When Elder's Fade

by zack 43 Replies latest jw friends

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  truthsearcher

  I would just like to encourage all of those elders who have had the courage to follow where their hearts and conscience were leading them. You are not losers--you are "finders"--finding freedom from the chains that bind you!

  You have seen and experienced what it is like when men try to legislate spirituality. You feel disallusioned by how you knew the elders were supposed to act and yet seeing what the reality was inside the WT. However, you need to know that there are Christians on the outside who are living the biblical model of Christ's humility and servanthood among their congregations. I have been privileged to be in a number of different groups of Christians (the non-JW variety) where the elders were men of compassion and love. They have been true brothers and mentors. They are not money-loving, ear-tickling hypocrites, as you have been led to believe.

  Remember that the WT is a counterfeit. So many of you that have been abused by this counterfeit have given up on "organized religion". However, the Bible clearly points us to a local assembly for mutual fellowship, worship, teaching, and care. Don't let the counterfeit keep you from experiencing the reality. It is out there!

  TS
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  penny2

  I know an elder who wanted to step down recently but they wouldn't accept his resignation. He still believes it's the truth but he was overworked. He is one of the loving ones (visits the sick, always has an encouraging word for everyone). My heart goes out to those ones.

  penny2
• 

  XBEHERE

  My guess is that a LOT of brothers are fed up with how congregations are run. They either leave altogether, or cut way back so that they don't have express belief in ideas that they don't go along with (blood, 1914, generation changes) or be harsh to the poor brothers in committees. It's not so bad to be a JW if you're rank-in-file (for me anywy, everyone's different).

  This is absolutely how I feel in my situation, I have determined that I can not leave the WT altogether now or I'd risk my marriage and family so I hang in. Currently still an elder but I went from Service Commitee member/Bookstudy Overseer/WT Conductor/sitting on every single committee case/troubleshooting cong issues for the last CO to basically missing at least 1 meeting a week, barely commenting at bookstudy or WT and now being ignored by 1/2 the elder body (seriously..not even a hello how are you when I walk in).

  I was hoping they would delete me the last CO visit but the cowards chickened out probably because they hate confrontation and they know I have accumulated enough dirt on many of them to bury them if I wanted to...which honestly I could give a shit about anymore. I am guessing that there are many "active" elders in a similar place as me out there.
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  Mulan

  That was my husband too, and many of our new friends from all over the country and the world...................and several elders from our congregation and local ones. What a scandal we became part of. They (the dubs) are still reeling.

  I am guessing that there are many "active" elders in a similar place as me out there.

  That was my husband for about 3 years before he fnally resigned after being an elder for 25 years, sat on special committees, taught Ministerial Training School, talks at District Conventions, every CA, etc. He was the WT overseer and a book study conductor. It was killing him. I would watch him conduct and knew what he was thinking. He would ask the question, take comments, and just let them talk. He rarely would comment on things himself, unless he wanted to slip in a heretic thought, which he did from time to time. No one noticed.

  I pretty much stopped going to all meetings, so after about a year of that, he resigned using me as a reason. I was "menopausal", so they all understood. Hahahhahha. Actually I breezed through that phase of my life. I just wanted out of the WTS.
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  AllTimeJeff

  I am glad I found this thread. I agree that the ones who resign as elders are the ones who care. The GB doesn't want indiscriminate deletions. I would say that since 1994, don't forget that the borg asked elders who engaged in sexual predatory activity to resign, and many did. In addition, life is simply getting more hectic, and men just get burned out. They either stay on and don't give a crap, or they crack.

  I for one, tried my best to be there for everyone. I was a SEC, SO, TMSO, in a small cong. It is nuts. And the CO's don't help. They think that the hooooly spirit will lift you up, and if it isn't working that way with you, then you need to get more hoooooly spirit.

  Glad to be out. Elders leaving is one more crack in the crumbling foundations of the JW.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  I know an elder who wanted to step down recently but they wouldn't accept his resignation.

  So true. They tried this nonsense on me.

  "We have to contact the society before we do anything with your resignation."

  "Why, I still resign?"

  "Well, they might not want to accept this." (Truly, they are avoiding saying that
  my resignation will be rejected in favor of a judicial committee removing me.)

  "Whatever, I still am done."
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  greendawn

  " It really is a publishing company using volunteer labor. The elders meetings are usually discussions on 1) how to increase attendance at meetings, 2) increasing hours and sales in service, and 3) making sure that everyone follows corporate dictates. Very little (in my experience) about helping those who need help or even just supporting the average person." That's the crux of the matter anyone with a minimum of objectivity will notice that the JW organisation ambience has something strange about it, it lacks Christian love which means it can't be the true religion chosen by God as they claim to be. It has instead a corporation sort of ambience which means it is a business selling religion. Unfortunately they have already made a lot of money and property and if bad comes to worse and the WTS disintegrates they will just mutate into something else and carry on making profits in a different way.
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  wannabefree

  Are there any recent stats on elders?
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  cantleave

  My congregation are totally perplexed. They think I have had some sort of break down.
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  Think About It

  93,000 elders in 1994. Less than 60,000 today.

  This was an interesting statistic. I was an elder in 1994, and if someone told me that in 15 yrs 1/3 of the JW elders would be gone, I wouldn't think it possible. I left in 1995, mainly due to the cultic legalistic nature of the religion and the lack of love as an identity of true Christianity. Many elders I'm sure were removed for legit reasons (scumbags), many for petty legalistic infractions (not in the clique, etc.), but I'm sure many woke up and seen that the JW's are a CULT lead by the WTS.

  Think About It