JW Rumor: End of the Traveling Overseer

by Edison Trent 86 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  konceptual99

  I would suggest that the org already started a change of plan with COs. In the local circuit it has been common for the present and previous CO both to be regularly substituted by local circuit elders whilst they go off to do schools elsewhere. The current CO is leaving his assignment early to go and do schools in Ireland. On his recent visit he was not even present on the Saturday am field service as he had another assignment. No one other than the elders knew in advance as no doubt it would have affected attendance.

  At the moment this type of situation seems informal but if this rumour has any legs then I would agree with view that the travelling aspect of the CO may diminish to be replaced by local substitutes (as already happens) and add that Kingdom Schools for elders may increase in regularity. There has just been a round of WEEK long schools - incredible that the WTS would compel elders to take a whole week off work to discuss whatever they think they need to discuss.

  The local substitutes would handle basic service orientated things, maybe present a video from the org and so on. Schools would then be used to drive home procedural compliance and reinforce dogma.
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  jookbeard

  wouldn't surprise me the healthcare costs in the USA alone must be substantial, although I've never really seen the point of them, they go to a circuit for three years and visit most of the congs twice a year, for a week or so it seems to give the cong a little kick up the backside etc but a couple of weeks down the line the cong as back to its lukewarm usual underperfoming self, and three years later another one comes in and the exact same thing happens again! what cant the elders do that a CO can? talk about pointless inefficiency but the WT are masters of these kinds of roles, and in my experience the body of elders usually cant wait to get rid of them quick enough.
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  Vetiver

  Hmm, I don't know. I mean, other JW's housed them when they visited our hall, and my mother would personally have me give them envelopes with money, and they never rejected them. They're almost self sustaining. Not to mention the contribution boxes became heavier when they were around. This is the observation of a Spanish hall in the LA county though.
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  Phoebe

  On our last C.O. visit he brought a 'trainee C.O.' with him, so it would appear in the U.K at least, they are still training them.

  However, in the past we have had C.Os not being able to come due to health/family issues and a local super-elder has just done the job for him. My evil brother did temp C.O. work many years ago.
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  jookbeard

  who was that Phoebe ?
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  Hecce

  By personal experience I can tell you that the substitutes are very careful of their manners and behavior. Some of the most pleasant visits were from subs.
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  Hecce

  LV101
  One CO literally stripped everything out of the apt - stereo equipment, everything. Hard to believe.

  I have never seen something like this, a few years back a very arrogant and abusive CO decided that the equipment in the CO apartment wasn't good enough for him and by himself went out bought new appliances and passed the bills to the Circuit, there was a major stinko but at the end of the day we wind up paying for it.

  When the rotation time came, he was sent home.
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  LV101

  Heece -- YES -- it was for real and the couple of congregation members relaying this info couldn't BELIEVE! I wonder how he got his hands on the money - perhaps he was on the bank account? I didn't ask questions but believe what I heard from the sources that told me. The congregation had set up everything to his liking and guess he really liked it - no, I'm being facetious -- he was stealing which is just plain wrong.
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  careful

  Well, if the GB is planning on canning them, it must be some way off. See the thread here with the letter about merging congs. The CO is in charge of the whole thing, and this has got to be some sort of long-term project:

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6000453810651136/instructions-merging-congregations
  
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  OnTheWayOut

  careful, I get what you are saying. It doesn't seem likely they would issue new instructions in Sept. to eliminate part of that instructions in Oct. But "Circuit Overseer" could still exist in another form or the term can easily be replaced on paper by "Regional Overseer."