We did welcome him. Without being prompted, he offered to contribute to the meal.  He did not know any of the songs but was patient during song time. He contributed when we asked for prayer requests.

He also joined in our interactive Word time. Interestingly, his remarks were oriented toward justifying his own, well, righteousness. It was as he was speaking that I realized that we have gotten into the rhythm of using that time to, as the Word says, confess our sins to each other, i.e., we find ourselves lacking compared to Jesus and the people of the Bible and speak transparently about it.

Before we ate the meal, we read 1 Corinthians 11 and described the sin of taking the bread and the cup in an unworthy manner. As we walked to the table, he took me aside and said that he didn't think he should participate. The two of us agreed that he should not.

The totality of the experience is still sinking in.

The meal and the fellowship were amazing.

Popism

It was about two years ago that I responded to the credentials proposal generated by the team Ed organized and, in what I believe is righteousness indignation, coined the term, popish, to describe the process Ed employed to develop the proposal.

It was popish because, on his own authority, Ed set aside every human and written authority over him that exists in the CGGC.  He also directly defied some of those authorities.

Response to my characterization of Ed's actions as popish was energetic and angry for our tolerant, shepherd-dominated group. One person even announced that he had decided to leave the CGGC over it. (I don't know if he really did.)

Looking back, I am content with what I said and I have only one regret, i.e., the insult to Roman Catholic Popes, few of whom would have defied authority over them in the way Ed defied the authorities over him.

Two years after the fact, I remain convinced that I was right to point out the authoritarianism of the Rosenberry style of leadership--AND to call for the resurrection of the authority of the CGGC  Eldership, in submission to We Believe and the Mission Statement over CGGC authoritarians who, in the future, would attempt to out-pope the Roman Catholic Popes.

With Ed's resignation, we are at a crossroads.

We don't need another pope.  But, it is hard to unring that sort of bell once that sort of authority has been claimed and not opposed.

Can we stop a runaway train?

First Thursday Gathering Since Before the Holidays

I've just realized that I don't journal our Thursday group's gatherings.  I can't say why.

This group is, essentially, a subset of the Sunday group. It formed out of a desire in some for an even more obedient walk and a more intense approach to provoking each other on to love and good works. And it is all of that.

Sadly and curiously, it is also more closed than some dying CGGC congregations that have no passion for the lost nor love for the gospel and are purely internally focused. The reason for that, I think, is the intensity of the walk of everyone in the group and the fear, among some, that that intensity would be diluted with the inclusion of new blood. 

This is offensive to Evelyn and me, but we are doing our best to be patient because so much of the other aspects of the gathering are so good for us.

Interestingly, it is less guided by 1 Corinthians 14:26 than the Sunday group. We rarely sing but our Lord's Supper times are often very, very intense.

Sometimes we come together outside of a home setting to minister to people in our "least of these" universe.

Currently, when we don't go out to serve together we have been devoting time to the study of Francis Chan's, Crazy Love.

Last night we concluded our conversation on chapter 5, which admonishes readers not to be lukewarm. Interestingly, Chan's definition of lukewarm resembles the piety that CGGC leadership advocates in walk, but not talk--a piety that understands church attendance to be the baseline for discipleship.  Chan rips that to shreds in both chapters 4 and 5.

Powerful stuff. Convicting and empowering.

And, as always, the meal was tasty and the reflection on Jesus' death on the cross in our taking of the Lord's Supper was particularly convicting and encouraging.

Oh, how I wish some of you all could have the sort of experience we know we can take for granted when this group gathers!

It's far from perfect but it is moving all of us closer to the life New Testament people lived.

The Emotion that Stands in the Way of CGGC Reform

Biblically speaking: Sorrow/grief--depending on the  Bible translation you use.  Based on what our mountaintoppers are showing, they don't have any of that.

Check out 2 Cor. 7:10. "...godly sorrow/grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation...."

The act of reformation, if it could happen in the CGGC, would be a fruit of repentance. And, according to the Word, repentance doesn't form in a vacuum. It itself is fruit of the emotion, from New Testament Greek, lupe.

And...on the mountain top, they ain't got that--at least, based on what I'm seeing in the eNews and The CHURCH ADVOCATE.

Historically, the Church of God is the fruit of godly sorrow/grief.

John Winebrenner's account of his heart-crushing conversion, which took place when he was 20, begins a chain of events rooted in godly sorrow that produced fruit in the formation of a movement.

And, more than anything else, it is the self-satisfaction of today's CGGC mountaintoppers that makes this a dying institution, nothing that resembles Winebrenner's movement.

We need some spiritual heartburn.

Gathering 1-4-15

Undoubtedly the most encouraging gathering of disciples I have ever experienced.

One practice that has developed for us out of following the "everyone has a hymn" pattern in the Word is the spontaneous discussion of truths contained in the lyrics of what we sing.

Today discussion came from singing TRUST AND OBEY and HOW DEEP THE FATHER'S LOVE FOR US. (What an ecclectic combination, eh?)

Wonderful devotional moments!

Apart from that, last week my awesome wife suggested that to continue our celebration of the truth that the Word became flesh, that everyone come prepared to mention something Jesus did in the flesh that inspires them.

What an amazing idea.

We decided to allow the responses to be a series that will go on as long as it lasts. We only started the first one today and agreed to continue it next week. It was from a guy who rarely speaks in front of two or more people. He mentioned the story of the widow who put two small coins in temple treasury. Emphasis in the discussion centered on how to live out the truth in the story.

As is normal, Word time lasted longer than your sermon and everyone was on the edge of his/her seat at the end.

One key element of our gatherings is that they spur us on to love and good works. This one did.

Important CGGC Wisdom from 2014

Among the great pearls of wisdom that came into my life last year was a comment made in passing by Dan Horwedel on his blog.

Dan speculated that much of the dysfunction and enabling of sin practiced by those who reside at the top of the CGGC pyramid is the result of the fear of conflict that is standard among those shepherds.

Those guys do many foolish and disobedient things that result in abuse of CGGC, um, pastors and endorsement of sin committed by people in our congregations. And, I suppose Dan is correct. This comes from fear. Fear of conflict.

Do I need to point out that this is one unrighteous fruit of shepherd domination?

What if the CGGC Mountaintoppers do What the Catholics Did

What the Catholics did: When they had the opportunity, they elevated, as their new CEO, a reformer.

The truth is that the CGGC has been declining for more than half a century. The rate of that decline is increasing exponentially.

If you have been reading THE CHURCH ADVOCATE and the eNews lately, you may have noticed that it has become the normal thing for Ed and others to end a piece of writing and to solicit financial contributions. I wonder what the mountaintoppers know about cash flow that they aren't saying in so many words.

Yet, it seems to me that, on the mountain top, there is a strong sense of contentment about continuing with the same sort of approach to mountaintopping that has guided our direction since the shepherds took over about 80 years ago.

But, what if the mountaintoppers chose to go in a different direction? What if they empowered someone who would challenge failing values and practices? What if they would acknowledge failure and sin and hand over the reigns?

Is there ANYONE in the CGGC they might choose who could superintend that change?