It's stupid on their part to not read up on the relevant information before testifying. It shows disrespect for the proceedings and also handicaps themselves.
I'm going to assume they did. It was most likely told to them not to, or to come across as not knowing. They came out looking really dumb and uneducated though.
Based on how little they knew and how "dumb" they came off as, I'd be terrified to have them looking after my "spiritual life".
These are the same guys that can DF someone, make a judgement in a JC meeting, handle child abuse, look after the congregation and 99% of their answers were "I don't know" or "I wasn't aware"! That's scary the amount of power these clueless elders have.