COBE cannot be 80 or more (page 7)

Oubliette

daringhart13: does this apply to members of the Governing Body too?

No, they are curiously exempt from all the rules they make.

Oubliette

Fader77, thanks for posting the letter!

As the organization continues to expand, there is a need for more brothers to reach out and a need for those who now serve as elders to take on more responsibility. To assist in this effort, the Governing Body has decided that, effective September 1, 2014, brothers who are 80 years of age or older will no longer serve as a coordinator of the body of elders.- Emphasis added

Two things:

This is logically absurd! How does "the need for more brothers to reach out a need for those who now serve as elders to take on more responsibility " suggest older ones should "no longer serve"? How does that "assist in this effort"? It doesn't.
Notice, it is the GB that has decided to make this change. They don't even pretend to be directed by HS in this matter.

shopaholic

The change is understandable. The person will still be an elder just not the Coordinator.

Eighty does not show up the same in everyone and for most people its can be a delicate age.

sir82

Excellent timing.

Just after a 2-part WT study on "honoring the elderly", the WTS sends out a letter essentially saying "you old farts are too stupid / slow / incompetent to even be COBE any more".

No reason is given as to why "80" is the cutoff age. Why not 79 or 81 or 75 or 85? They just pulled a number out of a hat. The removal of COBEs is strictly round-number age-related and has nothing to do with ability.

There are many 80+ COBEs who do a perfectly fine job, and many < 60 who are absolute maroons.

Brilliant, WTS - you have simultaneously managed to piss off the old guys you are counting on to leave you their inheritances, AND ensured that less-capable elders will be "promoted" to COBE.

Oubliette

Sir82 beat me to it!

Honor the Aged Among You, w2014 3/14, p. 20

“You must show honor to an older man.”—LEV. 19:32.

There will be a lot of older men that will now feel very marginalized.

That's what happens when you dedicate your life to a cult!

Londo111

Thanks and welcome, Fader77.

cultBgone

Fader, thanks for the most interesting post and welcome to the board! (((fader)))

So I'm not up to speed, but anyone aged 80 would have been born in 1934...so in which generation level are they? Have to remove those generational 1914ish questions somehow.

Seems that if the older ones who lived through the 20th century wars, times of real persecution, strong emotional ties to the "new" JW name, times of more scholarly bible education...if they are removed from authority, and each year more older ones are removed from authority unless they take the preferred Guilt Trip offered up by the borg (Of course, a coordinator of the body of elders who is not yet 80 years of age might also modestly decide that it would now be best to have another brother take on this role.—Mic. 6:8.), that the long-term plan would be a reinvented corporate borg populated only by those who get all their info from the internet and are rewarded for absolute loyalty with appointments to positions of authority.

This is somene's well-planned corporate dream. Eventually meetings are held online as the halls are sold at 100% profit, with guaranteed monthly contributions from members who click on the Donate Now button to set up their easy Autopay straight from their credit card or checking account. Perfectly modeled just like all social networks who exist in the unreality of the web...

St George of England

Many thanks for that.

So the COBE has to retire at 80 but not the Secretary, a much more difficult job.

George

Apognophos

Alternate take: This is a merciful change from the Governing Body to give a way out to the older brothers who have been stuck in the COBE seat for a long time, without anyone eager to take their place. At least, that's the spin that some will put on it. And it's not like the brother is being made to step down as elder. Many congregations will hardly notice a difference when the COBE changes. This is just the Society's way of saying, "Hey, younger elders, get your butts in gear and stop making the oldest guy on the body keep working as COBE."

darth frosty

LOVE IT they're basically saying you senile old buzzards are not worthy...and neither are you kinda near old buzzards worthy!

COBE cannot be 80 or more

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