Actscelerate.com

Friendly Face Posts: 496 **6/24/16 8:12 am**

Ooh! that is bad Smile

bonnie knox

Re: Wow

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 14803 **6/24/16 8:44 am**

Methoscostal, if you want to use cutting edge lingo, just say, "Wut?"

I've said that a few times with things I've learned about the church of God since I've been participating on this forum.
The cost for renovating headquarters--Wut?
The fact that ministers voted to give them a bigger budget than they requested for the renovations--Wut Wut??
That women can pastor but can't receive the highest level of credentialing--Wut?
That there is a admission fee to the general assembly--Wut?
That so many pastors get out of sorts when posting on the internet--Wut?

Yes, I was surprised that there is an admission fee to the General Assembly.
Any member can vote in the General Assembly. (I don't remember if there is a minimum age requirement.) The business that comes to the General Assembly is what has been passed by the ordained bishops (highest level of ministerial credentialing in the COG, no girls allowed) who voted earlier in the week in what is called the General Council.

Methocostal

Re: Wow

Friendly Face Posts: 496 **6/24/16 10:43 am**

Wut are you saying, I'm an old coot Smile

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12792 **6/24/16 11:08 am**

Unless I am mistaken, the 'charge' is if one wants to register and therefore be able to participate in the business meetings and vote in the General Assembly.

diakoneo

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3382 **6/24/16 1:30 pm**

4thgeneration

No fee to attend

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1598 **6/25/16 9:03 am**

You can attend the GA free of any fee. You can sit in on the General Council sessions as an observer, attend the worship services, go to the free World Missions Concert, walk through the exhibit area, plus more. The fee is to be a registered delegate. That allows an Ordained Bishop to participate as a voting delegate in the General Council sessions, and allows any member 16+ to participate as a voting delegate in the General Assembly business session.

churchsinger

Astonished and disgusted

Friendly Face Posts: 412 **6/25/16 9:50 am**

I am really astonished that someone would question the charge for being registered for the GA. I think it is a very reasonable charge. I've seen people pay Hundreds of dollars to attend seminars and conferences and never bat an eye. But they want to "murmur and complain" about paying into their own denomination to help defray (in a tiny way) some expenses. I am disgusted with preachers who want everything GIVEN to them without being willing to give themselves.

Cojak

Re: Astonished and disgusted

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24275 **6/25/16 5:06 pm**

philunderwood

Golf Cart Mafia Underboss Posts: 3954 **6/25/16 9:38 pm**

Just admit it, the idea of a General Assembly (the convening of a large proportion of the membership of a body or a representative slice of that body) is no longer viable for even this small movement/denomination.

The "assembly" has mostly missed the debates, is a VERY SMALL representation of membership and generally is geographically proximate and skewed against a wide sample of members.

Even the precursor to the membership 'vote,' the ordained ministers council, is skewed away from the overall mix of ministers, and again is geographically prejudiced.

We need to quit pretending this governmental system is really what it says it is.
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Dean Steenburgh

Re: Fee to attend the General Assembly

Golf Cart Mafia Capo Famiglia Posts: 4682 **6/25/16 9:57 pm**

georgiapath

Acts-dicted Posts: 7587 **6/27/16 7:47 am**

Kind of like Washington, a big joke.

Methocostal

Friendly Face Posts: 496 **6/27/16 12:16 pm**

Is that a close cousin to a paying at confession? Goodness, I think your take on it is almost worse than I originally thought. (I know it wasn't your idea). That just does not seem right. If I were COG, I would be out of my mind.

A COGOP friend told me they do not charge to attend the Assembly.

Methocostal

Re: Astonished and disgusted

Friendly Face Posts: 496 **6/27/16 12:22 pm**

I totally agree. Goodness, this is not a "seminar", it is a vote on Church doctrine. I'm sorry, as a non member, I shouldn't express my opinion as it is obviously not my business. You better believe I would pay my penance and be there to voice my objection if I were a member!

The COGOP is smaller than the COG (therefore it is likely they have a higher percentage administrative financial burden than the COG), yet they aren't charging a fee. I have no idea if the offerings at the Assembly cover the costs, but if it doesn't and they can absorb it, why can't the COG's.

This sounds like a method to disenfranchise certain people from voting.

Again, I shouldn't put my two cents in this pot, but I am just shocked.

bonnie knox

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 14803 **6/27/16 2:56 pm**

Cojak

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24275 **6/27/16 8:56 pm**

Quiet Wyatt

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12792 **6/28/16 1:25 am**

The CoG does not charge anyone to attend the General Assembly, either. Paid registration is required only of those who wish to participate in the business meetings and vote. I have no idea how long this has been the case, nor when it originated. Perhaps others here could clarify that question.

Why would such a requirement make you go out of your mind?

spartanfan

Some complain....

Golf Cart Mafia Underboss Posts: 3638 **6/28/16 8:27 am**

some people complain about almost anything around church involving money. They don't complain too much about buffet restaurants and satellite tv too much though, I've noticed. Just an observation.

Methocostal

Friendly Face Posts: 496 **6/29/16 2:36 pm**

Good point and my rant should be on paying to vote rather than paying to attend. For some reason, I thought it was initially mentioned that people were charged for attendance, but that is beside the point since you have noted they are free to attend.

Didn't Jesus throw people out of the temple for conducting business? I realize that isn't the best comparison because I think those folks were doing it for personal gain, rather than the business of the Church. Nevertheless, I cannot imagine Jesus would condone charging people for the right to vote.

Another comparison that isn't the best either, but the principal is similar and that is when there was a Poll Tax in the US in order to vote. Doesn't charging to vote amount to a "poll tax", regardless of what one calls it.

The best question, however, is What Would Jesus Do? In my wildest imagination, I cannot conceive that he would require people to pay in order to vote.

When the vast majority of congregations are surely well under 100, how in the world can pastors, in particular, afford that? Even more so for those from foreign countries. I realize it has always been a problem for those from distant areas to attend and pay the cost of accomodations, but why should the Church impose additional burdens?

My father attended the COGOP assembly and had to eat saltines because he couldn't afford to eat and he was close enough that he didn't have airline charges and he slept in his car. While most pastors, even those of 50 member congregations probably aren't that poor, but the cost seems unethical given the economic status of most pastors, and many of the membership also for that matter. Free will offerings, I understand, but then they can give what God leads them to give, not a set fee, that is not minimal to the typical pastor.

I'm a CPA, I know it costs to rent Assembly facilities, etc. But, to charge a set fee (any fee) is surely not the way to go. It is a matter of priorities. HQ can decide where those priorities are, and surely defraying part of the cost of the assembly (if offerings are not adequate) should be one of them.

Perhaps a wiser alternative would be conduct business via streaming and online voting. That could be done. Passwords could be given to the membership and voting conducted accordingly. I realize that isn't ideal and certainly some people and regions of the world do not have access. Frankly, if members can't afford internet, they can't afford to travel either. But, in many cases, internet could be provided at the Church.

That would not preclude a physical Assembly where people can come if they choose, but the voting process IS of paramount importance. The technical issues of voting remotely can easily be handled. Charging to vote should never be an option. It isn't a perfect world and it isn't possible to allow every single member to vote remotely as I mentioned earlier. But, far more could be done without making unreasonable barriers.

To answer your question, why would it make me go out of my mind? (1) WWJD and (2) What about those that can't afford it.