The End of Circuit Overseers

is indeed apparently nigh as another poster predicted along with the end of the weekly BS. Not sure when this should take place but I'm reliably informed by a family member that one of the UK's overseers was talking about it fairly recently. Reduced to weekend visits by an outside but local elder instead.

I have no further info.

Interesting but as always it's best to be circumspect until this is confirmed.

Thanks scotsman

In this area there are 2 brothers who function as substitute COs when he is on vacation, conducting the pioneer school, going to "training" at headquarters, or is sick.  Many congregations may have a visit by the "regular" CO only once a year.

The WTS has also had a hard time recruiting new COs and DOs to replace the aging population.  The last 2 in this area were Bethelites that had been laid off.  I can see the circuit assembly being reduced to one day like the "special day" assembly.

Blondie

If true, then strongly indicates the real reason behind cutting out the Book Study. With one less meeting night per week, visits can be condensed into a weekend, thus eliminating "official" CO position, which means:

1) Saves $$$

2) Cuts ties between the local congregations / BOEs and the "mother" organization, reducing legal liability.

Downside for the GB is, less control over the congregations. But it seems fear of lawsuits is stronger than the desire to maintain tight control.

Changes have been coming really fast lately, I would expect them to give the congregations a chance to breathe a bit. Again if true, I would expect this to be announced no earlier than 2010, maybe late 2009.

Maybe "Circuit Leasing" can have a big Buick sale here in the USA?

Hill

Mere speculation - and we should be wary of believing it before any real indications of course.

However - it DOES make a certain kind of sense.  The role of the CO/DO was always that of a sort of "paid clergy" much like the old "circuit riders" of the ancient methodist churches.  Thus, he was dependent on the circuit congregations for his income and a lot of the justification was tied tightly to the Circuit Assembly/District Assembly programs.  I remember back in my days - mid sixties to early eighties, that the COs all had huge American V8 sedans and travel trailers - I'll bet that alone would break the back of this arrangement nowadays with $4.00 gas, at least in places like Texas where the congregations might be 300 miles apart.

With the assembly programs largely having their teeth pulled, and of course travel expense becoming much greater now than in the past, it would make a lot of sense just from a "cost accounting perspective" that they could pick a defacto "pastor elder" for each congregation, keep tight control of him through schoold and other special meetings, and eliminate this "traveling ministy" to cut down on costs.  The local congregations could then send just a little more money straight on to the WTBTS rather than filtering it through the DO/CO operation. 

Does anybody else see kind of a trend also, in the Society actually DISCOURAGING social interactions between the local congregations? I.E., aren't people pretty much told where to sit at the assembly, and not to go around talking and mixing with one another like we all used to in my day?

If all the meetings (including book study) are just on the weekend, and the assemblies are just a shadow of before, maybe the R & F would hardly even miss the fact that the DO has not been seen for a couple years, and that the CO has been gone for a while now too...

Just wait till the CO's and DO's get their walking papers like the ex-Bethelites. There will be some shittin and gettin! The gravy train is going away.

JK

Glad that everyone's taking it as speculation. I thought I'd run the forecast by my JW relative today to see what they thought and their response was immediate confirmation but that's not guarantee it'll happen this year.

Hello bethel, I'm sure you're reading. (I'd wave at you if there was an appropriate emoticon)

Scotsman - I agree.  If they handle it very subtly, it could all be done under cover of the "big news" about the book study - maybe even mostly by the end of this year, and few would notice.

Notice too, that a big push has been made to train up their chosen man for the individual congregation Overseer.

And, as they are whining about the lack of suitable elders as the old ones die off, here is a class of "paid employee" that could be let go and recycled as individual congregation overseers.

More speculation (how much fun is that!???) - but what about those bigger and bigger single huge kingdom hall multi-congregations?  Could there be a new class of uber-overseer to run more than one congregation in such cases?  He would not have to tavel like the old CO. 

And just one more point - maybe just my gut feel in the wish mode, but in my day - I found a great percentage of the CO ranks to be some of the most progressive and "free thought radicals" of all the witnesses.  Maybe it was because they had to bridge the gap between WT Society and Real World of the rank & file - but I think a lot of them had inner doubts.  Wonder if the WTBTS figured that out and are now kind of afraid of them?

Elders in every congregation  would jump up and down with joy if they would eliminate CO/DO.

If was never a happy week when the CO would visit and you had to change your schedule, be scrutinized

 and very often reproved for not working hard enough.