Sounds like the big Masters in Brooklyn wants his slaves to straighten up or else
Insecure men with power in their hands always spells trouble
Why are the boys so nervous ?
I think the noose just tightened a bit.
by 5go 94 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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BEROEAN
I haven't heard of this being a Organizational thing. Most Elders aren't going to do it anyway. Yes, we know the flock. But, we also know the difference between someone that wants assistance and someone that wants to slide.
As an Elder there's been certain lines of thought that baffled me.
1) Jehovah gives us free will, yet the publishers are depicted as ignorant sheep. - What if persecution hits and there isn't an Elder around to tell the sheep what to do, where to go, what to say? I train those under my care to think and reason for themselves in such situations. Why would I want an entire bookstudy to base their decisions soley on what I say? Just as the Beroeans, I want those under my care to keep testing, keep proving, keep searching.
2) Babysitting inactive/irregular ones. - Life is not constant. Even Elders have peaks and valleys in their spiritual activities. To think a person can have a lifelong course of sustained field service hours, meeting attendance, and participation is ludicrous. I will occassionally offer words of encouragement. And again, ones that are visibly depressed or sick gets more than the usual attention. However, to assume adults need a babysitter is asinine. For me, it usually takes months for me to really take notice of someone's pattern change. And MAYBE then i'll ask why. I allow people their freedom of choice.
So, what do I do as an Elder? I conduct the bookstudy, give encouraging talks from the platform, and take the lead in the ministry. Do I go out every weekend? Nope! Again, if the "sheep" are lost because I don't take the lead in service on any given Saturday there's major problems! In fact, I visited one congregation in South Carolina where the Elder didn't show up to conduct arrangements. None of the friends had territory and they were puzzled at what to do! I suggested we go out and do street witnessing and one person asked, "But what streets should we work?"!,
Houston! We have a problem!
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hillbilly
They drag that letter out and re-write it just about every year. We are about on track for the semi-annual "lets find the weak and invite them to the memorial" blitz too.
Clockwork, son... It makes the world go round.
~Hill
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TJ - iAmCleared2Land
I am willing to say it might be a local thing
That would be my guess, as well. My experience as an elder that "local needs" was allocated for just that. The Society NEVER supplied outlines or letters to be discussed during local needs... that was about the most 'free form' portion of the meetings.
If it was a letter from the Society, or an outline, you would have seen a normally scheduled SM part, "Paying Attention to the Flock" or something, "a talk by the service overseer...", and the elders would have received a letter saying "during xyz part on the January 3rd SM, use the attached outline..."
Somebody else had it right, I think--your body of elders got chewed out by the CO for their lack of zealous shepherding, and they put a "program" in place to ensure they didn't get busted next time around. You're all paying for what their negligence... the spanking is heading downstream.
How long ago was your last CO visit? Within the past couple months?
FYI, I've not seen anybody else post about how "local needs" parts are determined. I'll tell you how it was in the hall I served at, I'd be interested if other ex-elders had it go the same way. The PO asked us to think of topics of concern prior to our quarterly elder's meetings. We'd then bring them to the meeting, and one of the agenda items was to pick three out of the presented items as the most "needing of attention", and pick who among the body would be best to deliver a talk on that topic, and some discussion of what format (talk, demo, etc.) and what might be covered would be discussed. That being decided, the PO would then have his topics/speakers to put on the SM schedule. Is that how it worked in your hall, ex-elders? I don't recall ever seeing any printed instructions from the Society as to how local needs parts would be selected. That's just how we did it. I suppose in some halls, the PO might pick them himself. If that's the case, ours was more of a democracy in that regard--the PO really did try to encourage participation and input from the other elders.... well... the PO that was in 'office' at the time I served, did. I wouldn't want to serve under the current tyrant.
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Doubting Bro
TJ
FYI, I've not seen anybody else post about how "local needs" parts are determined. I'll tell you how it was in the hall I served at, I'd be interested if other ex-elders had it go the same way. The PO asked us to think of topics of concern prior to our quarterly elder's meetings. We'd then bring them to the meeting, and one of the agenda items was to pick three out of the presented items as the most "needing of attention", and pick who among the body would be best to deliver a talk on that topic, and some discussion of what format (talk, demo, etc.) and what might be covered would be discussed. That being decided, the PO would then have his topics/speakers to put on the SM schedule. Is that how it worked in your hall, ex-elders? I don't recall ever seeing any printed instructions from the Society as to how local needs parts would be selected. That's just how we did it. I suppose in some halls, the PO might pick them himself. If that's the case, ours was more of a democracy in that regard--the PO really did try to encourage participation and input from the other elders.... well... the PO that was in 'office' at the time I served, did. I wouldn't want to serve under the current tyrant.
This is how it was done when I was on the BOE as well. I think the Flock book sets out the procedure which is how you describe it. You know the WTS is going to micro-manage and have a procedure on everything!!
I was usually hesitant to suggest anything because we generally assigned the person who suggested the topic as the one who would give it. We had one guy who was great at making themes and we would often bat around the theme and direction the part should take.
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TJ - iAmCleared2Land
We had one guy who was great at making themes and we would often bat around the theme and direction the part should take.
Thanks, Bro... that's how we did it too. ;-) Even down to the theme selection Jeopardy session.
I don't think the procedure is in the Flock book, however... could be wrong! And the best part... I don't CARE either way! he he he!
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Doubting Bro
Yeah, me neither!!
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5go
I am willing to say it might be a local thing
Our CO visit was a month ago but I am still connected a bit and nothing seemed to happened to suggest he was chewing them out. In fact the congregation I am in is pretty well packed with exbethel types and is usually one of the better halls in the area at keeping it's numbers good. (through what ever means necessary) In fact the talk didn't even go over our numbers they are alway above norm.
Which brings up another possibility that it wasn't letter but a directive through the COs. He might of left it with them on his last visit. Which would be nearly be the same as a letter from bethel in my opinion.
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freydi
Not to hijack the thread but any x-co's out there that can enlighten the class about what it's like when they get chewed out?
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5go
That we have an attendance problem was the thing that woke me up for that part. My hall doesn't have one. In fact we have a lot of phone in attendance.