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The Un-liberated Church
Former WCG minister David Covington remained unconvinced about the "transformed" Worldwide Church of God. In 1996 he wrote an open letter to Joe Tkach that laid out his concerns that abuse issues had been papered over. The following article summarizes his position. Eight years later the issues are still unresolved.
David Covington was a member of the WCG for 25 years and was in the full-time ministry for five of those years. He was pastor of the Roanoke and Lynchburg, Virginia, congregations and was a contributing writer to the WCG's Plain Truth magazine. In May 1996, Covington resigned because, "after 19 months of addressing these issues with [the WCG's] administration, it became apparent that I was actually enabling a sick system that does not desire genuine change for Jesus."
Referring to Pastor General Joe Tkach Jr., Mike Feazell, director of Church Administration, and Greg Albrecht, editor of The Plain Truth, Covington wrote:
"... I am convinced you aren't even capable of seeing, much less addressing the genuine problems. I compare the 1996 WCG to a husband who used to beat his wife seven days a week and now has cut back to four. And, the wife is supposed to be satisfied with his progress! Worse still, he's holding seminars on domestic violence!"
Addressing why outside observers are reporting that genuine repentance has taken place in the WCG, Covington pointed out, "These observers cannot possibly understand what it is like to be a member of this church. They miss the dynamics of this system which remains abusive."
Covington cited "nine fundamental problems" he feels the WCG must change to "become a healthy Christian church":
- Authoritarian hierarchy: The church has a totalistic nature; the "pastor general" is all powerful.
- Lack of accountability: The pastor general is legally accountable to no one.
- Closed communication: Open and honest discussion is still thwarted by the church's structure.
- Manipulative tithing: Current heavy emphasis on tithing seems characteristic of past exploitation.
- Financial control: Congregations still send 100 percent of their donations to church headquarters.
- Local congregations not a true priority: He doesn't believe that congregations will benefit from the sale of the church headquarters grounds for an expected $250 million.
- Chaos and confusion: "Jesus" is lost among ever-changing policies, programs and crises.
- Lack of respect for lay members and ministry: The current administrative approach is condescending.
- The WCG organization is most important in the hierarchy, more than Jesus or people. The corporation comes first, the church second.
Covington also disputed the WCG's profit motive:
"I have long said that the WCG exists to perpetuate itself and profit its leaders. Observers might argue that this is not true of the new WCG as evidenced by the loss of members and income due to its doctrinal correction. But while employed by the WCG, I was told that the charges were being made to shed the cult image and to shift Plain Truth readership to a market more likely to donate. ... I know you [Tkach] say that you have lost members and income by the changes you have made. However, your power and prestige have not been abated. In fact, you have now had opportunity to speak before hundreds of denominational leaders, be interviewed on radio with James Kennedy and Hank Hanegraaff, obtain several book contracts, and that in addition to your planned radio program (and aforementioned pay increase). You did not possess anywhere near this kind of prominence before."
Covington hoped, he concluded, that "observers of the WCG will begin to see the complexity of the issue of an abusive cult becoming a healthy, orthodox church. It is not as simple as changing a few doctrines and mouthing some evangelical sounding phrases."