The Genesis of the United Church of God
A Personal View from Ground Zero

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As I write some of the last preamble reflecting the final days of the Worldwide Church of God before the establishment of the United Church of God, I think it is worthy to briefly reflect on the purpose of this history. As I sit and recall these often-painful experiences, I sometimes ask myself: “why am I even writing these recollections?”  Wouldn’t it just be easier and cleaner to just dismiss what happened 30 years ago and move on? If there was injustice – and from many perspectives, indeed there was – can we not simply forgive as Christians and let it go?

The Genesis of the United Church of God
A Personal View from Ground Zero

See previous chapters

Humbling and exciting was a personal tenor for me in the early 1990s. The wide-reaching organization that I considered a privilege to be a part of was growing. It had not only survived the death of its human founder a few years earlier, it was thriving. I counted myself fortunate for the humbling opportunity to serve, having experienced a broad spectrum – from ministerial trainee to a pastor serving multiple congregations to senior administrator, the latter a position I had never sought.

The Genesis of the United Church of God
A Personal View from Ground Zero

See previous chapters

Humbling and exciting was a personal tenor for me in the early 1990s. The wide-reaching organization that I considered a privilege to be a part of was growing. It had not only survived the death of its human founder a few years earlier, it was thriving. I counted myself fortunate for the humbling opportunity to serve, having experienced a broad spectrum – from ministerial trainee to a pastor serving multiple congregations to senior administrator, the latter a position I had never sought.

The Genesis of the United Church of God
A Personal View from Ground Zero

See previous chapters

In this chapter, I would like to rewind the clock by five years to 1990. Many people associated with the Church of God community today perhaps have less familiarity with what life was like serving in Pasadena and other areas of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG).

The Genesis of the United Church of God
A Personal View from Ground Zero

See previous chapters

The Genesis of the United Church of God
A Personal View from Ground Zero

See previous chapters

What happened to a once-thriving church with more than 150,000 members nearly 30 years ago?

The Genesis of the United Church of God
A Personal View from Ground Zero

Chapter 3  Conflict Erupts 

Chapter two concluded with the first part of a tense, soon-to-be tumultuous meeting with then-Pastor General Joseph Tkach, Sr. in his fourth-floor Pasadena office (the Senior Joseph Tkach is now deceased). Our account picks up as he begins reading the second of my two letters outlining my resignation. As previously noted, with me was my wife Beverly and pastor Doug Horchak, Mr. Tkach’s son-in-law, who resigned a few days prior to this event. I had asked Doug to accompany us at this critical meeting. Shortly after Joe Sr. read the first two letters, we were unexpectedly joined by Joseph Tkach Jr., whom I directly reported to in his then-role as director of Church Administration.

The Genesis of the United Church of God
A Personal View from Ground Zero

Chapter 2  Crossing the Rubicon on March 3, 1995

Chapter One concluded with an invitation to delve into an eventful saga, recounting how the United Church of God came into existence. Over the years I have been asked, "What happened?" Here is Chapter Two.

The Genesis of the United Church of God
A Personal View from Ground Zero

By Victor Kubik

At its peak, it was a vibrant, global church. It counted more than 120,000  members meeting collectively each Sabbath on every inhabited continent. Its television program was ranked No. 1 by Nielsen and aired weekly on more than 100 satellite and terrestrial stations, leveraging a media budget of $57 million (in 2023 dollars). It published a monthly flagship magazine with more than six million copies distributed in seven languages. Attendance at its annual festival sites was regularly measured in the multiple thousands. Annual contributions neared the quarter of a billion dollars mark. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was powerfully thundered across every available media.