"...the right and power to receive gifts, devises, bequests and contributions outright, in trust or in any other form, and to use, apply, invest and reinvest the principle and/or income therefrom or to distribute the same..."
In other words, they have taken full advantage of the right to hoard cash. $24M is a little working capital to invest, reinvest / etc.
"...the right and power to receive gifts, devises, bequests and contributions outright, in trust or in any other form, and to use, apply, invest and reinvest the principle and/or income therefrom or to distribute the same..."
In 1955, when they incorporated as the way inc., the emphasis was on acquiring assets such as real estate (for example.) Now they have officially called themselves a church (I think to avoid public disclosure on Form 990) and shown they will live off of previous donations used as investment capital. So who the h3ll do they actually help with donations? Besides themselves.
Also, this goes one step further in exposing the vast gulf between what they preach and what they do. Shouldn't they say what they mean and mean what they say? They have been a church since 2007....how many followers know that? Will they now change their witnessing strategies and drop the ekklesia approach? Will the scrub their proven ministry research that slams churches?......NOPE....the hypocrisy and lies will continue.
So of course the question is do they have unrelated business income.
It looks like that 2007 Amendment article TWI filed is attempting to state that all of their investment and interest income from their investments are related to their main purpose. I think this distinction is there to avoid having that classified as "unrelated business income" and thus requiring the 990-T that anyone can investigate.
So in other words Rosie and Gary F have a nice little $24M investment fund to manage all protected by the 501c laws.
They don't "research" and they don't "teach". (in the conventional sense of the word.) So, what is it, again, that qualifies them for preferential status?
They don't "research" and they don't "teach". (in the conventional sense of the word.) So, what is it, again, that qualifies them for preferential status?
Meeting two or more of the following:
Distinct legal existence <- Been around in one form or another since 47
Recognized creed and form of worship
Definite and distinct ecclesiastical government <- They definitely claim to be directed by God
Formal code of doctrine and discipline <- Mark and avoid comes to mind
Distinct religious history <- Oh, I would definitely call their history distinct <_<
Membership not associated with any other church or denomination
Organization of ordained ministers
Ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed courses of study
Literature of its own
Established places of worship
Regular congregations
Regular religious services
Sunday schools for the religious instruction of the young
Schools for the preparation of its members
Not that I care to be their advocate. The above points are used as guidelines to classify them as a church. As for their 501c3 status it's anyone's guess to what they actually do for people that could be considered charitable or a service. Personally, I think the IRS needs to investigate them to see if they really qualify.
On a side note, shortly before I bailed, TWI circulated a document to all the fellowships that specifically stated to NOT say they were a church, or that they were having church in the home. You remember the old line we used to use about the ekklesia - the called out body of believers, the true church that meets from house to house. Well people started saying they had church in their homes and in many localities specifically calling yourself a church that meets in someones home violates applicable zoning laws. All this church business is really a comedy of errors for the way international.
Were not a church, but were the true church that meets in the home
Oh wait, we did amend our articles of incorporation stating that our intention is to operate exclusively as a church, etc.
No, were not really a church we do bible studies in the home...
"unrelated business taxable income" would probably cover things like book and magazine sales, ticket sales for events (eg, the now defunct RoA), class fees. It's unrelated because it's making a profit - more than just covering the costs of producing the materials. Of course there is lots of fudge room. Printing costs, for example. (Sometimes the printing part of an entity will be hived off under a separate name.)
Anyway - who cares what they call themselves? None of the names is the truth ... I don't see "den of thieves" or "nest of vipers" in their organization description.
Personally, I think the IRS needs to investigate them to see if they really qualify.
That could be fun. Didn't someone around here once talk about two sets of books - one for the IRS and then the real one? Then again, it might be easier for the IRS to find since they employ such antiquated computer equipment at HQ... But, maybe it is kept in an actual BOOK? Given Rosie's hatred of technology, I wouldn't doubt it.
As for their 501c3 status it's anyone's guess to what they actually do for people that could be considered charitable or a service. Personally, I think the IRS needs to investigate them to see if they really qualify.
Interesting point. I would submit that TWI is actually NOT a church.
Since leaving "the ministry," I was surprised to find out how common non-profit businesses are around here... Many organizations legally cook their books to qualify as 501c3's.
One of the biggest 501C3 scams going on in the Dayton area, in my view, is charter schools. Schools have been popping up around here like weeds. They are owned largely by 501C3 corporations and a lot of them are located in any type of building a company can buy or rent space in. My son attends a great one, funded well enough that they bought land and built three buildings in the area. But. I'm personally aware of at least three that have failed in the past few years. People were charged criminally, & schools shut down cause the owner didn't do it right, skimmed too much $$'s without rolling enough into legit school programs (providing educational services to children). Word on the street here is to be very careful about what charter school you put your child in, cause the school might not be there next year!
Another interesting parallel point. Being a city slicker, while living in New Knoxville I had no idea how farms worked as a business. Not that I'm now pretending to be an expert on how farm business financing works, but I was amazed to learn that basically farmers can farmers rely on cash flow of the farm to fund their family's needs, the family is sorta meshed into the business of the farm. Family is the employees, and farmer & wife take a salary from the farm's income. Things like the family vehicles are actually company cars for the farm. Utilities, etc, are accounts payable. I thought it was neat how the farm paid for their life-style and they needed the $$$'s from the harvest, or seasonal selling of animals, etc. As long as they can sell their crop at reasonable prices, on schedule tey ould be ok financiall. Plus. Their farms have reached a critical mass as a business that will fund itself for perpetuity.
I lernt that them dumb ol' farm boys wuz pretty darn smart after all.
They live comfortably, not extravagantly, but they never lack for the essentials. The bigger the farm, the "larger" the life-style. Lean harvest seasons only mean that they give up a little of the "extras." (A few less beers at the summer festivals - stuff like that.) Farms that run closer to the belt could be ruined by two or more years of low harvests, but that almost never happens here.
For lots of folks around here in Dayton area, "entrepreneurs" try to find "something" they can do to make a substantial salary while operating a non profit. I used to be like "Why would you want to run a NON profit business?" Aha! They profit personally while the business "breaks even." - They live off of cash flow. Some don't even actively participate in the day to day function of the business. They simply take an executive level salary as CEO of the company that owns the business. They hire professionals to run the business and they "oversee" it. What would be profit at the end of the fiscal year, they roll back into the company's capital improvement fund for the company's needs. Too much $$'s? hire some staff, expand the business. Company needs vehicle(s) furniture, office space, telecommunications, etc. They drive a company car, get phones and internet service on corporate accounts, etc. A pretty sweet gig if you can swing it. Goal was to get it to a critical mass so it could sustain itself, and their extravagant life-style.
TWI is NOT a church. I say this for a number of reasons. I attend a church... for 14 years. Lets do a non binding, unofficial, point by point comparison. Agree? or disagree, ok?
My church actually has a membership role, of which I am a member. TWI says they have NO membership... followers are NOT members.
Our members get a vote in every major decision ( ie. major purchases that the church makes.) TWI's non members get NO vote... in anything.
My church publishes every dollar that the church brings in - every week - in the church bulletin. Every person (member or non) has free access to that information (last week we brought in $87 THOUSAND 415 dollars). Our total attendance for the week (as recorded, but everybody doesn't record their attendance) was, 3,514. TWI doesn't publish figures like that (I've heard their total non-member, "followership" is around 3,000. (We cover one small city area, Dayton, OH, they cover the "whole world.")
My church has ministries that actually help people. We save lives, feed hungry people in our city, region and other parts of the world. (I THINK the Bible says something to the effect that they church, ekklesia, should do stuff like that, you know to follow Jesus?) eg. Next year we will pack and deliver our 1 MILLION-th meal (in 3years) to a small country in Africa. These meals literally save people's lives. (We have partnered with an organization called "Children Against Hunger" and to my knowledge have produced more of these meals than any other single church in the country.) TWI hurts people and enslaves them.
During an economic period in the US when most churches are either shrinking or remaining flat - my church is growing at a substantial rate. Last Easter we asked our people to do a special offering we called "An Easter Miracle," hoping to raise $175,000 (average $300 per family) to finance building a headquarters for The Luke Commission in Swaziland, Africa. They need a base of operations for their work ministering to people there medically, and every other way they can help. (Google them, you'll be amazed by their work. Signs, miracles and wonders follow them - regularly.) We also support over 80 missionaries around the world.
Twi is - well you know they Marked and Avoided 0ver 80% of their most trained and experienced leaders. World wide they have grown DOWN to about 1% of what it was in its hey day.
BTW. The miracle offering.. That weekend we raised over $300,000. Our people are happy to give to our church. We let everybody know what we do with all their money. We have an annual church council meeting where we vote on issues, and every member gets a vote. AND our CFO briefs everybody on, and every member gets a copy of the church's financial statement.
I'll stop there, because Jesus defined what a church is when he said what churches should do. TWI does none of that. I think you get the point.
501C3 organizations ALL have a business that they perform that they fill out the proper spaces on the proper papers to "qualify" as such. My Church is a 501C3 too. We actually do bring in more money than our budget calls for - every year. We are required by law to do certain things with the money that the law determines are acceptable things to do with it. Some of it is allowed to be funneled back into the organization in certain legal ways. As long as the ledger says what the law requires, the IRS is fine with our books - IF & when we get audited.
One year, we had about $15,000 extra bucks. We gave it back to our congregants (not just members - anybody who wanted could come forward & pick up an envelope with certain amounts of $ in it). Another year we used our excess (tens of thousands of $$$'s) to fund projects for each of our 12 partner churches we help support. Things like remodeling, etc. Whatever they asked for, until the buck ran out.
What we do is what churches do. (We also go above & beyond what most churches do - but the reasons we do the stuff we do are in an old book... I think they call it the Bible, or something like that. How much of THAT does TWI do?
(Maybe stuff like that is why we're growing??? and TWI is - - well they're NOT growing...)
And, not to mention - we actually teach THE BIBLE to people. TWI teaches - - well they teach their product.
This is my long winded way to compare TWI to a church, one that arguably actually IS serving God by serving HIS people.
TWI draws an VERY similar parallel to the way that farms in the NK area are run... AND the way 501C3 organizations are run. - The bad ones. ALL 501C3's legally provide salaries for their officers. In TWI the only members ore the 3 trustees (expanded to the board of directors to spread the cash around). They reached critical mass long ago. Their investments, money made by freewill offerings of the "followers," is enough to fund their operation into perpetuity. Like other farms in the area, during lean times they simply scale back their operation, get rid of the "extras" so they can stay afloat.
Like 501C3's they have a product, a business that they conduct by shaping and molding it to fit the applicable laws. THAT is why they filed to become a "church" in 2007. It was simply the closest thing on the list of 501C3's that they felt they could "qualify" for.
The Wierwille boys, Harry, the other one (forgive me, his name eludes me) and Victor learned how to run a farm from their Dad, just like most every other NK boy of their generation learned from their Dad. Harry Wierwille used that model and basic business plan structure to set up The Way, Incorporated, International.
TWI is NOT a church, it is an organization, a corporation with its business "goal" to move its product "The Word" - Over The World. "The Word of God is The Will of God" is its corporate slogan. The Prevailing Word is nothing more than a tagline - Its no different than McDonald's using "I'm Lovin' It" or BMW's "The Ultimate Driving Machine," Lexus - "The Relentless Persuit of Perfection." TWI's "Word" is no more "prevailing" than I am actually "lovin' McDonald's "it," BMW's cars are "Ultimate", or Lexus is actually relentlessly in persuit of "perfection." (What is THAT anyways?) Those companies simply hired a guy like me & asked them to come up with something they felt was a cool way to to speak of their product to attract customers.
TWI did the big purge and other subsequent purges (M&A), liquidated their properties, cut programs like the ROA, cut the staff, ordered people to stop having babies, stuff like that simply to get their accounts payable down under the level where their investment income can cover. I would guess that they currently operate at a level they feel is a sustainable loss yearly. They have little to no desire to grow the business, because without huge expenditures like the Rock of Ages, the properties, Airplanes, executive travel, staff salaries, etc. too much money would be too hard to keep from becoming profit they couldn't "hide" legally.
The last time the IRS investigated them, they actually TOOK the non profit status. It took a few years in the late 1980's and over a MILLION DOLLARS (I remember Craig yelling about the cost of legal fees) for the lawyers to win it back in court.
Problem is, the legal definition of a church is so loose - and "churches" are so prolific, and their missions so varied, and protected by the laws of our great country. It would be pretty hard to legally determine them not to be a church.
They did that 2007 filing to protect the business and secure the scam. They absolutely are NOT a church. My guess is that's why they maintained the Way Corps and their version of the WOW program - so they can qualify as providing their unique brand of educational services. The Way Mag, the books they publish, the classes they run...all support materials for their "bible" curriculum.
Their curriculum, being "based on" the Bible "qualifies" them to be a church, so they went for that for whatever added tax benefit. PLUS, being a church releases them from the need to meet state requirements for being an actual school. Their teachers don't have to be state certified, mett state standards, etc.
TWI is a charter school. (Without the charter.) THAT would be my guess.
TWI is NOT a church, it is an organization, a corporation with its business "goal" to move its product "The Word" - Over The World. "The Word of God is The Will of God" is its corporate slogan. The Prevailing Word is nothing more than a tagline - Its no different than McDonald's using "I'm Lovin' It"...
HCW.......welcome back.
Yeah, after stepping away from wierwille's twi......it does look different now.
Interesting point. I would submit that TWI is actually NOT a church.
And I couldn't agree more! Thanks for your very insightful post. It shed a lot of context that I was unaware.
And them filing quietly, declaring themselves a church while publicly stating they are not and knowing d@mn well they are not goes to show how sleazy they really are.
This thread sure makes John Lynn look clueless when he writes "Please pray that God can bring us some wealthy people who will be thrilled to use their money to make known the truth of God's Word."
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chockfull
Very interesting. The amendment states
"...the right and power to receive gifts, devises, bequests and contributions outright, in trust or in any other form, and to use, apply, invest and reinvest the principle and/or income therefrom or to distribute the same..."
In other words, they have taken full advantage of the right to hoard cash. $24M is a little working capital to invest, reinvest / etc.
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OldSkool
In 1955, when they incorporated as the way inc., the emphasis was on acquiring assets such as real estate (for example.) Now they have officially called themselves a church (I think to avoid public disclosure on Form 990) and shown they will live off of previous donations used as investment capital. So who the h3ll do they actually help with donations? Besides themselves.
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OldSkool
Also, this goes one step further in exposing the vast gulf between what they preach and what they do. Shouldn't they say what they mean and mean what they say? They have been a church since 2007....how many followers know that? Will they now change their witnessing strategies and drop the ekklesia approach? Will the scrub their proven ministry research that slams churches?......NOPE....the hypocrisy and lies will continue.
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socks
If it made mo' money, I'm sure they'd file to be a Coven.
They're a case study for proposing that churches not be considered tax exempt unless they are really a non-profit organization.
My own non-legal, non-binding opinion has been that the Way Nash was a standard issue business ( and may still be today )
In 1969 VPW was saying the tax exempt status was based on the Way being an educational organization - "biblical research & teaching".
This changed over the years, i don't know all the evolutions.
Check this out too, at Articles of Organization and following.
http://www.irs.gov/p...blink1000200054
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OldSkool
Oh lookie:
Look at Page 18 where it states:
Form 990-T. All section 501©(3) organizations that file Form 990-T must make the return public, regardless of whether the organization is otherwise subject to the disclosure requirements of section 6104. For example, although churches are not required to file Form 1023 or Form 990 with the IRS, they must file the Form 990-T with the IRS to report unrelated business taxable income. Thus churches must disclose Form 990-T to the public.
So of course the question is do they have unrelated business income.
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chockfull
It looks like that 2007 Amendment article TWI filed is attempting to state that all of their investment and interest income from their investments are related to their main purpose. I think this distinction is there to avoid having that classified as "unrelated business income" and thus requiring the 990-T that anyone can investigate.
So in other words Rosie and Gary F have a nice little $24M investment fund to manage all protected by the 501c laws.
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waysider
They don't "research" and they don't "teach". (in the conventional sense of the word.) So, what is it, again, that qualifies them for preferential status?
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OldSkool
Meeting two or more of the following:
Not that I care to be their advocate. The above points are used as guidelines to classify them as a church. As for their 501c3 status it's anyone's guess to what they actually do for people that could be considered charitable or a service. Personally, I think the IRS needs to investigate them to see if they really qualify.
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OldSkool
On a side note, shortly before I bailed, TWI circulated a document to all the fellowships that specifically stated to NOT say they were a church, or that they were having church in the home. You remember the old line we used to use about the ekklesia - the called out body of believers, the true church that meets from house to house. Well people started saying they had church in their homes and in many localities specifically calling yourself a church that meets in someones home violates applicable zoning laws. All this church business is really a comedy of errors for the way international.
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socks
This kinda says it all. <br><br>
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jmgcjRu1s-8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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waysider
All men are liars......and that's the truth
-------------
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Twinky
"unrelated business taxable income" would probably cover things like book and magazine sales, ticket sales for events (eg, the now defunct RoA), class fees. It's unrelated because it's making a profit - more than just covering the costs of producing the materials. Of course there is lots of fudge room. Printing costs, for example. (Sometimes the printing part of an entity will be hived off under a separate name.)
Anyway - who cares what they call themselves? None of the names is the truth ... I don't see "den of thieves" or "nest of vipers" in their organization description.
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Ham
OKAY. The Squirrel of gawd is only half-drunk (all he can afford at the time..)
da way. is it a church, or isn't it. Maybe only their hair-dresser knows for sure..
maybe we need to send in somebody to pull up the skirts, and examine the *evidence*.
A church? No, that's not it..
:
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waysider
Now,
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Ham
Hey there! Where do I sign..
just wonder.. the new Choraleers have to wear sunglasses.. why? Maybe because of double or triple dilated eyes?
gawd bless you brother, that says is all.. halelujah, and amen..
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JavaJane
That could be fun. Didn't someone around here once talk about two sets of books - one for the IRS and then the real one? Then again, it might be easier for the IRS to find since they employ such antiquated computer equipment at HQ... But, maybe it is kept in an actual BOOK? Given Rosie's hatred of technology, I wouldn't doubt it.
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OldSkool
They probably use ledger books....lol! Rosie and her love affair with computers is like being mad at the light bulb for replacing gas lamps.
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Thomas Loy Bumgarner
OMG, it is local TV station WHKY here in beautiful downtown Hickory(not Burbank)
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HCW
Interesting point. I would submit that TWI is actually NOT a church.
Since leaving "the ministry," I was surprised to find out how common non-profit businesses are around here... Many organizations legally cook their books to qualify as 501c3's.
One of the biggest 501C3 scams going on in the Dayton area, in my view, is charter schools. Schools have been popping up around here like weeds. They are owned largely by 501C3 corporations and a lot of them are located in any type of building a company can buy or rent space in. My son attends a great one, funded well enough that they bought land and built three buildings in the area. But. I'm personally aware of at least three that have failed in the past few years. People were charged criminally, & schools shut down cause the owner didn't do it right, skimmed too much $$'s without rolling enough into legit school programs (providing educational services to children). Word on the street here is to be very careful about what charter school you put your child in, cause the school might not be there next year!
Another interesting parallel point. Being a city slicker, while living in New Knoxville I had no idea how farms worked as a business. Not that I'm now pretending to be an expert on how farm business financing works, but I was amazed to learn that basically farmers can farmers rely on cash flow of the farm to fund their family's needs, the family is sorta meshed into the business of the farm. Family is the employees, and farmer & wife take a salary from the farm's income. Things like the family vehicles are actually company cars for the farm. Utilities, etc, are accounts payable. I thought it was neat how the farm paid for their life-style and they needed the $$$'s from the harvest, or seasonal selling of animals, etc. As long as they can sell their crop at reasonable prices, on schedule tey ould be ok financiall. Plus. Their farms have reached a critical mass as a business that will fund itself for perpetuity.
I lernt that them dumb ol' farm boys wuz pretty darn smart after all.
They live comfortably, not extravagantly, but they never lack for the essentials. The bigger the farm, the "larger" the life-style. Lean harvest seasons only mean that they give up a little of the "extras." (A few less beers at the summer festivals - stuff like that.) Farms that run closer to the belt could be ruined by two or more years of low harvests, but that almost never happens here.
For lots of folks around here in Dayton area, "entrepreneurs" try to find "something" they can do to make a substantial salary while operating a non profit. I used to be like "Why would you want to run a NON profit business?" Aha! They profit personally while the business "breaks even." - They live off of cash flow. Some don't even actively participate in the day to day function of the business. They simply take an executive level salary as CEO of the company that owns the business. They hire professionals to run the business and they "oversee" it. What would be profit at the end of the fiscal year, they roll back into the company's capital improvement fund for the company's needs. Too much $$'s? hire some staff, expand the business. Company needs vehicle(s) furniture, office space, telecommunications, etc. They drive a company car, get phones and internet service on corporate accounts, etc. A pretty sweet gig if you can swing it. Goal was to get it to a critical mass so it could sustain itself, and their extravagant life-style.
TWI is NOT a church. I say this for a number of reasons. I attend a church... for 14 years. Lets do a non binding, unofficial, point by point comparison. Agree? or disagree, ok?
My church actually has a membership role, of which I am a member. TWI says they have NO membership... followers are NOT members.
Our members get a vote in every major decision ( ie. major purchases that the church makes.) TWI's non members get NO vote... in anything.
My church publishes every dollar that the church brings in - every week - in the church bulletin. Every person (member or non) has free access to that information (last week we brought in $87 THOUSAND 415 dollars). Our total attendance for the week (as recorded, but everybody doesn't record their attendance) was, 3,514. TWI doesn't publish figures like that (I've heard their total non-member, "followership" is around 3,000. (We cover one small city area, Dayton, OH, they cover the "whole world.")
My church has ministries that actually help people. We save lives, feed hungry people in our city, region and other parts of the world. (I THINK the Bible says something to the effect that they church, ekklesia, should do stuff like that, you know to follow Jesus?) eg. Next year we will pack and deliver our 1 MILLION-th meal (in 3years) to a small country in Africa. These meals literally save people's lives. (We have partnered with an organization called "Children Against Hunger" and to my knowledge have produced more of these meals than any other single church in the country.) TWI hurts people and enslaves them.
During an economic period in the US when most churches are either shrinking or remaining flat - my church is growing at a substantial rate. Last Easter we asked our people to do a special offering we called "An Easter Miracle," hoping to raise $175,000 (average $300 per family) to finance building a headquarters for The Luke Commission in Swaziland, Africa. They need a base of operations for their work ministering to people there medically, and every other way they can help. (Google them, you'll be amazed by their work. Signs, miracles and wonders follow them - regularly.) We also support over 80 missionaries around the world.
Twi is - well you know they Marked and Avoided 0ver 80% of their most trained and experienced leaders. World wide they have grown DOWN to about 1% of what it was in its hey day.
BTW. The miracle offering.. That weekend we raised over $300,000. Our people are happy to give to our church. We let everybody know what we do with all their money. We have an annual church council meeting where we vote on issues, and every member gets a vote. AND our CFO briefs everybody on, and every member gets a copy of the church's financial statement.
I'll stop there, because Jesus defined what a church is when he said what churches should do. TWI does none of that. I think you get the point.
501C3 organizations ALL have a business that they perform that they fill out the proper spaces on the proper papers to "qualify" as such. My Church is a 501C3 too. We actually do bring in more money than our budget calls for - every year. We are required by law to do certain things with the money that the law determines are acceptable things to do with it. Some of it is allowed to be funneled back into the organization in certain legal ways. As long as the ledger says what the law requires, the IRS is fine with our books - IF & when we get audited.
One year, we had about $15,000 extra bucks. We gave it back to our congregants (not just members - anybody who wanted could come forward & pick up an envelope with certain amounts of $ in it). Another year we used our excess (tens of thousands of $$$'s) to fund projects for each of our 12 partner churches we help support. Things like remodeling, etc. Whatever they asked for, until the buck ran out.
What we do is what churches do. (We also go above & beyond what most churches do - but the reasons we do the stuff we do are in an old book... I think they call it the Bible, or something like that. How much of THAT does TWI do?
(Maybe stuff like that is why we're growing??? and TWI is - - well they're NOT growing...)
And, not to mention - we actually teach THE BIBLE to people. TWI teaches - - well they teach their product.
This is my long winded way to compare TWI to a church, one that arguably actually IS serving God by serving HIS people.
TWI draws an VERY similar parallel to the way that farms in the NK area are run... AND the way 501C3 organizations are run. - The bad ones. ALL 501C3's legally provide salaries for their officers. In TWI the only members ore the 3 trustees (expanded to the board of directors to spread the cash around). They reached critical mass long ago. Their investments, money made by freewill offerings of the "followers," is enough to fund their operation into perpetuity. Like other farms in the area, during lean times they simply scale back their operation, get rid of the "extras" so they can stay afloat.
Like 501C3's they have a product, a business that they conduct by shaping and molding it to fit the applicable laws. THAT is why they filed to become a "church" in 2007. It was simply the closest thing on the list of 501C3's that they felt they could "qualify" for.
The Wierwille boys, Harry, the other one (forgive me, his name eludes me) and Victor learned how to run a farm from their Dad, just like most every other NK boy of their generation learned from their Dad. Harry Wierwille used that model and basic business plan structure to set up The Way, Incorporated, International.
TWI is NOT a church, it is an organization, a corporation with its business "goal" to move its product "The Word" - Over The World. "The Word of God is The Will of God" is its corporate slogan. The Prevailing Word is nothing more than a tagline - Its no different than McDonald's using "I'm Lovin' It" or BMW's "The Ultimate Driving Machine," Lexus - "The Relentless Persuit of Perfection." TWI's "Word" is no more "prevailing" than I am actually "lovin' McDonald's "it," BMW's cars are "Ultimate", or Lexus is actually relentlessly in persuit of "perfection." (What is THAT anyways?) Those companies simply hired a guy like me & asked them to come up with something they felt was a cool way to to speak of their product to attract customers.
TWI did the big purge and other subsequent purges (M&A), liquidated their properties, cut programs like the ROA, cut the staff, ordered people to stop having babies, stuff like that simply to get their accounts payable down under the level where their investment income can cover. I would guess that they currently operate at a level they feel is a sustainable loss yearly. They have little to no desire to grow the business, because without huge expenditures like the Rock of Ages, the properties, Airplanes, executive travel, staff salaries, etc. too much money would be too hard to keep from becoming profit they couldn't "hide" legally.
The last time the IRS investigated them, they actually TOOK the non profit status. It took a few years in the late 1980's and over a MILLION DOLLARS (I remember Craig yelling about the cost of legal fees) for the lawyers to win it back in court.
Problem is, the legal definition of a church is so loose - and "churches" are so prolific, and their missions so varied, and protected by the laws of our great country. It would be pretty hard to legally determine them not to be a church.
They did that 2007 filing to protect the business and secure the scam. They absolutely are NOT a church. My guess is that's why they maintained the Way Corps and their version of the WOW program - so they can qualify as providing their unique brand of educational services. The Way Mag, the books they publish, the classes they run...all support materials for their "bible" curriculum.
Their curriculum, being "based on" the Bible "qualifies" them to be a church, so they went for that for whatever added tax benefit. PLUS, being a church releases them from the need to meet state requirements for being an actual school. Their teachers don't have to be state certified, mett state standards, etc.
TWI is a charter school. (Without the charter.) THAT would be my guess.
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waysider
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skyrider
HCW.......welcome back.
Yeah, after stepping away from wierwille's twi......it does look different now.
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OldSkool
And I couldn't agree more! Thanks for your very insightful post. It shed a lot of context that I was unaware.
And them filing quietly, declaring themselves a church while publicly stating they are not and knowing d@mn well they are not goes to show how sleazy they really are.
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waysider
Never forget, though...."Everyone is welcome at The Way."
hahahahahahaha!
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Steve Lortz
This thread sure makes John Lynn look clueless when he writes "Please pray that God can bring us some wealthy people who will be thrilled to use their money to make known the truth of God's Word."
Clueless on SO MANY levels!
Love,
Steve
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