“From the Past to the Present: The Governing Body Promotes Unity (Part 1)”
When there was no internet or other technology, how did the members of the Governing Body show that they were good shepherds?
Comment 1:
They showed that they were good shepherds by traveling personally to be with the brothers. In 1945, Brothers Knorr and Franz made a four-month tour of several countries in Latin America. They wanted to see firsthand how the congregations were doing and to promote the preaching of the Kingdom.
Comment 2:
During their service tours they did not merely give talks. They oversaw the work of the branch offices, dedicated new facilities, visited missionary homes, and met with the congregations in the area. In that way they could learn directly about the needs of the brothers.
Comment 3:
They also gave practical instructions on how to preach and how to conduct the meetings, and they explained how the work was progressing in other countries. In that way, even though today’s means of communication did not exist, they helped all the congregations to work together in unity.
Comment 4:
A very fine way of showing personal interest was preaching with the brothers. Although they had very busy schedules, they did not limit themselves to supervising from an office. They went out in the ministry with the publishers and personally shared with them the work of announcing the good news.
Comment 5:
In Guatemala they visited a congregation of only eight people. That shows that for them no congregation was too small or unimportant. Even though they were few, those brothers deserved to receive encouragement and to feel that they were part of the worldwide brotherhood.
Comment 6:
Brother Knorr visited as many missionary homes as he could and spoke with each missionary. He wanted to know what problems they were facing, whether they needed better housing, and how the people in the territory were responding. His interest was not general but personal and practical.
Comment 7:
Even when he had only fifteen or twenty minutes at a train station or an airport, Brother Knorr took advantage of the time to encourage the brothers. This shows that he valued every opportunity to strengthen them and to motivate them to keep on preaching.
Comment 8:
After the Second World War, Brothers Knorr and Henschel visited several European countries. Railway lines and bridges had been destroyed, and traveling was very difficult. Even so, they made the effort because they wanted to help and encourage the brothers who had suffered so much.
Comment 9:
On one long tour of 76,000 kilometers they visited places where there were few Witnesses or even none at all. They met with congregations in private homes, attended their meetings, and accompanied the publishers to visit interested people. In that way they came to know their situation firsthand.
Comment 10:
Brothers Knorr and Henschel also took part personally in advertising the public talks. They went out into the streets and even rode bicycles with other brothers to invite people. They did not consider such tasks to be beneath them.
Comment 11:
The trips were exhausting, and at times things went wrong. In Nigeria, car trouble cost them many hours, and they had to cross the jungle on a twenty-four-hour journey. After resting a little, they continued on to the next branch office.
Comment 12:
After one convention, Brother Knorr did not leave right away to rest. He went to the station with Brother Henschel and stayed there until half past ten at night, saying good-bye to the brothers who were leaving on the trains. He cared more about them than about his own comfort.
Comment 13:
When the authorities prevented a special meeting from being held in Athens, they did not give up. Brothers Knorr and Henschel went by taxi from house to house, giving talks of about twenty minutes. Although they could have been arrested, they succeeded in personally encouraging 905 Greek brothers.
Comment 14:
Brother Franz visited Spain when the work was banned. In order to meet with the brothers, he had to act discreetly, pretending to have a breakdown and dressing in a beret and a coat typical of the area. He even risked his freedom and was arrested in Barcelona.
Comment 15:
The video also shows that they were thinking about the future. Since the growth no longer allowed one person to visit all the branch offices, they trained others to help with the shepherding. In that way the brothers would be well cared for and the branches could keep working in unity.
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