Will Lack of Leadership Sink the JW Ship? (page 5)

badboy

WILL THERE HAVE TO DO WHAT THEY DO IN CATHOLIC OR COE CHURCHES?

A PRIEST/VICAR HAS RESPONABILITY FOR SEVERAL CHURCHES.

OnTheWayOut

The young ones don't want the responsibility, mostly. I think this is the
jws biggest problem. There is not the same mindset in the young as there
was in the past where brothers lived for the society.

I am in a cong. where there are young brothers who want to reach out.
I do know that this is a rare exception. I also don't expect these young
men to all become elders in the future. Half of them will wake up one day,
and some of the remainder will let their hormones take over, then maybe
become company men after their "loss of privileges" is up.

Bottom line- there won't be enough elders in the future when the current
ones quit, move, or pass away. BUT there will be some elders for awhile.

JWD posters are a bit optimistic about the quick deterioration of the org.
but I can understand. The GB members are captives of the same concept
that r&f members are captives of- that they are God's representatives.
Until they come up with new procedures and tactics, there will be a
declining pool of company men. They will still have enough for our lifetimes,
though- as long as their standards fall a bit.

I was a great example of an adult who got baptized, quickly advanced to
elder. I don't say that with pride. I learned that it wasn't important to be
the deepest Bible student or understand all the doctrines. It was just
important to promote the current teachings, be a "yes" man. Very few
boys raised JW are able to do that, so most elders will be converted adults.
There will be a handful of men who continue to enjoy the position, despite the
workload, for awhile, yet.

The recruitment is extremely low in established nations, but is still up among
developing nations and in foreign-language congs. Perhaps, in the US and UK,
the foreign-lang. congs. will supply elders to the English congs. I don't think
women are willing to step up and take the regular talk assignments in the US,
so there will be tons of work for the declining number of men. Expect to see
more Q&A assignments with questions provided. Also, if things get bad,
expect the TMS/Serv. Mtg. to be shortened before it is changed to a three-way
meeting including the book study.

blondie

Most of us are not old enough to remember when many congregations were only made up of women or a few unqualified men. The sisters did just about everything except judicial matters. The WTS continued on. If you think that the lack of men in a congregation means the end of the WTS, think of those days.

Blondie

Seeker4

When my family became Witnesses in the early 1960s, sisters were doing a lot of the assignments. When my step-father was made literature servant, the sister in charge was pissed and threw the keys to the literature case at him and stormed out!

S4

AuldSoul

Very interesting, Seeker4. It seems very probable that the eventual downfall will be caused by a lot of factors, but no hierarchically structured authority can survive without persons filling needed hierarchical positions.

If this is one of the keys, perhaps the recent elder additions to our companions is a demonstration of what is in large part responsible for the effect we are witnessing. I have long thought that the elders—who've been told to spy on the Internet in some (many?) cases—were at gravest risk from exposure to the Internet.

Unlike Joe Publisher, Brother Convincing has been an elder for some years and is gifted with reasoned arguments on doctrinal points. He's the one the publishers invite along on those "difficult" calls. But he was asked to monitor/review a local person's posts on the Internet in order to build a case against the person.

Brother Convincing is susceptible to powerful reasoning points that Joe Publisher can't even grasp. The Internet wins. The publishers lose their doctrinal champion. The elder steps down or is eventually removed. Later, fades into oblivion.

I believe firmly that what we do here has a greater effect on those who never post than it has on many of those who post here frequently. I have no data to support that belief.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

blondie

Yes, if there are men willing to do it and obedient to the WTS. I know of congregations that have sisters doing sound and the mikes, accounts, literature, etc. There are only 2 brothers besides the sisters. I have heard elders ask the CO if they can use sisters because the alternative is that the few elders have to double and triple up on the administrative duties. I know of a sister who audits the KH accounts.

I don't think you are demeaning the "sister" factor in this. Before the WTS closes up shop they will be using sisters in non-teaching administrative duties.

Blondie

Seeker4

AuldSoul wrote: "I believe firmly that what we do here has a greater effect on those who never post than it has on many of those who post here frequently. I have no data to support that belief."

Even without the data, I agree. Any thinking Witness is already going to have had serious questions about WTS teachings long before they start looking at some apostate site. I sure know I did. What happens then is that you realize others have had the same questions, and you wonder how they resolved them.

When you see their research, you realize it is just as you feared - the WTS arguments are a house of cards, and science or logic just devestates those few WTS ideas you've propped your faith up with for the last several years.

It also comes as a relief, because you realize also that the questions you have about the Witnesses are common ones that any rational person would have - not the result of your own weakness, pride, pushing ahead and lack of spirituality.

THEN, you might also start posting, as I did, and so many others on here.

S4

zack

The doubts were only part of it for me. If it had just been the case of an honest mistake or good men trying to do their best to

lead others to Christ, I could have still accepted things, mistakes and all. The Knock Out punch was the blatant DISHONESTY, the

total disregard for an individual's intelligence, integrity, and conscience. My reaction after Freeminds and JWD was not "How could they?"

it was "How DARE They!"----- (the GB)

And I am only one elder who sees it. Still an elder. Still in. And I can tell you the decline in the number of elders is real and the message from the

GB, if you are listening, is shrill. I hope every male JW becomes an elder. It is the fastest way to get a JW to see that the Org. does not follow the teachings of Christ.

And for those who reach out (to be elders) for love of God and brothers, it is the way out for them. The WTS doesn't want men w/ a Bible trained conscience because a bible

trained conscience will condemn them.

The sisters get in and stay in longer because they aren't allowed behind the curtain. Elder's wives are one of the first to see the the HS does not appoint any man to any position in the

JW structure.

AuldSoul

zack: Elder's wives are one of the first to see the the HS does not appoint any man to any position in the JW structure.

That's a new thought for me. That resonates true immediately. Perhaps some efforts might be directed along the lines of reaching the elder's wives, specifically.

Well, zack, as long as you can tolerate your chosen torments of eldership, you'll have a group here to vent to.

I long ago got rid of the notion that the majority of JWs leave over personality conflicts. It is another deceit. I know far too many people who don't have a cross word to say about more than 4 or 5 JWs, but who absolutely detest what the organization turns people into for its nefarious goals.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

one

Yes. Such a situation always produce the same results.

In fact that's what the rest of the worl is saying, recent poll, about the USA

Most of the lower rank folks "cant see the forest because of the trees", too scare, paralized. emotionally shocked, or in a estate of denial.

Will Lack of Leadership Sink the JW Ship?

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