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The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is a body of elders that oversees all the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is often referred to as simply The Governing Body. This group is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the "Watchtower Society"; however, that term actually refers to one or more of the legal instruments of Jehovah's Witnesses supervised by these elders.
Scope and Membership
Jehovah's Witnesses' governing body is:
- legisative in the sense that is codifies policies for the religion and, before 1975, approved nominations made by the President of the Watchtower Society for positions within the organization.
- judicial in the sense that it is the final, arbitrating council for Jehovah's Witness to appeal disputes, especially disfellowshipping cases.
- administrative in the sense that, since 1976, appoints members to positions of oversight
All members are elders that profess to be of the heavenly, or "anointed", class of Jehovah's Witnesses. The number of elders sitting on the Governing Body varies over time but its size hovers in the lower teens. Before 1971, there were only seven, in 1977 there were eighteen (the largest size do date), in 1983 -- fifteen, and twelve since 1999.
Since the year 2000, the Governing Body has delegated the responsibility of directors of the various corporations that are used by Jehovah's Witnesses to memebers outside the board. For example, the current president of the Watch Tower Society, Don A. Adams, is not a member of the Governing Body.
Background
Until 1971, the Governing Body was identical with the Board of Directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. The Governing Body was enlarged by Nathan H. Knorr beyond the directors of the Watch Tower Society in 1971 and the chairmanship began to rotate annually starting that year.
Before 1971, the agenda of the Governing Body was set by the President of the Watch Tower Society, who was also a member.. Until 1975, all decisions had to be unanimously approved by the Body. Raymond Franz claims that sometimes this unanimity required a compromise; after that year, Nathan H. Knorr decided that a two-thirds majority vote of the active membership would carry decisions.
Since January 1, 1976, all the activities of the Watchtower Society and of the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide were brought under the supervision of the Governing Body. Raymond Franz claims that before 1976, the President of the Watch Tower Society, then Nathan H. Knorr, directed the daily activity of the organization. In mid-1975, Knorr asked the Governing Body to hear concerns brought to his attention about this type of administration in comparison to an ideal kind mentioned in The Watchtower of Dec. 15, 1971. Two subcommittees, formed by the Governing Body, investigated the concerns and recommended that the daily administration of the organization be directed by the Governing Body instead of the President. To that end, one subcomittee recommended that the Governing Body form standing committees to oversee each of the administration's departments. For example, the Writing Committee of the Governing Body would oversee the Writing Department of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
Committees
The work of the Governing Body is undertaken by six, standing committees. Each committee oversees a corresponding administrative department that implements the committee's or Body's decision. Today, these Governing Body Committees are comprised of Governing Body members who recommend policies, appointments and other organizational changes to the full Body. A committee will usually reach unanimous agreement before recommending a change to the full Body, or a committee's member could present the change as controversial and needing the Body's remediation.
- Personnel Committee - arranges for volunteers to serve in the organization's headquarters and branch offices. Personnel can be likened to a human resources entity.
- Publishing Committee - handles publishing the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses and other legal matters involved in printing, such as obtaining property for printing facilities.
- Service Committee - supervises traveling overseers, pioneers, and the activities of congregation publishers and other matters specific to the envangelical activity of Jehovah's Witnesses. This committee also oversees communication to and from the international headquarters, the branch offices, and congregations of the organization. It is not to be confused with the service committees formed by elders at each congregation.
- Teaching Committee - arranges congregation meetings, special assembly days, circuit assemblies, and district and international conventions as well as various schools for elders, ministerial servants, pioneers, missionaries, such as Gilead school.
- Writing Committee - supervises the writing and translation of all works published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
- Chairman's Committee - cares for emergencies, disaster relief and other urgent matters, such as investigations.
A number of Bethel elders, not members of the Governing Body, serve on some of these committees as assistants, such as in secretarial positions. They can be from the great crowd (meaning they are not one of the "144,000"), and their work is sometimes compared with that of the Nethinim in ancient Israel.
Members
Current (Years of Assignment)
As of April 2006, the current members of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, in alphabetical order, are:- Carey W. Barber (since 1977)
- John E. Barr (since 1977)
- Samuel Herd (since 1999)
- Geoffrey Jackson (since 2005)
- Theodore Jaracz (since 1974)
- Stephen Lett (since 1999)
- Gerrit Lösch (since 1994)
- Anthony Morris (since 2005)
- Guy Pierce (since 1999)
- David Splane (since 1999)
Former (Deceased)
- W. Lloyd Barry (1974-1999)
- John C. Booth (1974-1996)
- Charles J. Fekel(1974-1977)
- Frederick W. Franz (1972-1992) — 4th president of Watchtower society
- George D. Gangas (1971-1994)
- John O. Groh (1972-1975)
- Milton G. Henschel (1972-2003) — 5th president of Watchtower society
- William K. Jackson (1972-1981)
- Karl F. Klein (1974-2001)
- Nathan H. Knorr (1972-1977) — 3th president of Watchtower society
- Martin Pötzinger (1977-1988)
- Albert D. Schroeder (1974-2006)
- Grant Suiter (1972-1983)
- Thomas J. Sullivan (1972-1974)
- Lyman A. Swingle (1972-2001)
- Daniel Sydlik (1974-2006)
Resigned
- Ewart Chitty (~1970's)
- Raymond Franz (1971-1980)
- Leo K. Greenlees (?-1984)
References
External link
See also
"Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses"