Watchtower Organisation - it's all over, bar the shouting

by slimboyfat 199 Replies latest members campaign

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  sir82

  Apologies if I missed it earlier on this thread, but my vote for "upcoming number 1 problem" is lack of leadership.

  Not Bethel strivers, not COs - in any organization of this size there will always be more than enough cynically ambitious guys trying to claw their way up.

  I mean congregation-level leadership - elders & MS.

  I have no data to back this up, but my observations are that there aren't nearly enough young guys who care to step up to become elders. It used to be that a typical elder body had a mix of guys from ages 30-ish to 60ish, maybe an old 80+ guy or 2.

  Now, it seems like the age range is 55+ to 80+, with just a sprinkling of a few guys younger than that.

  MS's are now primarily composed of limited-capacity 60+ guys who will never be elders, or 20- and 30- somethings who have little or no "depth". Most clearly have utterly 0 interest in being elders, and even if they are "drafted" to become elders, they won't be of much use to the org.

  What happens in 10-20 years when the current crop of elders is either dead or greatly limited due to age, and the replacement pool just isn't there?

  What with the trend of merging congregations, you'll have 140, 150, 160 publishers, to be "guided" by a 4 man BOE - 3 guys in their 80's and one soon-to-burn-out 40ish guy who will soon either quit or have a heart attack.

  People will fade by the dozens, and there will be no one to "shepherd" them back.

  This will start by the dozens of congregations, then 100's, then 1000s.

  Congregation activity is, to a very large degree, driven by the enthusiasm of the elders. What happens when the primary concern of the elders is "where is the nearest bathroom" and "where did I leave my teeth?"

  Stick around a bit - we're about to find out.
  
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  stan livedeath

  wouldnt it be fun if there were a sort of coupe d'etat within the GB ? 2 or more decide enough is enough and go on record. i'm. sure the internet would quickly pick it up and run with it.
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  pepperheart

  Another thread would be a good idea to let as many people as possible all the cutbacks the watchtower have made these past five years or so
  
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  LV101

  SBF - You get my vote for another thread although a labor intensive effort gathering all the info. Lots of work and effort and thank you for even considering.
• 

  ttdtt

  sir82 I don't see the leadership issue like you do.
  I know where you are coming from though.

  See there is NO end to guys who want POWER and ADULATION!

  Then you have the guys who need to be an elder to save face with family and friends.

  The less intellectual guys are, and guys who can't control anything in their lives, want to be elders
• 

  Londo111

  Yes, I agree with Sir82. That is the #1 problem that has been growing for some time.

  When I was in, I saw congregations where elders outnumbered ministerial servants, the pool from which elders are drawn. I've seen elders carry the mikes as nobody else was "qualified". I've heard from various elders that the brothers aren't "stepping up to the plate".
• 

  Fisherman

  I enjoyed reading your article SBF. It is very honest, with no color or bias and well written and logically presented.

  I am confident that the wt will not collapse for financial causes not for personal reasons but first because wt has enough funds to finance them for a while and they will manage, and second because they will manage in the long run.

  As a religion, I believe that the JW movement with WT will not collapse based upon the teaching that the GT will come. But based upon what you have shown in your article, I see what you are saying.
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  Ruby456

  and anyway there is sufficient evidence to conclude that the properties in Wales and in Essex will need extensive flood barriers if they don't want to sink underwater. They were better off keeping the Mill Hill properties - at least then they could still anticipate destruction at armageddon by fire!!!

  Konceptual - tea towels? really !!!!!! women have been busy becoming trained nurses, trained IT consultants, teachers and social workers - and some have even gotten their degrees and MAs - and yes I know such ones so I am speaking from experience - our gov in the UK have been making this possible by tempting women to become qualified with suitable childcare credits and other incentives. the gov simply isn't going to let us fall through the cracks of remaining attached to apron strings and tea towels- hand on my heart.
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  joe134cd

  Just adding further to the leadership problem. A few years ago I saw a photo of an elders school that was taken. There weren't to many there that didn't have grey hair. Since then there have been a couple of them who have died. Anecdotal I know.
• 

  sir82

  When I was in, I saw congregations where elders outnumbered ministerial servants, the pool from which elders are drawn.

  At an elders school several years ago, the instructor commented on this fact. For the US, overall (as of a few years ago, it is likely far worse now), elders greatly outnumbered ministerial servants.

  I.e., it's not just an isolated or regional issue, but a nationwide issue.
  

  There have been several "you've got to train the young guys" articles appearing in the rotation of WT study articles every few months now, which tends to corroborate this.