Notes from recent CO meeting with elders/ms

Doubting Bro

For some reason, I can't cut & past from Word.

Finally-Free

Hmmm, is this blank post due to a premature hit on the 'enter' key or is it that the meeting wasn't worth writing home about?

Try cutting and pasting from Word to notepad, and then cut and paste from notepad to the web page. The site doesn't seem to like some of Word's formatting.

W

lost_light06

the forum doesn't like word. Open up Notepad or Wordpad, paste your text from Word into either of those. Then re-copy and past the text in the forum. That usually works for me.

AK - Jeff

Waiting with bated breath...................

We recently had the CO visit and I thought I would share the notes from the outline given to the elders/ms. Nothing earth shattering here. You would think that the meetings the CO has with the elders/ms would be encouraging them to think of ways that they can help the congregation. Instead, it is often a lesson in the WT Talmud.

Render ~~WTS~~ God Sacred Service with Godly Fear & Awe (of the FDS)

3 ways we can demonstrate godly fear:

1) Resolving Disputes – 1 Cor 6:1-8 – Don’t take your brother to court. Paul outlined this policy for Christians. Serious disputes such as fraud and slander should be handled in accordance with Matt 18. To avoid reproach on Jehovah’s name, elders should provide direction but not take sides. Settle business matters by using the Bible. Contact the branch if necessary. There are some permissible legal matters that can go to court including 1) insurance compensation, 2) divorce, 3) child custody, 4) alimony, 5) bankruptcy, 6) wills. You can take legal action if the other party sues you first (counter-suit). If you sue your brother, you will be removed as an elder/ms.

My comments – Given yesterdays WT article where the great crowd was clearly only companions of Christians and not really Christians themselves, I can’t really see how the scripture cited can apply. Paul said that they were to judge the world, so why can’t they act as judges now. However, I don’t know any anointed elders, we certainly don’t have any. So, doesn’t that mean that they’re not qualified to sit in judgment? Also, why woulda spiritual leader feel the need to meddle in others business affairs? That’s why we have impartial judges.

2) Show honor to one another – Haggi 2:7 – All brothers are desirable. Don’t feel that the English language congregations are superior to non-English congregations when sharing the hall. Don’t make them a 2nd class citizen. Reports that some BOE are having trouble working together. Must have the same mental attitude as Jesus.

Not surprisingly, there is major dysfunction among JW elder bodies. I haven’t seen one yet that really gets along that well. The infighting is noticed by the R&F and fuels the gossip mill. There are very few elders I know that have the same mental attitude as Jesus. Also, notice how the WTS is recognizing how important non-English congregations are to the numbers here in the US? I would love to see the numbers broken down by language. How much would you be willing to bet that the English congregations are shrinking and Spanish & other languages are completely driving the 1% US increase?

3) Adhere closely to theocratic direction in appointments – Must follow the scriptures. OD book sets out qualifications for elders & ms. Holy spirit appoints you. 1 Tim 3 & Titus 1 set out 16 requirements for elders. Also, look at their “theocratic history” (meetings, service time, family study, commenting, willingness to do whatever they are asked). There should be an impartial review and no favoritism for friends & relatives. Don’t measure prospective elders against what current elders are doing, measure against the guidelines. Must be baptized for 1 year before being considered for ms. 27-28 minimum age for elders. Only those who meet spiritual qualifications at the time of appointment are said to be appointed by holy spirit. Titus 1:5 – Titus given authority from Paul who was on the first century governing body to make appointments. Same today. GB appoints men who make the actual appointments. Holy spirit is behind us.

Ok, let me get this straight. Elders/ms are appointed by holy spirit only if they met the qualifications set out in the Bible. But, holy spirit doesn’t block the appointment of someone who doesn’t? So, how exactly is holy spirit involved at all? And, notice how it’s not just the scriptures that are used. The theocratic history is the element that gets 90% of the attention in my experience.

In conclusion, this one wasn’t as rule driven as others in the past, believe it or not. But, there was very little said about taking care of orphans & widows or about helping folks with real problems. If I were to sum up the single largest problem with the org, this is it. All the focus on rules, none on love.

ocsrf

Ok, let me get this straight. Elders/ms are appointed by holy spirit only if they met the qualifications set out in the Bible. But, holy spirit doesn’t block the appointment of someone who doesn’t? So, how exactly is holy spirit involved at all? And, notice how it’s not just the scriptures that are used. The theocratic history is the element that gets 90% of the attention in my experience.
In conclusion, this one wasn’t as rule driven as others in the past, believe it or not. But, there was very little said about taking care of orphans & widows or about helping folks with real problems. If I were to sum up the single largest problem with the org, this is it. All the focus on rules, none on love.

Exactly

OC

OnTheWayOut

Most every elder I know has no problem with the conflicting ideas:
Holy Spirit guides the GB and the elder selection.
Holy Spirit provides new flashes of light.
The GB is not is inspired, so adjustments in understanding have to be made.
Sometimes, elders are appointed who never really were qualified- so you without
the same spirit direction as the GB, make sure they are qualified before asking
the spirit directed GB to consider them.

AuldSoul

Thanks, Doubting Bro.

So ... Paul was on the GB, eh? From a brief consideration of Galatians 1-3 it seems to me that he wasn't aware of that fact. He was oblivious to that fact, the way the text reads.

One thing is certain, he didn't attend weekly meetings with the GB. Nor did he have any hand in the content of the semi-monthly publications that were being distributed by the First Century disciples in lieu of teaching.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

minimus

So....if an elder or MS gets stiffed by a "brother" and the elders deem it as something they will not help to resolve, if the "servant" goes to court to retrieve his $$$$$ , he's going to be deleted. I know of a lot of very stupid elders that are unqualified to render a business decision. so in order to keep a position, the man has to shut up or else.

Notes from recent CO meeting with elders/ms

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