Ok, so here's my story as it stands right now. My husband and I have been married for 6 1/2 years. About 2 weeks after we were married, he was appointed as a Ministerial Servant. We were both thrilled, since he could now "serve" the congregation more fully. Oh..my..GOD! This has been such an eye opener. First off, it is a CLUB!! I never believed this before I was finally on the "inside." The elders and ministerial servants have their own little club going, and don't you dare try to bring someone with you. Also, the wives of the elders are most often the worst! I have never in my life witnessed so much gossip and backbiting! We served in several different congregations (b/c we were assigned to places that needed help) and it's exactly the same in every congregation. The wives and children and elders and ministerial servants are quite often the biggest troublemakers. The thing is, they put on their act of sincerity and faithfulness when they are making comments and giving their experiences at conventions, but get them to yourself for even 5 minutes and you'll see the ugly side.
Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. So you know how the Society constantly tells us to "give Jehovah your personal best, whatever that may be." Well, some people's best is 90 hours, some is 10 hours, you get my point. It just so happens that my husband and I both need to work full time to make ends meet, so our "best" is about 5-6 hours per month. And let me tell you, we bust our butts to even get that much! Well, from the time he was appointed as a servant, the elders told him his time (and later my time as well) just wasn't good enough! We were shocked! Just because we don't get as much as the elders or others in the congregation, how is that not enough? It's based on what you personally are able to do in your circumstances, so how can you tell me that just because it's not as much as someone else's time, it's not enough?! That directly contradicts what they preach from the stage. Then the elders told us that we need to have a good report before the CO comes to visit again. Oh, so now it's about looking good for some person, and now about sincerely giving to Jehovah because it's the right thing to do? Can anyone say DOUBLE STANDARD?!
Finally, about 3 weeks ago, my husband stepped down as a ministerial servant. The elders pretended to be so shocked and upset, but they basically pushed him away. They treated him like a puppet, and now that he's thinking for himself, most of the elders snub him big time!
Any thoughts?