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PASTOR GENERAL'S
REPORT
TO THE MINISTRY OF THE
WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
VOL.7, N0.11
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
FROM MINISTERIAL SERVICES
MARCH 15, 1985
We in the Auditorium PM congregation were privileged to hear from Mr.
Gerald Waterhouse last Sabbath, March 9. He has just completed his eighth
world ·tour, and will begin his ninth in early April. His message about the
new world government that God is preparing through His Church, soon to be
established at the return of Jesus Christ, was most inspiring and encourag
ing! Mr. Waterhouse pointed out the need for all of us to recognize and re
spond to the government of God in our lives, from God the Father through
Jesus Christ, down through Mr. Armstrong and the rest of the ministry, and
finally in our families. The Auditorium AM and Imperial AM congregations
will hear Mr. Waterhouse this coming Sabbath, March 16.
Regarding the Night to Be Much Observed, some ministers have been under the
impression that unbaptized mates of members should not attend this occasion
with other members. This is not the case! Nonmember mates should be made
to feel welcome to attend. Of course, conduct and conversation on this
evening should be in accordance with the nature of the observance, as dis
cussed in last week's PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT.
On another subject, we are still experiencing occasional problems regarding
the reinstatement of disfellowshipped persons.
In each of these cases,
most problems could have been avoided if the minister who reinstated the
individual had contacted the minister who put the person out PRIOR to his
reinstatement!
This should be a routine procedure before reinstating any disfellowshipped
person. If the minister who disfellowshipped the individual is still in
the ministry, always check with him before reinstating. (U.s. ministers
can find out who disfellowshipped a person by calling Cledice Decker at the
Mail Processing Center in Pasadena. International ministers should check
with their Regional Office if the minister who did the disfellowshipping is
not available.) Also, the other elders in your area may know the circum
stances if the former pastor cannot be consulted.
Sometimes there are factors involved you need to be aware of to make the
proper decision. As Mr. Armstrong continually stresses, there must be PER
FORMANCE--real repentance--on the part of the individual before he is rein
stated! How can we determine whether that is true if we have not taken the
time to gather all the facts?
Reinstatement should not be taken lightly. It is a serious responsibility
to determine whether there really are fruits of repentance, and to be sure
we are not doing the individual a gross disservice by reinstating him be
fore he is ready.
We are currently finalizing Feast of Tabernacles ministerial assignments.
I have been able to go over most of these with Mr. Armstrong already. U.S.
ministers who have requested transfers should have received their confirma
tions by now. We are looking forward to a fine Passover season and beyond
that to a wonderful Feast of Tabernacles!