1 CASE STUDY
The Church of God Universal Light of Truth., a denomination of Pentecostal and evangelical fervor, is led by the Rev. Jack Hartnett, Founding Bishop and leader, and combines doctrines from both the Orthodox churches and the New Age beliefs. Bishop Hartnett prides himself on knowing everything about his pastors, elders, deacons and local leaders in the 400 congregations in the country. He determines who serves where. He appoints and retires as he sees fit. Is Hartnett’s style intrusive? Yes, but he doesn’t consider it a problem. His defense is that he’s merely doing what any good Bishop might do.
Hartnett plays golf with his pastors, sends them personally signed birthday cards, and drops by their homes to take them to dinner. But if you think he’s “Mr. Nice Guy,” think again. Hartnett instructs his church leaders to “do it the way I tell you to do it.” One of Hartnett’s basic rules is “I will only tell you something once.” Break one of his rules twice, and he’ll fire you. He has the final say. His word is law. The executive church council and staff members who work for the national church office are well compensated for meeting his demanding requirements. His congregational leaders and regional elders earn an average of $600,000 and $1,250,000, respectively. This compares well with other denominations with averages of $300,000 and $500,000 per annum.
Does Bishop Hartnett seem inconsistent? He believes in openness, integrity, and honesty. But he expects as much as he gives. He admits to purposely keeping everybody slightly off balance “so they’ll work harder.” Hartnett’s approach to leadership seems to be effective. His churches are full to overflowing with eager adherents. The membership is nearly 18% higher than the next largest denomination in the country. His retention rate is high, and pastors make every effort to comply so that they do not leave the ministry or fall from grace.
The problem, however, is that the people attending the churches do not invite others to come to the experience. They come, they are faithful, they give and support, but they do not invite other people. Upon observation and research, we found that the members, particularly men, have parked their “church membership” in the church but they have little passion for it. They seem to be attending a church that is the least objectionable to them. When asked they said, “For right now we are . . .” This is usually followed up with, “I don’t get much out of it but,” This ought not to be and it must change.
Questions for Analysis
- Based on the definitions of leaders and leadership, how would you describe Rev. Jack Hartnett as a leader?
- Using John Maxwell’s Levels of Leadership, which includes terms such as Position, Permission, Production, People Development and Personhood, describe where you would place Rev. Hartnett as a leader and state why.
- Would you want to work for Hartnett? Why or why not? Give reasons for both.
- Identify the type of Church Government being operated in this case.