Against my better judgement, I've decided to share the following as a response to Guy Pierce passing and the announcement of the elimination of District Overseers later this year.
Late in January (2014) I got an email from one of my contacts (a fader) who served at Bethel for several years, but is no longer at WT HQ. He still has a lot of close contacts within the Service Department and in other departments at Patterson and knows people in all of the NY offices. I kept this email set aside on a flash drive and haven't shared it with anyone - figuring I'd publish an article about it later this year when I had more time to do it right. I had no idea that some of what it contained would happen so soon.
That's all I am allowed to say about my contact, but I can assure you that he is the real deal. He says that he does communicate with a few other ex-JW bloggers and apparently visits JWN frequently (I doubt if he posts). I feel honored that he includes me on his short-list of correspondents. He won't share his name or location - not even with me - so torturing me won't help to reveal his identity. I delete all traces of his original emails from my computer and Yahoo!mail account (but NSCS probably has copies filed away somewhere in their archives.)
However, he encouraged me to share his comments with my readers - and in fact hoped that I would. As you will see as you read this, he pulls no punches - not even with me.
In his email he writes (edited to remove some personal and private notes to me naming other people, specific locations, and other identifying text and phrases):
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". . . Some of my friends have been sharing hints and gossip for several months about a major shakeup expected to take place sometime later this year within the New York organization. Many of the changes will only apply to North America at first, but will likely be adapted for foreign branches in 2015 and 2016. I can assure you that there will be a lot of pissed off brothers who have dedicated their lives to serving the Watchtower. I say they'll get what they deserve for being so gullible.
"Both the Penn and NY corporations are involved in implementing the changes which are reportedly quite extensive. For average elders and JWs at local levels all of this will seem a lot like the nearly constant renaming and shuffling of elder positions that took place in the 1970s and 1980s. Here is what I've heard so far and it all seems credible:
"District Overseers will be reassigned as COs, moved to fill some capacity at the Branch Office or given training jobs. Those over 70 (except for those with a lot of friends and influence among the current GB, i.e. "blood relatives serving in high positions") are already being interviewed. Those who worked in the private sector before becoming special pioneers - or their promotion CO - or sent off to Bethel - will be asked (interrogated?) about their financial reserves. Do they have well-off JW relatives who will take them in? Do they have secular retirement? Or will they qualify for social security benefits from jobs they've held? Do they have adult children or grandchildren who will provide them with room and board? If so, they will be "retired" from branch service and sent home with a small cash reward (rumors are $25,000 for some, more or less for others - depends on who their friends are or whom they may have pissed off during their JW career). Those with any kind of Social Security, military, or corporate retirement benefits are almost sure to be sent home and then left to fend on their own.
"Some that don't have any family - or their family members are all "apostates" (like one of my close acquaintances from the past who lives in Blythe [California]), may be provided with a single-wide house trailer and forced to live in a low cost retirement park in the deserts of California, Arizona or New Mexico. As far as the Watchtower is concerned that is where they can go to die. Let Medicare or Obamacare take care of their medical costs.
"In spite of the pruning of old Bethelites, some expansion is expected, primarily in Legal, Real Estate, and Training departments. There is talk of upgrading the public edition of the Watchtower to make it more credible and interesting for non-JW readers. There is general consensus that the Writing Department has "dumbed down" the public WT far too much. Awake! magazines have become even "dummer" - to the point that they are a joke and have no credibility at all with the public. It is likely that the two will be merged into one new 32 page monthly mini-magaziine designed specifically for the public. The name of the magazine may even be different so that it is not so quickly identified as being "JW literature." I suggest they call it "Awake to the Watchtower!" - but no one listens to me any more.
"The bottom line is that in 5 years the Watchtower will look a lot different in many ways than it does today. Rumors are that the Governing Body will be expanded to 12 to better match the biblical magic number of apostles, tribes of Israel, etc. That will also reset the 'magic number' to 8 needed to get a majority vote to make a doctrinal change. They think that more things will get done and decisions will come quicker than with the current number of GB set at 8.
"There are a lot of reletavely powerful and influential men at HQ and in the field who are over 60 and want their chance to be appointed to the GB. Expect one or more to come from Legal. One of my friends suggests that "annointed" will become synomous with "appointed." If a brother is "appointed" to the Governing Body, then the logic is that he has automatically been "annointed" by holy spirit and would therefore be considered to be part of the 144K. And by the way, that number is under discussion and is very likely to become identified as symbolic and not literal -"representative of a great number of chosen men selected by Jehovah for special service and an eventual heavenly reward." (It may also be determined that only males can qualify to be "annointed"- but that will be a hard one to shove down JW throats - especially older sisters. They may offer that as an "opinion requiring further research and spiritual guidance," but give Jehovah the final choice as to whether certain women have qualified or can qualify for the" heavenly prize." That will allow future Governing Bodies to be made up of more ambitious men of all ages - with the understanding that if they do well in their assignments and stay faithful until death, that Jehovah will also let them serve him in heaven. Bottom line: 144,000 doctrine is going to change - in big ways - but probably will take quite a long time and fed in small bites to the rank and file. The Governing Body knows they can pull out their "new light" excuse any time and get most of the rank and file to shut up and accept change without protest.
"Tell your friends to start reading and analyzing the Watchtower study editions very closely. Try to get every District Assembly talk recorded and analyzed. You know from your own experience that a lot of changes can be made right under the average JW nose and they will never take notice or give a damn. My contacts have implied that the real changes will start taking place after the next annual meeting. I would love to get tickets to that show on the 100th anniversary of 1914. This "centennial year" should be very interesting to watch and analyze.
"I make no promises, but I will try to keep you updated as I can. It will be interesting to take another look at this very email in five years and see how much of this actually happens. I think you will be surprised - as you know the sources I maintain are very close to the core of the Watchtower apple. In the meantime, keep up your good work - and please keep your websites updated. You are slipping, my friend - I know you are very busy and are helping a lot of other folks with their websites and projects - but you need to remember you have your own readers and keep them involved with your points of view."
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As Ripley once said, "Believe It or NOT!" I say you can take it or leave it. Some - or all - of you reading the above here on JWN will doubt its credibility - and also that of both myself and the sender. That seems to be what you do best.
But I offer it up anyway. I'll publish an edited version of this on one of my websites sometime next week.
JV