Organizational Readjustments

 

By 1976, Brother Knorr had worked diligently as president of the Watch Tower Society for over three decades. He had traveled the globe many times over, visiting and encouraging missionaries, teaching and instructing branch-office personnel. He was privileged to see the number of active Witnesses increase from 117,209 in 1942 to 2,248,390 in 1976.

 

But by the summer of 1976, 71-year-old N. H. Knorr had noticed that he had a tendency to bump into things. Subsequent tests indicated that he was suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. He struggled to continue to carry a work load for some months, but his physical prognosis was poor. Would his failing health impede the forward movement of the work?

 

Enlargement of the Governing Body had already begun in 1971. During 1975, there were 17 members. Throughout much of that year, the Governing Body had given serious and prayerful consideration to how they could best care for all that is involved in the global preaching and teaching work outlined in God’s Word for our day. (Matt. 28:19, 20) On December 4, 1975, the Governing Body had unanimously approved one of the most significant organizational readjustments in the modern-day history of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

 

Starting January 1, 1976, all the activities of the Watch Tower Society and of the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses around the earth had been brought under the supervision of six administrative committees of the Governing Body. In harmony with that arrangement, on February 1, 1976, changes had been put into effect in all branch offices of the Society around the earth. No longer was each branch supervised by one branch overseer, but three or more mature men served as a Branch Committee, with one member serving as the permanent coordinator. After the committees had been operating for some months, the Governing Body observed: “It has proved beneficial to have a number of brothers taking counsel together to consider the interests of the Kingdom work.—Prov. 11:14; 15:22; 24:6.”

 

In the fall of 1976, despite the fact that his physical prognosis remained poor, Brother Knorr shared in giving instruction at meetings held at headquarters with Branch Committee members and other branch personnel from around the world. In addition to sharing in the meetings during the day, Brother Knorr invited these brothers, in small groups, to his room in the evenings. In this way he and his wife, Audrey, shared close fellowship with the men who knew and loved him and with whom he had had such close dealings over the years. Following these meetings, Brother Knorr’s health deteriorated steadily until his death on June 8, 1977.

 

On June 22, 1977, two weeks after Brother Knorr’s death, 83-year-old Frederick W. Franz was elected president of the Watch Tower Society. Regarding Brother Franz, The Watchtower of August 1, 1977, stated: “His outstanding reputation as an eminent Bible scholar and his tireless work in behalf of Kingdom interests has won him the confidence and loyal support of Jehovah’s Witnesses everywhere.”

 

By the time of this transition, new organizational arrangements were already in operation that ensured the forward movement of the work.

 

 

 

*** jv chap. 9 pp. 108-109 Jehovah’s Word Keeps Moving Speedily (1976-1992) ***