Itinerant supervisor

A itinerant supervisor is a faithful male member of the Témoins of Jéhovah which, within the framework of its religious functions of monitoring, is given the responsability to visit a district, a district, a subsidiary company or a zone.

The supervisors are divided into four levels:

supervisors of district,
supervisors of district,
supervisors of subsidiary,
supervisors of zone,

Supervisor of district

A supervisor of district deals with the monitoring of score of congregations.

Characteristics

The supervisor of district was called “pilgrim” when this function was created. With died of Charles Taze Russell, there were 93 of them which moved congregations in congregations.

The supervisor of district belongs to the class of the itinerant supervisors. He has in load a district, which account between 18 and 25 congregations, or local Église of Témoins of Jéhovah. He approximately twice visits during one week (Tuesday with the Sunday included) each one of them the year, and at the end of two or three years he is affected in a close district.

These supervisors have with their credit of the years of experiment in the activity of Prédication and the monitoring within the congregations. Generally, they did not never carry on a profane activity and undertook the service of pioneer quickly after having left the school. Some followed an higher education, but the whole of their religious knowledge comes from what they learned in the organization from the Témoins from Jéhovah. They thus do not exert any profane work and do not have or more family responsibilities, and full-time devote to the “ministry” in the special capacity as pioneer, i.e. they monthly devote approximately 120 hours to the evangelization. If they are married, their wife accompanies them everywhere where they are useful.

Some can be soft and full with kindness, but the majority reflect the authoritative tendency which generally characterizes the Société Watchtower. They can be not very sensitive to the problems and the needs for faithful because of a lack of experience and formation.

Taking into account their position raised in the organization, it can happen that, like a ex-member says it, “under an appearance of humility bores the worship of the personality unceasingly”.

Functions

History

During many years before 1972, no member male of the local congregations would have dared to call into question the authority of the supervisor of district which was to be obeyed in practically very that he said. Then, of 1972 with 1977, it simply helped the old local in each congregation, and its capacities were then more persuasive coercive. However, starting from the be 1977, the Société Watchtower gradually reconstituted the old system, by means of speech with the assembled district, subjects covered in the bulletin interns the Ministry for the Kingdom and letters of the subsidiary companies to the local congregations. Its role is in fact identical to that of a bishop within the Catholic church.

Current activities

The supervisor of district makes sure of the spiritual good condition of the congregation and examines his activity. He gives several speeches and meets with the old ones and the ministerial assistants in order to see how they can improve their devotion within the congregation. He examines the files with the secretary of the congregation which they visit and determines the strong points and the weak points of this one; he is informed of the activity of each faithful, the assistance with the meetings, the place division in territories with évangéliser and accountancy. The evening even, he makes its first speech of service and encourages all the proclamateurs of the audience to take part actively jointly with him and his wife in the five following days in the activity of Prédication. During the week when he visits a congregation, his wife and accompany to him the local Witnesses in the activity by evangelization. A planning of Preaching of the supervisor and his wife is prepared in advance for this purpose (names of the faithful ones that they will accompany in this activity, forms of Prédication). Another evening of the week, it recontre into private the old ones of the congregation, and examines in particular the proposals at the stations of old or ministerial Assistant to be transmitted to the Société Watchtower. During the meeting of the study of book another evening of week, he makes a speech having milked with the specific needs of the congregation. Lastly, during the meeting of the weekend, he makes the public speech (45 minutes) as well as a last speech (30 minutes) after the examination of the Tower of Guard .

To the weekend of visit, the supervisor sends to his superiors a monthly management report and a financial reporting compared to his expenditure not taken into account in the congregation which it has just visited. He gives to the Société Watchtower a évalution of each member having functions of service in the congregation and can destroy the reputation of one of those at Brooklyn or the subsidiary company. Exceptionally, it can cause the reference of a college of old entire and can recommend that certain old are entitled to celebrate Mariage S, according to the legislation.

Means of existence

In the underdeveloped countries, the supervisors of district can have a lifestyle and living conditions very testing and their engagement constitutes an abnegation and spirit of sacrifice. In all the cases, the couple perceives on behalf of the Société Watchtower a small allowance for its personal needs. The supervisor of district and his wife lunch at faithful buildings which were registered in advance to receive them with their table. Moreover, they often profit from gifts of money or gifts on behalf of proclamateurs when they finished visiting a congregation. Generally, the couple resides during the week in a small housing contiguous to the Salle of the Kingdom envisaged to their intention. However, there do not exist pensions for the supervisors of district who withdrew themselves from their functions; those must thus live by their own means or thanks to the charity of the congregations.

Supervisor of district

A supervisor of district is charged to visit a district (regrouping of several districts).

Characteristics

The supervisor of district, sometimes named under the generic term of “itinerant supervisor”, was called “pilgrim” at the time of the first Students of the Bible. He deals with district, division geographical cash several districts, they-even made up of a score of congregations each one. He visits during one week (Tuesday with the Sunday included) each one of them.

The supervisor of district has aptitudes and a formation similar to that of the supervisor of district: he in general is very tested in the activity of public evangelization and the monitoring within the congregations. In general, it is rather old. He is regarded as a special pioneer, i.e. he devotes all his time to the visit of the congregations and the activity of Prédication. Usually, it worked forever out of the organization of the Pilot of Jéhovah and served as many years as a pioneer as of more the young age. Its religious knowledge comes in general exclusively from the meetings and the publications of the organization. It is released from any professional obligation at the profane level and does not have or more dependant childrens. If he is married, which is frequently the case, his wife accompanies it everywhere where he is useful. Just like for the supervisors of district, his character can vary, according to the individual, of softness to marked authoritarianism.

It is the Central Collège Témoins of Jéhovah which establishes a supervisor of district. When this one visits a congregation, the Witnesses of Jéhovah speak then about “special week”.

Criticisms affirm that the supervisors of district, charged to solve the disagreements with the center of the congregations, “arrived at a height such as, in any event, it is impossible for them to remember it, to even represent what is the real life, they (...) are completely disconnected from reality and, too conscious for the majority of their importance, they are inaccessible”.

Functions

Its responsibilities are the following ones:

It moves from one district to another, serving an assembly each week.

His wife and also accompany to him in the activity by Prédication the Witnesses by Jéhovah by the congregation which they visit this week.

It chairs the assembled district organized in its district and directs the final preparation of the program of the assembled district at the time of which it makes several speeches, of which the public speech.

It writes the monthly returns on its activity and the assembled districts for submission to the subsidiary company.

the Tuesday afternoon, it meets into private each Surveillant of district and his wife in order to listen to them and give them suggestions (generally, the supervisor of district visits a congregation the same week as the supervisor of district). During this week, the supervisor of district devotes the majority of his time in the activity of public evangelization with the faithful ones of the congregation in question, carrying out door with door, visits with people interested by the message of the Témoins of Jéhovah, or to take part in the studies in residence of the faithful ones.

When it completes its visit in a district, it can go in a following district, according to the program which the subsidiary company of the country decides to allot to him, until all were visited over a given period, then it starts again its round.

Means of existence

The life of a couple whose husband is supervisor of district can be particularly testing in a poor country (uncomfortable lodging, not very abundant food and/or of bad quality…). In good number of countries, this itinerant supervisor moves in the car or thanks to public transport. Sometimes, it may be that it travels to bicycle or foot. The Société Watchtower covers its transport costs, and grants, with his wife and has itself, a small sum in refunding of their personal expenses. Generally, in fact faithful congregations deal with their lodging and their meals. ; they can offer besides to them money or gifts at the time of their departure of the congregation. However, there do not exist pensions for the supervisors of district who withdrew themselves from their functions; those must thus live by their own means or thanks to the charity of the congregations.

Supervisor of subsidiary company

August 1st

Supervisor of zone

A supervisor of zone visit in an official way various subsidiary companies of the religious movement throughout the world.

History

The function of supervisor of zone appeared at the time of the third president of the Société Watchtower, Nathan Homer Knorr which in the beginning, visited itself the subsidiary companies and the houses of missionary S.

The world was divided into ten zones, each one including/understanding a certain number of subsidiary companies of the Société Watchtower. Male members able of the seat of Brooklyn and supervisors of subsidiary company having good experience were appointed supervisors of zone (at the time, servants of zone), and received by Knorr a formation for this task.

It is on January 1st 1956 which the first servant of zone inaugurated this new function while starting to inspect subsidiary companies. In 1992, there was more than 30 supervisors of zone, of which several members of the Central Collège.

It is the Central Collège which decides in a periodic way to send a supervisor of zone in order to visit the subsidiary company of the countries where the Témoins of Jéhovah has one of them.

Functions

The functions of the supervisors of zone are:

Mainly to help the committees of subsidiary company to settle the questions and the problems involved in the activity of public Preaching.

Renconter each time necessary missionaries depending on the subsidiary company which he visits (since 1978).

To examine the files related to the operation of the subsidiary company.

To visit all the installations of the subsidiary company concerned (Béthel, farms, printers…).

See too

Internal bonds

Organization connected with the church of the Witnesses of Jéhovah
Assembled Witnesses of Jéhovah
Lexicon of the Witnesses of Jéhovah

References

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