PCG’s membership down

Gerald Flurry with “Swans in Flight”

In my article on Gerald Flurry’s Philadelphia Church of God, Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God, I had written that PCG had been shrinking in size.

There is more information, now, that seems to confirm, that.

Back on January 7, 2011, Stephen Flurry reported the following:

Worldwide attendance stands at about 5,500. Serving those brethren, we have 72 ordained ministers—41 of them employed by the Church. Counting ministers and employees, 115 people work for the Church full-time. Another 60 are on payroll as part-timers. We’ve added 55 employees just since 2006, when the college first started turning out four-year graduates.

Our total worldwide income in 2010 amounted to $20.6 million—a solid 5 percent increase over 2009. Seventy-two percent of that revenue is donated by members of the Philadelphia Church of God. The other 28 percent comes from co-workers and donors who voluntarily offer their financial support. http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=7818.6421.0.0

In October 2011, the following was reported:

Shane Granger, marketing director for the Philadelphia Church of God…said Edmond is one of 18 sites around the world that will be attended by 4,700 members of the Philadelphia Church of God, which has 200 congregations spread over 65 countries.

In November 2011, the following was apparently reported in a co-worker letter written by Gerald Flurry:

…our building fund donations are $700,000 less than they were last year. I want you to think about that.

Before we built Armstrong Auditorium, we sent a letter to our Church members only, asking for pledges to the building fund. We used those pledges to determine how much we could invest in construction and loan repayment until all the construction costs were repaid in full. We’ve enjoyed using the auditorium for over a year now, but we still have a big balance left on the loan–over $7Million…And if our ways are pleasing God, no recession or depression could make a bit of difference.

Here is additional proof that PCG has shrank:

May 4, 2018

God blesses us in many ways, and He asks for so little in return. Every year, we have opportunities to contribute to God’s Work through tithes, holy day offerings and funds for building, airplane and other projects. But there is another way we can give that has proven to produce much fruit: congregational fundraisers. These fundraisers provide great value to God’s Work.

There are more than 100 Philadelphia Church of God congregations spread across the globe. Most of these congregations have few members. (Krueger J. Fundraising for God. May 4, 2018. https://www.pcog.org/articles/4808/fundraising-for-god)

The above strongly supports the view that PCG has suffered major membership losses and has not been growing.

PCG, itself, has certain unique doctrines, and I am not of the view that its founder is truly part of the Church of God.

Just calling oneself or a church ‘Philadelphian’ does not make that church part of the Philadelphia Church Era.

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself ‘Philadelphia’ does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself “that prophet” make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which claims to be faithful.
What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did Catholic and Orthodox “saints” endorse or condemn idols and icons for Christians? A related sermon is available: The Second Commandment, Idols, and Icons.
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 the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
hould 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? A related sermon is available titled Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
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. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 teaches “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 ” will be fulfilled and RCG is not the group doing this. 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.
Behind the Work 2016: All Nations, Tribes, People, and Tongues What has been going on in the Continuing Church of God to do the work? How is the Continuing Church of God working to fulfill scriptures such as Matthew 24:14 and Matthew 28:19-20? How many languages has CCOG literature now been translated in? How might this tie in with Revelation 7:9? What about ‘stammering lips’? This is a sermon-length video.
CCOG’s Four Years and God Revealing Philadelphia? Has God been revealing Philadelphia since CCOG formed? What has been happening? Can you see the hand of God in this? A related sermon is titled CCOG: Four Years Revealing Philadelphia?
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them. Here is a related article in the Spanish language ¿Por qué estar preocupado acerca de falsos y heréticos líderes?
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?