Why don't Elders who are sick and elderly ever step down? (page 2)

chickpea

i was quite fond of the one elder from the KH i attended who had come to the area as the company servant ( or whatever the proper term was) to establish the congregation in this area....in the late 40s i think it was .... a little over a year ago he died at home in his late 80s, after a lengthy decline..... he never stepped down

slimboyfat

Our PO was "retired" as an elder when his wife got clinical depression.

BluesBrother

Because The Society does not have an age limit..So called "faithful elders" are allowed to remain and contribute whatever they can to the proceedings. As someone said, usually if they move into care they are not re appointed.

This is a bummer for the cong though. On paper they may have say six elders, but if in fact a couple of them are past it, then they really have four only. But the C/o's report shows six

WTWizard

It is another form of score inflation that the Watchtower Society uses to make themselves look good. Others are having children getting baptized at age 6, pushing easy campaigns to get those on the borderline of becoming publishers on the books, fake reports written up by hounders for the hounder-hounder, and the 15 minute publisher arrangement. Also, lowering the nominal requirements to pioneer results in "score inflation" in the number of pioneers.

Burger Time

The old ones in my congo were the cool ones.

Bonnie_Clyde

I'm surprised at your responses. If an elder were asked to step down just because they were old or sick, we would say, "Look what they do to you when you're no longer useful in the congregation."

10p

The only problem with this, is the duplicity again. As usual, the society says one thing to sound good, but their practise shows otherwise. They always go on about how 'elder' is not a title or position etc.

This is actually one of those things that always bothered me too, when I was JW.

I had no problem showing respect to the older men of great experience. I personally had no problem with them retaining the title. But for gods sake, it IS a title, and call it so. Its the doublespeak that irrritates me.

They would always go on about how being appointed was a 'step down', that you became a servant, a minister. Well, if you are not able to serve or minister anymore, then how could you be an 'elder'? It just showed how it was in fact a title, a position - that in reality, the younger brothers had ambition for, for its power and prestige.

Why don't Elders who are sick and elderly ever step down?