The above two pictures are from a Facebook page of a group that deals with spiritual abuse recovery from all kinds of churches and sects.
The first picture is of a child's coloring sheet that teaches children to unquestionably listen to what their pastor says and believe it. That is what the Worldwide Church of God indoctrinated us all when it kept reinforcing that the ministry was a direct pipeline from God and God spoke to us through them. The ministry and especially top church leaders, were incapable of making a mistake, whether theologically or in daily counsel. From YES lessons to the Bible Correspondence Course, it was all laid out in black and white as to what a person was to believe and to never question.
The second picture is of a similar vein in that church members are not to question a pastor on anything. COG members were trained to never question the leadership, the ministry, doctrines, or anything printed in the myriad of books, booklets, and magazines. To do so placed one's salvation in jeopardy.
Recently, there was an article up about how those in Christian churches who attend regularly are more prone to ask clergy for advice on certain important decisions. The difference in Church of God ministers and ministers in many Christian churches is that many of those men are well trained in counseling techniques and have hundreds of hours of classroom work in counseling. Church of God ministers, regardless of the affiliation, do NOT have training in proper counseling techniques.
Herbert Armstrong, Rod Meredith, and others regularly mocked and ridiculed therapists and psychiatrists as deceived agents of Satan, while touting the ministry of "god's church" as the true rightful heirs to counseling. The counseling techniques used by many COG ministers have led to suicides, broken marriages, divorces, and even murder.
Living Church of God currently has issues with its members not listening to its church leaders. Scott Winnail is trying to reinforce in LCG members the need they should have to go to their ministers for advice. Because, after all, any advice from a COG minister is directly inspired by God.
Given the abysmal track record of spiritual abuse in the Living Church of God, why would any LCG member ever do such a thing?
Regular Church-Goers Seek More Counsel: A new study published by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research highlighted an interesting finding: Among those who possess a religious affiliation, people who attend church services more regularly are also more likely to seek counsel and advice from their clergy concerning important decisions (APNORC.org, May 2019). These findings were true even among religious groups considering themselves more “liberal.” Regular church attendance appears to have a powerful impact not only on the way attendees view their ministers, but also on the degree to which their values are socially conservative in nature.
It is interesting how these recent findings confirm what the Bible has stated in its pages for millennia. Nearly 3,000 years ago, Solomon wrote, “a man of understanding will attain wise counsel” (Proverbs 1:5) and, “he who heeds counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15). The Scriptures also state that both “safety” (Proverbs 11:14) and wisdom (Proverbs 12:15) can be gained from a multitude of counsel. Being willing to seek counsel and advice is a hallmark of wisdom. Modern research shows that those who attend church regularly are more likely to include their clergy in such counsel—seeking feedback, advice, and direction. The Bible reveals that a willingness to seek counsel is something God desires of us—a key ingredient to growing in wisdom. To begin your journey of growing in wisdom, be sure to read “The Way to Wisdom.”—Scott Winnail