Appointed men & the 10 hour rule

by PlatinumFix 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  freddo

  What fastJehu said is spot on. But with a bit of individual CO leeway.

  Granddad kindly CO who has seen real life, had kids, been in the armed forces or had a real job before being a jw.

  "8 hours is ok minimum for last six months with a toddler or new baby on board any less than that and they obviously won't cope with all the estra responsibility."

  Modern CO who hasn't got a clue, pioneered from school, never had a full time job and follows every word the DO and Branch tell him.

  "10 hours minimum with several RV's for last 12 months; wife must be doing well (even with a newborn, depression and CFS!) too. Gotta preside over houshold an 'all."
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  blondie

  Looking for a scripture to support this: Used to be Matthew 24:45-47 or Heb. 13:7,17

  *** w10 12/15 pp. 19-20 par. 18 Reap Blessings Through God’s Spirit-Guided King! ***

  Listening certainly includes taking to heart what is said in God’s Word and the spiritual food that he provides. (Matt. 24:45) It also means obeying God and his Son. Jesus said: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.” (Matt. 7:21) And listening to God means willingly submitting oneself to the arrangement he has set in place, the Christian congregation with appointed elders, “gifts in men.”—Eph. 4:8.

  *** lv chap. 4 p. 49 Why Respect Authority? ***

  Of course, God’s Word does not spell out every arrangement or procedure needed to help the congregation function. Yet, the Bible does say: “Let all things take place decently and by arrangement.” (1 Corinthians 14:40) The Governing Body obeys this direction by putting in place various helpful procedures and guidelines that ensure the smooth and orderly operation of the congregation. Responsible Christian men do their part by setting an example of obedience as they put such arrangements into effect. They also show themselves “reasonable, ready to obey” those placed in oversight. (James 3:17) Thus, each group, congregation, circuit, district, and country is blessed with a united, orderly body of believers who reflect well on the happy God.—1 Corinthians 14:33; 1 Timothy 1:11.
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  Richard_I

  As people already mentioned, it's simply an unwritten rule now. In all the congs I've been in, it is expected elders/MS will get at least 8 hours per month, they want to see a weekly schedule, ergo 2 hours x 4 weeks per month = 8 hours per month. if you are not meeting this, you will likely never be a MS/elder
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  geevee

  Question for FastJehu

  What do you mean by: DF / DA must be passed 5 years or more ?

  As far as the original question is concerned, it is probably written is some elder manual. I am losing touch with the many rules that we "implied", could be a c/o said it. But You would think that if some one was trying to "lead" that they would set a "lead". Cong average or better!!

  When I was there as an elder, we had a few who were not getting the cong average and the pressure was on by the more militant elders to get rid of them from the body. We tried to save them or soften it, but in the end they are no longer m/s as far as I know!
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  Quarterback

  Yes, this a sucky rule, and not written down anywhere. If you you have less than 10 hrs a month in FS, you might as well be wearing a beard.
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  smiddy

  PlatinumFix

  Could someone explain where it is written that MServants should be doing the congregation average/10 hours minimum?

  Maybe this is a throwback to the early days when the organisation put a lot of stock on numbers seven ( 7) being heavenly completeness ? ten ( 10 ) being earthly completeness etc. etc. Hey I may have these numbers arse about its been a long time so forgive me .But the fact is they did put a lot of emphasis on numbers years ago , when these goals were first established .

  smiddy
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  fastJehu

  @ geevee

  If a men was disfellowshipped, and later reinstated, he has to be a brave publisher for 5 years (since reinstated) - before he can be a MS.
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  squaredzombie

  I was a Ministerial servan for about 10 years and I didn't see anything printed. However, I remember a meeting with a CO in which he said that if we wanted to keep our priviliges we had to preach at least 10 hour every month.
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  Laika

  My Dad used to put in my report for me, boy was I surprised when I found out I had a 13 hour average...
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  JWdaughter

  REmind me again why anyone would WANT to be a MS?