WHY WE WROTE THIS BOOK
We have seen men appointed elders who we would not trust to walk our dogs properly. We have seen truly godly, sincere men overlooked and tossed aside as if they were a pile of dust.
No doubt you know or have known men who came into the Truth years after you did and were appointed Elders in a very short time. You may resent the fact that these new men are Elders and you are still waiting. Perhaps “resent” is too harsh a word. It does make you wonder though, doesn’t it?
What have they got that you don’t have? What are they doing that you are not doing?
If you have talked to some of the Elders in the congregation regarding your goal of joining them, they have probably given you vague advice such as praying on it and continuing to “reach out” The term “reach out” in the Kingdom Hall usually means mowing the lawn and performing other menial duties. If you have mowed the lawn and cleaned toilets until you are blue in the face and are still no further along in your goal to becoming an Elder, this book is for you.
We approximate that we have appointed thousands of Elders and Ministerial Servants. Some of our appointments were good, God fearing men. Some of the men appointed as Elders were of such shady character it made us wonder how they had the audacity to call themselves servants of Jehovah. They were appointed anyway. Sometimes because the Circuit Overseer said to appoint them because they had a beautiful wife and gorgeous children and their presence would cause others to follow them into the congregation. Sometimes because they were professionals, such as lawyers or doctors and the community would see that the educated were also Witnesses. Sometimes they were the owners of an SUV that could hold a large group of publishers and they could be counted on to participate regularly in Field Service. Appointments of Elders are made for a myriad of reasons some of which have nothing to do with spirituality.
We want nothing more by writing this book than to aid our brothers who are unhappy with their lot in the Kingdom Hall. Service to Jehovah should be a joyful thing. It cannot be joyful if you are sitting in a state of suspended animation, waiting. We decided to use our years of experience to outline exactly what is expected of brothers who want to become Elders in their congregations.
