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Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses

Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses

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The Organizational Structure of Jehovah's Witnesses is a religious hierarchy. Jehovah's Witnesses are led by group of senior elders, called a Governing Body. Branch offices, known as Bethels, manage countries or regions and produce literature for use by local members and for evangelism. Members, or publishers, are organized into congregations and are overseen by congregational elders.

Contents

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[edit] Basic structure

The organization of Jehovah's Witnesses is intended to be modelled on the early Christian church. The basic principle is that all baptized men have the opportunity to become ministerial servants or elders and lead the Christian congregation. The international organization is led by a Governing Body.[1] Each congregation is led by congregational elders, whose appointment is recommended by traveling representatives of the Governing Body to a branch office. Ministerial servants assist the elders.

Titles are not used as a means of address.[2] Servants in a congregation do not receive any monetary pay, whereas missionaries, Bethel staff and travelling representatives are supported financially (the amount of money provided would be considered by most as modest).

Chart — Adapted from The Watchtower December 15, 1971 p. 749
Chart — Adapted from The Watchtower December 15, 1971 p. 749

[edit] Publishers

All who participate in the witnessing activity, or evangelical work, arranged by the Christian congregations are known as publishers. Although Jehovah's Witnesses, as a group, publish books, magazines, and other literature, the meaning of the word "publisher" in this sense is a person who is engaged in evangelizing.[3]

[edit] Baptized Publishers

A baptized publisher is someone who has undergone a series of questions, has made a personal dedication to serve God, and demonstrated it through a public baptism.[4] These baptisms are performed at assemblies and conventions organized by the Governing Body. From that moment on, the person can correctly be identified as a member of Jehovah's Witnesses.

A regular publisher does not have a specific quota of hours each month. Typically, a publisher must report at least one hour per month to be counted as a 'regular publisher'. Elders may allow publishers to count 15 minute increments if special circumstances limit them. If a publisher fails to report for one month they are termed "irregular".[5] If a publisher fails to report for six months, they are classed as "inactive".[6] These terms, namely irregular and inactive, are used in statistical reports compiled by the organization, and published annually in a Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Those habitually irregular or inactive are usually restricted from serving in any special capacity.

There are different levels of increased service available to baptized publishers in 'good standing' within the organization:

  • Auxiliary Pioneers - make a commitment to do 50 hours of field service for a given month. This can be done on a per month basis, or on an ongoing basis.
  • Regular Pioneers - make a commitment to perform about 70 hours of field service each month, but the yearly requirement is 840 hours of field service. A publisher must be baptized for at least 6 months and deemed to have good morals and be an exemplary publisher, in order to be recommended by the elders of their local congregation to be a regular pioneer.
  • Special Pioneers - assigned by the Branch to take on special work, such as publishing in remote areas. This may require committing to at least 130 hours a month in the public ministry.
  • Missionaries - sent to foreign countries to preach. They use at least 130 hours a month in the preaching. Before being assigned to a location, such persons usually go through training at the Gilead school.

[edit] Unbaptized Publishers

Unbaptized publishers could include minor children of publishers, or other persons who are on their way to becoming baptized. A person can qualify to become an unbaptized publisher when able to demonstrate basic knowledge of the Bible and if living in conformance to moral standards as set forth in the Bible. The person who is conducting the Bible study with the unbaptized person approaches the presiding overseer. He will arrange for two elders to meet with the student to interview the student. If qualified, that person can officially begin to share in the public ministry.[7]

[edit] Bethel

An administrative office is referred to as a Bethel by Jehovah's Witnesses. At these locations, volunteers help to print and ship Bible literature as well as other works. These volunteers are known as the Bethel family. The international office of Jehovah's Witnesses is such a Bethel and is located in Brooklyn, New York, USA. There are 114 Branch Offices[8] of Jehovah's Witnesses around the world (including the international office, which serves as the Branch office in USA). A branch most often is identical with a country, but it may include more than one country (for example in parts of Africa), or a region that is not an independent country (for example Alaska, Hawaii, Tahiti and New Caledonia). Bethel families varies widely in size. For example, the one in Iceland consists of some ten persons, while the ones in USA and Mexico several hundreds.

The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses convenes in and some Directors of the Watchtower Society operate from the Brooklyn offices. Each branch is led by a Branch Committee of three or more men at the Branch Office, which are appointed by the Governing Body. One of them is called the coordinator. In a branch that includes more than one country, numeral Country Committees can be appointed; they are responsible for the work in their respective countries.

The volunteers at Bethel normally are given personal duties, such as working in one of the departments. Each department is lead by one experienced man. Any office may include a translation department, a legal department and a hospital information services department. Each office has a Service Department that corresponds with the congregations and supervises the work of traveling overseers. Printing facilities exist in some offices. Some men with special responsibilities at Bethel have been known as Bethel elders, but from 2006, this term is no longer used.

New York headquarters of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
New York headquarters of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

[edit] Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses

Main article: Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses

Decisions regarding the worldwide activity of Jehovah's Witnesses are made by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, composed of elders professing spirit-anointment[citation needed], as convened in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to organizational restructuring in 1976, all decisions (from the years of Pastor Russell onward) regarding the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses were made by or subject to the approval of the President of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.[9] Until the 1970s, this group was virtually identical with the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.[10]

Since the year 2000, the Governing Body has delegated to other members the responsibility of serving as directors of the various corporations that are used by the organization. For example, the current president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania Don A. Adams, is not a member of the Governing Body.

[edit] Administrative Units and their Overseers

Each congregation is part of a Circuit, being cared for by a Circuit Overseer. Each circuit of congregations is part of a District, being cared for by a District Overseer. This in turn is under the supervision of a Branch Office. The Branch Office is under direct supervision of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. All Branch Offices are part of a Zone with a Zone Overseer appointed by the Governing Body.

[edit] Circuits

All congregations are part of what is called a circuit. The number of congregations varies in each circuit however it is believed (by the author of this edit) that circuits are kept to roughly 20 congregations give or take. Circuits come together twice a year for assemblies, once for a one day "Special Assembly day" and again for a 2 day "Circuit Assembly". All congregations are visited twice a year by the Circuit Overseer, an experienced elder representing the Branch Office. Such visits typically last one week, during which the Circuit Overseer delivers talks for the congregation and the general public, meets with the elders, ministerial servants and pioneers, and leads in the house-to-house teaching and preaching work.

[edit] Districts

A district consists of a number of circuits and is served by a District Overseer, whose responsibilities include spending a week with the Circuit Overseer visiting a congregation and attending the circuit's annual two-day assembly. Annually, usually in summer, a three-day or four-day District Convention is held. Despite its name, it may be attended by less than a whole district, or by several districts together. Such conventions are held in suitable facilities, usually seating thousands of visitors. These conventions are highly organized with plans made months in advance. In North America for example publishers get notice of convention dates in the January issue of Our Kingdom Ministry along with a list of hotels at which the Watchtower Society had negotiated group rates.

[edit] Zones

A zone consists of a number of Branch Offices. It is served by Zone Overseers appointed by the Governing Body. Their main work is to help Branch Committees with problems and questions in the ministry. Sometimes members of the Governing Body will serve as Zone Overseers.

[edit] Cities

In cities with more than one congregation, a City Overseer can be appointed. He is not a traveling man, but serves as an elder in one of the congregations. He takes care of various issues that affect the whole city. His responsibilities are limited though, since the Branch Office will act directly with the particular congregations in most cases.

[edit] Congregations

The congregations are the local units, which are in many aspects self-governed. The elders in the congregations take care of the publishers and decide the congregation's activities. Specialized territories for evangelism are made up within a congregation's boundaries and distributed to publishers. A congregation meets in a locality called a Kingdom Hall. A congregation is also divided in smaller units called Congregation Book Study groups, with usually 10-20 publishers. These groups are the smallest unit in the congregation arrangement. The group has an overseer, usually an elder, who is responsible for the group. The publisher gives his service report to the overseer, and is cared for by this person in many practical issues. The public ministry is often arranged within this small unit of publishers.

Within this larger unit, meetings are usually held twice a week, two meetings at a time, in the Kingdom Hall. These four meetings are: The Public Meeting, a Bible-based discourse, the Watchtower Study, a question and answer consideration of an article in a current Watchtower magazine, the Theocratic Ministry School, a speaking course featuring the Bible, and the Service Meeting, talks and demonstrations on use of the Bible. Each meeting is 40 minutes to an hour in length. All meetings begin and end with prayer and usually include the singing of Kingdom songs. The fifth type of meeting, the Congregation Book Study, is arranged by the Congregation Book Study groups, which meet weekly for a question and answer discussion of a Watchtower publication, usually in private homes. Meetings are free to attend.

For details on the meetings, see: Beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses#Meetings

[edit] Servants

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that according to the Bible, all of Jehovah's worshipers are ministers. Overseers are appointed to take the lead in the ministry and the teaching in the local congregations, and to fulfill certain directorial roles.

[edit] Elders

Each congregation has a body of elders or "Overseers", who make decisions regarding the local congregation's activities and welfare. For example, they are expected to teach the congregation from the platform, make pastoral visits (known as shepherding calls) to congregation members, and to take the lead in the evangelizing work. They get together at elder meetings to determine various issues in the congregation. Various elders fill various positions. The elder serving as 'Presiding Overseer' leads the elder meetings, the 'Service Overseer' handles ministry issues within the congregation, and the 'Secretary' takes care of documents. These three elders make up the congregation's service committee (distinguished from the service committee of the Governing Body), which handles documents and determine the activities. In addition, an elder may be appointed as a Book Study Overseer, with the specific responsibility of conducting the weekly book study arrangement.

Elders also have a position of judicial oversight in the congregation. When one of Jehovah's Witnesses commits or is accused of committing a serious sin, an investigation by two elders may lead to the formation of a Judicial Committee made up of three or more elders. Judicial Committees are responsible for determining the facts of a case, weighing the evidence of wrongdoing, judging a wrongdoer's attitude and motives, and offering counsel, discipline, and possibly even congregational restrictions, according to the Scriptures. No one elder has more authority than the others in the committee; all have equal authority.

[edit] Ministerial Servants

Ministerial Servants are appointed to assist the elders with routine work, such as taking care of the Kingdom Hall, the sound and microphone system, supplies of publications, congregation accounts. They may also take part in teaching the congregation in certain circumstances. For example, the more qualified ministerial servants may accompany an elder on "shepherding calls" (visits by elders to congregation members for the purpose of spiritual encouragement). Similarly, if there are not enough elders available to oversee the congregation book studies, a qualified ministerial servant may substitute in the interim to conduct the studies until there is an available elder. When doing so, the ministerial servant does not take on general responsibilities of an elder.

[edit] Appointments of Elders and Ministerial Servants

New elders and ministerial servants are appointed by the local Branch Office of Jehovah's Witnesses, who are assigned by the Governing Body to act on their behalf in this matter, usually on the recommendation of the local body of elders, during a visit of a Circuit Overseer. Only men may be appointed as elders and ministerial servants, although women may perform most of the activities of Ministerial Servants above, if they do not involve teaching the congregation. For a woman to act as a teacher in a congregation, specific requirements are set forth in the Scriptures. (This is mostly in small congregations and others which for some reason have a shortage of competent and qualified men.) (1 Corinthians 14:31-35; 1 Timothy 2:11-14)

[edit] Positions of Responsibility

Each congregation fills its positions with Elders and Ministerial Servants belonging to the congregation. In larger congregations, where there are sufficient Elders and Ministerial Servants each can take an available position; in smaller congregations, one person may handle multiple positions until another qualified candidate is available. In certain cases, when there are insufficient ministerial servants, the body of elders will use men who are not yet ministerial servants but are good examples in the congregation to fill ministerial servant duties.

In very rare cases, women who are good examples may be used to handle duties usually performed by ministerial servants. This exception arises only in very small congregations or where there are no qualified men in the congregation. Women are never appointed as ministerial servants, whether or not they fulfill the role of a ministerial servant.

Each Congregation has:

Elders

  • Presiding Overseer
  • Secretary
  • Service Overseer
  • Watchtower Study Conductor
  • Theocratic Ministry School Overseer
  • "B" School Overseer (If the number of Theocratic Ministry School students necessitates a "B" School)
  • "C" School Overseer (Only needed in larger congregations)
  • Auxiliary Counselor
  • Congregation Book Study Overseers
  • Kingdom Hall Operating Committee Member
  • Public Talk Coordinator (Can be a qualified ministerial servant)

Ministerial servants

  • Accounts Servant
  • Literature Servant
  • Magazine Servant
  • Territory Servant
  • Attendant Servant
  • Sound & Platform Servant
  • Congregation Book Study Servant (Only when not enough elders to overseer each book study)
  • Congregation Book Study Assistants
  • Kingdom Hall Literature Coordinator

NOTE: Public Talk Coordination is the responsibility of the Presiding Overseer but he may delegate this to another elder or a qualified ministerial servant. He also oversees the sound, platform and attendants.

Some men will also serve as sound and platform servants. These can be younger ones who are not yet ministerial servants.(However the publisher's must be an example in the congregation and be baptized to assist in these assignments)

The service overseer oversees the magazine, literature and territory servants.

The Secretary oversees the accounts servant.

[edit] Legal Instruments

See Legal instruments of Jehovah's Witnesses for further information.

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is one of a number of legal corporations the group uses to represent its interests. Other corporations used include, for example these:

In the majority of other countries of the world, local corporations have been established to facilitate the organization's work.

In the past, the presidents of the Watchtower Society have been important persons in the history and development of the religious group.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes, references and sources

  1. ^ Jehovah's Family Enjoys Precious Unity The Watchtower July 15, 1996, p. 13.
  2. ^ What Is the Bible's View? Is It Right to Call Men by Titles? Awake! July 22, 1977, p. 27.
  3. ^ True Worship Means Action The Watchtower September 1, 1965, p. 533.
  4. ^ Why Be Baptized? The Watchtower April 1, 2002, p. 13.
  5. ^ Our Kingdom Ministry December 1987, p. 7.
  6. ^ Our Kingdom Ministry October 1982, p. 1.
  7. ^ Helping Others to Worship God The Watchtower 1988 November 15, p. 17.
  8. ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses 2007
  9. ^ Franz, Raymond (2000). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press, Third edition, Second printing, 42-108 (chapters 3 and 4).
  10. ^ Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom 1993 p. 108-109, 723
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