Governing Body pre-'70s: All Shareholders?

by neat blue dog 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • neat blue dog
    neat blue dog

    I used to think that before the Governing Body was introduced in the 1970's as we know it today, that they used that term for the 7-member board of directors. But the article written by Milton Henschel in the '50s that was just posted showed another angle. Apparently all shareholders were the "governing body" and the board was their representative, just like later they would say that all anointed ones were the faithful slave and the GB was their representative.

    The governing body at present has 402 members, who reside in 29 countries and elect seven ministers as a board of directors. The board chooses one director as president.
  • Gorbatchov
    Gorbatchov

    New for me!

    G.

  • St George of England
    St George of England

    @nbd

    Interesting, do you have a link to that reference or the article?

    I think at one point there were 500 'members' and they did their vote at the AGM. I think Ray Franz mentioned this as he did a postal vote the first year he left.

    George

  • DesirousOfChange
    DesirousOfChange

    The "governing body" that is referred to as "shareholders" was not The Governing Body (7-18 men who "run the show"). I believe there are still "shareholders" who attend the Corp Meeting. I have no idea who they are or how they got that position, but it goes way back. Today there is a very determined effort to separate Corporate big shots from the Governing Body members, likely for legal purposes.

  • neat blue dog
    neat blue dog

    DesirousOfChange:

    As long as there is the WT Society of Pennsylvania there will be shareholders, it's a corporation. They conduct the voting in private separate from the public portion of the annual meeting. At this year's, the chairman even announced that all shareholders and their guests were getting a free meal. The GB has been completely separated from the corporation since 2001, when any remaining GB members who were on the board stepped down. All I'm wondering about is the etymology of "governing body" as used by JWs at that time.

  • John Davis
    John Davis

    A shareholder is an inaccurate statement. They were and still are voting members of the corporation. The term shareholder would indicate that someone owns stock in a corporation. Back then and currently the voting members don't own stock or have any profit sharing in the corporation. The members are voted in by the other members of the corporation every 6 years. It is just like how any other non-profit organization corporate structure.

  • neat blue dog
    neat blue dog
  • John Davis
    John Davis

    You are correct Pennsylvania allows the term shareholder. I am sorry.

  • John Davis
    John Davis

    Actually just read the corporate set up from Barbara Anderson site. Prior to 1945 those members were considered shareholders because a contribution of 10 dollars allowed for 1 share of non monetary portion of the corporation. But in 1945 it was changed to the term member. And it set a limit of 500 members and no fewer than 300 members.

  • disfellowshipped1
    disfellowshipped1

    *** w90 3/15 pp. 16-18 pars. 8-13 Cooperating With the Governing Body Today ***

    • Looking back in this “time of the end,” we are not surprised that the members of the Governing Body were at first closely identified with the editorial staff of the Watch Tower Society. . . . For years, the visible Governing Body came to be identified with the seven-member board of directors of this corporation established to publish the Bible study aids needed and used by the Lord’s people earth wide. The Society’s seven directors were faithful Christians. But their role in a legal corporation might have suggested that they owed their positions on the Governing Body to their being elected by legal members of the Watch Tower Society. Furthermore, by law such membership and its voting privileges were originally granted only to certain ones who made contributions to the Society. This arrangement needed to be changed. This was done at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania corporation of the Watch Tower Society held on October 2, 1944. The statutes of the Society were amended so that membership would no longer be on a financial basis. Members would be chosen from among faithful servants of Jehovah, and these have come to include many serving full-time at the Society’s headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, and in its branches throughout the world. Reporting on this improvement, The Watchtower of November 1, 1944, stated: “Money, as represented in financial contributions, should have no determining voice, should in fact have nothing to do with the filling of the governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses on earth. . . . The holy spirit, the active force which comes down from Jehovah God through Christ Jesus, is that which should determine and guide in the matter.” . . . Until 1971 those of the Governing Body were still identified with the seven members of the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
    https://www.theworldnewsmedia.org/topic/51685-aus-watchtower-pdf-files/?do=findComment&comment=80597

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