Hi everyone
I'm taking a break from JWN at the moment, but I thought I'd briefly jump back on to post some information that has been sent to me.
Many of you will be aware that the Governing Body has somewhat hastily arranged another "Kingdom Ministry" school for the elders, and there has already been a degree of speculation on the forum as to what matters will be addressed at this meeting.
A friend has very kindly sent me the text of a letter to bodies of elders in Britain which includes the meeting schedule as well as the reference material that elders are asked to bring along and "meditate" on beforehand.
Here is the letter:
TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS
Re: Kingdom Ministry School
Dear Brothers:
We are pleased to provide you with some additional information and direction for the
upcoming Kingdom Ministry School. Please carefully read and follow the instructions below.
Publications and references: We encourage you to carefully review each of the
publications and references listed at the end of this letter. We are providing you with this
information in advance so that you will be able to read and meditate on it before attending the
school. Please bring these publications with you to the school along with your Bible and notepaper.
Use of electronic devices: As a reminder, the use of electronic tablets or laptop computers
during the school is not allowed. Of course, what each one does in preparation for the school is a
personal matter.
Program: Along with this letter, we are providing a program containing the title of each
part. The program should be brought with you to the school location.
Lapel cards: Lapel cards will be provided for use as identification. They will be shipped to
the mailing address of the coordinator of the body of elders. He should keep them in a safe place
until the week before the school. Then he should distribute them to the other elders. This may
prevent the cards from being lost. They should be worn when entering the school location and at all
times during the school.
If an elder has moved away or for some other reason there are extra cards, the coordinator of
the body of elders should give them to the circuit overseer at the school location. He should not
send the cards through the mail. If for some reason the coordinator of the body of elders does not
receive enough cards, he should contact the circuit overseer for assistance. The circuit overseer will
be provided with a small supply of extra cards.
Attendance: The Governing Body desires that elders from the same congregation attend the
school at the same time. However, if an appointed elder is not able to attend with the elders of his
congregation because of extenuating circumstances, he can contact his circuit overseer for the dates
and locations of schools in neighboring circuits. The circuit overseer will then contact the
neighboring circuit overseer and request permission for the brother to attend. The brother’s
coordinator of the body of elders should provide him with a lapel card. If he attends the school
before other elders in his congregation, he should be instructed to keep the information strictly
confidential until after the other brothers from his congregation have attended.
We are looking forward to this special program of instruction, and we pray for Jehovah’s
rich blessing upon all the arrangements made for the Kingdom Ministry School and upon your
efforts to shepherd the flock in a fine way. To benefit fully from the instruction that will be
provided during the school, we encourage you to read and meditate on the study material. However,
the most important thing to prepare is your heart. (Ezra 7:10) Therefore, pray to Jehovah for “an
Re: Kingdom Ministry School
September 9, 2012
Page 2
obedient heart.” (1 Ki. 3:9) We pray that Jehovah will continue to bless your diligent efforts. Please be assured of our warm love and Christian greetings.
Your brothers,
Please read and become familiar with this material prior to attending the Kingdom Ministry School:
• April 10, 2012, letter to all bodies of elders regarding pornography. Number the indented
paragraphs 1-15. The bullet points should not be counted as paragraphs but should be included with the preceding paragraph.
• Shepherding textbook, chapter 2, paragraphs 1-9, 22-23, 27-30 and chapter 12, paragraphs 1-3.
Publications and references that you should bring to the school:
• April 10, 2012, letter to all bodies of elders regarding pornography
• Shepherding textbook
• Organized book
KINGDOM MINISTRY SCHOOL
2013 Service Year
PROGRAM
SESSION ONE
Timing
Opening prayer
Do You Have “an Obedient Heart”?
20 min.
Develop Your Ability to Act With Insight
40 min.
Judging With Insight (Parts 1 and 2)
65 min.
BREAK
15 min.
Judging With Insight (Part 3)
70 min.
Lovingly Assist Those Ensnared by Pornography
30 min.
BREAK
60 min.
SESSION TWO
Shepherding With Insight
70 min.
Assist Those Walking Disorderly
20 min.
Needs in the Field
30 min.
BREAK
15 min.
How Elders Work Together as a Body (Part 1)
30 min.
How Elders Work Together as a Body (Part 2)
40 min.
Do You Have Jehovah’s View of Others?
30 min.
Have No Fear—Jehovah Is With You
30 min.
Closing prayer
Here is a brief summary of what the references in the "Shepherd" book pertain to...
- Chapter 2 paragraphs 1 to 9 mostly relates to elders meetings and how they should be conducted
- Chapter 2 paragraphs 22 and 23 define the role of the Group Overseer
- Chapter 2 paragraphs 27 to 30 discuss how elders should "pursue peace" with one another
- Chapter 12 paragraphs 1 to 3 discuss the procedure for "marking disorderly ones"
It seems pornography will be a major talking point at this elder's school, although it's also noteworthy that "Judging with Insight" occupies a significant portion of the program - so whether there will be a change to certain judicial protocols remains to be seen.
I hope you find this information useful as I did, and I would like to thank the brother who came forward with the information.
Warm regards to all,
Cedars