In July, the Straits Times reported the following,
City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee preached to crowds at the weekend as his embattled organisation moved back into its Suntec premises following a year-long revamp.
Worshippers packed the 7,305-seat auditorium as Kong – who is at the centre of a major corruption probe – gave a sermon titled A House On Fire.
“We’re not building buildings but building people,” he told the congregation during the 21/2-hour service last Saturday.
The church’s return to the Suntec Singapore convention centre – which it part-owns – means it finally has a permanent home after 25 unsuccessful attempts to secure a new set of premises.
So Kong Hee thinks he’s “not building buildings but building people”? Really Kong?
Here is Kong Hee a few years ago flogging his congregation to give to the CHC building fund. In this video, Kong revealed that the unemployed, retirees and students were giving money to the building fund. He also says, “An equal amount, an equal sacrifice. You give your best. You give until your heart is broken. You give until tears stream down your eyes”.
An equal amount, an equal sacrifice? You give your best? Why does this sound familiar? Does this not sound like Phil Pringle’s own money grubby ‘Vision Builders’ campaign?
“Remember, the philosophy of Vision Builders is equal sacrifice not equal giving.”
“If you are in ‘out of control debt’, after your tithe the debt should be your next priority. Reducing the debt to a manageable amount
(or even clearing it completely) should be attempted as you also make a manageable gift to Vision Builders. Remember no amount
is insignificant.” – Vision Builders 2012, http://www2.myc3church.net/sites/default/files/VISION-BUILDERS-BROCHURE.pdf, pg. 10.
Once again, Kong Hee is proving that, “Pastor Phil has been there for me; praying with me; encouraging me; discipling me; telling me how to do the work of the ministry; taught me how to collect an offering; how to give an altar call; how to build a church; build a team”. In the public eye, both unashamedly and ruthlessly exploit people for financial gain with their similar fleece-a-thon campaigns. The difference between Phil Pringle and Kong Hee is that Kong seems to be more ruthless than Pringle.
Kong Hee below says , “And Chwung, have to eat into their reserve. Literally- I mean just the medical bills alone could really sink an ordinary person. But yet this year, Chwung is pledging twenty thousand dollars to the building fund, when he’s having a challenging time in his finances…”
Kong Hee said in the below video, “Nick and Connie sold their five room flat and downgraded to a three room apartment just so they could give twenty thousand dollars to the building fund! I mean, where do you hear people like that? I mean, people who are willing to sell their house and downgrade to build God a great house”.
Good question Kong. Where do you hear of people like that? Clearly you and your are wife aren’t suckers to the false things you say.
While people were selling their expensive flats or forsaking their own medication at their own expense to give to Kong Hee’s building fund, Pastor Kong Hee’s wife Sun Ho was supposedly using those building fund expenses to flaunt her lavish Hollywood lifestyle. Not to only that, Sun Ho also renting out a Hollywood Mansion for $28,000 a month. Why wasn’t she forsaking this lifestyle to build God’s house?
For Kong Hee to say that he is not about building buildings but building people is dishonest. This is doublespeak. What the Straits Times did unknowingly was expose how again Kong Hee used the pulpit to preach his selfish propaganda. No pastor can carry integrity if he speaks with a forked tongue behind the pulpit.
When key church conferences or events are weeks away, Phil Pringle executes his teachings in rather peculiar ways. To the average person it sounds like what they are hearing in a Sunday service or bible study is biblical teaching.
Unfortunately this is not the case. It is becoming more evident that C3 members are being seduced by innovative marketing ploys for Phil Pringle’s conferences and events. People need to understand that Phil Pringle can often have a rather different agenda when he is preaching. It is of our opinion that his marketing ploys are becoming more manipulative.
Consider some of these statements he has made in his book, ‘You The Leader’:
“People can become anything under the right conditions.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, 2005, pg 267.
“I don’t approach Sundays with an attitude of, “What message shall I preach?” but rather, “What do we want to achieve in our church at this time?” That desired end result determines what and how I preach. Then, within the particular message, I ask myself, “What am I trying to achieve here? What one thing am I attempting to say? What do I want these people to have or do at the end of this time?’
Then I follow the plan.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, pg. 234.
“What we preach is what we get. We are farmers sowing seed. If we are unhappy with the harvest we’re reaping, we should sow different seed. If we want different results, we preach different messages.” – Phil Pringle, You The Leader, 2005, pg 215.
It is unsettling to know that a pastor might be using his position and sermon time to manipulate people. This is what we have recorded Phil Pringle doing in the past.
You may be thinking Phil Pringle went through an unusual phase in his ministry. Not so. We have seen him behave like this for a few years now. This year we have seen Pringle misuse his power and position to market his events through his teachings. Specifically this years Presence Conference 2013 and Vision Builders 2013.
In this articles we will not give you a critique of Phil Pringle’s sermons that market people to attend Presence Conference 2013 or Vision Builders 2013. First, we invite you to look at the bizarre C3 Connect Notes study, weeks leading up to Presence Conference 2013. (Emphasis ours in underline.)
35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4v35 (all references NIV)
It says: “don’t you have a saying?” We all have a saying.
– We can say one thing, but God says this: we can’t go without the presence of God.
– Moses and the people set out, but they pleaded: “Please God, don’t let us go without your presence.
The presence of God defines who you are. When people meet you they don’t just experience you, they experience God.
The church is a place of the second chance – but the church is also the house of promise.
TALK ABOUT: * Are you ready for the hour we are about to step into? Are you willing give [sic] him all of your life?
Ps Greg French moved extensively in the prophetic after this message. We would like to encourage all leaders to have a special prayer and ministry time in your connect group this week. Remember you are a sufficient minister of the Holy Spirit! ‘..Our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit..’ (2 Corin 3:5-6)
Let’s see if Phil Pringle honestly used the single verse in the ‘bible study’ in context. Did he handle the words of Jesus accurately? Does God overwrite all our sayings to correct us? Let’s see what Jesus said:
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” John 4:34-38. (Emphasis ours.)
So what has this verse got to do with God’s presence™? It doesn’t. But what is Pringle trying to say? That God will override our sayings to say something else?
Pringle used ONLY John 4:35 to explain that, “We can say one thing, but God says this: we can’t go without the presence”. This could be true BUT Jesus in his next breath says in AGREEMENT that, “the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true“. So… what is going on?
Why did Pringle exclude this? If he kept the scripture in context wouldn’t people be able to see that God can be in agreement with our sayings?
We are assuming he wants people to think like this in the bible study:
As a reader, are you ready for the hour you are about to step into: Presence™ Conference 2013?
How is it possible to give God all your life if you do not go?
Don’t you realise that God is telling you that you can’t go without the Presence™ of God?
Can’t you see that if you say “I might not go to Presence™ Conference”, God might be telling you to do the opposite?
It’s wrong for Phil Pringle to make Jesus out to be a liar. When you read the verse in its context, the entire bible study is debunked and made pointless. This seems to indicate that Pringle is misleading his entire Connect Group network with this study to try and get people to go to his Presence Conference. Quite frankly this is despicable behaviour coming from a ‘pastor’.
But it get’s worse…
WHAT IS THE C3 VISION BUILDERS DINNER & THE C3 VISION?
Before looking at the Vision Builders marketing ploys Pringle weaves in his teachings, it is important that you understand the ‘Vision Builders’ dinner.
We’ll let C3 explain what it is.
If you do not know what the ‘Vision’ of God is to Phil Pringle, it is this. (Also watch the video via below source link.)
“Our vision for C3 Church is to see 1000 Churches planted by the year 2020 with an average attendance of 500 members.” – 2020 Vision, C3 Church Global, http://c3churchglobal.com/cms/2020-vision. (Accessed 14/06/2013.)
With this in mind, it is time to look at how Phil Pringle convinces people to sign up for the ‘Vision Builders’ dinner so they can make financial pledges to C3 Church’ building initiatives.
VISION BUILDERS MARKETING GIMMICKS
Here is what you will find advertised on the myc3church website. Ask yourself this question: Who “prepares a table” for you? God or C3?
To reduce the size of this article, we will only look at C3’s Vision Builders video and C3’s latest ‘bible study’ Connect Notes.
Here is the video.
The transcript reads:
“What a humbling thing it is to realise that God, the Creator of the universe, maker of heaven and earth, has prepared a table for you. Long before you acknowledged Him, your place had been set, the invitation extended. Taste and see that the Lord is good. It was not a place you could earn or deserve. You were lost. Dead. But now, you are found alive, caught up in his great story. And so before you is a banquet. A feast of provision. That you may play a part in the midst of darkness bringing the light.”
Like other Vision Builders dinner, Pringle encouraged people to bring their wallets to the table and make pledges to the C3 building fund. (Quick reminder: The light is Jesus, not our money.)
There is something seriously wrong with the video presentation. Do you think this advert has gone one step further than worldly marketing? How do you feel when you watch this? Who is really preparing the table? God or Pringle? Who is really asking people to give cash? God or Pringle? Who is asking you to expand in your sacrificial giving? God or Pringle?
The lines were deliberately blurred to entice and pressure C3 members to give sacrificially. But would God really want people to give financially at this event?
C3 BIBLE STUDY CONNECT GROUP NOTES
If that’s not disturbing enough, look how Phil Pringle in the last two weeks planned out the C3 Church bible study connect group notes.
You can see bible passages are being twisted in these Connect Notes when Pringle wants people to ask these questions:
TALK ABOUT:
* Have you ever had a time of stretching with God?
* Are you ever tempted to “bail out” or “dig up the seed” in waiting for God to grow something in you?
* Does it encourage you when God says you shall expand or His people will inherit?
TALK ABOUT:
* What is your part of God’s grand design? Are you looking to the Bible to affirm the plan of God? * Discuss how our church leadership and vision is always exhorting us to expand and look out. * Are you involved in the width, the length, the depth or the height of his plan? Where is God calling you? [Note Pringle’s allusion to * How are you investing in the future of His magnificent house? How can we each step up rather than only attend meetings?
These questions should be properly revealed this way:
* Have you ever had a time of stretching with Phil Pringle pressuring you to give money?
* Are you ever tempted to “bail out” or “dig up the seed” because Phil Pringle keeps telling you, “God [wants] to grow something in you”?
* Does it encourage you when Phil Pringle says you shall expand or His people will inherit?
* What is your part of Phil Pringle’s grand design? Are you looking to the Bible to affirm the plan of Pringle (or testing what He says to what God says)?
* Discuss how our church leadership and vision is always exhorting us to expand and look out.
* Are you involved in the width, the length, the depth or the height of Pringle’s financial plan? What is Pringle calling you to do?
* Discuss how you are investing in the future of Phil Pringle’s ministry? How can we each step up rather than only attend meetings?
What’s the answer to the last question? “How are you investing in the future of His magnificent house? How can we each step up rather than only attend meetings?” Answer: Go to Vision Builders.
Is this biblical? Do people realise they are being financially duped by Phil Pringle? Do they know what they are hearing is not the biblical context but a deceptive marketing scheme? How should members feel if they are being manipulated like this? Is this the way Phil Pringle should run his church?
Please pray that members get wisdom and and understanding so they do not put themselves under financial stress.
If you would like to find this document on the myc3church.com website, scroll over the button at the top of the page titled ‘Community’ and click ‘Vision Builders’.
When the next page loads, scroll down the page until you hit “Download the brochure”.
It will take you to the Vision Builders pdf.
Our first article on C3 Church Watch was pointing out Phil Pringle’s Vision Builders Campaign was exploiting C3’s poorest members. Sadly, this hasn’t changed.
In our third article ever on C3 ChurchWatch we raised our concern with ‘Christians Against Poverty’ (CAP) working alongside the immoral nature of the C3 cult. We do admire the work CAP does in people’s lives. However, we would strongly suggest that CAP would distance themselves from Christian City Church Oxford Falls. Why?
In the 2013 ‘Vision Builders’ brochure, C3 writes about their achievements through CAP. They now consider CAP’s achievements as their own.
“Christians Against Poverty
Last year, 100 families struggling financially were assisted through our 2 centres. As a result, many people received Christ for the first time. In
January we launched our new City Campus CAP Centre, with Monica Olander as the Manager.Since beginning our ministry with CAP we have assisted 490 families, and have seen 130 decisions for Christ.”
So CAP has led 130 people to Christ? What’s wrong with CAP doing this? Nothing is wrong if members of the CAP are genuinely concerned leading people to Jesus Christ. However, they are leading these people into a Word of Faith cult that scams people of the little money they have. This is tragic.
We have enough evidence to say that the C3 institution preaches a different gospel and binds people to give sacrificial financial offerings so God can bless them materially. As Dr Choo said about CHC, so too are his words applicable to C3 Oxford Falls: “This is not Christianity. This is not the gospel. This is a SCAM.” Since when is it right to exploit people who are in “out-of-control” debt?
Sadly, this undoes the wonderful work of CAP. The CAP are only furthering the support of destroying people’s financial future by working with the C3 cult. The proof of this is in this Vision Builder 2013 booklet. C3 writes,
“I am in significant debt, should I pay off my debts or give to Vision Builders?
If you are in ‘out of control’ debt, after your tithe the debt should be your next priority. Reducing the debt to a manageable amount (or even clearing it completely) should be attempted as you also make a manageable gift to Vision Builders. Remember no amount is insignificant.”
So why would the CAP endorse a cult that teaches it’s members to give money they don’t have to ‘the vision’ of Phil Pringle? The idea behind giving money to Phil Pringle’s prophetic vision is that God will materially bless the giver. You will not find this ‘Christian’ teaching anyway in scripture and is nothing more than a financial con job.
This is not the first time the C3 cult has decided to financially exploit it’s poorest members. This is the fourth year the C3 cult has had this information in it’s Vision Builders campaign material. You’d think by this stage they would have removed it.
Instead we have continually recorded C3 Church exploiting their financially struggling members in their heavily marketed Vision Builders campaigns.
Why are Christians in C3 Church not concerned about this? Why is CAP supporting C3 Church? Are they not aware that the people they are taking out of poverty are bought back into poverty when they are introduced to the C3 cult? Why is Phil Pringle exploiting the poorest people in his congregation?
C3 Church Watch 