If the "Coordinator" has the same responsibilities as the now-defunct "Presiding Overseer", than this change in titles does nothing. Perhaps they'll go back to rotational "Coordinators"?
Oh, and thanks Billy for the great apost-light!
BOE letter: "presiding overseer" becomes "coordinator of the body of elders
by Billy the Ex-Bethelite 113 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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daniel-p
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Gregor
Governing Body, indeed. Excellent point, james.
Instead of the cumbersome "Coordinator of the body of elders", wouldn't the term "Congregation Servant" be more in line with the offered reason for the change? Of course it would. Just one obvious problem, it would be remembered that in the early 70's that term was shitcanned with the introduction of the "Elder Arrangement" and it would not have the cutting edge buzz of the new term. Whatever, the rank and file love it when the Borg rearranges the same old furniture to make it seem fresh. Spiritual Food in due season, yummy!
A question. Isn't the body of elders still serving in the various positions in rotation? They used to. I rotated through all of them. T.School, BS, Watchtower, Presiding. (did I miss one?) If so, then the above change is really moot. Musical chairs
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Gozz
preside
1. To hold the position of authority; act as chairperson or president.
coordinate
1. One that is equal in importance, rank, or degree.True. But the PO's new title makes him a coordinator:
coordinator noun someone whose task is to see that work goes harmoniously
So he's got at least a responsibility every other member of the BOE hasn't. The Brooklyn boys 're again caught in their own web of foolishness..
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minimus
It took them all these years to figure this out,???
Then ANY elder that can simply coordinate should rotate to that "position".
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horrible life
ataloa: LOL LOL I laughed so hard, my bird is screaming, thinking something is wrong!! Thanks!
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M.J.
So now the elder coordinator (sounds a bit like a position on a cruise ship for some odd reason) has all the same responsibility but perhaps less authority to make it happen.
It seems like a formula for increased 'groupthink' on the BOE.
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AK - Jeff
One possibility for the change comes to mind:
I have known of several high-minded elders who lobbied the CO to get 'assigned' to another congregation that 'needs help', then a year or two down the road, that elder, having made himself visible to the CO for his 'sacrificial attitude', gets appointed PO of the congregation. It is one of the few ways that a up and comer can get 'promoted' when langering in a larger body of elders.
With the apparent shortage of elders, and many leaving the 'truf', the GB is perhaps just trying to keep the friction of competition down, and maintain elders 'in their place'. Looks like a mini good-ole-boys-club had been forming with higher profile elders and CO's in some cases. Now, bye-bye CO's, and bye-bye those whom they promoted to PO's. After all, only the GB should be doing that.
Jeff
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daniel-p
Again, this all fits in with a possible over-arching plan of DECENTRALIZATION. Remove COs, check. Make POs more like ordinary elders, check. What next?
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AK - Jeff
Daniel - I can't imagine that they will honesty Decentralize, but they may want to give that impression on some fronts. Perhaps to diffuse a rash of lawsuits they see coming, and to put it in the laps of the elders and congregations?
Whatever the reason - they will never give up central control, no matter how well they disguise it to look like that. Will they?
Jeff
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daniel-p
Jeff, it's obvious they are decentralizing in some respects--already having pulled several of the legal connections between the Watchtower Society and the Governing Body. Now, they're getting rid of COs for travelling elders, and also removing COs as "heads" of the congregation. It almost looks like a move toward how a lot of other religions have decentralized churches with their own sets of local clergy. On the other hand, as you say, it's hard to believe the Society would do anything like this, seeing as how they've always tried to exercise as much control over the R&F as they could.
I just try to constantly connect the dots--somewhere at Bethel there is a very carefully laid-out 10-year, 20-year plan for changes to this organization. Downsizing, streamlining, reducing overhead costs, moving away from the heirarchical Bethelite structure, cutting away liabilities, removing COs, sending home lifetime servants, reducing costs of printing, downloading WT and Awake articles from their website, reducing the number of meetings (and therefore the amount of literature that needs to be studied AND the manpower to conduct the meetings)... the list will continue to pile up to ONE THING: downsizing and streamliniing of the entire religion, from top to bottom. Reducing central expenses, decentralizing COSTS, putting more of the financial burden of RUNNING this religion onto local bodies of elders (local clergy) and rank and file members.
