Do You Believe Having A Body of Elders Made The Organization Stronger?

minimus

Looking back over the years, would you say that from the Society's point of view, that developing a BOE arrangement worked out well? And from an individual point of view, were you affected more negatively because now there were more elders that you had to account to?

dedpoet

I'd say it made it easier for the watchtower to keep control of its'
members, which would be beneficial from their point of view.
This would be especially true if most or all of the boe were
true "company men", which in my experience most of them
are.

sweetstuff

I think from the society's viewpoint, it works wonderfully, all the better to terrify you better my dear mentality. Let's face it, witnesses live in dread of a phone call or invite at a meeting to "talk" with the elders. Your heart starts to race, your blood pounding in your ears, knowing these guys can make or break your life as you know it. From a non witness viewpoint, its the very thing that is making people stop and say what a freaking minute here, who the hell do these a holes think they are??? I remember every elder's meeting I ever had with shame, shame that I was so terrified of those jerks, literally sick to my stomach with gut wrenching terror about what they could do to me. Disgust over the power lust ever present in many of their eyes.

BluesBrother

Same difference really..

A smaller group of leaders under the direction of a "Congregation Servant" was probably more efficient but few of us would have been old enough to be involved in those days. The larger bodies that I have been on usually have a few "fringe" elders who do not seem to care too much and are willing to go with the flow.

As a publisher I thought it was great when every one of the elders rotated every year. That gave a really fresh look to it every year , and if someone was poor at their task? you only had to put up with them for a year..

The Society soon stopped that though ..

minimus

If the Congregation Servant liked you, you were in! But if not, you were screwed!

I remember people feeling that now many men would know their personal business or weaknesses because the BOE had to share information, even in a limited way, whereas before, only the CS had to know.

minimus

I think that NOW, the fact that so many elders are ex elders shows that the arrangement is not as strong as it once was. More elders are not organization men like they were in the 70s.

Sunnygal41

i would say stronger in the sense that the organization could control the flock better through the elder arrangement.

minimus

When the flock sees the shepherds abandoning them, one by one, it gets them thinking. It's subtle but it leaves an impact!

OnTheWayOut

I don't know how the meeting parts were distributed to the men when there was one congregation servant,
but I do know that attendance would be down for TMS/Serv. Mtg. if one guy had the lion's share of talks.
All those years they were up in attendence, the Body of elders had something to do with better meetings-
meaning they were better able to hold people's interests.

A fringe or "weak" member would have more dissonance if he were to see that two or three seemingly intelligent
men were concerned about him, rather than one guy. Counsel would be better received by one's favorite elder or
at least by one's least hatest elder.

For these reasons, having a BOE has helped them.

Today, there just aren't enough of these men. They may have to keep combining congregations. Members might
see this as a sign of the times or as a sad fact about JW's. As you mentioned, there is this factor also:

When the flock sees the shepherds abandoning them, one by one, it gets them thinking. It's subtle but it leaves an impact!

Still, I have been around awhile and I only knew one other (besides me) that up and quit JW's altogether from
being an elder. I know of others, but I didn't know them personally. The cong. can be told that nobody is safe
from Satan's influence and this sometimes strengthens members' fears.

OUTLAW

Elders are the WBT$ own private police force..It`s good for the WBT$..They have more control over the Cult they own...OUTLAW

Do You Believe Having A Body of Elders Made The Organization Stronger?

Share this