August Lundborg, who had carried responsibility for the Society’s branch for some 20 years, began to lose the proper view of himself in relation to God’s organization. Ignoring the counsel and instruction from the organization, he edited The Watch Tower according to his own interpretation. The brothers became confused. The work slowed down. Much time and effort was lovingly devoted to getting the erring one to realize his wrong course and repent.

Shortly after the assembly, Brother Lundborg informed Brother Rutherford that he no longer wished to be responsible for the branch. Brother Rutherford then wrote: “If Brother Lundborg retires, it will be according to his own choice, and in that case I ask Brother Dey to put Brother Johan Henrik Eneroth in charge of the office. You know that he was born and reared in Sweden, knows the people and conditions there, and above all is wholly devoted to the Lord.”

A New Era of Branch Management

Brother Eneroth had learned of the truth when serving as a first lieutenant in the Royal Swedish Army during World War I. While he was on duty in northern Sweden, his mother sent him Volume IV of Studies in the Scriptures, called “The Battle of Armageddon.” “That book made me realize that there was a much more important war facing mankind than the one in which the worldly nations were engaged,” he said. One day he took courage and called at the home of some Bible Students. “Imagine the expressions on the faces of the man and his wife when they found a uniformed army officer standing at their door asking for a Bible study,” he said and added: “When their initial astonishment had settled, they welcomed me with open arms.”

Eneroth left the army and soon entered full-time service. In 1920 he was invited to work at the branch in Örebro. Later that year, he was dismissed by Lundborg and then served in Denmark until he was put in charge of the branch in Örebro in 1925. So, after a former Salvation Army captain had taken care of the branch for many years, Jehovah now let a former Royal Swedish Army lieutenant take over.

Brother Eneroth was only 32 years old when he became branch overseer in Sweden. He loyally stuck to his assignment for 50 years and finished his earthly course faithfully on February 7, 1982.

[Picture on page 136]

Overseers from northern European countries. From left to right: Taylor (Latvia), Eneroth (Sweden), Harteva (Finland), Dey (general overseer), Lüttichau (Denmark), Öman (Norway), West (Estonia)