Alexa GCG-related group rankings, plus a detailed response to improper letter from Roderick C. Meredith

Worldwide Internet Users in 2012. (Jeff Ogden)

Today, I looked up the Alexa popularity rankings for Church of God (COG) groups whose leaders had once been part of the old Global Church of God (GCG).

I have included all the main English-language sites of the GCG-affiliated COG groups that I am aware of.

Although he was once part of GCG, since I am convinced that David Pack is a false apostle (2 Corinthians 11:13) and one who uses covetous words (cf. 2 Peter 2:1-3), I do not consider that he is truly part of the COG (see also Why Not the Restored Church of God?). Hence despite the money his group pours into the internet, I have not included those websites associated with his church (and yes, I know that his websites have Alexa popularity).

Although the leadership in some COG groups prefer to believe their internet impact is higher than it is, I like to use a source such as Alexa to give a relative impact on how websites compare to the multiple millions of sites out there (one page suggested that there are about 500,000,000 websites).

Alexa is an independent internet source that looks at the overall popularity of websites based upon factors such as number of visits, repeat visits, amount of time spent at a website, amount of links clicked at the site, etc. Though some prefer not to believe its results, notice the following review of Alexa ratings:

Alexa Rank Checker is one of the most accurate and freely available tools to find out how well your site ranks up against millions of other sites on the Web. http://www.seomastering.com/alexa-rank-checker.php viewed 10/31/13

The lower the number of an Alexa rating the greater the impact. For example, google.com has an Alexa ranking of 1, meaning it is the most popular website in the world, and facebook.com has an Alexa ranking of 2, meaning that it is the second most popular website in the world according to Alexa (number 3 is YouTube.com). Websites with Alexa rankings of over 15,000,000, as well as those who reach is too limited to be ranked by Alexa, do not have much impact. As of 2013, Alexa provides traffic data, global rankings and other information on 30 million websites, and the reality is that any not Alexa rated have very limited reach and simply are not popular.

The popularity of those groups whose leaders formerly had GCG affiliation below is based upon Alexa rankings that were displayed by Alexa yesterday:

COGwriter.com (Continuing Church of God, Bob Thiel) 127,571
tomorrowsworld.org (Living Church of God) 361,007
lcg.org (Living Church of God Roderick C. Meredith) 369,469
ccog.org (Continuing Church of God) 660,347
hwalibrary.com (former LCG/GCG members) 2,006,433
eternalgod.org (Church of the Eternal God, Norbert Link) 2,517,156
judeochristianfoundation.org (Jeff Patton) 3,996,084
servantsnews.com (Port Austin Bible Campus, Norman Edwards) 4,338,490
globalchurchofgod.co.uk (Global Church of God, United Kingdom) 11,407,371
godslawislove.org (Church of God in Peace and Truth, Don Haney) 11,659,320
cgfnw.org (Church of God Fellowship, Northwest, Harold Smith) not Alexa rated; over 15,000,000
cogcanada.org (Global Church of God, Canada) not Alexa rated; over 15,000,000
cogmessenger.org (Rod Reynolds) not Alexa rated; over 15,000,000
cotsg.org (Church of the Sovereign God, Ben Faulkner) not Alexa rated; over 15,000,000
enduring.org (Enduring COG, Charles Bryce) not Alexa rated; over 15,000,000
genuine-truth.com (former LCG/GCG members) not Alexa rated; over 15,000,000
wwcg.org (Wholeworld COG) not Alexa rated; over 15,000,000

Note: The last seven groups are listed in alphabetical order, since they are not ranked it is difficult to know which are more popular.

The Alexa rankings suggest that the popularity reach of the Continuing Church of God exceeds almost all other one-time GCG-affiliated groups on the internet combined. Yet, that is not completely accurate as LCG’s youtube presence is not included above as Alexa does not rank individual youtube channels. But it does show, that even without having a full-time internet staff that the Continuing Church of God does better than nearly all others reaching people over the internet.

Recall that Jesus taught:

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

Notice that the gospel of the kingdom will reach the world as a witness, then the end will come. And I believe that the internet will be a major factor in this.

Proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God to the world as a witness over the internet (as well as through printed literature, radio, personal contact, etc.) is something that we in the Continuing Church of God are serious about. There is a difference between the groups that once had connections to GCG. Only one can lead The Final Phase of the Work.

One of the reasons I decided to look all this up again is that it was during this time of year in 1998 that the GCG crisis hit and that led to the formation of LCG and other groups.

Some asked me for more information about the formation of the Continuing Church of God which did not form until 12-28-12. The formation was triggered by an emailed letter from Dr. Roderick C. Meredith of LCG on 12/28/12. So, after re-reading it, I have decided to respond more fully to it.

Those interested in details about the truth, may wish to read it. Here is a link: Roderick C. Meredith’s Accusatory Letter to Bob Thiel.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work.
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled. Who is leading the final phase of the work? What did Herbert Armstrong and the old WCG teach about that and about prophets? Does Bob Thiel meet the criteria that the Bible and the old WCG set? What is the proof? What has the Continuing Church of God been doing? This is a sermonette length video.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? You can also see a YouTube video sermon The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Roderick C. Meredith’s Accusatory Letter to Bob Thiel On 12/28/12, Dr. Meredith sent out a letter with accusations against Bob Thiel. While this led to the formation of the Continuing Church of God, Dr. Thiel decided to address more of the details of the charges on 11/27/13.
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like the beliefs held of the Continuing Church of God.
Why Bob Thiel Left the Living Church of God Several have speculated reasons, but here is the truth. (En el idioma español: ¿Por qué Bob Thiel dejó la Iglesia del Dios Viviente?)
Journal Report on Continuing Church of God Leader Bob Thiel Bob Thiel was interviewed by The Journal News of the Churches of God related to him being a prophet, the proclamation goals of the Continuing Church of God, and why he left LCG.
What About the Living Church of God? Are there Doctrinal Differences with the Continuing Church of God? This article explains some information and doctrines of the Living Church of God as led by Roderick C. Meredith and some concerns about them. (En el idioma español: ¿Qué hay acerca de la Iglesia de Dios Viviente? ¿Hay diferencias doctrinales con la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios?)
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. These are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.