Initially I showed my research to other elders in my local congregation and told them I intended to send it to London. They were impressed by the document and admitted they didn't know how to answer it so they offered to write a cover letter reassuring the branch that was genuine.
The branch wrote back to the body of elders, the PO let me have a look at it. Basically it was the usual polite but firm "mind your own business, if there are any new truths to be revealed they will come through the f&ds.".
It was sometime around this that I resigned as an elder but I can't remember the exact sequence of events. The other elders advised me to let it go and "wait on Jehovah blah blah". I told them that was going to send it to Brooklyn. They didn't object but didn't feel they could endorse it this time.
I continued my research while all of this was going on. I think its when you feel let down that you give yourself permission to look carefully at all the doubts that you have suppressed previously. I researched blood and the great crowd in particular and in both cases discovered that the Watchtower had got it wrong. I only used the bible and Society publications.
I had a few conversations with other elders during this time. I remember a meeting with 2 elders in particular. I explained the issues around the Great Crowd being seen in heaven - in the naos - in Revelation. As I explained the logic one of the elders was nodding and agreeing and the other elder had to interrupt to remind him that this was not what we were supposed to believe. Following a similar conversation with the PO he told me that he was now convinced the Great Crowd were in heaven but he was going ot carry on as an elder and just not talk about this topic in future. He ended up serving as chairman of my JC and is still the COBE today. The elder who couldn't remember where the great crowd were supposed to be also served on my JC.
Another elder set me up for a meeting with the CO. It was a new CO that I had never met. He was arrogant and unhelpful in the extreme. I now knew that my exit was inevitable. I believe he left the elders in no doubt I was t be dealt with.
My wife and I began to miss meetings and generally fade for a while. My in-laws came for a visit and were talking about the forthcoming DC. I explained that we wouldn't be attending it and that we had not been at many meetings recently. My FIL wanted to know more so I explained briefly that we had been struggling since the generation Watchtower and I had sent my questions to Brooklyn. He asked to see what I had written so I let him read it. As soon as he got home he contacted London and told them I had been promoting apostacy. My FIL is a knob!
Although they live over 100 miles away my local elders drove to their house and took a statement from them. I then got a visit from two elders inviting me to a meeting so we could all have a chat and try to help me. Yeah right! I insisted on knowing if it ws JC, what the charge was and who my accusers were.
Anyway long story short they dragged my in laws up to Berwick to tell a lot of lies. My MIL sat reading from notes that were in my FILs handwriting. The JC was pathetic but that's another thread.