Were You Ever SHOCKED That Someone Got Appointed As An Elder?

by minimus 28 Replies latest jw friends

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  keyser soze

  I can think of one, in particular.

  He was a guy I grew up with. Him and his brother were constantly in trouble as teenagers, even doing time in juvy. Even when he got older he never totally outgrew his rebellious streak. He was irregular, and attended meetings sporadically. I know he straightened up his act, and eventually started pioneering. Still, it came as a bit of a shock when I heard he got appointed as an elder. I also heard he stepped down a few years back, due to a personality conflict with the presiding overseer.
  
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  stan livedeath

  heres another--me !

  back in 1971--when all this elder stuff was just beginning....i decided to quit being a dub. it was a sunday morning--and i was due to give the talk that afternoon. i had skimmed through the talk script--something about a big cooking pot--? WTF. i couldnt make head nor tail of it.

  anyway--i phoned the congregation servant ( a former branch servant in africa or summat )--and he invited me over to see him--at his house.

  i came straight to the point--told him i was resigning and the reasons why. in the course of the following conversation--he said he was glad i had told him--as he was intending to put me forward as an elder !! and it would have been embarrassing if i quit after being appointed !

  holy spirit in action.

  my arse.
• 

  Tight Pants Twinkle Toes

  stan livedeath.....your arse was appointed by holy spirit??? That I believe!
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  minimus

  I knew of someone that I grew up with who was really a wild child. He was a partier, a drunk and did drugs.His father was an elder. A couple of years later his father resigned he just did not like judging people and he basically was a very nice man. Not long thereafter his son became an elder. That was a shock to many people because he had always had a reputation As a party boy. He owned a business did quite well and shortly after becoming an elder he became a presiding overseer and was a mainstay on the circuit in district levels giving talks as well as serving on special committees . 🍻
• 

  SnakesInTheTower

  I was shocked to ever be appointed, let alone twice. Holy Spirit, HA!

  Growing up a Jw, I was encouraged to reach out, and I wanted to be an elder, I wanted to help people. But I grew up in the congregation. Certain elders fought against me being appointed every step of the way. I almost was in 1991, got jc reproof for lying, a BS charge from some jealous Pioneers and their MS husbands. Set me back a few years.

  Switched congos, same KH. MS again, pioneering, could never get appointed or get approved for MTS. Especially one older elder hated my guts. A new CO, MTS grad, came through, liked me, got me appointed elder and into MTS IN 2002.

  Fast forward, I leave my assignment for health reasons after a short stint. Move to nearby Congo, NORMALLY would have been automatic reappointment for an MTS grad. Nope. Elder in that hall conspired with an elder in my MTS assignment hall ( who felt threatened by the MTS guys) and my original KH, by the same elder who held me up....took 10 months to be reappointed, had to postpone multiple public talk requests and circuit assignments.

  It only took another 4 years, in 2006, for them to boot me off as an elder. Fought with me every damn week. I could have won procedurally against them, but why? By then, I was here, TTATT had opened my eyes. I left 8 months later, never looked back.

  Funny, not one of those MFers are elders now. LOL

  Snakes
• 

  Iamallcool

  Yes, a brother who has been a MS for many years. I thought he will never been an elder. While he was MS, he only done Annoucements for Service Meetings, never gave number 1 talk and BH. No Public talks at all! He does not make eye contact with Audience at all when he is on the Platform. After he got appointed as an Elder, he started giving number 1 talks BH and finally Public Talks. He still reads the talks, no eye contact with the Audience. He has some education, that's it. He is just very good with his hands. He has pretty good mechanical aptitude. He has been on many KH quick builds. I think the elders did not recommend him to be an elder. I think CO recommended him to be an elder and BOE probably said alright! After the meeting, I told one of the elders that I was very surprised that he got appointed as an Elder. His facial expression tells me that he did not agree with him to be an elder. He just shrugged off not saying any word at all.
• 

  dozy

  Usually it was signposted before but sometimes a guy got appointed that made you go WTF...

  A couple of appointments among several spring to mind - a 25 year old precocious JW got appointed which surprised everyone as normally 30 is the usual age. Unfortunately it went right to his head & he became insufferable , thinking he was very special.

  A neighbouring congregation had an ex - elder ( removed for an affair with a pioneer in the congregation many years ago ) who had climbed back to being a MS but had a reputation as a bit of a loose cannon and always critical of the elders and everyone was astonished to hear that he had been appointed.

  I remember discussing this with one of the elders in his cong who was a good friend of mine and asked him why on earth the guy had been appointed and that everyone in our congregation was flabbergasted. He said that the BOE had been really split on his appointment but there was a small majority that took the view that the guy was a good speaker , very capable in organising things ( he ran a successful business ) and was very active in the ministry ( and they really needed someone to give talks and be service overseer as most of the elders did very little ministry ) and there was a view that though very critical , there was a strong merit in having somebody pissing out of the tent rather than pissing in.

  As a result , despite many strong objections , he just about got the required majority vote and the CO, always keen to make appointments as it looks good to the Society , nodded it through. Ironically , he had another affair a few years later ( this time with a "worldly" workmate ) , got DFd and left the "truth" and his wife to live with his new lady friend..
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  Wasanelder Once

  I was more shocked at how many weren't removed.
  
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  problemaddict 2

  When they asked me to serve i was pretty shocked. But then when they announced me, it was in the same breath as they removed a long time MS who was absolutely beloved by all.

  So I was like....ah......The needed one well liked guy to take the place of the other well liked guy.

  Still the most bizarre appointment announcement i have ever been present for......my own.