Former or Current Elders, MS, Pioneers.......Did you enjoy these positions?

by R.F. 31 Replies latest jw friends

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  R.F.

  Did you ever enjoy serving in this way or did you view it more as, "it's the thing that's encouraged, so that's what i'll do"?

  Im currently a MS and pioneer(will shed this one immediately) and before I ever were appointed these, I always wanted to. I thought it was a pretty cool thing for someone my age to be instructing the congo, and to have so many look up to you. However, soon after appointed to MS, I eventually started to view it as more of a burden than anything. Some of the elders seem to view you as a slave, and that some things you handle just isn't good enough. The Service Overseer is the biggest pain. He would get on to me and others that were just put into a certain department over things that weren't right. The thing is, they weren't right for YEARS and he put us there to clean it up, and it's the best it's ever been, but he's never satisfied. He speaks to everyone as if they're children, so you can only imagine how he is towards the MSs. Then you have the rest of the congo that complains all the time and it can get tiring.

  Serving in this capacity is one of the best things to happen to me. I think it would've taken even longer to see the org for what it really is without doing so. I wanted to be a CO one day, but that quickly changed after being an MS for a while.

  Pioneering was more enjoyable than MS. I thought I was doing the right thing by spending most of my time "bringing the truth to others". I must admit that I also viewed this as a stepping stone to climbing the WT corporate ladder. I was the only young person to do this so it gave encouragement to other younger ones.

  So I would like to know your feelings about your positions.

  R.F.
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  LittleToe

  I enjoyed them, but only because I had ben groomed all my life to progress through them and I genuinely thought I was helping people. My next step was CO, and it was in sight.

  Once I realised that I was actually contributing to lies I abruptly stopped enjoying them and within a few months left.
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  ninja

  I was once sent out to count the small red stones in the car park....does that count?........muhahahahahaha
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  nvrgnbk

  I thought it was the right thing to do.

  I seldom obtained any real joy from it.

  I found that puzzling.
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  Honesty

  Then you have the rest of the congo that complains all the time and it can get tiring.

  Serving in this capacity is one of the best things to happen to me. I think it would've taken even longer to see the org for what it really is without doing so. I wanted to be a CO one day, but that quickly changed after being an MS for a while. R.F.

  Are we brothers?
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  garybuss

  I didn't enjoy my time on the microphone pole, I'll tell ya that.
  
  
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  tijkmo

  i enjoyed all positions
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  R.F.

  Are we brothers?

  Haha. Why do you ask?
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  slmdf

  I was a pioneer at one time, Bethelite then an MS and then an Elder. Served on HLC and was congo secretary. I enjoyed the positions of responsibility. I too thought I was helping. Thing was I really was helping - being an empathetic shepherd; listening to the friends, making them feel good about themselves and what they did, instead of badgering them about doing more. I tried my best to teach the other elders how to have feelings and to be genuinely interested in the R&F. I finally figured out it wasn't working. But, people felt safe with me because I treated them tenderly and I accepted them for who they were. They didn't get that from others.

  Now I'm gay and hence - disfellowshipped. I guess we know why I'm in tune to everyone's emotions, right? ha!

  Hard to believe that 2006 District Convention I was assigned a teaching part on the program. My how things change.
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  Open mind

  I thought it was a pretty cool thing for someone my age to be instructing the congo, and to have so many look up to you.

  It can be a real ego booster for a young guy.

  In addition to that, I grew up in a family where the attitude was "If you're not in full time service, you're nothing." So the peer pressure was pretty strong. Strike that. Overwhelming. Stifling. Life sucking. etc.

  Becoming an elder does have the perk of not having to take quite as much crap from the elders since you are one.

  As far as enjoying it goes...........well. I guess it was nice to be viewed as "good enough" since elders must, by organizational definition, be good enough, right?

  When I look back on the countless nights I did not spend with my family due to JCs, Shepherding or Elders Meetings it was certainly not "worth it" from a selfish perspective. At the time though, I thought I was doing the right thing.

  Open Mind
  (of the, now very flaky elder, class)