In recent years, an arrangement has emerged in Mozambique that deserves careful analysis, especially when we think about the future of the organization and the role of the circuit overseer. Recently, I made a video in Portuguese on my YouTube channel: "Departmento de Serviço." Portuguese speakers can go directly to the link at the end of this post.
In December 2018, a letter was sent to congregations located within an approximate radius of 100 km from Bethel or an RTO, inviting them to request Bethel speakers through an official form (S-47)
This form established specific periods throughout the year for these visits and indicated that the assigned speaker would deliver both a public talk and a service talk — September to December, January to April, and May to August.
This is a structured system, with defined deadlines, coordination with the Service Department, and direct interaction with the congregation’s body of elders. In addition, the Bethel speaker not only gives talks but also participates in the ministry and meets with the congregation’s service committee.
Another important detail is that the congregation itself is responsible for covering the expenses related to the visit of the speaker and his wife, which shows that this arrangement already includes complete and functional logistical elements.
In 2019, the year following the start of the project, this plan did not move forward as expected due to the pandemic, which led to the confinement of the Mozambique branch at the beginning of 2019. However, in 2022, the arrangement was resumed. At that time, I had the opportunity to directly participate in requesting a Bethel speaker for my congregation, which allowed me to observe in practice how this system works. At the time, I was a PIMO Bethelite elder.
After sending the request, the assigned speaker contacted the body of elders of my congregation and requested specific information about the congregation, including points that should be addressed in the service talk. The elders provided concrete details, including behaviors of some publishers in the congregation that needed correction. When the speaker arrived, he addressed exactly those topics in the talk, creating the perception that it was directed spiritual guidance, when in reality there was prior preparation based on local information that the body of elders had passed on to the Bethel speaker. What happens is that when a publisher hears the talk, it creates a feeling that “this coincidence shows that God is seeing what I am doing. How is he talking exactly about this issue without ever having been in my congregation and never having lived what happens here.”
The program followed the expected model: a public talk (with an outline chosen by the elders, based on those used in weekend meetings), the Watchtower study, and finally a service talk focused on the needs of the congregation. There is also the possibility of adjusting the format, choosing either two 30-minute talks or a single one-hour talk, a decision that belongs to the body of elders of the congregation that makes the request. The elders arrange this directly with the Bethel speaker.
In addition, the speaker participated in the ministry, met with the congregation’s service committee (coordinator, service overseer, and secretary — the other elders did not participate and did not know what was discussed), and integrated into the local routine of the congregation. And a family that had previously volunteered served lunch to the Bethel speaker after field service.
When I analyze this arrangement objectively, it becomes clear to me that many of the functions performed by the Bethel speaker coincide with those traditionally associated with the circuit overseer.
And this led me to ask: are we looking at a complement… or a possible alternative model in development?
If this arrangement is seen as a pilot project, there are several possibilities for the future. One would be the gradual reduction of reliance on the circuit overseer, with greater use of Bethel speakers in occasional visits. Another possibility would be the redistribution of responsibilities, where parts of the work currently performed by the circuit overseer would be taken on by representatives sent directly from Bethel.
A hybrid model may also emerge, combining traditional visits with this new on-request system, or even a more centralized structure where supervision is carried out more directly by headquarters instead of through fixed circuits. What may happen going forward, following this model, is a change in how visits are conducted.
Instead of a fixed circuit-based system, a model of visits by request may emerge, where congregations ask for help when needed and Bethel assigns who will go, within defined periods.
At the same time, these visits may stop being general and become more targeted, focused on the specific needs of each congregation, with topics prepared based on the information and circumstances of each congregation, as I saw happening.
And all of this may be accompanied by greater centralization, where Bethel takes on a more direct role in supervision, in selecting speakers, and in determining the type of guidance given.
In other words, instead of a fixed and uniform system, we may see a more flexible, more targeted, and more centrally controlled model.
Naturally, it is not possible to state with certainty which path will be followed. However, when I observe the pattern of changes within the organization — which tends to introduce adjustments gradually and progressively — this type of arrangement makes me see that we may be at the beginning of a transition.
I do not know if this system is being applied in other countries. But in Mozambique, it already exists, has already been implemented, and is already functioning. And when something begins like this, in a localized and controlled way, it is worth paying attention to what may come next.
My video about the changes that are happening in the organization and those that may happen in the future, including adjustments to this circuit overseer arrangement, is here at this link in Portuguese: https://youtu.be/TrrzEPLqnnc