Follow The Money
Update: Ambassador Reports has more information on governance of the Canadian WCG. They are, as they ever were, tied entirely to the whims of the American Headquarters of the church. What ramifications that has for their pension fund, I don’t know.
More from Ambassador Reports (quote taken from the end of the article here [all emphasis is Stan’s):
The Pastor General’s WCG unincorporated Church Association Board of Elders and the Articles and Bylaws of that Association are used as the legal control mechanism for the Church in other countries. That is how Tkach controls the ministry, money, membership, and WCG corporate boards in other countries, such as this action in Canada. While the considered action of the Canadian board seemed entirely voluntary to suddenly and completely shred the entire Canadian WCG Policy Governance Manual with the Carver model, and immediately change over to the Tkach denominational model, the hidden legalities of the WCG Church Association tell us it wasn’t truly voluntary.
So the bulk of the Canadian ministry stayed with the church through the changes because of “grace” and “Christ’s miracle in the church”, huh?
They wanted to shepherd their lost flocks, instead of being the law-enforcing sheriffs everyone was used to?
They “grew through grace” (and changed the names of their churches, so no one would be able to discern where they had come from), and they were pure as the driven snow, the whole lot of them?
Not exactly. As a matter of fact, not even close.
Pension Plan for Employees of Worldwide Church of God Canada
This, and only this, is the main reason the sheriffs of the WCG stayed on through the changes, and tried to change their spots. Funny thing, though, for trinitarian grace-filled believers, a significant number of congregations still meet on Saturdays. Guess that part hasn’t been “grace-given” enough yet.
Don’t even get me started on the “fall festival” they’re advertising on the web site right now. Don’t forget to fill out your Feast information packets! (Just don’t call it the Feast, within earshot of anybody in “the world”, don’t forget. Wouldn’t want us to think you’re not “filled with grace”, after all!)
In case you haven’t figured it out from my sarcastic comments above, most WCG congregations in Canada now masquerade as “real” (evangelical) churches, notably with the words “Grace” and/or “Fellowship” somewhere in the name, with absolutely zero connection to their roots as the closed high-demand religious group the Worldwide Church of God, unless you research it on the Internet. If you’re just coming in off the street you wouldn’t know any better, and that’s probably just the way they like it.
Some of the congregations still meet on Saturdays, some meet on Sundays, and all the money still goes straight to Junior — whatever little he’s not siphoning off for this pension plan that he’s holding over the heads of the Canadian ministry who stayed, that is.
