New World to Come Website

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In July 2010 the Church launched a third website dedicated solely to The World to Come broadcast. This includes both daily audio (15 minutes) and daily video productions (30 minutes), Monday through Friday. These videos have brought hundreds of thousands of views per month.

This number is projected to reach potentially many millions, with 2012 projecting a number almost beyond imagination, when one considers five videos posted per week instead of one, as well as daily audio, which began shortly after the launch of the website!

Some proclaim that any organization not on television is not really doing the Work—and thus is Laodicean. By this definition, the prophets, apostles, and Jesus Himself were all Laodicean, and none did the Work. The same would be true of Mr. Armstrong for 34 of the first 35 years of his ministry. (For some of 1955-56, he contracted about 13 television programs.)

It is worth repeating that the nature of television has changed dramatically. Because of station proliferation, no amount of careful planning can avoid taking unfavorable, yet still expensive, airtime to be able to say, ;We are on television! Spiritually savvy people, and certainly experienced administrators, see through such silly assertions—and hollow accusations against those not on television. (Sadly, however, this shallow thinking has confused thousands.) Also, as explained, spending God’s tithes today on the medium of television in almost any amount is plain poor stewardship. (Carefully examine the previous ;Internet inset.)

All of this said, I expect that someday we probably will be on television. In fact, I was already interviewed in 2009 and seen on television—The History Channel—with this program shown over and over, all over the world. Of course, many millions of people saw this program aired in 70 countries. Otherwise, I can conceive of television occurring in five possible ways, the last one involving regular programming, but not on an array of contracted stations around the world. God almost certainly has something much larger in mind in this regard, and this could include:

(1) Spot commercials (30 or 60 seconds in length) on many stations, hopefully in at least all large- and medium-sized markets, probably mostly in the nations of Israel.

(2) One or more national television specials to a huge audience, reached all at once. This would almost certainly follow a large advertising campaign in advance.

(3) Interviews on selected popular talk shows (this has already happened on radio several times).
(4) Major media coverage, at some point, as a result of the size and power of the Work—the case with The History Channel interview.

(5) For years this list ended with four points. But now that ministers are positioned around the world, our literature has all been written, and our income continues to explode, a fifth has become necessary. In July 2012,The World to Come broadcast will go on at least one national cable station, with a reach of over 250 million people in about 100 million households. We are pursuing this opportunity because income has made it possible, but also because such a large station enhances other ways we are doing the Work. A unique ;synergy comes from one or more such stations at this point in our growth.

Television today is still evolving. Everyone in any way connected to mass media understands this. The future will demonstrate how and to what degree this medium should be used within the final Work of God. However, with our new studio, we are in a position to quickly move forward should this be God’s will.

Still Looking Ahead

We are also currently exploring the possibility of spot ads on radio that could appear sometime in the future. These could eventually be on local stations in a variety of Western countries, and be anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds in length.

We recognize that the special warning to Israel will almost certainly take us into most or all of the major western newspapers before the age is complete. Mr. Armstrong employed powerful full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Los Angeles Times, among other big American papers. Any realistic approach to reaching countless millions would almost have to include papers like these and others before it could be said that the Great Commission and special warning were truly finished. In time, we think these ads could also encompass the major news magazines of our time.

The Real Truth Distribution Program

I have already referenced our Real Truth Newsstand Distribution Program. When Mr. Armstrong was alive, this was a vital means of reaching many more millions in every country in which the Church had members ;on the ground. We are striving to be as aggressive as possible in expanding this program, and we do employ it everywhere we have brethren able to participate. The budget for it doubled just in 2010.

It is probably not an overstatement to say this program will one day by itself likely reach millions. Those who remember this ongoing local project from the past, and the number who were reached and even converted as a result, can look forward to being part of the same exciting program once again if they come with RCG.

Many Books Available in Bookstores

Recall Mr. Armstrong’s quotes about most of his books being made available to a larger audience of readers who would only read a book if they could purchase it in a store. He explained, and the Church understood beginning in 1978, that doing this was not a violation of Matthew 10:8.

RCG reached a similar point in its development. With more truth in writing than any time in Church history, we decided in late-2007 that we were ready to follow Mr. Armstrong’s pattern—and were able to do so in an expanded way. Dramatic plans developed!

First we were led to select a publishing company. Then we signed a contract for and submitted the first book—The Awesome Potential of Man. The next step, after thoroughly learning the process, was to submit more books, starting in 2009. These are currently available online. The reader is left to contemplate the awesome impact of adding just this single additional element to God’s Work!

Hiring Staff and Field Ministers

The biggest problem with expanding our advertising and the newsstand program beyond where they had come to be was having not yet enough manpower to pursue all that could be done in just these areas. Eventually we hired additional people who could focus entirely on the distribution program and Internet ads.

We have sufficient staff in place to spend much time EFFECTIVELY advertising God’s truth to the world. A unique and experienced advertising TEAM has been assembled by God. This ;Growth team constantly considers new ideas, new concepts, data and statistical analysis, technological advancements becoming available, improving the Newsstand Distribution Program, the changing nature of the multiple audiences we seek to reach, matters of efficiency, strategic hiring of niche skillsets, sophisticated hardcopy literature distribution campaigns, differences in approach from nation to nation, and any other additional vehicles and mediums that can be employed for expanding the Work—all as God sends us the funds to go forward with them.

Apart from web remodeling, our expanding staff has also been permitting us to move forward with additional elements of website attractiveness and usability. A plan is in place that is bringing to reality what we have in the past only been able to dream of. We have amazing ideas and concepts—and I do mean AMAZING!—yet to be developed and employed.

Now here is another dramatic announcement.

Headquarters Campus

Another subject could probably go into any of the chapters discussing future plans.

It goes without saying that the need to hire so many additional staff automatically creates another great—in fact urgent—need for God’s Church. Certain departments serve as part of what are considered to be ;support functions behind the Church’s two central commissions. The need for another kind of ;support function has come—that of a new administrative Headquarters (a whole campus) able to house the growth we are experiencing!

Envisioning RCG’s Future: The images shown are preliminary architectural renderings of our future Headquarters office complex. Periodic updates of these images can be found at rcg.org/hq-info.

At a point, a plan was announced to build a beautiful new, three-storyWORLD HEADQUARTERS FACILITY almost twice the size of our current space. We waited as long as possible to decide the size of this building because we had to gain a sense of how many employees and departments it would need to house.

We finalized a host of details with architects, banks and construction companies. (A series of drawings have been included in this chapter to give an idea of the quality and size we have in mind.)

The campus will be state-of-the-art in architecture, functionality and technology utilized. It will have a beautiful auditorium, classrooms and space for all of our existing departments and more, with room to grow. (Of course, just having three buildings in themselves creates at least four new departments, the ones needed to maintain them.) Our most conservative estimates are that we will be 115 employees and students just by the time we take possession (May 2013). Then there is the question of how many more people will be hired after that.

A couple of examples serve here as classic illustrations of a larger point: This announcement brought forward outside critics. Apparently wanting to believe the Tribulation is only one or two years away (it is obviously no more than a very few years away), some see this as a ;my Lord delays His coming attitude. Incredibly, others who know better compare what we are announcing to ;Mr. Armstrong said not to build Churchbuildings. Mr. Armstrong was so obviously speaking of the unwise, wasteful capital investment in local buildings for local congregations. Remember again, Christ said that His servants would be found ;so doing when He returns.

If God has us enter the new campus, and then concludes the Work six months later, no one will complain!

Now here is an example of how things are done elsewhere: UCG planned to move its ;home office—again! It intended to build a new complex in another area of the country (this time Dallas)—again! By an extremely narrow vote of 202 to 195 within its ministry (a swing of just four men)—incredibly, the collective ministry in this organization vote on such things so they can direct their headquarters—this desperately confused, deeply divided organization must not only believe God IS the author ofconfusion, but also of near 50/50 division as to where even ;His headquarters—;home office—should be.

Think! If God says that He chooses to ;place His name even on Feast sites, would His Headquarters receive from Him less attention? Then, how could over 49 percent of the ministers in this organization be so out of tune with the supposed ;will of God on a matter as important as where God establishes His earthly Headquarters? (At a certain point, a pitched battle developed over how and whether to proceed because the original property that had been selected fell through, and disagreement ensued over exactly what the ministry had voted to do. This division—and supposedly ;God’s will—swung back the other way with another vote narrowly keeping the ;home office where it was in Cincinnati.)

Eventually this split UCG—again!—with a new organization called Church of God, a Worldwide Association (COGwa) leaving with a third of the ministers and a fourth of the members. Incredibly, COGwa is an almost exact replica—a clone—of UCG. What was gained?

By contrast, because the government of God is present here, because we know that the living Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, has guided the decision to build a magnificent new campus, we did not vote on it. When God leads an organization this never happens.

Blind critics and misguided thinkers have no effect on what Christ is doing in His Church. Men and organizations like UCG and COGwa—LCG actually did move its headquarters to two cities (San Diego, California, and Charlotte, North Carolina)—seem unable to comprehend either stability or the most basic things necessary to properly carry out the Great Commission or the Second Commission of feeding the flock…