I reached quite high. I was believing that I was doing "God's Will". When I found the "truth" about the "Truth", I simply quit, faded out and then disfellowshiped
How HIGH did you climb the ranks as a JW? Did you like the STATUS?
by unshackled 77 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
What Now?
I regular pioneered for four years and had 2 assembly parts. When I was in my last year of high school, I told my mom that I wanted to go to university and become a teacher, and she got a disgusted look on her face and asked me why I would want to do that. When all of the other kids my age were handing in their pioneer slips, I figured I may as well. My parents wrote me a card which said, and I quote "this is the only thing that you could have ever done that would make us truly proud of you!". The majority of the young ones in the hall were regular pioneering at the time, and sad to say we formed a little clique. I got caught up in it too unfortunately. I have to say that I did enjoy the prestige that came with being a regular pioneer (it especially ingratiated me to my future mother in law who loved to brag that her sons girlfriend was a a pioneer!). The ones who weren't pioneering generally weren't included in a lot of the social gatherings. In fact, I don't remember having any congregation parties. The only parties that were ever organized were for elders, ministerial servants, pioneers and their families. Eventually, due to some issues with depression I came off the list and immediately noticed a difference in how I was treated.
-
XBEHERE
Pioneer, MS, Bethelite, Elder- as Secretary, Service Overseer, and finally brief stint as PO several years ago. Was also used for appeal committee's occasionally by CO. Such a massive waste of f***ing time.
-
blondie
Often quoted by the WTS in regard to any member...good for nothing slave...
Luke 17:7-10 (Holman Christian Standard)
7 "Which one of you having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he comes in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'? 8 Instead, will he not tell him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink'? 9 Does he thank that slave because he did what was commanded? 10 In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, 'We are good-for-nothing slaves; we've only done our duty.' " ------------ -
Was New Boy
I know the witnesss think everyone is the same....that there is no rank....but really...
I started off as a publisher in 1955, poineered in 1968, Bethel 1970, Gilead class 1975, Speical pioneer 1976 Ivory coast Africa, Branch office overseer 1983, Called back to Bethel in 1989. Bethel elder and Service department 1990. Governing body in 19.....
Sorry I got carried away.....just pioneered and bethel, the rest was all bullshit!
Come to think about it....it was all bullshit.
-
unshackled
i became a ministerial servant because they appointed me without consultation or notice.
Aussie Oz: Well what a gift that was! Really though…what an odd thing to do, never heard of that happening. Did you question them about it?
I hated when brothers back out because if I were able to give it........I wound up doing the talk. Except I hadn't studied or read any of the material myself, so I usually pulled the talk out of my a%$ in the bathroom a few minutes before.
av8orntexas: I remember doing that many times. Well not in bathroom minutes before, but throwing talks together an hour before the meeting. Actually seemed easier that way.
we both joked that it would only have taken me 7 years to do a medical degree !!!
the max: Funny and well sadly true. Think what we could've accomplished if we had all our JW time we wasted back?
In spring 2006 I heard that this same Elder had said they would have to call on me to determine whether I had studied properly with my sons, who had both left the religion by then.
wobble: Whether you had studied properly? Meaning you didn't fully brainwash them. Imagine a human acting on their own accord…how horrible.
just kind of blundered my way up in the ranks by default.
dozy: I like this. Blundered your way up…sounds like a Forrest Gump story in JW world.
I enjoyed the ministry a lot, mainly because I got to talk to people with real opinions and interesting lives.
Millions: Interesting way to view it. I hated field service…stomach was in a knot the whole time. But really, take away the fact we were talking BS to them, it was a chance to meet all kinds of people.
My parents wrote me a card which said, and I quote "this is the only thing that you could have ever done that would make us truly proud of you!"
What Now?: Welcome to the forum. I know that feeling..my parents were the same. What a tragedy it would've been if we become a scientists and found a cure for cancer.
Gilead class 1975
Was New Boy: You had me going there. Was all eager to ask you about Gilead in the year the world was supposed to end.
-
straightshooter
Regular pioneered for almost a year. Auxiliary pioneered several times. Became a Ministerial Servant, was removed, became a Ministerial Servant several times. Did everything as a Ministerial Servant. Finally became an elder. I was the Service Overseer, Watchtower conductor, and School overseer. Loved giving talks and especially receiving hospitality afterwards. I was railroaded out of being an elder. Threatened with df when my daughter was df and was still living at home.
-
FifthOfNovember
Unbaptised publisher. Go me. ^.^
-
unshackled
FifthofNovember: Congrats...in this case less is more.
-
RayPublisher
Pioneer 6 years, Bethel for a few, MS for 9 elder for 10 did all the positions except PO (Coordinator of the Body of Elders as it is now called) gave parts on the CA, DC, was a good speaker.
I regret DFing people- we had hundreds of committee meetings over the course of a couple years there it was aweful and I would come home at midnight often and just be wrung out like a wet towel emotionally. I can say that about 90% of them were "easy" in that so and so committed fornication 38 times and hid it from their wife kind of situations...Anyway, I know of at least one that we DFed wrongly- I was only 28 brand new, didn't know what the h&ll I was doing tried to speak up but the older guy who was chairman shut me down so I went along w it. In retrospect I guess we did the young guy a favor I suppose. He left and never came back and has a normal life now.
I didn't crave "the position" although I enjoyed helping the friends and being "used by Jehovah" as I thought it was, and can look back on that part and say I helped some people. I did a lot of shepherding and phone calls, answering questions, etc.