The church organization I was in was set up very much like the Roman Catholic model with strong Methodist leanings. Originally, and for a number of years afterward, it had a pope-figure who was The Authority. Everything within the church moved and breathed upon the superintendent's authority. This went on through three superintendents, all with the titles, "The Reverend [their names]." None of these were endowed by some learned authority entity with that title, and none had any formal classroom religious education, but were given that title regardless. They were the final say, the inerring words of G-d to our ears.

They way they attempted to keep all the American churches in line was through the camp meetings, where Tuesday through Friday, they had teachings that repeated their doctrines. Further, since they printed all their literature, it was easy to attempt to keep everyone on the same road.

If a pastor, preacher, or teacher showed any apparent tendency toward straying from their taught doctrine, they were soundly reprimanded and warned to get back on track and stay there. Keeping such in line was easy, if they came into the church very young, because the teaching was Very Strong and Constant that this particular church was the only one that had the "whole truth." They taught that anyone outside of it MAY make it through the Pearly Gates but not likely. They further taught that if we left, it was doom and gloom, followed by hell. Since we were only allowed their literature, their teaching, no education, and threatened with doom, we stayed out of fear.

They taught that the church was on the same level as G-d, and this was the worst of all their teachings. I have mentioned this (and the above before), that they had levels that were carefulkly spelled out to us in teachings and drawn upon the white board:
Number 1: G-d and Church
Number 2: others
Number 3: ourselves
This was a most insidious teaching.

I would suppose the church is still run the same way, but I don't know. When I sent my little letter outlining most of the offenses that were taken against me in that church, I sent it to several pastors in that church as well as sending it to the superintendent of the organization and the board, mailing them all on the same day. I found it interesting that through a concerted decision (how else would this have happened, sending such a volatile letter to so many different people?), I did not receive a single answer. No one apologized, no one offered condolences, no one wrote or said one word. So much for what Matthew says for how such things are to be handled, but then the Bible was always used to the leadership's advantage without any care for the ones they had damaged.
FreeBee