Breakdown of the Bylaws, circa 2001
Breakdown of the Bylaws
The CFCMI Bylaws were one of the cornerstones of our arguments against the organization my wife and I met with Pastor Paine in May 2001. The main issue (you may notice a trend here) is the authority and accountability of the pastorship, and the General Pastor (GP) in particular.
If you take a good overview-type look at the CFCMI Bylaws, one theme that you will find threaded throughout the document is the near-absolute authority and power that resides in the position of General Pastor. Pretty much every section that grants any authority to anyone has embedded in it or ends with a "at the discretion of the General Pastor"-type statement.
In fact, you need look no further than the first five articles of the Bylaws to see what CFCMI is all about. I mean, they "get right down to business" with the heart of the matter...no need to fool around with anything else for the start of the document. These are the "absolute authority" articles and here's what they set up, listed in order (actual language is at the bottom of this post):
I.A.1 LR Davis is the founding General Pastor, appointed by God.
I.A.2 The General Pastor's authority comes from God alone and no one can remove him from that position.
I.A.3 The General Pastor has the authority to discipline any subordinate (i.e., any pastor or member) and "shall be the sole determiner of what constitutes improper action or behavior." (That is among my favorite quotes)
I.A.4. The General Pastor has sole authority to issue directives and can only be overridden by a unanimous vote of the Int'l Board.
I.A.5. The General Pastor can veto any Int'l Board decision, unless he's overridden by a unanimous vote.
I can't think of any example where a person has ever had more power and authority over an organization or group of "free" people.
Getting back to the analysis, though, I’d like to lace together all of the statements that grant authority to the GP in a way that may help to sort the bylaws and allow us to "see the forest from the trees" on this matter.
Some of the powers established for the GP by the bylaws are:
- Authority to issue directives without prior approval of the General Board of Directors.
- Authority to veto any decision of the General Board.
- Sole authority to nominate someone for appointment to the General Board.
- Sole authority to initiate the removal of a General Board member.
- Final approval authority, along with the General Board, of all ministers, at all levels.
- Sole authority to suspend any minister within CFCMI, with or without cause.
- Authority to discipline any subordinate for improper action or behavior.
- Sole authority to determine what constitutes improper action or behavior.
- Authority (along with the local pastor or bishop) to disfellowship a parishioner.
- Within the administrative infrastructure, each individual within CFCMI must be directly accountable to the GP.
- The General Secretary can only investigate and verify reports of subordinate entities with the blessing of the GP.
- The General Treasurer can only investigate and verify reports of subordinate entities with the blessing of the GP.
The major mechanisms to limit or check his powers are:
- God can remove him from office by death or disablement.
- His directives or policies must not violate the bylaws.
- The General Board may overrule his directives, policies or decisions (including veto), but can only do so with a unanimous vote.
- His nominees to the General Board must receive a 2/3 majority vote to be admitted.
- Parishioners may petition the GP for an audience to voice concerns, but only after having exhausted all local pastoral avenues.
Now, at first glance within the legalese context of the bylaws, these powers and checks on power may not jump out at you as out of balance. In fact, some of you may not even be disturbed by the way they read when picked out and set apart, as they are above. What I’d like to do, however, is to put those powers into practical terms.
THE GENERAL BOARD
Let’s look at the structure of the General Board, since it is the ONLY body of people within CFCMI that can exercise ANY AUTHORITY WHATSOEVER over the GP.
First of all, to get on the Board, the GP has to nominate you. So, if he senses the possibility that a person may, for whatever reason, eventually threaten his power, all he has to do is simply never nominate them. Just nominate people he knows to be personally loyal to him staying in power, no matter what, and he’s safe.
However, if a member of the Board does begin to question or threaten the GP’s power base, or anything else, the GP can simply nominate him or her for removal from the board. By the same token, if the Board begins to feel like certain members are just "yes" people for the GP, no worries, because only the GP can nominate people for removal.
Alas, if there is that occasional one or two members who slip through the cracks and seem to be acting in a "rebellious" way toward the GP, it’s really no big deal, since all the GP ever needs is one single board member to agree with him. Since overruling the GP needs a unanimous vote of the board, one or two (or even eight or nine) members of the Board disagreeing with him, or even fighting against him, is no big deal. He’s completely safe and secure.
Functionally, as long as the GP abides within the vague, non-specific guidelines of the Bylaws, no one can ever threaten his position or power.
SUBORDINATE PASTORS
Next, consider the other most influential members of CFCMI, the pastors. Again, they can only be appointed to power if the GP gives his personal approval.
Dismissal of a pastor, however, is much, much easier. It doesn’t require the approval of the board. In fact, it doesn’t really require anything. The GP can suspend any pastor or minister within CFCMI at any time, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE. And, since there is no mechanism for recourse for the individual suspended, that’s pretty much it.
What this translates to is a pastorship that serves 100% at the pleasure of the GP. There’s no hearing, no evidence, no notification requirements and, in fact, no limits on the suspension. The GP can simply decide to fire any minister at any time. All it takes is a phone call, and you’re done. Thus, it’s obviously within the pastor’s best interest to keep the boss happy, no matter what it takes. And, on the other hand, to question the GP runs the risk of losing everything without a moment’s notice.
On top of the ability to fire ministers at will, the GP also has the ability to discipline them in any way he wants, for whatever he wants, with no one to check him. In fact, this applies to pretty much anyone in CFCMI. The GP can "discipline" you for "improper action or behavior". Now that’s pretty vague and allows quite a bit of discretion for the GP. But consider this: on top of that, there’s the fact that "The General Pastor shall be the sole determiner of what constitutes improper action or behavior." So, really, the GP can discipline anyone in CFCMI at any time, for anything he feels like. No scriptural justification, board approval, advanced notice, limits to time or punishment…nothing. I bet a lot of dictators throughout history would be pretty darn envious.
PARISHIONERS
Well, now it’s down to the everyday members, or "parishioners", like you and I were or are. Yep, you guessed it. With even the pastors hanging by a thin little thread, you can bet we never had any power or recourse whatsoever. If there’s something that the average member sees that seems out of balance or flat out wrong, they really can’t even bring it up to the GP. They’ve got to "exhaust all local pastoral avenues" first.
Well, you can see that if it’s something the local pastor thinks the GP doesn’t want to hear, it’s really not in their best interest to forward it on. Better to suppress things at the local level, if they want to make sure they have a job to go to the next morning.
Oh yea, and don’t forget the most powerful authority of all: the mighty ability to DISFELLOWSHIP. You see, it really doesn’t take anything to get disfellowshipped, since the grounds for being banished like this are simply "at the sole discretion of the local pastor, bishop or General Pastor". So, if the local pastor feels really threatened, he can just disfellowship you. And if the GP feels the need to do so, no problem. If he wants to justify it, just make up some "improper action or behavior" to satisfy the masses. Don’t really even have to use the Bible or anything else. And that’s really only if you want to justify it. No need to, since "Parishioners have no voting rights". As a matter of fact, as long as the GP has that one single, solitary member of the General Board on his side, he’s good to go!
Finally, I have only mentioned the organizational shortcomings contained within the bylaws themselves. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that 90% of the people within the organization are terrorized by the belief that if they were "disfellowshipped" by the local pastor, or even worse, the General Pastor, they’d pretty much head straight to hell. One former member, who I am still in contact with, was actually formally disfellowshipped for being too independent (went to a sporting event on his own, instead of Men's Fellowship). It took him pretty close to two or more years to convince himself that he wasn’t damned just because Pastor Thomas told him to leave...and he’s a guy that was already noted for being an INDEPENDENT thinker. What about all those dependent thinkers out there?
Yep, mix absolute organizational authority with absolute spiritual power and that’s a pretty dangerous potion. But don’t worry, members still within CFCMI. Your General Pastor is called by God and God will remove him by killing him if he abuses his enormous powers...only problem is that there just might be hundreds or thousands of victims being abused over the 20 years or more that God takes before he gets him taken care of.
Sorry for the cynicism, but when you really boil it all down, it’s hard not to get angry.
I’ve also included applicable excerpts from the bylaws below.
I.A. General Pastor
I.A.1. History: It is understood and held to be true by all the men and women of The CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, Inc., also known as CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP CHURCH MINISTRIES, INTERNATIONAL, (hereinafter CFCMI) that Lloyd Ray Davis, under the divine inspiration and leadership of the Holy Spirit, is the founder and first General Pastor of CFCMI.
I.A.2. Authority: The position of General Pastor of CFCMI is a calling from God and at no time shall any person or faction of CFCMI; including its Board of Directors, officers, bishops, pastors, ministers, elders, or parishioners, be able to remove the General Pastor from his position. God, is the only authority by which a General Pastor can be removed: by the General Pastor tendering his own resignation, or by death (I Chronicles 16:21-22), or as stipulated in I.A.6.a. The General Pastor is also the President of the Board of Directors. Therefore, the administrative infrastructure of CFCMI, and each individual therein shall always be accountable directly to the General Pastor of CFCMI
I.A.3. Discipline: Unless otherwise stated in these Bylaws, the General Pastor shall be responsible for the discipline of any subordinate for improper action or behavior. The General Pastor shall be the sole determiner of what constitutes improper action or behavior. The General Pastor, in his discretion, may delegate the responsibility for discipline.
I.A.4 Establishing Directives: The General Pastor shall have the authority to issue directives without prior approval from the General Board of Directors, provided said directive does not violate existing Bylaws. The General Pastor shall notify the General Board of Directors at the earliest possible opportunity of any directives he issues. The General Board of Directors may only overturn a directive by a unanimous vote of all Board members then in office and voting.
I.A.5. Veto Powers: The General Pastor shall have the authority to veto any decision of The General Board of Directors, which can be overturned only with a unanimous vote of all Board members. The unanimous vote of the General Board of Directors shall stand as the final decision on the matter.
I.B.4. General Secretary: The General Secretary shall maintain all corporate records and documents, and shall certify that the records are true and correct. The General Secretary shall also receive and verify reports from subordinate churches and make said reports available to the General Board of Directors. The authority of the General Secretary to investigate or verify reports from subordinate entities of CFCMI is not automatic and shall be granted as needed by the General Pastor. The General Secretary shall be appointed by, and shall serve at the sole discretion and pleasure of, the President of the Board; he must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Board, but shall be exempt from the re-election process; he shall have full voting rights at all times. The General Secretary may be removed in the same manner as proscribed in I.C.6. (Removal of Member From General Board of Directors).
I.B.5. General Treasurer: The Treasurer shall oversee all corporate financial transactions and shall maintain accurate books, records, and financial statements. The General Treasurer shall also receive and verify reports from subordinate churches and make said reports available to the General Board of Directors. The authority of the General Treasurer to investigate or verify reports from subordinate entities of CFCMI is not automatic and shall be granted as needed by the General Pastor. The General Treasurer shall be appointed by, and shall serve at the sole discretion and pleasure of, the President of the Board; he must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Board, but shall be exempt from the re-election process; he shall have full voting rights at all times. The General Treasurer may be removed in the same manner as proscribed in I.C.6. (Removal of Member From General Board of Directors).
I.C.4.b. Power of Unanimous Vote: The General Board of Directors can override a General Pastor's directive or veto of the General Pastor only by a unanimous vote of all other Board members then in office.
I.C.6. Removal of Member From General Board of Directors: The removal of a Director must be initiated by the General Pastor and approved by the General Board of Directors. Notice of the meeting to consider the removal of a Director shall be delivered by certified mail or by hand delivery to the Director in question. A meeting of the General Board shall be called to consider the removal of the Director. With the recommendation of the General Pastor, the General Board, by a majority vote of two-thirds (2/3) of all Directors then in office and entitled to vote, may, with or without cause, remove a Director from office.
I.F.4. Suspension: The General Pastor may suspend any minister at any time, with or without cause. Throughout the suspension of such minister, all rights, privileges, responsibilities, authority of his ordination are also suspended.
I.P.3.c. Recourse: Any parishioner of CFCMI may petition their Bishop or the General Pastor for an audience to address their concerns, but only after having exhausted all local pastoral avenues.
I.Q.4.c. Disfellowship: A parishioner may be disfellowshiped from CFCMI at the sole discretion of the local Pastor, Bishop, or General Pastor.