What Is The "Typical" Elder In The Organization Like Now?

by minimus 31 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  pronomono

  To me it seems like it varies by congregation. Different types of elders flock together.

  My first congregation where I grew up had a cordinator who led the congregation as the congregation servant, then the presiding overseer, and now the coordinator of elders. He had a flock of well-meaning elders that followed him with a few that liked to meddle where there was nothing to meddle over.

  In my last congregation, the elders were awesome. They were loving, helpful, went out of there way to do anything for you and build you up spiritually. It was the way a Christian family ought to be. I even served there for a number of years. Things changed when we got a hardcore "numbers" CO. My numbers weren't the average 10 for field service and working a full time job, dealing with family, weather, etc on the weekend, it was a struggle to get my average 7 or 8 hours. They expressed concerns that the CO had been vocal in removing anyone not meeting the hours of the congregation's collective conscience - i.e. the average amount of hours that publishers in the congregation get - and they worked with me trying to get my hours up. I hated placing them in a position where they would have to vote to remove me due to a struggle to get a mere 2 to 3 hours extra each month. So instead I removed myself by moving to another congregation that was closer to my home, but unfortunately less personable.

  In the new congregation, the elders are completely different. For example, I don't even know who they are. They are mostly older, and I've learned some of them by their parts on the school and service meeting, but I don't have a clue as to who does what. Two of them are trying to help me become a servant again, but I really have no desire to do so. I don't feel the love that was in my past congregation, towards me nor to each other. It's almost as if I'm just there, sort of the same attitude as the elders. And as such I have no desire to reach out spiritually towards a congregation that does not display Christlike love.

  So today's elders are hit or miss, but their types seem to flock together, both in the body and the congregation.
• 

  Aunt Fancy

  Lol Outlaw! The last congregation we were in before we faded we were there for 11 years. Only one appointment was made for a new elder and he was 60 and on his 4th marriage!! There were men that moved in that were elders and the congregation also split once. The elders were all over 50 years old and most of them were either retired or on disability. I had little respect for most of them especially the one who was married 4 times because he was so arrogant and a kiss a$$.
• 

  JW GoneBad

  'Only one appointment was made for a new elder and he was 60 and on his 4th marriage!'

  What part of Titus 1:6 where it says 'If there is any man free from accusation, a husband of one wife' or 1Timothy 3:2 'The overseer should therefore be irreprehensible, a husband of one wife, moderate in habits,' ....what part of these verses did the Holy Spirit not understand when it decided to push through the appointment of this 60 year old brother to the office of Elder who had been married 4 times?

  My guess is his previous wives might have an issue as to whether this brother is indeed free from accusation, irreprehensible and/or moderate in habits! His average is a new wife maybe every 8 to 12 years. WOW!

  I know brothers who hold onto their cars longer that!
• 

  Designer Stubble

  At the KMS in 2010 it was discussed that average age of Elders stands at 58 and of ministerials at 53 . Guess that not much has improved since then.
• 

  Julia Orwell

  From my observations, the majority of elders were decent guys who believed in helping the publishers. I often would call one up with some sort of problem or approach one at the hall, being a young person with no Jw family. They were always happy to help. Outside the hall at gatherings they were just regular guys and you could laugh and joke. I counted many elders among my friends.

  There were only a few who I could count as jerks: 30 yo born ins who were sticklers for rules and obviously are elders as career ambition, and some pompous old guys who liked the sound of their own voice but were stepped down or stepped down due to health reasons. Apart from just those few, most I've known have been good blokes.
• 

  tornapart

  As I see it in our congregation they are a bunch of good, sincere guys trying to their best. Only one in his 30's, two over 60, the rest in between. Most of them have either got health problems themselves or serious family health problems. Most have full time jobs, homes to look after and families to care for.

  My husband came off being an elder for a while and during that time, as he had no 'elder's duties' to perform he was actually able to spend more time with the brothers and sisters, talking to them after the meeting rather than being in constant 'elder's meetings'. He was able to help them more. However he saw the other elders struggling with all the stuff they had to do and felt bad about it. So he went back to it and once more is in the merry-go-round (or as I call it 'in the hamster wheel') of endless things to do with no time left for anyone or anything else.

  Sometimes I wish we could just have a full time pastor, paid to care for the 'flock'. I don't know if it would work better, who knows.
• 

  punkofnice

  It was being an elder that woke myself and another aposta friend of mine up.

  The whole org is just a big boy's club. I wondered why some of the other elders couldn't see it or didn't want to see it......but hey!

  I think the elders I knew on the boe 3 years ago were

  1. Reluctant follower

  2. Bully (usually CoBE)

  3. Stunningly thick numbskull

  4. In it for the power

  ......all tired out though!
• 

  XBEHERE

  "I see few young (sub 50) elders these days"

  I guess it depends on where you are. In my cong there are 10 and all but 3 are in 50+ many congs in the curcuit are like that. I would imagine most of the congs in Florida are in the 65+ elders category.

  Elders today vary. Some are company (yes) men through and through and some do still mouth off to the CO.
• 

  minimus

  Younger men couldn't be bothered to follow all of the rules every elder is supposed to adhere to.
• 

  ekruks

  There seems to be a common line of thought here that age matters - old elders are best. I would strongly disagree. With today's advances in modern medicine, people are living far longer than in Bible times, most people live longer than 60 or 70 years old.

  People struggle with illnesses such as dementia, and I have seen a number of elders with early signs of such, or in other ways struggling with poor health, who stubbornly clung to key congregation positions. They hold down the young brothers, because it's all they have got for their long miserable life of no achievement, with no career, perhaps even no family - if they let someone in their late 20s, even 30s, or 40s be an elder, it means over the last 40 years until they became 80 years of age, they made no progress. Being an elder has to put on some pedastal for "older men".

  The focus should be on people's love of Jehovah, knowledge of scripture, and maturity - this is not something an age can be set on; in fact many young men could do as well, or just as badly, as many an older elder. It's disgusting how many an old man rides on into eldership due to his age alone but barely knows the Bible.

  HOWEVER, a typical an elder in the organisation today is a expert in Office Politics.

  I may have once dreamed to become an elder, even a missioanry, but I quickly realised it's not like Timothy working with the apostle Paul as claimed; but it's about who you know, if your father is an elder, if you lick the right backside, etc.. It's not a spiritual family of people helping each other.