WTBTS Elder & Ministerial Servant Problems (page 5)

JW GoneBad

Gayle:

I think you're pretty accurate with your numbers. 10 to 13% is usually what makes us the servant body (elder & m s combined) in the average congregation.

The high Elder to M S ratio was even seen at the K M School that I attended. An Elder who was serving as an attendant at the M S school mentioned that the number of Elders in attendance at his school Friday and Saturday was 180 compared to 115 M Ss. So there is definitely a negative trend developing. It would be interesting to know what the numbers were elsewhere.

The same WT 'heavy' who delivered the talk about higher education spoke on the theme ...'Do All things For God's Glory'. In this talk he hit hard the need for M S s to continue to shun d'fd relatives. Apparently a trend is developing where M S s have been ignoring the GB stance on how they say we should be treating family who are d'fd (ie. 'a simple hello.......yada yada yada').

Anyway the speaker stressed to all in attendance that we could not only consider but to expect that we'll be called in on the carpet over that too! That our privileges could very well be taken away if it comes to light that we are in the slightest way enteracting with d'fd loved ones. That came across as a real threat!

What are the chances that a warning like that will serve to close the gap ratio of Elders to M S s? Not a chance! I know for myself, my first thought after hearing the speaker say that was.....'you can have my gun and badge'.....I'm out of here! I'm sure many a M S in that audience and no doubt nation wide when they hear this same talk will feel the same way.

I would sum up the school as, instead of uplifting the ones who carry their share of the load in the congregation, the M S s got more than their share of a beating. Makes me wonder if the Elders fared any better?

moshe

That our privileges could very well be taken away if it comes to light that we are in the slightest way enteracting with d'fd loved ones. That came across as a real threat!

Perhaps, this is just hollow talk, as they can't afford to lose anymore MS over stuff that is considered very normal by everyone, but JWs. Once a JW guy puts up a facebook page he has to decide if he is going to be a weird JW just or be a normal person and leave religion out of his profile. If he decides to be a closet JW to his facebook friends, then he has subconsiously already left the WT building.

Soldier77

It's all part of their tighening grip, the harsher words being spoken, brow beating and what have you. They are in crisis mode and when cults go into crisis mode they go into harsher rules, tighter grip, punish and enslave the R&F.

This will continue to get worse imo. 2014 is right around the corner, I expect them at the rate they are currently going, to make that year a target of somekind. It may be all part of the 'sifting work' that has been used before to designate periods of slow to no growth.

JWs do not know their own history and as we all know those that do not follow history or study it analytically will just repeat itself.

WTS is in crisis mode.

Hoffnung

JW Gone Bad: Thank you for sharing this. I turned in my "MS badge and gun" about 5 years ago, and I was the only MS in my congregation at the time. I was totally disgusted with how the elders treated the majority of the bros and sis, and they were backed up for it by the local Bethel. From all over Europe elders are complaining that there is nobody there to replace or to help them. All over the place, the elders are handling the microphones, something unseen just 10 years ago. Little wonder though, you have to do a maximum investment, you are in the spot light all the time, all your moves are under scrutiny of people whose only hobby is gossip and slander. The parts you can do on the meetings are sooooo booooring (how to present the mags of next month, please invite the audience to share their experience with applying the last crap suggestion of the FDS, etc...). Most feel it is a total waste of time and energy (honestly, it is). A few months ago a bro in our cong attended the wedding of his sister (JW) with a non-JW (he is a study though). He lost all his treasured privileges. I can tell you he is not interested in becoming a MS any more. It was the wedding of his OWN SISTER, for Christ's sake! If you hear firsthand stories like this, no wonder nobody wants to do take up the challenge any more.

Think About It

A few months ago a bro in our cong attended the wedding of his sister (JW) with a non-JW (he is a study though). He lost all his treasured privileges. I can tell you he is not interested in becoming a MS any more. It was the wedding of his OWN SISTER, for Christ's sake! If you hear firsthand stories like this, no wonder nobody wants to do take up the challenge any more.

The ego of this org has always gotten fat by eating it's own.

Think About It

karter

The Internet has alot to do with it.

When forums like this started appearing about 10 years ago alot of the younger one's that would now be up & comming MS's started looking at them.

All of a sudden their eyes were opened and out they go.

In my old hall the retention rate of young ones would be about 40% at very best.

Of that 40% at least half would be going along becouse they know no better....only leaves a small amount pool of Bro's to pick from.

Red Piller

Great thread. I am an MS. I do just enough not to be removed (family reasons) but hopefully not enough to be appointed elder.

I met the MS's from my old hall at the one-day KM School. Not one person under 60. They are dumb and uneducated and I hate to say it practically useless. My old hall used to have plenty of 20-40's MS's. Not anymore.

clearpoison

DagothUr wrote:

The CO came in 2009 and one of his speeches, directly inspired by the Filthful and Decrepid Slave, had one central idea: field service should be mainly directed towards recruiting men. There was even a demonstration in which a pair of dubs had to pick from one man and one woman who passed on the sidewalk near them. The instructions were to speak to the man first, then to the woman. And the final encouragment was to never miss the oportunity to preach to men while in field service and leave women on the second place. I heard it with my own ears!

No wonder because this was one of the articles in KM at some point, maybe couple of years ago.

Thank you JW GoneBad for sharing this thing that is not available in written format.

CP

monkeyman

My guess is that 80 % of current MS are between 18-22 starry eyed kids who have no idea what they are looking forward to, and not old enough to qualify. They will be forced to wait 10 or more years for the elders (described later) to appoint them. The other 20% are wannabees who will never qualify.

Of elders, 80% are power hungry old farts, 60-80, who are out of touch and are tired of all the work and dont want to do anything. The other 20% are younger qualified guys but are burned out carcasses from preparing for countless meetings and attending BS schools to learn how to better beat the flock into submission.

They have no time or inclination to help people in spiritual need.

They have created their own monster.

monkeyman

Moshe................. This is hollow talk....

I hate to disagree but I NEVER heard anything from the platform that turned out to be hollow talk. Usually it started as a suggestion. Then when that didnt work it became and urging. When that didnt work, it became law.

Always with the WT when the little hammers didn't work, they got bigger hammers.

WTBTS Elder & Ministerial Servant Problems

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