COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Names
 

Thought some of the ministers from this forum might find this interesting.... I am former Church of God (COG). They hold their General Assembly every 2 years, where they elect leadership, make appointments, and the Ministers vote in rules, guidelines, etc. So this year is General Assembly year, and the agenda of proposals is out....

For years, leadership at headquarters has hated when ministers post in Online Forums by pen names, and question authority, tell things that are going on, etc.

So to hit that in the face, there is a proposal now as an agenda item to prohibit all ministers from posting on social media with pen names.


The exact wording, on page 25 of the agenda, is an amendment to the "General Instructions for Ministers" which list five new rules, including this one: "Church of God ministers. . . shall at all times agree to write and post only under their own name." Further, there is this warning: "Failure to follow these guidelines . . . shall result in the offending minister being subject to discipline for unbecoming ministerial conduct."

Can you believe this? And can you imagine how impossible it would be to police this????

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

lol

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

Personally, I like it when people use their real names as well. I do not believe it is something that should, or even can, be legislated though. My last name is no secret but still use my middle name lest Google tag every single post I make here.

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

It will probably never pass, but considering how many forums the COG preachers have, and how many of them there are... it will turn into a canibalistic witch hunt of guys bringing each other up on charges to enforce such a thing... Absolute lunacy.

And screen names are important at times when little Rev. Tom Smith down at Dirt Road COG questions how some money is being spent at headquarters, only has 15 members, and fears retribution from headquarters if he were to post under his real name. Pen names are needed for checks and balances in a denom with such a strong central government as the COG.

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I am going to agree with everything you just said. It is the same reason that voting ballots are, and need to keep being, secret.

When I read the first post my mind immediately went to the idea of someone anonymously taking pot shots and how it would should a bit more courage if they were to use their real names. But really this is different sides of the same coin.

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

There have been ministers here that have used made-up screen names so that they could "speak their minds" and the witch hunt didn't waver.

A couple of incidents got pretty nasty, in fact.

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

In fact wasn't Reckart involved in a lawsuit or the threat of one against either this board of CAF at one point in years past?

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

He was involved in several lawsuits, but it was only a threat concerning our boards.

The issues we had were UPCI ministers.

I don't know about that.

I do remember that Alice got his lawyers after Jim Yohe of the original FaithChildForum.

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

I think it is a good move.

If Pastors can't speak among themselves openly and with respect without having to hide their identities then there is something wrong.

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

The issue is is that there IS something wrong because ministers cannot talk to themselves openly. It really doesn't matter the denomination which means that it is a human nature issue.

For one thing this isn't something you can really force but the other big one is that it turns message boards from somewhere where honest dialogue can take place back to a board meeting where everyone is expected to be a "yes!" man.

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

Dialogue that has to happen under pen names because everyone is afraid to use their real name (in the context of an official church leadership website) is not true dialogue.

Serious matters affecting the course of their organization or doctrine, which are bound to come up on such a website as theirs, should be discussed honestly and openly with everyone being able to stand by their comments and questions.

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And suffer the consequences?

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

Ya, we have a name for that place; "Heaven."

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

Would be wonderful... but your idealistic world is not the one we live in... and if you were to just know the issues within the denomination right now, you'd understand why there is a need for a voice of opposition, without fear of retribution.

You have to understand that pastors are placed at churches within the COG by leadership. And in COG churches, pastors receive salaries, not the full tithe. The salary is set, or at least recommended in the minutes of the COG General Assembly Minute Book.

If a minister approaches leadership about something they find as an issue, and ruffle feathers, they can find themselves immediately moved to Gobblers Knob Church of God over in Stick Creek with 20 members and fighting for the livelihood of his family. Or he can find the state office coming in and saying, your church is under too much debt, congregation is too small, we're gonna close your church and sale the property.

The trouble and lack of transparency at headquarters has been an issue of great debate, especially regarding finances, for the last 8 years in that denom. Too much detail for me to go into... but it's huge. And the only way that some brothers and sisters can realize they aren't alone, and somehow form solutions to bring about change in that organization is through forums where they post with pen names to protect themselves. There are valid reasons for them to fear retribution if they posted with real names.

This isn't a license to post pop shots, or spread rumors that aren't true. The forums I visit are good about keeping that out.

But to think that people should be forced to lose free speech and have the denom tell them they must post using their real names is nothing but strong arming and bullying.... there is no intention here of bringing about more transparency seeing as headquarters doesn't want to provide transparency.

Lastly, the charge that one would receive who violates this rule should it pass is "conduct unbecoming a minister" which is one of the very gravest charges one can receive. It's the same charge one caught in adultery or homosexuality can receive.

So posting under a pen name is that great of a violation to the leadership? Sounds to me like someone in Cleveland is very afraid of something.

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I am on several forums where my name is out in the open. I enjoy the anonymity of this forum. I have nothing to hide, am not ashamed of my views, just like being anonymous for a change.

And if folks dont like that or draw inferences from it....too bad.

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i still cant believe the books called practical holiness written by david bernard, but men in general can come up with some stoopid stuff, and yes this being one of them..

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I wholeheartedly agree with Bro. Robbins.
To strong arm and bully another man into being quiet violates his right of free speech. On the surface, it appears that they only reason they are trying to make this law is to shut people up over something they are doing that is "unbecoming of a minister" themselves. If I was a CoG attendee, I would want to know what is going on underneath the surface.

If I were a minister, I would not abide by this because there are no biblical mandates to shutting someone up as long as he is telling the truth.

....catch me if you can.....:happydance

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

Not to derail the thread here...but is it just me, or did Bro. Robbins just show one of the major flaws in organized religion?

I have had a Pastor that derived his whole living from the Church or "Tithe", and I have had one that owned his own business in addition to being a Pastor....maybe its just me, but from a common sense point of view, it is pretty clear who had the advantage when it came to caring for his household.

This nonsense of political bullying IMHO is more a result of the stucture and the system -the way it is set up here in the west makes it VERY easy to manipulate and control ministers...just my honest opinion..

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

Was waiting for this argument... the pro's from organized fellowships of like minded believers, in my mind, still out weigh the con's. Just because someone abuses a system that works well otherwise doesn't mean we throw out the baby with the bath water. We use these times of storms to strengthen, hopefully learn, and make better.

The overall work that the denomination does internationally is commendable. It's not perfect, but it's not all bad either. Furthermore, the benefit from the organization, of small churches that didn't have to close because the organization came in and carried the mortgage for months, even years.... the pastors that were able to feed their families from the help of others in the same network when the church couldn't, the sharing of resources like camps, schools, missionaries, etc.... far outweigh the negatives.

This negative just needs to be addressed and handled, and I hope the ministers of the COG will do so.

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For anyone that remembers I mentioned this issue in the Church of God, they just voted about an hour ago to change the original motion as it goes before the Church of God General Assembly. Big difference than how the motion originally appeared before the Church of God Ordained Bishops...they pretty much gutted it, and it's commendable that they did.

Original Motion:

"We recommend:

That we amend pages 156, 157, S63, GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR MINISTERS, by adding the following:

10. Responsible Use of Social Media

Christians are exhorted by Scripture to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), to provide things honest in the sight of all persons (Romans 12:17), and to do all things for the edification of others (Romans 15:2). The use of social media (such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, websites, and so forth) by believers should conform to these and other biblical standards.

Church of God ministers, as examples of believers in speech, life, faith, and purity (1 Timothy 4:12), shall at all times agree:
a. To write and post only under their own name.
b. To not attack fellow ministers or members of the Church of God. One may disagree with others, provided the tone is respectful and does not become a personal attack.
c. To not disclose any sensitive, confidential, or financial information about the church, its ministers, or its members other than what is publically available.
d. To not post any material that is defamatory, libelous, threatening, harassing, abusive, or embarrassing to any person or entity.
e. To uphold the doctrine of the Church of God by not writing or posting anything contrary to the accepted doctrine of the Church of God.

Failure to follow these guidelines on the use of social media shall result in the offending minister being subject to discipline for unbecoming ministerial conduct."

NOW IT IS....

"We recommend:

That we amend pages 156, 157, S63, GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR MINISTERS, by adding the following:

10. Responsible Use of Social Media

Christians are exhorted by Scripture to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), to provide things honest in the sight of all persons (Romans 12:17), and to do all things for the edification of others (Romans 15:2). The use of social media by believers should conform to these and other biblical standards.

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

So which Church of God... this one?

www.churchofgod.net

OR this one...

www.churchofgod.org

or??? When I looked there are 10+ orgs that use the name 'Church of God".

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

Those guys are about as bad with using the name "Church of God" for their many splits and factions as some of us are with using the name "Church of Jesus Christ."

Re: COG To Prohibit Ministers Social Media Pen Nam
 

www.churchofgod.org is the correct one of the two listed.
Cleveland, tenn.