When did the arrangement change from congregation servant to elders

by Deceived 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Deceived

  Does anyone remember when the arrangement changed from having 1 Congregation Servant to the body of elders arrangement.

  I have been out of the religion for so long I am getting a little rusty on the changes that happened. I am writing down my Memoirs and right now I am recounting my teenage years as the daughter of a Congregation Servant. There was a big change in our family life when I was 15 because of the change in the arrangement. It was significant for my Father and for my parents spirituality but I can't remember what exact year it happened and what the exact changes were.

  I am thinking it was 1963 or 1964? My Father had been the Congregation servant for 6 years and then he stepped down because he didn't agree with the new arrangement. He is dead now so I can't ask him about it but thinking there was a lot of politics involved and he wouldn't have liked that.
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  sir82

  It was 1972. I don't remember the exact date.
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  snowbird

  They should have stuck with servant.

  I began to study in 1973 and was baptized in 1974; I witnessed a lot of upstart young ones appointed as elders.

  Some were ok, but others were downright arrogant.

  Sylvia
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  compound complex

  Greetings, Deceived:

  I was at the Gilead graduation in the spring of 1972. Brother Knorr said 'we are going to try the new arrangement (elder) here at Bethel to see if it works.' Not verbatim, but I do recall specifically 'to see if it works.' It was a very rough start, what with much fighting and recriminations as to who did and did not qualify, so I heard.

  It began in the congregations in the fall of '72.

  CoCo
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  EndofMysteries

  it was a company servant, because Rutherford wanted to run an army and termed many things in army terms.
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  Deceived

  Thank you everyone for your help.

  For some reason my understanding was that my Dad resigned in 1964 as Congregation servant because he didn't like that they were introducing a body of elders. I guess I have that wrong. My Dad did quit the whole JW thing around 1972 so maybe he knew it was brewing before or I got mixed up and it was when he quit in 1972 that the change among other things didn't sit right with him..

  My Dad gave his whole soul to the Watchtower Organization, gave up his good job, sold his house, hauled us out to where the need was great and lived off of meager wages by cleaning stores part time. Then 6 years later he must have seen something was wrong. My Mom and Dad revived their spirituality after a year of laying low and became special pioneers for several years. Then suddenly my Dad just quit everything and he never went back.

  I Wish so much he knew about the exposure of the truth about the truth now but expecially I wish I could ask him what was going on with him then.

  I will have to revise my story and leave it open as to what was going on.
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  snowbird

  Yeah, the FS meeting was termed rendezvous.

  Come here, you

  To the rendezvous

  Knock on doors

  Interrupt snores

  Preach the word

  Of Samuel Herd

  Tee hee hee.

  Sylvia
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  Phizzy

  A strange time that, in the Org. We had a number who had been serving who felt they did not qualify. Eventually a C.O came around and persuaded them they did.

  I also remember they used to "rotate" positions every year, so P.O for one year, TMS the next WT conductor the next, and so on. This was disastrous, as guys who were not qualified in any way for the job found themselves in it, and the whole Congregation had to suffer agonies for a year at least.

  Can you not see the hand of the Holy Spirit in this monumental cock-up ?

  No, neither can I.

  I got lots of flack for loudly criticising the rotating thing, and then it was all changed LOL. The good thing for me was, I could now coast along as M.S, making sure I never got to be an Elder. Suited me.
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  ShirleyW

  I remember that Rendezvous switch over too, that one didn't last too long!

  I wonder what the GBs were drinking that night went Jehovah spoke to them directly and said change the name of the Tuesday Night Study to rendezvous ? (I remember when it used to be called Area Study, what happened to that title?)
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  hoser

  Back calls were return visits