The Relationship Between the United States Branch Office & The World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses

[Isaac Lupupa]

I have been wondering and meant to ask about this; What's the relationship between the United States branch office of Jehovah's witnesses and the World Headquarters? Are they located at the same place and what happens in a situation where a brother is an helper to any of the 6 committees of the governing body and also saves on the US branch committee, where do they render there assignments, at the world headquarters or at the US branch? (Examples: John Ekrann, Ralph Walls, Harold Corkern, Georges Betty, Griffin Anthony; etc)

[Pionner_who]

Actually, the world headquarters and the U.S. branch headquarters are not in the same building. The world headquarters is located in Warwick, while the U.S. branch headquarters is in Wallkill. At the world headquarters, work is done by departments responsible for overseeing the global work, including the Governing Body and their helpers. At the U.S. branch, the focus is on the local work, similar to what happens at Bethels around the world.

[jdcarlson]

Up until a few years ago, there was not a separate U.S. Branch. Rather, matters for the U.S. Branch were cared for from the same location (and using some of the same brothers) as the Governing Body. 

 

However, a few years back, the combined duties of the GB (overseeing world wide operations) and the US Branch (overseeing operations in the United States) became too much to be cared for from a single location.

 

Now, the worldwide headquarters (WHQ) of the Society is in Warwick, New York.  The official headquarters for the U.S. Branch is listed as Walkill, New York.

 

This is not the result of a significant increase in matters in the U.S. Branch. Rather it was due to the expansion of the work world wide. By separating the US Branch, the GB is now allowed to concentrate on world wide matters, and they are not distracted dealing with matters dealing with US Operations.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

 

This change puts the US Branch in the same relationship to the GB as the UK Branch, the German Branch, etc.

 

 

[Cool.As.Ice]

6 hours ago, jdcarlson said:

Up until a few years ago, there was not a separate U.S. Branch. Rather, matters for the U.S. Branch were cared for from the same location (and using some of the same brothers) as the Governing Body. 

 

However, a few years back, the combined duties of the GB (overseeing world wide operations) and the US Branch (overseeing operations in the United States) became too much to be cared for from a single location.

 

Now, the worldwide headquarters (WHQ) of the Society is in Warwick, New York.  The official headquarters for the U.S. Branch is listed as Walkill, New York.

 

This is not the result of a significant increase in matters in the U.S. Branch. Rather it was due to the expansion of the work world wide. By separating the US Branch, the GB is now allowed to concentrate on world wide matters, and they are not distracted dealing with matters dealing with US Operations.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

 

This change puts the US Branch in the same relationship to the GB as the UK Branch, the German Branch, etc.

 

 

Jim, as usual, a spectacular answer. I always enjoy your comments and I love hearing about your past experiences. It’s like getting a theocratic history lesson.

[jdcarlson]

Thank you Brohter Elijah.

 

Kind words are always endearing.

 

As a fourth generation witness (now at age 80 - having been active in Jehovah's organization for 75 years) I have heard stories from aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., over the years. I am an only child, but my mother was only one of five siblings. The others all had five, six, or more children. So, there were always a lot of "kinfolk" to hear from. Some relatives had wonderful privileges serving Jehovah. One uncle's life story was in the December 1, 1992, Watchtower. One cousin spent over 50 years in the Circuit and District work with her husband before he died. I have a cousin at the legal department at WHQ. I have another cousin at Bethel in England. Sometimes it helps understand why things are as they are when you remember what they were, and why a change was needed.

 

Having said that, my personality is that I do not normally  like new ideas if they are not my ideas.

 

Sometimes, I did not like changes (I almost "freaked out" whe I first heard the Society was going to sell the Brooklyn property). But, after a time, I realized I was wrong and the change was necessary.

 

One minor advantage of moving from Brooklyn I noticed was when the legal deparment moved from Brooklyn to Patterson. At Patterson one could see that if a certain room needed to be three feet wider for the job, it was easy enough to do. There was plenty of space to make it "just a little bigger." But, in Brooklyn moving an outside wall two or three feet just would not work. Things had to be "crammed in" to whatever space was available.

 

That is just one "miniscule" example of the advantages of moving out of the confines of New York City.

 

Another adjustment for me was realizing the growth of the Society. Somewhere I still have my copy of the Assembly Program from the 1950 International Assembly in New York City (I was 6 years old). I remember the cover of a District Assembly program in the early to middle 1950s where it  stated that there were (at that point) 500,000 witnesses worldwide.

 

I was at the 1958 assembly (sitting in the mezzanine section behind third base in Yankee Stadium) when the combined attendance at Yankee Stadium, Polo Grounds, and "Tent City" was over 250,000 (my grandfather was at the "Tent City").

 

I remember at the Pioneer meeting at the District Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1963 when Brother Knorr announced to the pioneers that in April, 1963, there were 1,040,000 publishers worldwide. The first time there were ever over 1,000,000 in field service.

 

It took me a long time to realize the increase in multiplicity of matters necessary to care for, and manage, an organization of over 8,000,000 compared to what it took to take care of "just" 500,000!

 

For a long time, my attitude was "it has worked so well for so long, why change now?"

 

May I say I am now comming to realize the differences between an organization of 500,000 vs 8,000,000.

 

In my secular work as a Certified Pubic Accountant for 50+ years I have seen a similar development in some clients (although on a much smaller scale). When a client first starts business they have pehaps four or five employees. Ten years later they are at 50 employees. The internal structure and operating and accounting controls for four or five people, just will not do the job for 50 people. Several times I have had to have "heart to heart" discussions with clients that they are no longer a "mom & pop" operation. They are operating in a different world.

 

The same thing has happened to Jehovah's organization. It has grown 100fold since WWI.

 

Please do not take me wrong. I rejoice in seeing the growth of Jehovah's organization. Candidly, I know of no worldly organization that operates in over 200 countries (each country, and its multiplicity of jurisdictions, and subjurisdictions, each with their own different sets of laws, regulations, and other requirements) as does Jehovah's organization. Yes, there have been setbacks when certain countries take over propertiies by force, or put dear ones in prison merely for possessing literature, but Jehovah's organization continues to grow and accomplish its objective of advancing Jehvah's Kingdom Interests.

 

It just proves to us that Jehovah is with his organization.

 

Anyway, thanks for your very kind words.

 

Jim