District overseers are now surplus to requirements
District overseers are now surplus to requirements

A leaked letter addressed to all congregations, dated March 20 2014, has confirmed that district overseers will soon be a thing of the past.

The letter heralds this as a “significant decision” reached by the Governing Body, that will “affect the work of traveling overseers worldwide.”

“The responsibilities previously cared for by district overseers will be simplified,” it reads. “Some aspects of their work will now be cared for by experienced circuit overseers and Bethel representatives.”

Though there are no guarantees, it is expected that the majority of existing district overseers will be re-used by the organization after the role is discontinued on September 1st.

“This simplification will mean that many of those who are now serving as district overseers will be able to use their spiritual qualifications and rich theocratic experience in serving once again as circuit overseers.”

The letter concludes by recognizing “the role that district overseers have filled in training others and in strengthening the organization over the years.” It expresses confidence that former district overseers “will continue to be used by Jehovah in a mighty way in their new assignments.”

According to Watchtower theology, Christ selected the early Witnesses as his one true organization 95 years ago in 1919, and district overseers have played a role in that organization for decades. It is curious that it has taken this long for Christ, as head of the congregation, to find district overseers surplus to requirements.

 

 

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111 thoughts on “Governing Body discontinues the role of district overseer

  • March 25, 2014 at 7:08 pm
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    Have him look at the July 2009 Awake! magazine p 29
    “No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family.”

  • March 25, 2014 at 7:49 pm
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    So well articulated, thank you. @ apochalypsis

  • March 26, 2014 at 1:04 am
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    It’s simple cost cutting, their health care costs, retirement package(not like they are getting a large pension, it’s quite modest) and housing do eat up a portion of money the Watchtower Organization feels would be better spent by them.

    Cedars, I don’t know any rational person who can sit back and watch everything get eliminated by technology, have District Overseers removed because their are considered “redundancies in organization costs”, the Watchtower is acting like Wall Street and downsizing everything. I can’t wait till they start to use sayings like “Right Sizing”, “improving Theocratic Synergies” and elimination of wasteful resources.

    Cedars, how do you think the paid members of the Watchtower feel knowing they can have their job eliminated and all the JWs they served will see this as a sign of Jehovah’s Chariot operating more efficiently?

    Why were we stuck in this Organization so long, that’s what those District Overseers are asking themselves now. How insulting, many District Overseers were pleased to finally get some sanity in their life, the Traveling Work was driving them insane, now they are going back on the road, how sad!

    Mitch Jensen

    San Luis Obispo, California

  • March 26, 2014 at 4:23 am
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    Cedars,

    Sorry to hear about your loss, John.

    Keep on keeping on, mate.

    Peace be with you

    Excelsior!

  • March 26, 2014 at 7:13 am
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    While this is a little of topic the ultimate irony is a lot of people at Bethel will be laid off some day. There is a whole generation of people coming up who will want their books, magazine, and etc in digital format. There will not be much need for printing of magazines any more. I wonder what the door to door work will look like at that time?

  • March 27, 2014 at 5:49 pm
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    I hope this DOES indicate that theyre worried about money, and that things are starting to look bleak for them. I hope to see the end of this cult within my lifetime.

    • March 27, 2014 at 6:46 pm
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      Sorry April at one time a few years back they were the 32 richest corporation in New York City. With the sale of all of the property in New York I would not be surprised to find out at the very least it is a billion dollar corporation.

  • May 26, 2014 at 12:48 pm
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    In answer to your thought on the Christian Conscience, the WBTS feels that it is their responsibility to keep the House of God clean or in other circles His temple, and that Kingdom Halls are another term for the House of God, ergo their authority to keep it clean at whatever cost. They have totally missed the boat on their understanding. Christ himself attempted to clean the temple twice, while he was on earth. He never accomplished that feat because shortly after, he died. At the moment that he died, the location of the temple went from the earth, to the heavens. Christ attempting it twice, showed that as long as that temple was on earth, IT COULD NOT BE CLEANED by anyone, even himself, that was in a human form, however, once the temple reached the heavens, the cleansing could BEGIN. Death is the only thing that will bring about the cleaning of God’s house/temple, not the scrupulous guarding of human behavior and conscious matters. That house is not here on earth. Hope this helps!

    Ps: Your thoughts are dead on target.

  • July 18, 2014 at 12:50 am
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    WHERE DO THEY GET THIS NONSENSE OF KEEPING THE CONGERTATION CLEAN? IT IS NEVER CLEAN. PEOPLE ARE SINNERS AND ALWAYS WILL BE- BUT KEEPING IT CLEAN IS IMPOSSIBLE-AFTER ONE PERSON IS FOUND OUT THERE IS ONE THAT TAKES HIS PLACE- AND IT JUST KEEP ON GOING. AND WHY IS A LIFE OF JEHOVAH WITNESS ALWAYS A SENSE OF EMERGENCY? WHEN DOES ONE LIVE? I CANT BELIEVE THAT LIFE ONLY INVOLVES SPIRTUAL THINGS AND NOTHING ELSE-ITS THAT WAY BECAUSE A FEW OLD MEN ON GOVERNING BODY KEEPS PEOPLE IN THAT STATE OF MIND- THIS MEANS PEOPLE ARE CONTROLLED-YOU ARE TOLD HOW TO PRAY- HOW TO DO THIS AND HOW TO DO THAT-SO THEY HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OF ME-I CANT THINK FOR MYSELF, ONLY THE GOVERNING BODY HAS THE RIGHT ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING, AND WHEN THEY CANT COME UP WITH AN ANSWER THEY WILL ALWAYS USE THE OLD STAND BY, (LETS WAIT ON JEHOVAH) THAT IS THEIR 5TH. AMENDMENT.THE REASON I DONT BELIEVE THAT THE GOVERNING BODY IS OF JEHOVAH IS BECAUSE OF (PSALMS 146-3&4–DO NOT PUT YOUR TRUST IN EARTHLING MAN-HE DIES AND GOES BACK TO THE GROUND LIKE YOU DO. NOT THE EXACT WORDS BUT THE SAME MEANING.HIGHER EDUCATION? IF I HAD SOMEONE PAYING MY LIVELY HOOD I WOULD ALSO BE AGAINST HIGHER EDUCATION- IF PEOPLE WENT TO SCHOOL AND LEARNED HOW TO MAKE MONEY TO LIVE THEN THEY WOULD NOT BE SERVING TIME FOR THOSE THAT LIVE ON THE BACKS OF THE PEOPLE.WHY IS A GOVERNING BODY JUST EAT, SLEEP, AND WALKING AROUND? THE PUBLISHERS PAY THE TOAL WHILE THE GOVERNING BODY REAP-THEY SHOULD BE DISFELLOWSHIPPED FOR COMMITING FORNICATION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS-THEN QUICKLY WITHDREW WHEN THEY GOT CAUGHT-THEN THEY DISFELLOWSHIP ME BECAUSE I READ IT IN THE GUARDIAN PRESS A PAPER IN BRITIAN-NOW THEY DONT WANT YOU TO READ NEWSPAPERS-WHY? BECAUSE THEY CANT DEFEND THEIR FAITH. I SAY GET A JOB AND WORK FOR YOUR LIVING JUST AS EVERY BODY ELSE HAS TO.

  • September 22, 2014 at 9:02 am
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    One of the biggest problems is that JWs have been persuaded to believe that there is such a thing as a governing body. If you look at Acts 15 you will realize that, while there was discussion by all, it was James that made the final decision (verse 19 – ‘my’ decision). He had the right to make the decision as he was handpicked by Yahshua (Jesus) as the one to which the disciples should turn for answers (Gospel of Thomas). After decades of being a JW, I had finally had it up to my eyeballs with the nonsense and, wow, have I learned a lot since. You need to stop caring about what the GB says or does – then you will make progress.

  • September 28, 2014 at 4:48 pm
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    No you couldn’t be further from the truth Jws are not a cult. A cult has one leader ie Jim Jones, Charles Manson …

    • September 29, 2014 at 5:59 am
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      Are you seriously suggesting that a religion cannot be a cult if it has more than one leader? That’s crazy.

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