There used to be a time when one knew who the president of the Watchtower Society was, and with that in mind, one could sense some kind of leadership. Perhaps witnesses then, felt that "the Society" was keeping up with Jehovah's celestial chariot. Maybe you felt in the 80s and 90s that you had to keep "in step with Jehovah's organization" because it was making bigger steps each year - and with each new release, maybe you felt "privileged" to be a part of the "spiritual paradise."
Those days are gone. With the members of the governing body all resigning from their postions as directors, and of course, the president himself, very little is known about these aged men, the oldest being almost 100.
Much is spoken about them, in roundabout terms - you hear, "the governing body," and "the faithful slave", yet you may never ever meet one of these individuals in your life - much less read their life story.
Their personal lives and there thoughts are relatively unknown - save for those few that have worked with them in Bethel or on other occasions.
The few old gentocrats that control the lives of 6.5 million witnesses are largely unknown, and therefore impersonal.
Not only are they impersonal (except for their brief letter in the yearbook and daystext), they are also invisible. Scarecly does one find a photograph of any of them - much less all of them.
I believe that one of the very few photo's of all of them, and certainly not together, is in the Kingdom Proclaimers book, released in 1993.
Impersonal they are, invisible they are. If anyone's presence was invisible, it had to be theirs, and even before 1914.
If anyone can shed recent light on this mysterious group of old men, who rarely speak in public (except at conventions) and are rarely, if ever seen on field service, this would be news indeed.