“I’ve come to the conclusion that the church under this group exists to perpetuate itself and to make money,” says David Covington. Formerly one of Worldwide’s top field ministers, he spent 25 years in the organization before resigning last year. Up to three-quarters of Worldwide’s former 125,000 members have departed. The church’s operating budget, which was $211 million as recently as 1990, has shrunk to $38 million. The church has had to lay off all but about 200 of its 1,200-plus headquarters staff, shut down Ambassador University, its sprawling Texas liberal arts school, and has drastically scaled back its half-century-old Plain Truth magazine. The new regime has even auctioned off the sterling silver Armstrong once used at lavish dinner parties for heads of state and other luminaries.
Honey, I Shrunk the Church part 2
