Interesting figures Seeker4. Thank you for sharing with us. It does not surprise me though. It's a stressful position on themselves and their families. And the expectations are unreasonable.
Juni
WTS Has Lost +35% of Elders in US Since 1994????
by Seeker4 74 Replies latest jw friends
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Seeker4
Just a reminder - these are unofficial figures from Zack, though he heard this 2x.
Part of why I posted this in its own thread was to see if anyone else can verify hearing something similar. If we had this from a few of the elder's schools, that would help.
In the mean time, I wouldn't take it as gospel, though from these experiences it would not be surprising.
S4
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Elsewhere
This is a phenomenon called Brain Drain. It happens when a bad organization looses its best and smartest people.
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JH
When I joined many years ago, there was only 2 elders in my congregation, and the last time I attended a meeting, there were about 4 or 5 elders. It wasn't new faces but MS who finally made it to the top. I guess the old elders needed help.
But I think that there are less MS than before though. So the future isn't too bright....
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juni
I understand Seeker4. Thanks for clarifying.
From my time in I believe they wanted to have a BOE of 4 to 5+ elders to handle the different duties. Some had as many as 8.
Juni
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truthsetsonefree
Reasons why I stopped. Plus I resigned in protest. (Soon I will be writing them a letter AND posting it here.) If elders would realize that they have the power to shut down this organization or at least change it, the GB would get genuinely fearful. Elders need to STOP hurting themselves and their families doing everything this stupid religion says. Hope all of you lurking elders read this, from a former colleague and friend.- Fewer elders, greater strain on those who are left.
- They will recruit less and less qualified men.
- I bet the "elderettes" are quietly carrying the administrative load in many congregations.
- The congregations will be poorly supported by the leadership, which will mean ever more apathetic support, both monetarily and in time, by the rank & file.
tsof
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willyloman
In Southern California, many congos have 12-14-18 elders. From 1994 through 2003, there was no discernible drop in elders in any of the congos I know about. I would have to see some more "evidence' before i believed the number of elders has plummeted by 1/3 in a decade.
I do agree the number of "new" elders seems to be on the wane. There just didn't seem to be that many young guys in the organization who were "reaching out" during the past couple of years I was active. That didn't keep elders from nominating their friends and relatives, of course, whether they were "qualified" or not.
In fact, one big reason I left was that many of the elders I knew were far from being "spiritual men," and there was absolutely no movement afoot to set higher standards or enforce the so-called guidelines that were already in place. Almost any male could could be appointed under the right human and social circumstances. Towards the end of my JW "career" I saw a visible increase in recommendations made on behalf of men who were sorely lacking in the abilities outlined in the Bible that elder bodies are supposed to rely on in making these appointments.
A favorite CO once told a group of elders: "When an elder appointment is read to the congregation, the reaction of the flock ought to be, 'What took them so long,' rather than 'Are they kidding?'" The last couple of appointments I witnessed fell into the "WTF?" category.
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codeblue
How can elders with a "real heart" and "conscience" remain an elder when they know their flock is suffering? They know all the "real crap" the WTBS is all about.
They still want to be elders but HOW can they do this and remain "sane in mind"?
Just my views as a grown woman, ultimatley dedicated (not to an org but to real truth) but figured out the real truth(tm).
Codeblue
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Nathan Natas
If I can appropriate Gary B.'s explanation, fewer publishing company workers require fewer low and mid level managers.
To the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society - may their tribe decrease!
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garybuss
Lol @ NN
Good job! :-)