Acts20.com

If the USA remains on Lock-down due to the Coronavirus through April 30th, 2020 the following will happen:1. Many of the Church of God Members will loose their jobs and in turn lose their incomes, homes, etc. 2. Many of the Church of God Members that own a small business will be in bankruptcy and lose their incomes.3. If the predicted unemployment rate of 25% - 30% takes place, every COG congregation will be impacted by the financial crisis.4. Every COG congregation that has a debt (back loan) will not be able to make their payments due to the decrease in donations.5. If the COG State Office of a State has underwritten millions of dollars in loans - that State Office will be Bankrupted.6. If the combined State Offices do not have enough money in reserve to cover their underwritten loans - the Denomination HQ has to pay the loan debt.7. If COG HQ cannot pay - Denominational Bankruptcy occurs and the COG will be dissolved in debtors court.

If history serves us well, our organisation came out of the 1918-1920 pandemics much stronger financially than ever before as the early minutes show clearly. We were even able to undergo the 1923 split with consecutive lawsuit and come on the other side of the Great Depression still swinging. And that is without the government spending trillions in aid or revers loan insurance. The one thing that can shake us this time is extending terms without a GA

I say thou art a false prophet. God is able to carry the COG. God is bigger than a pandemic. If a denomination fails it will not because of a pandemic. Same with a local church. Who do we serve

It is my opinion, the trauma of the of the 1918 Pandemic, and the after effects of the recession which followed WWI contributed to the split in 1923. In January of 1918 the new Bible school was started, with new staff and expenses. During the year the publishing ministry was expanded with new equipment, while at the same time many church members were lost to the flu, church services were canceled by the government (which at the same time was investigating the COG for its members not going to war teaching), and the General Assembly had to be canceled. Keeping the printing ministry and the school opened fell on AJT, who used his home as the first dorm for many of the students - they lived with the Tomlinson and ate at their table. Some of the students did fall sick of the flu, with one dying. Though not reported widely, AJT's young granddaughter (Thelma Hughes) died of the flu in April of that year. Reduced income, greater expense due to expansion, a building in Harriman, TN that was going unused, and great personal sacrifice due to housing the students had a greater effect on AJT then some historians fail to recognized. Following the end of the pandemic and the war, COG begin new ministries, such as the orphanage and the building of a new church/tabernacle in Cleveland. The publishing house was expanded to accommodate the Bible school. This may have led to the terrible change in the financial system where all local tithes where sent to Cleveland, and in turn a committee of seven (which may have never operated) was to send money out based on need and effectiveness.This led to financial shortages, for funding all the ministries going on in Cleveland. AJT made the mistake of moving money around to keep everything up and running. In the end it was, in my opinion, over expansion, the lack of money and AJT being too personality invested in the continued operation of the church. For those who opposed AJT, the use of an incomplete audit and the claims he profited personally led to the split of 1923 (both claims were proven wrong in court). It was the COG who engaged in the lawsuits against AJT following the split (didn't someone say, the COG has never lost a church building), and I have always felt AJT's belief in not taking your brother to court failed him. He should of gotten lawyer-ed up like the COG did.His since of believing he was called by God to lead the COG has its roots in the many personal sacrifices and vision he cast to get build the organization. Also, there were those false prophets in the assembly (1914) who stood up and said AJT should be GO for life. So pastors and leaders, what will you sacrifice to keep you local church and denomination going? After its all over, how will you react when a someone says you did not wrong and its time for you to go?

Reading the court case minutes, COG had plenty of money to split and to spare.You could be right of course, we could blame the split on WW1, pandemics, recessions,when we all know it was centralized government that caused it, but my point was: We are still here after all, aint we? I guess we are fixing to find out today

God and the church is bigger than the buck. We may have to adjust, streamline, consolidate, etc. but this situation has not taken Gd by surprise. Is it time for states and territories to be consolidated and reduce the number of ABs? YesIs it a good idea four three small churches in close proximity to be consolidated? It makes good sense. (Oh that will change the number of churches in the state--Oh cry me a river. Our church roles haven't been honest for decades)Is it time for some small churches to be weaned off of state budgets? Yes, and right now you can probably think of some.This may cause the local,state, and general church to rethink programs and practices. Make it a good thing

Mixing 3 church cultures overnight could be an administrative nightmare!Do you have an actual working example of such 3 near you

Mixing 3 church cultures overnight could be an administrative nightmare!Do you have an actual working example of such 3 near you? Not locally. We live an hour away from our church. But I have ministered in areas where it would have been quite feasible. The toughest question might be, What will the pastors of the consolidated churches do?

Hopefully, not becoming the pastor of the church you're pastoring

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