When Was This Term Coined,"Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses'?

When Was This Term Coined,'Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses'? Is the Watchtower trying to copy churches of Christendom? What does the bible says about that? What is your reaction? What do you think about that?

Scott77

Back in the early 90s.  I remember shortly thereafter when my brother, a Bethelite, came to visit and I greeted him at the door with the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the monks are marching and chanting.  

*** yb95 pp. 5-6 Jehovah’s Witnesses—1995 Yearbook Report ***

Among the full-time workers were 15,145 members of the global Bethel family. They help to provide literature, supervision, and other beneficial services in support of the worldwide work of Bible education. Of these, 5,082 serve at the world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, and at nearby facilities. All of them are members of the Order of Special Full-Time Servants, a religious order that is devoted exclusively to the ministry.

Earliest mention on the WT-CD.

As usual, thank you blondie. Iam surprised about the metion of '...are members of the Order of Special Full-Time Servants, a religious order that is devoted exclusively to the ministry'. I think, its possible,  the Watchtower is trying to copy churches of Christendom with this desgination.

Scott77

Scott77, it is actual a tax loophole.  The Catholic Church does much the same thing with nuns and priests, an order.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/106721/1/Bethel-Vow-of-Poverty-documents-scanned

Vow of Poverty

Blondie - that makes sense.....it does have a very catholic ring to it.....

2011 Worldwide Service Report showed 20,595 of this Special Order, branch facilities staff. 

	Scott77, it is actual a tax loophole.  The Catholic Church does much the same thing with nuns and priests, an order. http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/106721/1/Bethel-Vow-of-Poverty-documents-scanned Vow of Poverty
	blondie

Iam very much surprised. I did not know this before. I recall studying the bible to become one of a jehovah's Witnesses, some publications in fact , the majority of them were giving an impression how JWs are very different from churches of Christendom. Never at all did I come across any of  a Kingdom Hall being refered to as a Church. In fact, the way they build their kingdom halls differ greatly in structure. Gayle, that report of '2011 Worldwide Service Report showing 20,595 of this Special Order, branch facilities staff' is very revealing. Thank you again blondie for the link about the 'Vow of Poverty'.

Scott77

They love to slip in the word 'special'.  What exactly does it mean to be a servant of Jehovah's Witnesses, either you are a JW or you are not.

Listener Right on that.. Now I can recall of 'Special' Day Assembly, 'Special' Pioneer, and may be a 'Special' meeting, right?. How about a 'Special'Group of Men? cobaltcupcake, thank you for the 'scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the monks are marching and chanting'. That is very relevant to this discussion.

Scott77

It was before '95.  I know that simply because of where I was living when I staged that little greeting for my brother.  We moved out of there in '93.  Maybe I was aware of it earlier because of my brother.  He'd send us notes from Gilead graduations, the Bethel breakfast table, 'n' stuff.  

It absolutely cracked me up that he had to take a "vow of poverty" and become part of a "special order."  I actually got him to crack a smile with my little greeting.

cobaltcupcake,

Your brother is still in Bethel, right? Is he not worried about being kicked to the 'curb'?

Scott77