Theocratic Ministry School Instructions for 2006

by TheListener 27 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • TheListener
    TheListener

    From the October 2006 KM [I put .... where I left out some text]:

    During 2006 the following will be the arrangements for conducting the Theocratic Ministry School.

    SOURCE MATERIAL: New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (bi12), The Watchtower (w), Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education (be), "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial" (1990 edition) (si), and Reasoning From the Scriptures (1989 edition) (rs).

    The school should begin ON TIME with song, prayer, and remarks of welcome and then proceed as outlined below. After each part, the school overseer will introduce the next part.

    SPEECH QUALITY: 5 minutes. The school overseer, the auxiliary counselor, or another qualified elder will discuss a speech quality based on the Ministry School textbook. (In congregations with a limited number of elders, qualified ministerial servants may be used.)

    ASSIGNMENT NO.1: 10 minutes. ....It is to be delivered as a ten-minute instruction talk with no oral review.....

    HIGHLIGHTS FROM BIBLE READING: 10 minutes. For the first five minutes, a qualified elder or ministerial servant should apply the material to local needs. He may comment on any portion of the assigned Bible reading for the week. This should not be just a summary of the assigned reading. ....He should ensure that five minutes are set aside for audience participation. The audience should be invited to offer brief comments (30 seconds or less) on what they have appreciated in the Bible reading and its benefits. The school overseer will then dismiss the students who are assigned to other classrooms.

    ASSIGNMENT NO. 2: 4 minutes or less. This is a reading to be given by a brother. The student should read the assigned material without giving an introduction or a conclusion. ....

    ASSIGNMENT NO. 3: 5 minutes. This will be assigned to a sister. Students receiving this assignment will either be assigned a setting or select one from the list appearing on page 82 of the Ministry School textbook. ....

    ASSIGNMENT NO. 4: 5 minutes. .... When assigned to a brother, this part should be given as a talk with the Kingdom Hall audience in mind. When a sister is given this part, it should always be presented as outlined for Assignment No. 3. The school overseer may give a brother Assignment No. 4 whenever he sees fit to do so. Please note that themes with asterisks next to them should always be assigned to brothers to develop as talks.

    TIMING: No talk should go overtime, nor should the remarks of the counselor. Assignments No. 2 through 4 should be tactfully stopped when the time is up. If the brothers handling the opening talk on a speech quality, Assignment No. 1, or highlights from the Bible reading go overtime, they should be given private counsel. .... Total program: 45 minutes, excluding song and prayer.

    COUNSEL: 1 minute. The school overseer will take no more than one minute after Assignments No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 to offer some positive observations on an aspect of the talk that was commendable. His aim is not simply to say "well done" but, rather, to draw attention to specific reasons why that aspect of the presentation was effective. According to the need of each student, additional constructive counsel may be given privately after the meeting or at another time.

    AUXILIARY COUNSELOR: The body of elders may select a capable elder, if one is available in addition to the school overseer, to handle the assignment as auxiliary counselor. If there are a number of elders in the congregation, then a different qualified elder may care for this assignment each year. The auxiliary counselor's responsibility will be to give private counsel, if needed, to brothers who present Assignment No. 1 and Bible highlights. It is not necessary that he offer counsel after each of such talks by fellow elders or ministerial servants.

    COUNSEL FORM: In textbook.

    ORAL REVIEW: 30 minutes. Every two months, the school overseer will conduct an oral review. It will be preceded by the consideration of a speech quality and highlights from the Bible reading as outlined above. ....

  • AlmostAtheist
    AlmostAtheist
    The body of elders may select a capable elder, if one is available

    Hee, hee! If no capable elder is available, I guess they just say "screw it", eh?

    Dave

  • Gopher
    Gopher
    COUNSEL: 1 minute. ; The school overseer will take no more than one minute after Assignments No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 to offer some positive observations on an aspect of the talk that was commendable. ; His aim is not simply to say "well done" but, rather, to draw attention to specific reasons why that aspect of the presentation was effective. ; According to the need of each student, additional constructive counsel may be given privately after the meeting or at another time.

    Serious question -- Does this mean the school overseer won't say whether the student gets a "G", "I" or "W" for their counsel points? Do they still give "G", "I" and "W" marks on the counsel slip to determine whether the student can move on to the next point?

    It would seem strange to talk about how effective it was, and to say "by the way, you get a W".

    And I wonder -- how often will the school overseer give "constructive counsel" later, or at "another time" -- perhaps when they're at a congregation picnic? (Ok, that last one wasn't so serious)

  • tall penguin
    tall penguin

    Gopher, you said:
    "Serious question -- Does this mean the school overseer won't say whether the student gets a "G", "I" or "W" for their counsel points? Do they still give "G", "I" and "W" marks on the counsel slip to determine whether the student can move on to the next point?"
    They revamped the TMS a few years ago so there is no more "negative counsel" given from the platform. They wanted to keep things "positive" feeling that many of the dubs were not in the school because they were nervous enough giving their talks but then to have the counsel was intimidating so they stopped it.
    Now they have the "Benefit from Theocratic Education" book which you bring to every meeting and after the meeting when you did your talk you sit down with the School overseer and he privately tells you how you did and if there's anything to work on.
    tp

  • Ingenuous
    Ingenuous
    After each part, the school overseer will introduce the next part.

    Why does the school overseer have to keep jumping up and down just to introduce a part?

    When I first read this, it made me think the Org thought the brothers were doing one part then sitting around drooling for 30 minutes not knowing what to do next.

    HIGHLIGHTS FROM BIBLE READING: ... For the first five minutes, a qualified elder or ministerial servant should apply the material to local needs.

    So they'll have a mini "local needs" talk every week now. Hmmm, the Org sounds worried - gotta keep those sheep in line - beat 'em up proper every week...

    No talk should go overtime, nor should the remarks of the counselor; Assignments No. 2 through 4 should be tactfully stopped when the time is up; If the brothers handling the opening talk on a speech quality, Assignment No. 1, or highlights from the Bible reading go overtime, they should be given private counsel.

    I wonder if this is to keep the PO and certain other elders from strong-arming the brothers into giving up time from their talks so the long-winded can take longer. Then again, it might be to stop those who took the extra time and left the other brothers out to dry, squeezing in what they could in the time left.

    It is not necessary that he offer counsel after each of such talks by fellow elders or ministerial servants.
    Too bad - some overseers really seemed to relish doing that.
  • tijkmo
    tijkmo
    AUXILIARY COUNSELOR: The body of elders may select a capable elder, if one is available in addition to the school overseer, to handle the assignment as auxiliary counselor. If there are a number of elders in the congregation, then a different qualified elder may care for this assignment each year. The auxiliary counselor's responsibility will be to give private counsel, if needed, to brothers who present Assignment No. 1 and Bible highlights. It is not necessary that he offer counsel after each of such talks by fellow elders or ministerial servants.

    i was just thinking that if was still an elder i would decline this privelege...in my experience elders did not want counsel

  • inquirer
    inquirer

    AlmostAtheist,

    Hee, hee! If no capable elder is available, I guess they just say "screw it", eh?

    Dave

    Inquirer -- LOL! LOL! LOL! You touched my funny bone then. :)

  • inquirer
    inquirer

    From the October 2006 KM [I put .... where I left out some text]:

    During 2006 the following will be the arrangements for conducting the Theocratic Ministry School.

    SOURCE MATERIAL: New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (bi12), The Watchtower (w), Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education (be), "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial" (1990 edition) (si), and Reasoning From the Scriptures (1989 edition) (rs).

    The school should begin ON TIME with song, prayer, and remarks of welcome and then proceed as outlined below. After each part, the school overseer will introduce the next part.

    SPEECH QUALITY: 5 minutes. The school overseer, the auxiliary counselor, or another qualified elder will discuss a speech quality based on the Ministry School textbook. (In congregations with a limited number of elders, qualified ministerial servants may be used.)

    ASSIGNMENT NO.1: 10 minutes. ....It is to be delivered as a ten-minute instruction talk with no oral review.....

    HIGHLIGHTS FROM BIBLE READING: 10 minutes. For the first five minutes, a qualified elder or ministerial servant should apply the material to local needs. He may comment on any portion of the assigned Bible reading for the week. This should not be just a summary of the assigned reading. ....He should ensure that five minutes are set aside for audience participation. The audience should be invited to offer brief comments (30 seconds or less) on what they have appreciated in the Bible reading and its benefits. The school overseer will then dismiss the students who are assigned to other classrooms.

    ASSIGNMENT NO. 2: 4 minutes or less. This is a reading to be given by a brother. The student should read the assigned material without giving an introduction or a conclusion. ....

    ASSIGNMENT NO. 3: 5 minutes. This will be assigned to a sister. Students receiving this assignment will either be assigned a setting or select one from the list appearing on page 82 of the Ministry School textbook. ....

    ASSIGNMENT NO. 4: 5 minutes. .... When assigned to a brother, this part should be given as a talk with the Kingdom Hall audience in mind. When a sister is given this part, it should always be presented as outlined for Assignment No. 3. The school overseer may give a brother Assignment No. 4 whenever he sees fit to do so. Please note that themes with asterisks next to them should always be assigned to brothers to develop as talks.

    TIMING: No talk should go overtime, nor should the remarks of the counselor. Assignments No. 2 through 4 should be tactfully stopped when the time is up. If the brothers handling the opening talk on a speech quality, Assignment No. 1, or highlights from the Bible reading go overtime, they should be given private counsel. .... Total program: 45 minutes, excluding song and prayer.

    COUNSEL: 1 minute. The school overseer will take no more than one minute after Assignments No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 to offer some positive observations on an aspect of the talk that was commendable. His aim is not simply to say "well done" but, rather, to draw attention to specific reasons why that aspect of the presentation was effective. According to the need of each student, additional constructive counsel may be given privately after the meeting or at another time.

    AUXILIARY COUNSELOR: The body of elders may select a capable elder, if one is available in addition to the school overseer, to handle the assignment as auxiliary counselor. If there are a number of elders in the congregation, then a different qualified elder may care for this assignment each year. The auxiliary counselor's responsibility will be to give private counsel, if needed, to brothers who present Assignment No. 1 and Bible highlights. It is not necessary that he offer counsel after each of such talks by fellow elders or ministerial servants.

    COUNSEL FORM: In textbook.

    ORAL REVIEW: 30 minutes. Every two months, the school overseer will conduct an oral review. It will be preceded by the consideration of a speech quality and highlights from the Bible reading as outlined above. ....

    inquirer -- Do they realize how boring all this crap is? It's too... theocratic! I seriously found it very difficult to read that post! They may as well put robots in there and tell them what to say where and when... Robots of Tara, Doctor Who -- ring a bell? Good analogy?

  • Soledad
    Soledad
    "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial" (1990 edition)

    Are they still using this book?? Damn!

    I marvel at how witnesses just keep reading the same books over and over and over and over again!

  • LDH
    LDH

    Please note,

    There has been a CHANGE in the format.

    When you wipe your ass, the new allotment of tissue squares is 8 for pee, 12 for shit.

    Folding the squares very carefully, separate one ass cheek from the other.

    Wipe with a front to back motion, carefully cleaning as you go! Jehovah loves a cheerful wiper.

    When you have completed the process, dispose of the used tissue in the toilet.

    Wash your hands thoroughly and dry them promptly.

    I'm giving you these directions because I LOVE you and CARE about you. Any deviation will be punishable by law.

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