u/General_Pie_5386

Hello, friends of this forum. I am Brazilian, an elder, and currently PIMO (physically in, mentally out). I would like to share and comment on a situation that happened recently, which perfectly illustrates how the leadership's psychology of control works when the structure begins to crumble. Recently, I was called into a backstage meeting with the Coordinator and other experienced elders. The tone of the conversation? Heavy pressure because meetings are empty, attendance has plummeted, and the number of pioneers during the circuit overseer's visit month was way down. Their automatic "spiritual" conclusion? "Jehovah is not blessing the congregation because the body is divided."
It is striking to notice how the leadership is completely unable to make a sociological or human reading of reality. To them, it doesn't matter if people are exhausted, overwhelmed with work in the real world, or simply discouraged by all the demands. If the numbers drop, the blame must be shifted onto someone's shoulders through manipulation and fear. They create a mystical narrative of a "lack of holy spirit" just to avoid admitting that the environment they create is suffocating. In my case, they used this "lack of unity" excuse to open a full-blown fishing expedition and witch hunt. Since a few of us on the body had legitimately pointed out that the centralizing and authoritarian attitudes of one of the elders who holds a position within the service committee with us were tripping up the publishers, the leadership's reaction was not to fix the management issue, but rather to shield his position and try to silence those who questioned it. They went so far as to dig up years-old gossip and family bickering involving wives, trying to fish for information to see if there was a "plot" against this committee member.
As an experienced PIMO, I know exactly how the game is played: I nodded, agreed with the counsel, used diplomacy, and said exactly what they wanted to hear. The result? I left the meeting praised for my technical work, the dust settled, and they think the "loving readjustment" worked. The matter was even brought to the Circuit Overseer in a generic way just for guidance, but since I kept a low profile, my record with him remains perfectly clean.
What I take as a lesson from this, and what I want to leave for your reflection:

1 Their "spiritual discernment" is an absolute myth. They operate completely in the dark. They rely solely on reports, attendance averages, and whatever people gossip about or confess. They have no power other than the fear they try to impose.

2 Shielding those in command will always come before justice. The system prefers to blame the rank-and-file and make up that "God withdrew his blessing" rather than admit that a local leadership is toxic or incompetent.

3 For those who are PIMO, political invisibility is the greatest protection. Focusing on technical work and keeping your mouth shut in hallway conversations is what guarantees our peace while we build our lives for the future. Has anyone else here gone through this kind of pressure where leadership tries to find a "sin in the camp" just because congregation numbers are plummeting? How did you deal with the elders' probing?

Regards to everyone.