Elders....what sort of training do they get...how are they selected

by insearchoftruth 32 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • insearchoftruth
    insearchoftruth

    My wife who is studying with a JW, whenever I ask her a question she will respond, I don't know, I am still learning, you need to ask the elders about that....

    She raises these gentlemen up on a pedestal....are there any special qualifications, what sort of training do they recieve, any background checks required???

  • Awakened at Gilead
    Awakened at Gilead

    They are picked by holy spirit...

    (Which somehow can't tell if they're closet pedophiles or secret masturbators)

    The local BOE ratifies the Holy Spirit decision and recommends a man to the CO. The CO send a recomendation the the local branch, who then stamps approval or rejects.

    I guess the holy spirit has nothing to do with it after all...

  • insearchoftruth
    insearchoftruth
    CO send a recomendation the the local branch, who then stamps approval or rejects

    So the local branch can override God's active force........

  • flipper
    flipper

    What sort of training ? Not enough. How are they seleced ? It's called the " school of brown-nosing "

  • Honesty
    Honesty

    If they can spew out 'word for word' from Watchtower literature, make a token appearnce in Field Service at least once a week and don't get caught playing with little JW boys they can be recommended by Holeee Spit for elder.

  • OnTheWayOut
    OnTheWayOut

    The local BOE ratifies the Holy Spirit decision and recommends a man to the CO. The CO send a recomendation the the local branch, who then stamps approval or rejects.

    I guess the holy spirit has nothing to do with it after all...

    The local BOE (Body of Elders) looks at how many hours a man (and his family) have in
    the field circus, and notice if he is available for lowly assignments. If he and they are
    doing alright in the circus, then their being regular at all the meetings pretty much makes
    him a Ministerial Servant, as long as he was willing to do the lowly assignments like
    cleaning the toilets and mowing the lawn.

    From the Ministerial Servants, if they and their families continue to keep up the hours
    in field circus and keep up the meeting attendance, then they look at how his talks in
    the school and his reading ability are. Some are not good speakers and will occasionally
    get appointed elder because they are so good at kissing the elders' asses. The main thing
    is that they do all the jobs the elders don't want to do- clean the hall, count the money,
    lock up the hall at the end of the meeting, lead the group in field circus, distribute the
    magazines to the JW's, organize the territory for field circus, be attendants. If they do all that
    and they come back asking for more, they usually get appointed elder. If they do all that,
    and don't ask for more, but give great talks, they are still usually appointed elders.

  • tiffy0212
    tiffy0212

    My husband was a elder and then he got removed when he left us high and dry. He said he was appointed by Jehovah's holy spirit. Guess the holy spirit made a mistake.

  • lawrence
    lawrence

    How quickly we forget brothers and sisters... that 4 years of the Awake magazine was equal to a college education... lest we forget!

  • Quirky1
    Quirky1

    I like Flipper's response....

    Selected by Holy Sh#t and trained by school of brown nosing.

  • SnakesInTheTower
    SnakesInTheTower

    training? you are kidding right?

    For the 5-6 years I was an elder, I got an hour with the CO twice a year with the rest of the elders....CO reading from an outline from the Society. Every 2-3 years, there would be an elder school. I went to 2 as an elder...a day and a half.. and I dont mean 12 hours either... listening to the same drivel as always. Every once in awhile there used to be a meeting with the CO and DO during the CA....but that was replaced with "business meeting" (aka "rubber stamp the decisions about money already made by the CO and DO...including sending a "donation to the society").

    Even those comparatively rare elders like myself that went to MTS...let me tell you it was intense...and it was nonsense in retrospect. 8 weeks of my life wasted....ok...not really... it served a single useful purpose....it woke me up to the realities of the Watchtower Society. Seeing behind the curtain of the Wizard of Oz...opened my eyes.... It only took me another 5 years to leave.

    Elders (and MS's) are supposedly chosen by holy spirit....based on the procedure that qualifications for overseers are outlined in the bible (which allegedly is inspired of holy spirit)...thus...in a circular reasoning sort of way...if the BOE reads the qualifications and follows them in the Scriptures, it is as if the person is appointed directly by God through holy spirit. Then the CO (who allegedly is also appointed by holy spirit....via the Governing Body who directly appoints only COs and branch overseers).... usually agrees with the recommendation...where it goes to Bethel...where it is literally rubber stamped by the Service Department....with a Governing Body stamp.... the GB never actually sees the appointment letter or is involved....then it comes back to the elders who ask the elder (or MS) if "there is any reason you should not be appointed?" and "were you ever a pedophile?"....once the wannabe elder says "no...no reason" its announced that night..

    Of course, we all have heard stories of elders and MSs that were involved in wrongdoing at the time of their appointment, at the time of their consideration for appointment....thus....no holy spirit can possibly involved...since "God" does not make mistakes.....

    We also probably know of elders who didnt meet the so-called "Scriptural qualifications" that were appointed anyway..... and those that later failed to meet the qualifications but were not removed (like the current SO/regular pioneer elder in my old congo that got busted for looking at porn but allowed to stay on anyway....)

    So.... no training.....no basis for appointment.....all BS....

    Snakes ()

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