Jehovah's Witnesses: Encyclopedia II - Jehovah's Witnesses - Organizational structure

Jehovah's Witnesses - Organizational structure

Jehovah's Witnesses are currently led by a small, ecclesiastical Governing Body. Jehovah's Witnesses believe the role of the Governing Body corresponds to that of those who met in the Council of Jerusalem, guided by Holy Spirit and directed by Jesus. The description of the Council of Jerusalem in the Acts of the Apostles is often used as an example of how God had a "visible organization" in the first century. From this they reason that God therefore has an organization today. This top-down leadership is referred to by the Witnesses as "theocratic".

All members of the Governing Body profess to be "anointed" (see Doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses). The number of men who make up the Governing Body has ranged from ten to seventeen. Since April 1975, the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses makes decisions by a two-thirds majority vote; previously a unanimous vote was required. Therefore, no one member makes decisions nor asserts any more spiritual insight than any other member of the Governing Body.^[9] The Governing Body (indirectly through the departments of its various legal organizations) directs the operation of the 111 branches spread throughout the world.^[10] Each branch has appointed circuit overseers who travel among various local congregations, spending a week with each and giving spiritual encouragement through talks and one-on-one time spent with members in their public ministry. Within each local congregation, appointed elders organize the congregation's public ministry, and the content and schedule of their five weekly meetings, based on publications and precedents set by the Governing Body. They also recommend, via a vote of the elder body, "spiritually mature" baptized male members of the congregation for the positions of elder or ministerial servant, requiring the approval of higher leadership.

Elders take the lead in congregational matters, particularly in religious instruction and spiritual counseling, whereas the ministerial servants assist elders in a limited administrative capacity, and they (the elders and ministerial servants) and other Witnesses 'in good standing' often perform the majority of operational tasks for congregation meetings.

Witnesses do not consider elders to be clergy, though their service includes pastoral activity that clergy provide in other Christian denominations. All baptized Witnesses are considered to be ordained ministers, and are obligated to provide religious instruction to others. Spiritually mature Witnesses (men and women alike) are exhorted to the counseling of less-mature Witnesses. They may be assigned a newer publisher to assist in ministry, and may be asked to conduct a personal Bible study with another Witness who is spiritually troubled or "weak". Males are encouraged to reach out for 'privileges of service' such as becoming elders. Elders are said to be worthy of "double honor", but are held to a higher standard as overseers than other baptized "publishers", and are subject to additional discipline including removal. An elder may also be removed, or choose to step aside willingly, from his position if members of his household are not in "good standing" or for other, sometimes personal, reasons.

About 8,500 other Jehovah's Witnesses profess to be anointed but they have no formal role in establishment or modification of the doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses. Unless appointed into one of the various roles described above, they have no position of leadership or authority. Women who profess to be anointed cannot attain any position of earthly authority. However, Witnesses do believe that since 1918 all anointed who have died faithful (including many women) have been resurrected to heaven to serve as 'kings and priests' over other creatures.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Organizational structure", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki