A Future Tipping Point?

by metatron 19 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  metatron

  Currently, congregations in the US might have an average of less than 5 elders each. However,

  a large number of elders are debilitated by age or chronic illness. In addition, I knew of many elders

  who wanted the name but none of the work - and shirked everything they could. I also noticed

  that most of the elder losses in my area were of competent men, often burned out because the other

  brothers were lazy or incapable.

  If they lose another 30,000 or so elders in the US, things could get real interesting. How will they

  enforce disfellowshipping when only one or two elders are available? Circuit Overseers could lose

  all leverage or ability to threaten if no one wants to be appointed - or perhaps, even to continue.

  Furthermore, as an analogy from business, if you don't correct continual minor losses in an

  organization ( such as losing elders) it can suddenly 'take off' and accelerate as competition

  and further burdens emerge, with fewer men doing more. It could also affect the pool of men available

  to be appointed as Circuit Overseers.

  This could be the organization's tipping point. I'd be interested to know how the declining

  congregations in much of Europe are handling this.

  metatron
• 

  jgnat

  Merge congregations and change territory boundaries. Shell game.
• 

  JK666

  Merging congregations is also a way to make some of those cavernous KH's look full.

  JK
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  A congregation can be sustained by 3 elders without great difficulty.
  Any judicial matters that require excusing any of them would be handled by
  using another congregation's elders.

  Dipping below 3 gets very difficult and burdensome. Imagine having 3 parts
  in the weeknight meeting, one of which is 20 to 25 minutes long. Imagine
  not being able to catch your breathe inbetween assignments, and having
  outgoing talks every other weekend. (Most congregations trade evenly with
  other congs. for outgoing/incoming speakers)

  Circuit Overseers could lose all leverage or ability to threaten if no one wants to be
  appointed - or perhaps, even to continue.

  That is a very real problem. Imagine the C.O speaking to the brothers:
  
  C.O - "Do as I say or I will recommend your removal."

  Elder Bob- "Oh, would you? That would be a loving kindness. I would free up more time to spend with family.
  I think I am right, so I will keep doing it my way, but you are welcome to remove and replace me."

  C.O.- "Ministerial Servant Joe, if you bring your family field service average up to 10 hours, you would be appointed
  an elder."

  M.S. Joe- "No, thank you. I am pretty busy. With overtime at work, and actually spending time with the kids and wife,
  I think a couple hours a month is plenty. Besides, I see how hard the elders work. I was thinking of
  relinquishing the responsibilities I have."

  I have read part of "The Tipping Point." I should go back to finishing the book. When I started it, I hadn't
  thought of WTS as just a business corporation. Now, I can see it that way. Good points.

  I do see a way out of this, and I think it will come to pass. They will have large congregations just to keep enough
  elders. They will combine congs. where necessary. It will not get overcrowded, as many will be missing at each
  and every meeting. Only the C.O. visit and the memorial will be difficult to manage the crowd. They will manage.
• 

  metatron

  The Society hates large congregations - and relative to its obsession with control - for good reason.

  A few elders can't keep track of it all. People drift in and out. Merged congregations end up

  tipping the organization in the same direction - they lose control.

  metatron
• 

  snowbird

  It's happening here in south Alabama. Whole circuits are being deleted/merged. They try to put a positive spin on it, but no one is fooled. There has been NO increase in this area in years. Quite the opposite, actually, as the young ones are moving away as soon as they're out of school and no new interest is being found.

  Sylvia
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  The Society hates large congregations ....
  
  Merged congregations end up tipping the organization in the same direction - they lose control.

  Yes, so they are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

  One or two elders loses control of a tiny congregregation just as fast as four loses track
  and control of a larger congregation. It's still the same number of elders vs. publishers whether
  they are merged or separate.

  The difference is in the quality of the meetings. If it's the "Bob and Jack Show" week-after-week,
  the publishers don't care to go. They already know what Bob and Jack are going to say. The
  meetings can no longer compete with CSI: Miami or Football. If there is some variety in the meetings
  and there are lots of "friends" to be social with, there should still be enough reason for more than
  70% of the congregation to show up 90% of the time.
  
  Probably, the bookstudy will suffer the most from merges. If 30 people are there anyway, then the
  low commenters don't feel the need to go study the Revelation book AGAIN, so 15 show up. In
  congregations that have an actual excess of elders (for the moment) even they don't bother to go to
  all the bookstudy meetings if they aren't the conductor.
• 

  metatron

  I can recall some C.O.'s who would get nasty about insisting that bookstudies should be about 15

  people, not 30. Of course, the reason why is obvious - it's all about control and control is what will slip

  away from them.

  metatron
• 

  stillajwexelder

  MERGE Congregations, sell off halls make the brothers shell out more gas dollars to travel to halls further away
• 

  greendawn

  I think the elders are getting fed up with the inability of the org to deliver on its promises, no paradise, no immortality, they remain as elusive as the wind. They would be more tired of the whole clownish show because they have to work that much harder than the R&F.