Did the title of "overseer" ever bother you

freyd

It bothered me a lot. Overseers used to be called servants. No more. The roles were reversed when servants became overseers. To mock the change I used to ask people, "Who's your book study commander?" Have they changed yet to WT Study Overseer, or he still a conductor? I wonder when overseers will morph into lords?

Gopher

Yes the title does bother me. All the glorified janitors running around with 'overseer' titles is absurd.

They changed their terminology back in the 70s: The circuit servant became the circuit overseer, the district servant became the district overseer, and at the congregation level you now have the presiding overseer, the service overseer and the theocratic ministry school overseer. I think the men conducting congregation book studies and Watchtower studies are still 'conductors' rather than overseers, last I remember.

Yes the JW overseers will "watch over" you, and lord it over you. They over-see everything. Some want to serve, but many are proud to be one who sees over, or oversees.

outofthebox

The title changed to Book study Overseer and WT Study Overseer.

WTWizard

I never used those titles anyway. I used to call them hounders and hounder-hounders, which is more accurately what they are.

LongHairGal

Ho hum. Pathetic shits trying to elevate themselves higher and higher to the point of divinity or somewhere near it.

How sad that this is the oldest evil in the human race: people trying to be worshipped.

LHG

blondie

I remember an elder saying that elders were servants of servants during a talk from the platfrom. The idea was that the elders were there to serve the rank and file. He was pulled into the back room and readjusted. Can you imagine the elders washing the feet of the rank and file?

Blondie

fresia

intersting topic, at the follow the Christ district, the drama about humility after that the speaker said instead of calling them (us) overseers how about calling it under shepherds, thought that was a great, but all the wt's wont change it and the mind set will stay the same, overseers.

changeling

Yes, I don't like being overseen.

changeling

OnTheWayOut

I had a reaction from my mother's husband. "You are an elder?"
He knew of my unstable past before I became a dub. He couldn't believe that I was
counselling and guiding people with as many years "in" as my dub mother who seemed
to know her Bible forwards and backwards.

After his reaction, I did step back and tried to see things from his point of view. I did not
dismiss his reaction ever. I always felt that I was not totally up to the job of overseer.
I felt I made up for it by doing well on my speaking parts.

coffee_black

The term was also used in the days of slavery. The overseer was the one in charge of the slaves. Fits, doesn't it, into the mindset of jws?

Coffee

Did the title of "overseer" ever bother you

Share this