Elders and shepherding calls (page 2)

juni

Depends when Zeroday had his/her shepherding visit. When we left in ' 92 they were hammering on the $ issues. Before that never.

Juni

I received 3.
once after i moved to a new cong. 2nd after I was married. 3rd after I moved back to my original cong.
Stopped turning in false service reports. My grandmother died. I have been to one meeting in 2 years...the memorial, because my parents asked me to. No visits.
Hmmmmm. Guess they think I'm strong. Or I've moved again.

Ariel84

When my sister and I were growing up it was a yearly event to get a "sheperding call". I know I speak for her also when I say that we dreaded it. After awhile the visits seemed to taper off. I seem to remember something about how the society didn't want them to be called "sheperding calls" and the families or individuals had to request that the elders make a visit. Does that sound familiar to anyone?

Mystla

When my husband (ex) and I were going through a "rough patch" that led to our splitting and eventual divorce I went to the elders and ASKED for a sheperding call.. they told me they couldn't do it unless my husband asked first??? I know I was supposed to be submisive and all, but I didn't ask that they come over and whoop his butt, I asked if they could come over and talk to both of us and help us with our marriage (this was in 2000, btw)

Never did get that visit, never went to another meeting, either, though it wasn't really a conscious decision at the time. Some months later I got a call from one of those elders (phone call at work!) and I thought "uhoh, here we go" but he just had a few questions about my ex (there were rumors he had been seen wearing lipstick and mascara.. which may have been true, he's gay) after I responded to his questions he didn't ask how I was doing or anything, just thanked me and hung up.

Lost sheep without a shepherd turned goat

Misty

darth frosty

The hall i came up in had a really good shepherding program. The way they did it was the bookstudy that the service overseer was visiting for the month would be shepherded. On sat we would all meet at the hall at about 2 or 3 o'clock. MS would be paired with elders and the bookstudy group would be divided up to the pairs. I always thought this was a most effective way to do this since no single person was picked on.

Thats the hall I went to as a teenager till I was 20, every hall I went to since was pathetic when it came to shepherding.

JWdaughter

No visits till i was out the door and joining another church.

XBEHERE

What OnTheWayOut said exactly.

In my entire life as a JW I received maybe 4 shepherding calls.

garybuss

I had a Batman and Robin team call on me 9 years after I quit associating. They asked me if I had any questions and I gave them 10. Nine years later I still had not heard back from them on the questions.

I gave Batman a call and he had forgotten all 10 questions. So much for that! Twelve years after I called Batman and still waiting.

tijkmo

onthewayout
very good reminders, elders do have many responsibilities and many problems of their own.

thats true but not an excuse... i really enjoyed shepherding my group and the group enjoyed it too...i would arrange to do calls twice a year and would announce at the book study what we would be discussung..usually a couple of wt articles..one encouraging and one goal setting...those in the group would come and arrange when was a convenient time...and if there were single folk or some with unbelieving mates they might team up and if their homes were unavailable they would come to mine..we would make an evening of it and have supper dessert after. it was not usually necessary to discuss problems because i would regularly work in fs with them, have them back for supper after the meetings, go bowling or movies or days out with them, visit them when they were sick at home or in hospital..so if there was anything they wanted to discuss privately they would do it then. of course no good deed goes unpunished when i got myself into trouble and needed help did i get it....did i nothing...and nor did my wife (although she still defends them) tijkmo..of the 'shoot the wounded' class

Gordy

i really enjoyed shepherding my group and the group enjoyed it too...i would arrange to do calls twice a year and would announce at the book study what we would be discussung..usually a couple of wt articles..one encouraging and one goal setting...those in the group would come and arrange when was a convenient time...and if there were single folk or some with unbelieving mates they might team up and if their homes were unavailable they would come to mine..we would make an evening of it and have supper dessert after. it was not usually necessary to discuss problems because i would regularly work in fs with them, have them back for supper after the meetings, go bowling or movies or days out with them, visit them when they were sick at home or in hospital..so if there was anything they wanted to discuss privately they would do it then.

tijkmo ... you sound like you were a very unusual Elder.

When a publisher we usually got a "shepherding visit" about twice a year, usually just before the Circuit overseers visit was due. It usually consisted of a 30 min visit, then they were off to the next one. When I became an Min Servant I went with an Elder on such visits. Which usually consisted of telling the person to keep getting to the meetings and on field service. In my last congregation brothers and sister would tell me they never had a visit. I remeber one sister saying that in 22 years she hadn't even had an Elder on her doorstep nevermind in the house.

But like you at a time when I needed such visits ..nothing. It was two years after I stopped going to meetings that they finally turned up one day.

Elders and shepherding calls