Houston Church - The Problem


By Jennifer Ruby
8/15/1999

We had lost our first love.  Jesus in his purest form. His radical love that caused him to love us so much that he sacrificially laid down his life and died for us. He loved the children, and told the disciples that they were not to turn the children away.  We ourselves were to become as little children. His hate for religious systems that were abuse to his loved ones. His ability to see through thei self gratifying rules and requirements that were so burdensome to those who sought to love God with all their heart. The system became so burdensome that instead of being the promise of lifting the burden, it heaped on more in the way of rules and requirements, most of which benefited those who required them!

People with children are not allowed to bring their children into the sanctuary. They are stopped prior to sitting, and told they are to take their children to Children's Church.  If this is their first visit, the parents, with parental authority to be responsible to the comfort and well being of their children should be able to make this decision.  A Couple with an infant was kicked out and  reloaded into their car and left after only 10 minutes of being in Houston Church for the one and only time, because of our Image consciousness.  The infant didn't make any noise, The usher was afraid that he might.  They were not filming, Phil was not even preaching.  It is just bad training with wrong priorities, because of the Image being so important that people become picture perfect TV props. I have no doubt that these ushers really believe they are doing God a good service!

We keep receiving the same message, of not gossiping, not talking, over and over again.  People only hide what is inappropriate..  They don't hide what is upright.  When someone notices a problem, they are not allowed to bring it up and discuss it.  Phil feels he is above question, and above reproach. He does not feel he should have to be accountable to the congregation, a board of deacons, elders,  etc..  He speaks about being accountable to a "prayer counsel"  but in reality,  there are only 2 of local membership left on the prayer counsel, and one of those doesn't attend the meetings.  There is little accountability to anyone.

We raised over $360,000.00 for a building 2 years ago (we as a congregation had been asked to raise the money for a building), and without asking anyone, the money was spent for some land that no one had even been told about his buying until after the fact.

We raised over $400,000.00 last year, and it was for the building fund.  We as a congregation never have been told what the exact amount was that was pledged, nor what actually came in. We have not been told what the plans for this money are, where it went, or how it is being spent.  We are with in about 6 weeks of the usual October time frame when the cycle is to begin all over again, and don't know what became of last year's.

There is no financial statement with full disclosure as to where all this money goes.  We are supposed to take it on faith that Phil is ethical. We do not know what individual salary expenses are, what the utilities run, what the travel expenses are, ( we only know that cost is not an issues, that Phil only goes first class)...  We don't know what the income and outgo of the TV and Radio ministry are, what those expenses are. We don't have any missions that our church annually supports, no widows that are in our membership that our church supports. We do not meet real financial needs within our membership, outside of a food pantry which is very limited, and the man of the house is required to come and ask for it. Our leadership is keeping secrets from the church membership. This secrecy is rooted in a basic distrust of others because the belief system is false and can not stand scrutiny.

We are not allowed to be sensitive to God, to where He is calling us to give, to meet a need, to shoulder a burden.  Phil requires that the membership obey his narrow frame of view that we can ONLY bring our tithes and offerings into the "storehouse", and that He will disperse it accordingly. He refuses to account for where or how, though, and we are not allowed to think for ourselves, or follow the Lord's leading in any area concerning money. Phil and Houston Church knows our heart's condition more than God himself does. It is determined by the check.  We have been told from the pulpit that "Worship does not consist of coming to church, singing praises to God, listening to the Sunday School teacher, or the preacher delivering the sermon, it doesn't consist of corporate  prayer. Worship is when we write the check."  Do you see how self serving this is???  Who benefits from this form of "worship"?

We are required to be at every service, if we are to be deemed right with God.  If we take off and go visit the grand children, or stay home for an evening to rest after an especially hard day, our salvation is questioned. Those who only come on Sunday Morning, and Wednesday evening have their spirituality put under scrutiny.  Those who retire and move, (taking a large tithe with them) are demeaned from the pulpit, and verbally censured publicly.  They are spoken about behind their back about fishing on a lake for "CRAP---eeeeee" fish.  This type of language is offensive, and not appropriate to be coming from the pulpit-- no matter who is the "pastor".  The motives of such a pastor are selfishly suspect.  When we get to the narrow gate to heaven's door, our perfect attendance pins and the rest of our good works won't fit through the gate.  It is only Jesus in us that will be able to enter.

When LaVern resigned several years ago, it was really a personality conflict of major proportions.  It was not a blatant sin issue in LaVern's life. It was his audacity of trying to show some blind spots to Phil, with hopes that some things that needed changing could be addressed. The congregation had to listen to 6 months of Phil preaching how people had hurt him, how people were gossiping about him, how people were trying to tear his church apart, how we were forbidden to speak to those that had left at that time. There was no disclosure as to the gross sin that had been supposedly committed. There was no scriptural mandate to legislate this shaming. There was a personal offense to Phil, that he REQUIRED everyone to pick up, as if it were their own.  This is sin.  When someone offends someone, God gives them grace to make it right and to ask forgiveness.  When someone has been offended, God gives grace for that person to forgive supernaturally.  But when someone takes up an offense not his own, for a sin not committed against him, God gives no grace.  That person becomes a bitter person.  We have a whole church of bitter people. This ought not to be.  This is inappropriate use of authority. This authority is not of God. There is a sense of loyalty that is fostered and even demanded; Not loyalty to Christ, but loyalty to a organization, church, and leader. This is accomplished is by setting up a system where disloyalty to or disagreement with the leadership is construed as the same thing as disobeying God. Questioning leaders is equal to questioning God. After all, the leader is the authority, and authority is always right. This causes people to misplace their loyalty in a leader, a church or an organization.

When people join a different church, and go else where for any reason, they are spiritually devalued, their salvation is questioned, as HC is the only one that really has a handle on God's truth. We have suffered through several weeks of sermons on Mega Churches, and how they are so backslidden, and just cater to a non christian crowd, who dictate to the church how the church ought to be run. In most cases this is not the case. If they do try to meet the practical needs of the membership, this is what the church SHOULD be doing.  This is not the only church of God, that God Himself attends.  The Church is a huge membership of individuals who are saved by God's grace, through a plan conceived by God, before the foundation of the earth and carried out by a willing son, to redeem those who are the elect of every nation, every race, every tongue, every continent, throughout all history through every generation, down through all time.  This is a huge church. It should not be so narrowly defined as Phil would like us to think.

We are supposed to equip the saints to DO the work of the ministry.  That is the preacher's job.  To teach and train us to teach and train others, so that they too might see their need for salvation, and grow in grace and the knowledge of God.  But Phil's narrow approach is to restrict us from teaching home bible  studies for our neighbors, or to hold topical bible studies to meet specific needs.  He has to micro manage everything to the extent, that he doesn't even have the time in the day to begin to meet those needs, but he doesn't want anyone to try to minister outside of the realm and control of Houston Church.  There is a need to control, and to be the source of all spiritual blessing.  He does not credit us with the discernment to doctrinally decide what is scripturally accurate and applicable to help meet the needs of those interested in attending.  Instead of being a servant leader; serving and equipping the saints, he uses his position to dominate the membership. In reality, who is our source?  It is Christ, at work in all of us, who is THE  source to all of us.

He preaches regular messages on how this is YOUR church, and you need to be more committed to it, need to be more committed to serving, to giving, to attending every service.  He tells us we need to find a ministry, and adopt it as our own.  Find your niche and fill it.  Shame on you lazy sloths who are just pew potatoes, who just come every Sunday, and never give back anything.....  When one does try to find a niche and fill it, the work is harshly critiqued, and is undone to be redone according to the tastes of the pastor. This is wasteful of God's money and resources donated to God.  When people try for extended periods of time to try to work problems out, and then resign themselves to again being a pew potato because of being restricted from serving in their capability,  they are subjected to listening to repetitious messages about how no one is committed to their church.... and the cycle continues.  This is misplaced commitment in the first place.  Our commitment and allegiance is to God.  Our service is not given from being shamed into serving, but rather from a joyful and thankful heart to God for His goodness to us.  We are not allowed to communicate the unhealthiness of this situation.  If we notice a problem, we BECOME the problem.

There is also the problem with the out of the pulpit behavior and verbal abuse, that of course is supposed to be understood as just joking.  This is hurtful and when one objects to the treatment, their protests are ignored, and his behavior continues. The scripture tells us that course jesting and un edifying speech is not to become the saints of God.  That every idle word shall be accounted for.  When one gets to the fed up point and complains, their spirituality is questioned, they are accused as having spirits controlling them, and told that we are to put things in the past, and press on towards the mark of the high calling of God.  What is not dealt with is the situation that was confronted, and no appropriate response is initiated. Spiritual abuse has a devastating effect on people. A very high level of trust is often placed in spiritual leaders. It is, and ought to  be, expected that the trust will be honored and guarded. When such trust is violated the wound is very deep. Sometimes this wounding  is so deep that the wounded person cannot trust even a legitimate spiritual authority again.  The real problem, however, is that if a Christian who feels violated stops talking, then the perpetrator will never be held accountable for his behavior.”

Somehow this issue of Authority and Submission is a true concept, but only when in balance.  When the bible is properly used, it is a Sword of the spirit that cuts to the truth of the souls condition.  When it is improperly used, it becomes a club, and can easily beat a Christian into improper submission to concepts that do not line up with God's intent, nor his word. True Authority come as a gift from God. It is given by God. Matt. 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power( authority ) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  When someone has authority, he recognizes from whom it came, and to whom he is responsible.

So, the balance is between Authority and Responsibility.  When they are out of balance, things really become self serving.

This is the problem.
Jennifer