Did you know who is on the Church Oversight Team (COT) for Paul de Jong’s Life Church in Auckland, New Zealand?

They have TBN’s Bayless Conley from Cottonwod Church, Danny Guglielmucci from the Edge Church, Robert Fergusson from Hillsong Church and Brian Houston from Hillsong Church. The Life Church website says the following:

LIFE’s Leadership

LIFE believes strongly in the value of leadership as modelled in the Bible. We have established levels of leadership to ensure that there is an ‘upline’ of authority and protection.

Our Executive Team are responsible for the day to day running of the church and are supported by the Board of the church. The Executive Team is made up of Senior Pastors Paul and Maree de Jong, Ps Scott Thornton, Ps Luke de Jong, Ps Craig Clark, Paul Schnell, Phil Irons and Robin Rangeley.

Covering our leadership is the Church Oversight Team consisting of Ps Brian Houston (Hillsong Church), Ps Bayless Conley (Cottonwood Church), Ps Robert Fergusson (Hillsong Church) and Ps Danny Guglielmucci (Edge Church International).

Source: LIFE’s Leadership, LifeNZ, http://lifenz.org/about/leadershipteam/. Accessed 21/05/2014.

When we read who de Jong’s overseers were, this song came to mind,

Lord you and I know that I gave them everything I had,
Now I am heading for home but again I’m feeling angry and sad,
I did my best to preach your word and sing
But they ripped off part of the offering
When you are dealing with your brothers you shouldn’t have to feel so bad

Lord I’m going to keep trying cos your body is in desperate need,
But I get so tired of the abuse, the deceit and the greed,
It is what I expect from the world outside
But not from the men preparing your bride,
And they keep getting fatter while the sheep are just left to bleed

‘It’s a righteous disgrace it’s a sin and a shame, all of this garbage in Jesus name,
I know we have to wait for you to burn up the chaff,
But what do we do for the sheep, when the wolves are on full time staff?

Oh Lord I want to thank you for every Godly woman and man
For every pastor with a shepherds heart, clean love in hands
Give them the strength that they need today
Answer every single prayer they pray
But come like a fire Lord, burn the rest away

…

Lord you and I know that I gave them everything I had
Now I am heading for home and again I’m feeling angry and sad
Angry for the lies that were told in Your name
Sad for the lack of repentance and shame
When you are dealing with your brothers you shouldn’t have to feel so bad

Don Fransisco, Righteous Disgrace, Album: Vision of the Valley

HT – andy kanapoulos