In our congregation 5 out of 11 eleven elderes have either stepped down or moved away because of difference of opinions with other elders in the past 2.1/2 years.
Is the same happening elsewhere?
Eyeslice
Where have all the elders gone?
by eyeslice 8 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
email
Yep... I think It's pretty much the same accross the board...
More or less in the same amount of time 2.5 years... about 4 out of 10 elders have moved to other congs because of differences between the holy god appointed body of elders.
At the same time you have MS's trying to move up the ladder... wagging their tail trying to gain the approval of the "Top" Alpha Male elders in the cong...
<sigh> sad
-
minimus
In my Hall. you're an elder for life, it seems. The last time their was a removal it was because a husband and wife got a legal (only) divorce, That was about 10 years ago.
-
eyeslice
Minimus - thought you were an elder at one time. Or are you still appointed????
eyeslice
-
minimus
I resigned last year. I was referring to those that got DELETED.
-
Mary
Three years ago, we had 8 elders. Within one year, we were down to 3. Two of them were such assholes, that the remaining decent elder said "screw this, I'm outta here" which left Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum. Within 4 months, the entire city's congregations were "re-zoned" and our congregation was disolved.
I think more and more brothers are simply finding it way to difficult to be in a thankless position like this. Life is stressful enough if you have a full time job and family to look after without having to make sure you're at every meeting, study for every meeting, give talks or parts at least 3 times a week, have a bible study with your family, go out in Service at least once every week, plus deal with everybody else's problems, give shepperding calls, hassle "inactive ones", go to elder school, sit on judicial committees..........and you don't get paid one stinking dime for any of this.
I find that the only elders that remain in their positions are ones that work part time (usually they're on either disability or they inherited a ton of money from some worldly spinster aunt or uncle......god knows they never worked for it themselves), and have all the time in the world to attend to these other matters.
Most decent elders eventually step down because it's too much for them, or the little nazi's on the elder body like having things done their way, and force out anyone who disagrees with them.
-
benext
In the year since I left there are 5 still serving from the 8 I left behind. One (the PO) is a tyrant, two would leave at the drop of a hat but are afraid of the tyrant. One does next to nothing due to a disability that didn't keep him from working until he retired and the other is new. Tyrant is always looking for new recruits.
-
JH
Many elders in my congregation moved out of town for a better job. First thing i knew, they were not elders anymore.
Best way out is to move
-
worf
In December of 2000, I was told by a very reliable poster from h2o and from this board who had inside contacts, that between 1998 and 2000, more than 20,000 elders had stepped away from being elders.
I am also very familiar with being 'forced out' because I grew up in the borg and became an elder in 1992. I was 'forced out' in 1999 because I stood up for justice and for what was right. 30 people from the congregation provided evidence to an investigation committee as well as to the service dept and the gb and to jr brown and to robert pevy and to robert wallen and to a host of other wts officials that what was being done to me was totally wrong. The evidence did not matter.
Elders continue to leave because of bullsh!@#$%* like that!
Worf ( A veteran in the war against jaracz and the illusion known as the wts.)