Our decision making process

by Herbert W. Armstrong

There are many levels of government in the United States. There is municipal city government, County government, State government, and Federal government.

God Almighty whose Church we are, has been sued by the government of the State of California through the Attorney General’s office, in a civil lawsuit. That is, His Church has been sued – and since it BELONGS to God and is called by His name, the State government is actually suing God Almighty.

Since Jesus Christ is the living and guiding HEAD of God’s Church, the State is suing Jesus Christ. As Christ’s chosen Apostle, the State government is suing me, and as Treasurer of God’s Church they are suing Stanley R. Rader.

Screaming page-wide, front-page newspaper headlines blared forth that Mr. Rader and I had been alleged to have siphoned off millions of dollars every year for our own accounts and benefit. But no such charge was made in the lawsuit. Instead, the Attorney General claimed that the state government actually owns, and should direct, guide and manage all churches in California. An ex-judge was appointed, secretly in a Los Angeles Superior Court judge’s private chambers, as receiver of God’s Church.

Yes, after almost a year and a half– still UNBELIEVABLE! Nothing like it had ever happened in this land of the FREE and home of the BRAVE!

Now nearly all the large churches of the United States are behind us, giving legal assistance in this lawsuit. They know this is a TEST CASE. If we fall, they will fall.

God’s Church did not cave in. We did not fight back in the sense of attacking the State, but we did effectively DEFEND ourselves.

On the very first day, January 3, last year, the receiver “fired” me, Mr. Rader, and the entire Board. He claimed he was running the Church from here on and would decide all policies, doctrines to be believed, type of services and all activities.

But God had foreseen it all, and had moved me to a home in Tucson, Arizona. The RECEIVER stopped my first letter to ministers and members asking for special funds for defense at the Pasadena post office. But I immediately wrote another letter which was mailed from another post office, directing all tithes and offerings sent to me, here. GOD’S CHURCH NEVER STOPPED OPERATING. The Work continued to GROW!

But the names of God’s Apostle and Treasurer had been blackened by false witnesses, just as that of Jesus was by false witnesses.

And so another level of government started its own independent investigation into the false allegations against Mr. Rader and me, and against general mismanagement of the Church and Work. This government office has been investigating us for some time. A few days ago, at my invitation, two official investigators came to Tucson for a talk with me in my home. They had talked personally with the false accusers. They had checked out records – everything. They told me their investigation was now almost finished. We will, I am certain, be totally exonerated of any wrong doing.

But I was especially interested in one question they asked me. Since we operate on the Biblical hierarchical form of government, from the top down, and I am responsible for making policies, establishing procedures, doctrines, etc., WHAT IS MY DECISION MAKING PROCESS?

I was glad to answer that!

First, Jesus Christ is living HEAD of the Church and Work. He is the WORD of God in Person, and the Bible is the same Word of God in print. I follow His teachings and ways. I pray constantly for leading and guidance. I follow the Biblical teaching and examples. I follow the Biblical admonition, “In multitude of counselors there is safety.” On various problems I counsel with our leading ministers best qualified in the area of the problem for counsel. On all major policies or decisions, I call a Board meeting, and we counsel together. When we are all unanimous – because we seek not our own ideas or wills, but God’s, a motion is made and the vote is unanimous. The final decision, it is true, is mine – but in all meetings on such problems or decisions we have all been unanimous. The motion is not put until we are.

Thus we follow the Biblical teaching that we all must speak the same thing, avoiding disharmony and division. Some who have been SELF-willed, controversial, causing division in the Church have been excommunicated. That was true of the malcontent ex-members who brought the false allegations – and the Attorney General’s office acted on their false allegations without a shred of evidence!

The investigators were fully satisfied.

GOD’S CHURCH FOLLOWS GOD’S WAY!

Our GOD will vindicate His name and His Church before the world!