Letter to BOE: Adjustment in process for appointing elders and ministerial servants

by pixel 143 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  tornapart

  Pixel.. thanks! I love to see these letters. I know my elder hubby has these in his bag and I could read them anytime I felt like it but I hate to be a 'snoop' and would never invade someonelse's privacy. This way I know exactly what he's got in his bag without looking in it! :D

  I can't see it's going to make a load of difference really. If the elders still make the recommendation to the CO, it just cuts out him having to send the recommendations to the branch and for them to get the 'rubber stamp'. It always seemed to be a nonsense sending it off to the branch and the GB just for them to say 'ok', when they don't even know the brothers concerned.
• 

  cultBgone

  So they've removed the powerful DOs...now they've stripped more power from the eldubs...and who are the new masters? → COs ←

  While I'm sure the intent is to shield the wts coffers from lawsuits and hang the COs out to dry...I don't think the COs will see it that way. Anyone who's on a jw power trip will now see the CO position as gold...their own little kingdom over which they have massive control.

  If there were this many massive changes (plus the anointed gb = fds) in any public corporation, the stock would have plummeted and the news analysts would be all over this story.

  What a soap-opera turn of events...
• 

  88JM

  I know my elder hubby has these in his bag

  Does he print them out from the website then? Most elders read them online through the login of JW.org these days. The branch doesn't send out paper copies now, except by very special request.

  I know in some halls there is sometimes one elder who knows how to use a computer and prints them out for other elders who don't.
• 

  tornapart

  @ 88JM... I'm not sure whether he does or not. I've seen elder letters in his hand at the meeting and seen him putting them in his bag, so maybe he does.
• 

  wannabefree

  I don't quite see how this is removing the local elder body from the appointment process, to me it is saying that the CO will make the decision [based on elder body recommendation] instead of it being forwarded to Corporate for prayerful consideration of the spirit directed holy ones. Further direction about the adjustments will clear this up.

  This removes the question of how in the world God's holy spirit could have directed the appointment of bad elders or servants since Jesus' right hand men who are the only spirit directed ones are removed from the process, hence, can't blame God's spirit for bad apples.
• 

  88JM

  With this new process, what happens if a CO goes "apostate"? We know it has happened before.

  Does it mean that all the elders he appointed in the past are then scrutinized?
• 

  KateWild

  I can't see how this will change things on a local level. As long as elders are following the flock book as opposed to the bible when keeping the cong clean I can't see the CO taking that much of an interest. The local body will still make recomendations.

  I agree with most posters who said it is all about legal strategies and culpability.

  There will always be ladder climbing suck up brothers who don't care about JWs, they will continue to get appointed. I'd like to think also that there are sincere JW brothers who just want to help other JWs that will get appointed and then reocognise the hypocrisy and want to step down. The more things change the more they stay the same.

  Kate xx
• 

  Phizzy

  Only brown-noses will be appointed, good, that will be a total disaster.
• 

  problemaddict

  You guys are overthinking this. Currently the local elders make a recommendation. It is signed by the dervice comitee, then given to the CO. The CO pretty much always signs it, and it goes to the branch. The bracnh rubber stamps it unless there is some kind of red flag. What makes a red flag? Damned if I know.

  Now, the elders will no doubt still have input, bu the CO will just make the call, and send it in. They already know they are just rubber stamping what the CO says, so less work back east.

  This does not affect liability, it does remove the decision itself from being the elders.

  Very small cultural shift for all intensive purposes. Consolidating more decision making above the elder level however, is always interesting.

  Thats basically it.
• 

  wisdomfrombelow

  It is interesting that for most congregations this will be read on Sunday after the Watchtower study with the "Special" talk instead of during the Service Meeting. The next Service Meeting with have the Kingdom Hall Construction financing change announced so they probably timed all these with that in mind. Perhaps the change in the appointment process has to do how it affects with foreign branches instead of US ones as there are less and less branches and having to have them all reviewed takes time and resources. Perhaps the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is being separated from the Watchtower Society as far as direct accountability just like the Governing Body are no longer the officers fo the Watchtower Corporation.