I lasted less than 2 yrs as an elder, becoming one was one of the best thing that ever happened to me as a JW, because it was while “serving” in that position that I came to the realization of the sham that the Organization really is.
Those 2 years nearly drove me to a mental/emotional breakdown, the pressure, the bickering, the fear mongering Circuit Overseers, the constant reminders that we are not doing “good enough”, and the endless demand of my time. Everything was a managerial task, not a pastoral service.
I have a good reputation at work and my superiors respect the quality of my work. But as an elder, I was made to feel like a failure, and I had to respond and submit to men that had no clue of what they were doing. Common sense was always lacking.
Serving as an JW elder undermined my confidence, my self respect and self worth… It has now been almost a year after I dropped it all and stopped attending the KH, and I’m now slowly gaining back those things that were taken from me while serving as one.
I’m not surprised that they are now literally begging for more willing men. But it’s not going to happen, and from what I’ve been noticing, the spiritual/pastoral quality of the men being appointed to those positions is below standard. They are power posturing supervisors and managers, not Christian pastors/teachers. And what else could be expected? this organization is a corporation after all, it serves them well to have men like that beating the sheep.
No self respecting individual should consider becoming a Jehovah Witness, little less a MS/Elder.
Onemore
