I am no longer a Ministerial Servant

by cocolocoii 23 Replies latest jw friends

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  cocolocoii

  Yesterday was announced that I was not longer a Ministerial Servant
  To be honest I felt really good about it. I literally was tired of been pretending. I remember my last meeting with the circuit overseer, the elders and the servants. The C.O asked us why none of the servants or elders were in the construction commite, and encouraged us to participated due to little response from the local brothers. He "encouraged" us to do it. It really sounds more like a threat to me than anything. So it was on that day when I really decided to step down as a servant.
  Today I still a witness, but i am almost inactive.
  Any similar experience?
• 

  joelbear

  I encourage you to find some meaningful volunteer work to become involved with. Amazing how this will fill the gaps left from meaningless witness work.

  hugs

  Joel
• 

  JAVA

  cocolocoii,

  I stepped down as an elder many years ago, not long after the Tower's 1975 failure. Like you, it felt good not having to pretend I had special powers because of walking the party line. However, it didn't take long before folks started treating me differently. When a person steps down, that must mean they're spiritually weak, and other such nonsense. I knew I was the same person as before, but the Tower has a spoken and unspoken system of malicious gossip that seeks to destroy any breaking away from the mindless herd. Don't let that get to you--it will happen.

  I agree with Joel, find something to fill the void. Volunteer work, developing a hobby, taking a few college classes, repair jobs around the house that could wait until after Armageddon. In time you'll find too many things to fill the void, but until that happens make a conscience effort to do more than be pissed because the so-called love of the greater number cools off. Before long you'll replace the Tower's artificial love with friends that are genuine. Before long you'll have little in common with Witness friends, because without the Watchtower, they have little in their life to share.

  Groups like this are very helpful, too. I firmly believe it helps exiting JWs move on with life more successfully than doing it alone.

  --JAVA

  ...counting time at the Coffee Shop
• 

  Moxy

  i was removed recently but it had nothing to do with my views or my desire to be or not to be an MS.
  tho it was upsetting, it was a relief not to have to give talks anymore. i generally enjoyed it and, to be frank, i was a kick-ass speaker. thought-provoking, meaningful talks. if the material didnt make sense, i skip it and find something else i can say that does make sense. i liked it. altho, its hard at times. in fact, the last talk i gave was a KM article by the name of 'Lives are at Stake'. you may remeber it from the SM or from its being mentioned around here, it included such phrases as 'the billions now facing annihilation..' - whew, that was a tough one... i could barely get thru it. i would rather have gone out with my last talk being one of my PTs that ive gotten really comfortable with but oh well. its done now. i do get treated differently but it doesnt really affect me. i know im the same person...

  mox
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  TR

  The last meeting I had with the elders and co, I skipped. I was literally saved by the bell. I got an after hours call at work. I took it. I found out later that the c.o. wanted to diss me because of my low field service hours. The elders talked him into letting me stay an m.s. because of my "unbelieving" family situation. A month later, I got sick of the JW stress and left.

  TR
• 

  rem

  I was just deleted about a year ago. I had stopped turning in my field service time, but they didn't really say anything about that. The real reason I was deleted was because my dad turned in my letter about all the things I disagreed with the Society on to the elders. It was such a relief, though. I do miss giving talks. I guess I did get to go out with a bang, though - my last talk was my first public talk and it was pretty contriversial. It was all about Christian freedom and how we shouldn't judge our brothers for using their consciences. The congregation really loved it, but it raised a few eyebrows amongst some of the elders.

  I'm happy to not be serving. I couldn't stomach teaching things that I didn't believe in. I was always worried that I'd get assigned a talk that went against my conscience. Now I don't have to worry about that anymore, and I really never cared what the congregation thought about my deletion. It was something I was trying to make happen for months until my dad did his deed.

  I've found that I have much more time to read and study meaningful topics. I think that I've become a much more well rounded person since being deleted because I've had more time to read and learn about things that are not Society approved. Also, not going to meetings has given my wife and I much more time to do fun things together.

  Enjoy your new freedom, friend!

  rem
• 

  Scorpion

  Congratulations cocolocoii.
• 

  Scott

  Hi
  I would like to tell you a little about myself. My name is Scott Williams, I am 49 years old. I have been married 27 years. My wife and I have 4 children. My wife and I come from religious backgrounds. Her father was a minister of the Pentecostal Church and my father is a minister of the Presbyterian Church, and my grandfather was a lay minister of the Plymouth Brethren and two of my great great grandfathers were Quaker Lay-Ministers.
  My wife and I have been reading the Bible all our lives and more important when we were children we both accepted Jesus Christ as our personal savior. In order to make a long story short after we had been married 6 years after being very disillusioned of the different churches that we had gone to, my wife wanted to begin to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was very upset in the beginning because from the time I was a small boy I heard many things that were not very good about Jehovah's Witnesses. One was that they did not believe in Jesus, that they were etc. communist etc. I agree only to show my wife that what they taught was wrong. In fact I used some questions that my father gave me to trip them up with. (Years later I found out that this list was given to my farther by a former JW).
  The man and the woman who studied with us showed to us that what believed they believe were based on the bible. This took nearly 9 months, the questions that I asked them, they answer to me and proved it from the bible. So in 1980 my wife and I were baptized as Christian witnesses of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
  Since then things have happen that have changed. I do not agree with everything the Society teaches.
  Jehovah 's Witnesses believe that only 144,000 Christians will go to Heaven. They believe that all 1st century were of that number and that it took until the 20th century for the number to be completed.
  Yet there have been far more than 144,000 faithful Christians in the 1900 centuries, yet JW's believe that there was no Earthly hope until the 20th century. I believe that there must have been ones during the 1900 years and even in the 1st century that must have had the earthly hope.
  Here are a couple of scriptures that I feel show that not all in the 1st century had the Heavenly hope.

  *** Matthew 22:14 ***
  14 "For there are many invited, but few chosen."

  ***John 6:53,54***
  "Accordingly Jesus said to them: "Most truly I say to YOU, Unless YOU eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, YOU have no life in yourselves. 54 He that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I shall resurrect him at the last day;"

  ***1 John 2:2***
  And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world's.

  Here are the other things that I believe different than a lot of other JW's

  1. I do not believe that only JW's will survive Har-Ma·ged'on.
  2. I believe that blood transfusions should be conscious decisions.
  3. I believe that Jesus is the mediator for both those who have the heavenly hope and the earthly hope.
  4. I believe that both those who professed to be anointed and those who have the earthly hope should partake at the Memorial.
  5. I do not believe that the Bible Students today are apostates.

  I really hope that these will eventually be taught in the organization.

  Not only I do not agree with everything the Society teaches that but I have seen things that have not been good. An example I was a Ministerial Servant for 14 years. I was asked twice to be an Elder but I decline, I had some problems with one of my kids so I felt that I did not set the best example.
  Later I mentioned to the Presiding Overseer that I think I should step down as a Ministerial Servant. He told me that I should think about it for a while. The next week the Circuit Oversee came to the Congregation , I had to move that week so I miss the meetings. The next week when I went to the Theocratic School to give the talk number 1. The school overseer said I did not have to do the talk someone else was going to do it. During the service meeting it was announced that I was deleted as a Ministerial Servant A total surprise . After this I was shun by some in the congregation. To make a long story short this has stumbled my wife and kids to the point that they are not going to the meetings.
  I have had contact with the Bible Students and I was wondering if you have ever had contact with them.
  P.S.
  I have attended the San Diego Bible Students group.
  I consider Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Bible Students, and other Christians as my brothers and sisters.
• 

  Uncanny

  Hello, Cocolocoii & Scott,

  Enjoyed both of your experiences about being ex Mini Servants. I was one myself till I deleted myself from the position, the congregation and the Watchtower Society some 14 months ago.

  It feels very liberating to be able to reinvent yourself when you are still young enough to do it.

  TO Scott: From another 'newbie' here, welcome aboard. We are the same age and share the same length of years in the trooth. Tell me, was it your modesty that precluded you from posting your expierence as an original post? Or are you just a little green to know how?

  (Anyway, thanks again, but don't ask me for help. All I know what to do here is type in the words and drop the odd icon in now and then.)

  Uncanny
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  Scorpion

  Hello Scott,

  Enjoyed reading your experience. What is it that attracts you to the Bible Students? I have had several contacts with the BS over the last four years, mainly over the internet and email. I see many of them in the same boat as the JWs as far as our belief is right and yours is wrong attitude. I also see them putting Russell on a pedestal. If you look at the various BS sites they are always pushing Studies in the Scriptures and Russell's works. Many and I do mean most will claim that Russell has done more to bring about truths of God than any man other than Christ. If I were you, I would do some research on the early history of the WT and the Bible Students. I would not want to jump from one frying pan into another so fast. Give yourself some time and think about what you really want and enjoy your family.

  I have seen much discord among the various Bible Student movements. Don't take my word for it, research for yourself.

  I am sure if RR see's this thread, he will have 2 cents to put in. He is a Bible Student.