All incorporated associations are required to have a ‘Constitution’, which contains the rules by which the association operates.
The law requires leaders of an association to be elected to a committee. The members of the association elect the committee by casting votes. The elections must be free and fair, and all members must have the right to vote.
(Associations Incorporation Act 1981)
How does BCF Inc.‘s Committee get elected?
BCF Inc. has a committee of 13 members.
The following excerpts from BCF Inc.’s Constitution show a concentration of power, which can make it difficult for specific committee members to be removed.
This concentration of power works by controlling who can vote in an election and who can become a committee member.
How can a committee control who’s allowed to elect them?
‘The Management Committee may terminate a member’s membership if the member-‘
‘Fails to fully participate in the church program…’ ‘…in the opinion of the Management Committee:’
See Clause 6(3)(d) (Underlining added for emphasis)
‘The Management Committee may refuse or reject any membership application, and in doing so, it must not be required to provide any reason or explanation for such refusal or rejection.’.
See Clause 5(8) (Underlining added for emphasis)
The combined effect of these two clauses gives the committee power to remove members who do not agree to vote in a particular way.
‘A member of the management committee may only be elected’ in one of two ways:
The first way is if they are already one of the ‘seven’ men from ‘Restoration Fellowship International’ currently on the Committee of BCF Inc.,
[Note: Restoration Fellowship International Incorporated (RFI Inc.) is an affiliated association also controlled by Committee members who;
The second way a person can become a committee member is if the person is an ‘Elder or Deacon’. These elders and deacons are appointed by the committee.
See Clause 16(1)(a) and (b) of the Constitution.
The combined effect of these clauses means BCF’s Committee is in a position to only appoint ‘Elders and Deacons’ who will vote in a particular way, and the Committee can remove an ‘Elder or Deacon’ if they do not vote in a particular way.
See Clause 16(1)(c) of the constitution, which says:
If ‘at the start of’ each ‘annual general meeting there are only 13 persons nominated… then these persons are automatically elected as the Management Committee’.
By preventing people with differing views from ever being on the committee, the existing committee is likely to remain in a position where there are never any new nominees capable of being elected to the committee.
Hence the combined effect of the above clauses puts the Committee in a position where an influential minority of Committee members can be automatically reelected—year on year. Decade after decade. This can be done without ever facing a free and fair election process.
The ACNC has guidelines as to how long a person should stay as a committee member. There are no fixed rules; however, the guidelines say there should be fair access to committee positions (via fair election processes), and the committee positions should not be held by the same people for indefinite periods of time.
ACNC records show the President and Treasurer’s positions at BCF have been occupied by the same people for at least 13 years.
Three of the Senior Management Committee positions of President, Treasurer, and Vice President are held by members of the same family or are related by marriage.
Some of these positions have been held by the same person for decades, and because of the wording of the Constitution, these Committee members may have been automatically re-elected without any actual vote taking place.
Samson Rising is aware that millions of dollars in loans have been given by BCF to Committee members. This is clear from the financial statements available through the ACNC website. acnc.gov.au
As of 30 June 2024, $2,957,498 of these loans existed.
We are of the view that these loans have been, and may continue to be written off and will never be repaid to the church. We refer to these loans elsewhere in this website as ‘Private Loans to Presbytery & their Families.’
We hold the following concerns about these loan arrangements:
Certain people who still attend BCF meetings have shared their concerns about aspects of BCF’s governance and have shared details that are of interest to Samson Rising.
Samson Rising has not been made aware of any independent assessment of the fair pay conditions of committee members. If this is true, it puts the committee in a position where they could knowingly or otherwise vote for excessive pay conditions.
If unfair pay conditions exist amongst Committee members, this would most likely be seen as a factor that could compromise the integrity of the Committee.
We are calling for an investigation by the ACNC into the pay conditions of the BCF Committee to determine if BCF meets the minimum governance standards required by the law.
Threat of ostracization from family and friends
Elsewhere in this website we detail how the Presbytery (many of whom are committee members) asks the congregation to cut off their friends and family if they do not obey the Presbytery. We also give examples where some members of the congregation have actually cut off family, including their own children who have left the CFO.
The Presbytery seems to have convinced the congregation that ostracization has something to do with God’s ‘love’.
Reports reaching us suggest ostracization is now widespread in the CFO.
Once ostracization becomes an acceptable practice, it also becomes a control mechanism of its own.
The Presbytery, who occupy an unsalable position of authority, can ensure a person is ostracised, by simply spreading unfavourable rumours about an individual in the church.
The loss of family and friends can be a powerful control mechanism in the hands of people who choose to do so.
We fear such behaviour would amount to coercion and even extortion if the target of the ostracisation, is also being asked to pay tithe and make other financial contributions to the CFO.
Each of the mechanisms above is evident in the BCF organization. The authors of this website would like an investigation to determine if those mechanisms are being used to control people in a harmful or illegal way.
The survey on this website contains questions designed to identify illegal coercion and extortion. By completing the survey, you will be helping start an investigation into these matters. Please complete the anonymous survey.
