Elders and former elders: Judicial cases how often?

by A question 19 Replies latest jw friends

  • Bob_NC
    Bob_NC

    It really does depend on congregation size. My former congregation had about 90 publishers. We had, I am guessing, maybe 4-5 judicial matters per year. They seemed to come in spells. A bunch, then none for a while. At 4-5 per year, that would be 4-5% of the publishers had a judicial matter per year. Oftentimes it was a married brother and another married sister, so you get a 2 for 1. Not trying to be funny.

  • DesirousOfChange
    DesirousOfChange

    Oublitte -- you have a PM.

  • Old Goat
    Old Goat

    I was a company servant, later congregation servant, then elder. I resigned in the 1990s due to health and age issues. At the risk of making myself identifiable, my wife and I were moved from place to place sometimes specifically to address issues in troubled congregations. That did not alway require a "judicial" approach. Common sense and kindness does wonders. Legalism is a bad path to follow except as a last resort.

    The worst year saw a back log of unaddressed issues extending back for almost a decade. There were many meetings, not all of them 'judicial." it was an exhausting year. A good year saw most issues go away without a committee meeting. You get from a congregation what you put into it. Create an 'elders' club" and you will have trouble. Be a shepherd and you will have far fewer problems. Unfortunately, many elders are power hungry dolts who create their own problems.

    My wife and I (and another elder from California) were sent into a mountain states congregation and told by the Circuit Overseer to open every committee file and review it. That review revealed years-long abuse of power by the past congregation servant/presiding elder. He was a nasty bit of work who came to my house to rant and managed to keep it up mostly without a breath for an hour and a half. He called his son-in-law, an elder in the next congregation down the road, and tried to get him to come to our congregation to "clean our spiritual clocks."

    If 'the truth' fails, it's because of people like that.

  • Oubliette
    Oubliette

    DOC, you have a reply.

  • A question
    A question

    Old Goat - you have a PM.

  • sosoconfused
    sosoconfused

    Yes, they formed judicial committees because oen of the masturbators was a pioneer and she had told other people about it before coming to the elders, so people knew about it. Because she opened her mouth beforehand and informed poeple she lost her priveledges.

    The other was a ministerial servant who was masturbating while reading porno mag(WHO BUYS PORNO MAGS IN THIS DAY AND AGE) and his wife caught him and apparently she was torn up by it and told the "older women" in the congo looking for help on how to move on... So like the first case people in the hall knew about it and BANG... priveledges removed and restrictions.

  • Open mind
    Open mind

    I was an elder for about 10 years. Served on about 10 JCs.

    Never volunteered for the "privilege". But never said "No" until the last year after awakening to TTATT.

    om

  • Tylinbrando
    Tylinbrando

    I was also volunteered for 4 JCs in 4 years. Only one resulted in DFing and it was from a DAing letter.

    Issues were alcoholism, adultery, phone sex, and masturbation. The adultress DAd.

  • HarryMac
    HarryMac

    Thanks for the information.

    ...also...

    Late 60's, eh?

    Man, the future seems bright sometimes!

  • NeonMadman
    NeonMadman

    I'm very surprised to hear that masturbation was a reason for forming a JC. I always understood that it could result in loss of privileges, but not disfellowshipping (and therefore, by extension, not reproof either). You have to wonder why ALL the teenagers didn't get df'ed.

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