Hi all,
I would describe my congregation on the whole as quite wooden ad robotic. Though there are some genuine sincere and loving brothers/sisters, there is overall something missing in my hall. I dont feel incited to love and fine works by the brothers.
I find the BOE as a whole - to be quite distant. They rarely go on shepherding visits and seem to concentrate wholly on Brothers with potential ie MS's who are being molded into future elders.
I know of one Sister, who has been going through a breakup with her husband and often asked the elders for help. She mentioned to another sister that the elders hardly supported her in all the years she was having problems and would have to go up to them directly to seek help-all the time (never them going up to her and asking how she is doing).
The impression I get is that it is a very much a - 'three strikes and you are out, type of hall'. Ie if you mess up a few times, the elders simply view you as a waster...no longer worth the effort. I often imagine what they would be like as prison guards in some back of beyond third world country, and think that I would not like to be locked up in one of their cells.
Apart from one very nice elder who is very sincere and genuine, the body as a whole are a very strange group of men. I cant make them out at all. In fact 1 Cor ch 13 comes to my mind when ever any these ones (apart from the nice elder) gives items or talks.
I sometimes wonder if this perfect little hall where everyone appears to be related to each other, is the reason why they are this way. Its just a theory, but perhaps a reason, is that they dont want their little utopia to be changed too much. What I mean is, because they perhaps have become to comfortable over the years, they are afraid of the boat being rocked by newer ones coming in and then changing their robotic (whats worked till now) ways. Of course there is the man made flock book they also have to stick to which influences the way they go about things.
If this is the case, then they are to a degree fearful, that their little utopia will change and they wont like it. This may be I beleive, why the BOE are very watchful and suspicious of everyone who might appear to be 'different' to those they control...er I mean shepherd and guide, sorry. They dont strike me as the type of men who are very tolerant or long suffering to individuals they perceive to be weak (if going back to what I mentioned earlier about the 3 strike rule);.
Anyway, sorry for droning on a bit.
Would be good to see how you descibe your congregation.
TE