Wafangdian Church in Dalian, Liaoning, recently posted "A letter to the entire congregation," calling on believers to resist pyramid selling or direct selling in the church in order to maintain the sanctity of the church. It first stated that the only method for profiting from pyramid selling is to develop downlines, taking advantage of the reputation and relationships of the church by fleecing acquaintances in the congregation.
Once a pyramid scheme enters the church, the longing and trust of Christians in God will be replaced by Mammon, the pure spiritual relationships between brothers and sisters will be replaced by a desire for profit, and the desire to win souls to Christ changes to attracting lower-level clients for money.
Internet Investment pyramid selling has also spread over the past few years, and some people use WeChat business to cover pyramid scheme sales. The letter points out that "churches all over the country have been affected by various pyramid schemes, causing many believers to lose their faith or even leave the church. The people who sink into these schemes are always the most injured. They not only lose friends and money, but their spiritual lives also suffer loss.
There are believers engaged in pyramid sales in the Wafadiang Church, including pyramid selling involving internet investment, WeChat, and more. Some fellow workers who have served in the church for many years have even fallen into these schemes. They continue despite the actions taken against them, and many individuals have suffered for it. This phenomenon has even grown more and more serious recently, with some believers' meeting places turned into "places for selling cattle, sheep, and doves."
Besides pyramid selling, there are direct sales. The article states that while direct sales are currently legal and their actual products are fine, as for Christians, "'All things are lawful,' but not all things are beneficial. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up. (1 Cor 10:23)"
Wafangdian Church restated for this reason that church workers are prohibited from engaging in any activities related to pyramid selling, and those that continue to do so will no longer be qualified to serve in the church. Houses of individuals engaged in these activities will no longer be used for meeting places or cell groups, and new venues will be found. In addition, the church firmly prohibits direct sales, insurance or other products in any way at the meeting venues.
All regional leaders and assistant leaders should exercise strict self-discipline and monitor all serving staff. They should stop services where pyramid selling is found to be taking place, and disqualify those workers who continue despite the warnings. Meeting places and cell groups should also be strictly monitored and changed if it is found that believers are using them to promote sales.
All congregants would be vigilant and report those engaged in these sales, if they fail to change after warnings, church warned.
Translated by: Grace Hubl
