As many of us realize- times are hard for the WT society getting men to " reach out " for an elders or ministerial servants position as young men aged ( 18-35 ) are opting out of doing that due to the pressure they are under from the WT society leaders and just that it takes up too much valuable time where men could be earning a living and helping their own families instead of a thankless magazine printing corporation. In the article " Train Others To Reach Out " in this issue it has lots of strange, controlling, yet perplexing statements which I'm sure will confuse JW men who are considering " reaching out ". In fact, I think this article will DISCOURAGE more than encourage them from doing so.
On pg. 28 paragraph 3 it states, " Men do not automatically qualify for privileges in the congregation. MERE SECULAR EDUCATION or LIFE EXPERIENCE does NOT prepare a man for this kind of work . ( Boy, have they got that right ) To serve properly in such a capacity , a man must qualify spiritually. More than ABILITIES or ACCOMPLISHMENTS , he must have spiritual qualities. " Translation : You can be as dumb as a rock and serve as an elder or MS if you meet WT society's " spiritual " requirements. Education is not important, life experience not important, your abilities & accomplishments don't matter. Just do as we the WT society says- then you are " spiritual ".
So what does the WT say would consitute " spiritual " requirements ? Notice pg. 30, paragraph 10, it states, " Spiritual instruction begins when a man accepts a Bible study. We may need to HELP HIM TO READ WELL. Our assistance continues as we conduct Bible studies with him. When he starts to atend Christian meetings regularly, his spiritual training will progress as he participates in the Theocratic Ministry School , becomes an unbaptized publisher , and so forth. After baptism, his training can include such things as HELPING WITH KINGDOM HALL MAINTENANCE . In time, a brother can be helped to see what he needs to do to qualify as a ministerial servant. " Translation : If a JW man just performs these functions , gives talks, goes out knocking on doors , and cleans toilets at the Kingdom hall - he's a " spiritual person " ! Yippee ! So now he's qualified to counsel families with life or death situations and marital problems ?? Whatever happened to the alleged " fruitages of the spirit " ? Like developing love, kindness, mildness, self control, etc ? It's because in the WT society's eyes - THOSE qualities don't matter - what matters is obeying the " functions " that the WT society sets into place - meetings, service, cleaning Kingdom hall toilets . THOSE things make a man spiritual !!
Now notice this fantasy statement about how elders will help men to " reach out " in a personal way. They try to make this sound as if elders have JW men's backs and will really help them. On paragraph 5 it states, " Like Jesus, Christian elders today befriend and help others. They cultivate a warm, close relationship with their fellow believers by taking time to show personal interest in them. While elders recognize the importance of confidentiality , they are not secretive . ( Really ? Then why aren't JW's told why they are being asked to attend JC meetings beforehand ? ) Elders trust their brothers and share with them Scriptural truths they themselves have learned. By no means do elders treat as inferior a ministerial servant who may be comparitively young. Instead , they think of him as a spiritual man with potential who is performing a valuable service ( functions , once again ) in behalf of the congregation. " Translation : This is the WT society trying to schmooze it over with potential " brothers " reaching out for MS or elder positions. They are trying to tell them that the elders are looking out for their best interests, will treat them with respect ( which many times didn't happen ) and won't look down on them as young and inexperienced - which many times DID happen. But hey- WT society has to put a good foot forward to make it SEEM like elders will pay attention to you in a personal way- when many times THAT doesn't happen either. Kind of makes me want to gag with what I SAW actually happen- as compared with what they are SAYING happens. Sigh.
Later on in the article it mentions that elders may need to " readjust " or " counsel " a JW man because of some " personality trait " or if a brother seems " self sparing " or if a brother seems " ambitious " or is " seeking prominence " . O.K. Well fine , I get that. But my question is : Who counsels or corrects the elders showing these same tendencies ? Or does it just slip through the cracks if an elder is dominating everybody ? In my 44 years inside the Witnesses , the latter was usually true.
So- It looks like the WT society is desperate for more men to be elders and ministerial servants - but from the look of it, the standards are low and JW men can expect to be counseled constantly and come under intense scrutiny if they want to serve in one of these elite so-called " privileges ". No thanks. I gave almost half a century to this organization. I'm much happier out of it ! So what did you folks notice when you were attending JW meetings about elders / men / publisher relationships ? Or any other comments you have regarding this article would be greatly appreciated ! Thanks for your takes and observations . Hope you are all doing well tonight. Peace out to all of you. Mr. Flipper