by Davros 30 Replies latest jw friends
Has anyone turned it down or know of someone who did turn down being an elder or MS?
Yes, it should be one of the biggest privileges a brother can get !! (how do I put the barfy icon in?)
It's what most active brothers in the organization are striving for. But, I'm sure not all brothers want the added work and responsibility that comes with the appointment. Long hours, meetings at the end of the meeting, and things like that.
Anyone or know of anyone who just say "No Way"?
My father started to privately doubt God's existence when he was offered an MS position. He accepted it.
I was in the process of waking up when I was offered to become a ministerial servant, I accepted as it seemed too difficult to turn down. Really brought it home to me that it was nonsense because there was no way I should have been made a ministerial servant with the thoughts I was having at the time
I was offered MS at my last Cong. By that time I had already lost all belief in the Bible. Meetings were irregular. Didn’t turn in feild reports for more than six months . Just quit one day and never went back.
I know of a brother who refused re-appointment as an elder. Said he did not want the stress of the responsibility. Accepted to remain a MS.
I refused appointment as a circuit overseer, during a successful (with help from the US Airforce) stint as a "special pioneer" couple in a dysfunctional congregation.
The "Superior Authority" debacle had just shaken my faith in the calling and ability of the wt society, and living the sterile live of propping up their flawed doctrinal house of cards, and the wt power structure, was just too bleak a prospect.
My guess is...there are many on this board who are still serving as elders or ministerial servants. However there are a good many more who no longer serve as such. No doubt many of these ones refused to serve though there was much pleading & begging almost to the point of harrassment by other congregation elders to return.
Of course and some men after being an elder ask to be removed as one.
I was still a teenager when i was appointed as MS, and i was eager to help, so they gave me more and more jobs to do. And we went to some shepherding visits, 2/3 was about "my wife won't have sex with me, please talk to her". I asked my father who was also an elder, "is that common to ask elders such things?" and he said "it is nothing, you will be suprised what we deal in our congregation". And i thought to myself "i will better skip that knowledge".
Month or two later, i was in field service with an elder, and he asked me "do you want to serve more, maybe like elder some day or something?" I said "not really, i'm ok doing just technical jobs as MS". He was really disapointed. Next evening, my father (also an elder) ask me about yesterday's service, what did we talk, what did i said, and he said "that was just formality, we prepared your appointment for next week, now you ruined it, who could imagine that you will said 'no'", and he started to laugh. I laughed too, and said "let me mics and books and forms, but dont ask me to poke my nose to other people's laundry". And i never regreted.
in a way--i turned down the chance to be an elder. this was when the whole thing was just getting going..1971. i had been having serious thoughts about quitting altogether. i was due to give the public talk that afternoon. i just couldnt even look at the script sheet. i phoned the cong servant--and went to see him that morning. we had a friendly chat..he told me he had been about to recommend me as an elder, so he was glad i had come to see him.
he went on to suggest i take a back seat for a while, and think things over. no prayers or looking at then bible together. what was more surprising was that this guy had at one stage been a branch servant !
