Why do elders come unnanounced....... (page 3)

sonoita

TO ALL,
The local elders where I live have always asked if they could come over.
sonoita
USA

Yerusalyim

Sam,

You said,

For most householders the time of the Witness call is not convenient.

I fully agree, and the reason it's inconvenient is because the householder is HOME. I'd love to miss the JW call.

The reason the Elder's don't call..."If I knew you were coming I'd have baked a cake" probably laced with just enough arsenic to make you sick.

YERUSALYIM
"Vanity! It's my favorite sin!"
[Al Pacino as Satan, in "DEVIL'S ADVOCATE"]

I was an elder for several years, and don't remember popping in on folks unannounced except on two occasions. The two exceptions were offering condolences on a death in the family. Elders are like others in the congregation; some are considerate, some lazy, some disorganized, and others on ego trips.

Congregations develop their own personalities, too. Giving talks at various congregations opened my eyes to this phenomenon. Some congregations treated me as a welcome guest, and at the other extreme I was treated as a spy seeking dirt on the elders.

Most of us remember elders who were royal pains, but chances are we knew a few good ones, too. To answer the question of "why do elders" do what they do, it depends on the person(s) mostly, not necessarily the group in general. I agree with several of the suggestions already made; if elders call unannounced, it demonstrates a lack of courtesy at best. If the unannounced call turns into a committee meeting, it's open deceit!

--JAVA

counting time at the Coffee Shop

Pork Chop

In my experience most elders will make arrangements before hand, only the clods do not. Unfortunately, there are a few COs running around that actively instruct elders to make unannounced visits, and then make an excuse to use your facilities so they'll have an excuse to wander through your house.

reagan_oconnor

Hi, JAVA, you sed:

Congregations develop their own personalities, too

I heard this from friends who were originally from Newcastle, PA. They said that many of those in their cong were old-school, very serious and self-important b/c it was the "seat of the Society" or "Cradle of the Organization" or something similarly inane.

They moved to our hall in Ohio and couldn't believe how laid-back and crazy some of us were.

Bad influence, as always,
Reagan

I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my soul.

alamb

Wolves in sheeps clothing rarely blow trumpets.
I did receive one memorable "shepherding call". Two elders showed up to "encourage" me out of pioneering since I fell short 3 hours of my 90 the month my second daughter was born. Bless them.

Cocogurl

I refer to this as the Guerilla tactic, where they try to catch you off guard. No matter what is going on in your house at the moment they make there way in smiling in your face and collecting info.

Amazing

Hi ISP: I partly agree with you, and I had similar problems with the Eldrs 'forcing' a shepherding visit on me, even when I objected and refused consent for them to visit. I will tell that experience another time.

The other side of the coin: Sometimes JWs and ex-JWs will complain that the Elders never even bothered to visit or even make a call. So, when I was still an Elder, I wold be out in Field Service and when we were near the home of a JW, or a 'weak' JW, we would stop in to say hi. Most of the time this turned out well, but a few times the person we called on seemed uncomfortable and would not invite us in, so we were polite and made it short and left.

Looking back, I can still see both sides, but I tend to think that the Elders should really at least call ahead. And nowadays, with cell phones everywhere, they cold do this while out in Service, and show come extra courtesy. So, I agree with your point more than disagree, but I hope you can also see the other side of the coin. - Amazing

belbab

Why do they come unanounced? To demonstrate their supreme authority. How many accounts of Nazi concentration camps tell of how the Gestapo would arrive at prisoners huts and walk in unannounced? In Catholic Quebec many Catholics voiced their displeasure at the Catholic priests walking into households with out knocking and at any time of the day, after all they were the "fathers" of the flock, weren't they? Jehovah's witness elders have the same attitude, after all they are God's holy appointed ones, and God does not need permission to do anything.

belbab, beyond authority.

ISP

Well, if the visit was social and on the off-chance, i.e. they were passing by........and they thought would call.....I could understand. But it was not that way. What stops these guys coming on their own and trying to encourage you etc. But they wanted to know why I hadn't been to the meetings and my wifes views. It was 2 of them so I have no doubt it was planned and because there was 2 they would have enough 'proof' to progress the matter judicially if necessary.

As it happened I was able to tread carefully. But they called on my mother in law who's not been attending.......uninvited.

BTW this was the third time that I know they have called without any warning on me.

ISP

Why do elders come unnanounced.......

--JAVA

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