Jesus received his mission orders from Jehovah.
The Apostles received their mission orders from Jesus.
Philip received his mission orders from an angel.
Paul received his mission orders directly from a vision of Christ.
Barnabas took Paul to Jerusalem where he met James (Jesus’ brother and Peter) for fiteen days. No mission was ordered by Jerusalem.
Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch.
After moving to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas had the hands of the local congregation laid upon them and they received their mission orders from the Antioch congregation under direction of the Holy Spirit. Upon completion of the Antioch commission to do missionary work, they reported back to the Antioch congregation and gave them a report.
Representatives from Jerusalem stirred up trouble in Antioch about circumcision. Paul had to go up to Jerusalem to straighten them out!
Question: what GOVERNING BODY directed all these activities? Answer: none.
Fast Forward in time.
The year is 1942. Rutherford has passed and Nathan Knorr is President.
7 members of the NY corporation and 5 members of the Pennsylvania corporation met with Knorr, Hayden Covington and Fred Franz. The members of these boards and corporations voted to have President Knorr empowered to create a missionary school, create textbooks and oversee a worldwide educational work.
Neither Russell nor Rutherford nor Knorr consulted a Governing Body. The President solely directed doctrine without the consultation or approval of others.
In 1917, President Rutherford had dismissed his Board of Directors when they disagreed with his policies. They were replaced by a rubber stamp figurehead board thereafter.
When did the governing begin by a body separate from the President?
The Governance of that Governing Body came about as the result of an internal struggle in 1974/1975!
Prior to that moment the term “Governing” was loosely applied to corporation matters of the board of directors in publishing.
1975/76 was different, however.
This is the year Fred Franz had selected as the END of Six Thousand years of Human Existence. (Which meant Armageddon must come and the 1000 year reign of Christ must begin.)
This year actually marked the end of credibility as a religion and the beginning of a new Incredibility of Authoritarian cult control.
The birth of the Governing Body as a spiritual arbiter came over the protestations of both President Knorr and Fred Franz. It was viewed as a coup or overthrow of sole Presidential power.
The impossibility of 1975 delivering on all the hints and pressure of the publications (as penned by Franz) per Armageddon had caused an implosion in the power structure.
Knorr would not reign in Franz and Franz protected Knorr’s sole power to permit the date-setting and push for the Armageddon scenarios.
The only alternative was to create a committee as a “safety valve” which could cut off the flow of outrageous statements, predictions and tomfoolery which was (in 1975) embarrassing the Watchtower religion world wide by holding them up to ridicule.
With the final passing of Knorr the new President became a (weakened) Fred Franz.
Slowly, the iron grip of pressure to conform to corporate dictates strangled the remaining freedoms of the membership.
Today, Kingdom Halls are rife with paranoia and fear. Freedom of conscience is nowhere in evidence. The threats of disfellowshipping and Armageddon reign supreme.