The 2×2 ministry is an inner circle of people that is surrounded by, esteemed, trusted and protected by the outer circle. The ministry makes decisions that affect peoples lives on many levels – what workers are in which states, who the overseers are, what field workers are in, which homes “get a meeting”, what home people are assigned to go to for fellowship and Bible study, what they study in the Bible study meetings, which members get to “take part” in the meetings (divorce and remarriage), who can be baptized, etc.
Let’s examine this ministry closer:
– They are a group of men and women that for the majority are uneducated (not trained) in every sense of life – uneducated in the Bible (what they know is just what they’ve picked up – no formal training); not trained in any type of psychology or sociology issues; no training in ethics; not very many real life experiences to understand “normal” life – for instance how car insurance works or what it really costs to “live”; no concept of how most jobs and companies operate; and on top of all that – not used to being held accountable.
Now let’s look at the design and how the ministry is set up:
-You have an overseer (brother worker) that is in charge of that state or group of states. He decides who is with who and what area (field). He decides what fields there are. He decides (with other overseers) who goes where for what convention(s). In his state(s) he’s “over”, he decides who has a meeting in their home (if there needs to be a change for any reason). He decides who is “fit” to “take part”. He decides what to do with major or semi-major issues in every field (whatever may come up with the workers in the field). He decides when and where special meetings are. He decides what route each worker goes on. Point is: He decides many many things. He is looked up to, respected, asked advice of, has the final word, decisions not questioned.
-The sister workers are to be in submission to the brother workers. Younger coworkers are to be in submission to their older coworkers.
-It is very hierarchical, political and patriarchal.
-Two brother workers or two sister workers go together to their assigned area (usually every year at convention time) and live with the believers (friends) – staying a night or two or three at a time on average.
-This, by design and structure, is very psychologically abusive. Look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (a psychologist 1908-1970). I’ll be brief on this, but there’s a lot here – search it. It’s like a pyramid of human needs – basic is the foundation and building on it. The basic human needs psychologically are breathing, food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep, sex. Those are necessary to have and then you can build. In the work, a person’s basic human needs are either unsettled (inconsistent plays a role) or unmet (don’t always know what you are going to eat, where you are going to sleep, how well you will sleep, supposed to be celibate, etc). That by design is abusive. The design of the work also goes against nature. God would not design a system like that. God does not contradict himself. God would not require people to live a psychologically abusive life. The 2×2 ministry by design, throws people into survival mode.
On top of all this, psychologically speaking, a person’s brain is not fully developed until they are about age 25. Many workers went into the work in their late teens or early 20’s. They were thrown into a system of high control and very little autonomy. What does that do? That psychologically and emotionally stunts a person.
In closing, looking at the 2×2 ministry from this point of view, why would anyone want people in that situation making ANY decision for them? Many more questions to ask – there are many, many why’s here. Just asking people to really pause and consider.
I could keep going and give examples, etc. but I think this is enough to get the basic points across.
Oh, and before some people attack me because they don’t know this about me: I was in this ministry for 12 years so am also coming from the place of experience and knowledge of being on the inside of that inner circle.
Shannon (Johnson) Boettcher
August 9, 2024
…To be continued