Vow of Obedience and Poverty? WTF??

by NikL 14 Replies latest jw friends

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  NikL

  Listener on here started a cool thread about the April 2017 WT which can be found here...

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/4881380162928640/watchtower-april-2017-overview

  It got me to look at it closer and In the opening study they use terminology I've never heard used before namely, "Vow of obedience and poverty"...

  19 Currently, there are some 67,000 members of the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Some perform Bethel service, others engage in construction or in circuit work, serve as field instructors or special pioneers or missionaries or as Assembly Hall or Bible school facility servants. They are all bound by a “Vow of Obedience and Poverty,” with which they agree to do whatever is assigned to them in the advancement of Kingdom interests, to live a simple lifestyle, and to abstain from secular employment without permission. It is not the people but their assignments that are viewed as special. They realize the seriousness of humbly living up to their solemn vow for as long as they remain in special full-time service

  Is this vow a real thing? Is it new? I always thought we were encouraged to volunteer for extra service if the spirit moved us but that it was just that, a volunteer situation and we were free to go a different direction whenever we felt we needed too.

  Are missionaries signing a vow now?
  
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  Richard Oliver

  Those in special full-time service (receives money from the branch) has to sign a vow of obedience and poverty for at least 30 or 40 years. They sign it in order to ensure that the person who is a member of the worldwide order of special full-time service knows that their status as a member can be removed at anytime or can be reassigned to a different location or job as needs are needed to be filled.
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  NikL

  Thanks Richard. I had no idea.

  Is that a new arrangement or has it always been like that?
  
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  Esse quam videri

  ' ...Some perform Bethel service, others engage in construction or in circuit work, serve as field instructors or special pioneers or missionaries or as Assembly Hall or Bible school facility servants. They are all bound by a “Vow of Obedience and Poverty,” with which they agree to do whatever is assigned to them in the advancement of Kingdom interests ...'

  Br. Project Superintendant: [ who hasn't had dirt under his finger nails since he was 11]: Oh, hello Brother Schmuck. I see you have just come to work on our new branch project and I see also that you have signed the 'Vow of Obedience and Poverty'. Is that correct Brother S.?

  Br. S. : Yes. I signed the 'Vow of Obedience and Poverty' last Friday.

  Br. P.S.: Yes I know, I was just checking to make sure you understood what you were signing. I don't really care about the Poverty part. That naturally comes along with the position. What I am more interested is the Obedience part. So Bro S. are you ready for your first chores for the day?

  Br. S: Yes, I can't wait to get started.

  Br. PS: Good, good. You see that big pile of sand over there?

  Br. S: Yes, I see it.

  Br. PS: Good, good. Well, I want you to take this shovel and that wheelbarrow over there and go over to the pile of sand over there and shovel some sand into the wheelbarrow. Then I want you to wheel the wheelbarrow full of sand, and we do want it to be full Br. S, and then dump it beside the pile of rocks over there.

  Br. S: What? That pile of sand if huge. Is anyone else going to help me?

  Br. PS: No, no. You will be shoveling and wheeling all the sand by yourself.

  Br. S: That will take me weeks.

  Br. PS: Probably. What a privilege you have in working hard for kingdom interests. When you get that done come and tell me. We will find another 'Kingdom Privilege' chore for you. I'll be in the office. Have to go, it's getting cold out here.
  
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  Listener

  Here's a link to the Vow of Obedience and Poverty 2002.
  
  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/106721/bethel-vow-poverty-documents-scanned
  
• 

  LevelThePlayingField

  I remember somewhere about a brother at Bethel who made cheese for 30 years. After they moved him to a different department he said "great" because he never really liked making cheese.

  I wonder how many of these type of guys are even left around anymore. Probably not many.
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  Heaven

  There is nothing good about poverty. Not one thing.
  
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  stan livedeath

  are there any definite numbers of those in missionary work--and in what countries ?
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  blondie

  https://www.irs.gov/publications/p517/ar02.html#en_US_2015_publink1000255890

  It's a tax thing not a religious thing for the WTS/
  
  
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  dozy

  The reference in the Watchtower is an obvious veiled criticism that some have been less than happy at being "reassigned" - ie kicked out of Bethel etc.