Going door to door to recruit members doesn't work

by JH 44 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  JH

  When you look at all the hours they do going door to door world wide and then you look at how many hours preaching it takes to bring just 1 person to their Organization, it's not efficient.

  My mom goes to a Baptist church now, and I was surprised to know that 500 go to that meeting on sundays and they don't go door to door to go get these people.

  There might be 80 witnesses at my hall and going door to door doesn't make much of a difference. Maybe it's even counter productive since people don't like being pested at home.
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  Gill

  I totally agree, JH!

  Not only is it a waste of time when the householder is in, it's an even bigger waste of time when they're not in.

  I've seen JWs working regularly in streets for hours where they know for a fact that everyone there is out at work. If they walked a few more yards they would meet masses of people in the town centre.

  So what was the point in knocking on those doors in the first place!!!
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  Mary

  The Governing Body knows that door to door preaching has run it's course and is absolutely useless for recruitment purposes, but if they get rid of it, then that gives the R&F alot of free time. Free time on your hands is a big no-no in any cult, becaus it gives you the opportunity to THINK and we can't have that.

  If recruitment was still their No. 1 priority, they would certainly switch tactics. Going door to door in the 21st century to preach about God's Kingdom instead of using the television, radio and internet, is about as productive as using a Lookout on a big ship to spot iceburgs at night instead of using radar and other modern technologies. I listen to Charles Stanley In Touch Ministries in the morning. Take a look at the number of people they reach by using modern methods of preaching:

  http://ww2.intouch.org/site/c.dhKHIXPKIuE/b.2287435/k.B3B8/In_Touch_Projects.htm

  Therefore, we can only conclude that their real purpose is not recruitment anymore, but maintenance. Keeping the R&F spinning on The Wheel That Goes Nowhere is an effective means of keeping them in the fold.
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  JH

  I listen to Charles Stanley In Touch Ministries in the morning.

  Would that be on 99.5 FM
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  OnTheWayOut

  When you look at all the hours they do going door to door world wide and then you look at how many
  hours preaching it takes to bring just 1 person to their Organization, it's not efficient.

  Let's stop complaining about that now. We don't want them to get efficient. We don't want them dragging more
  people into this publishing company religion.

  This is a religion that has to live with their decisions to go down one-way roads.
  Back in the day, door-to-door was effective. They chose it over films and radio and soundcars.
  Next, they rewrote the New Testament to say that the disciples of Jesus went door-to-door.
  (At least that was their explanation of the NT)
  They now are having trouble retaining members. Unless they keep them busy, people have an
  outside life and start weakening their beliefs, so they cannot stop the door-to-door unless they
  have something else for the rank and file to do. Many were busy with building Kingdom Halls, but
  that was a select few, and now the building work is slowing. Many worked at Bethel. Now many
  are layed off from Bethel, WTS claiming they were needed in the field, better keep up the field ministry.

  If they truly felt that Armageddon is "right around the corner" they could get people excited. Forget efficiency.
  Yeah, that's the answer. Expect more excitement like they used in 1914, 1915, 1918, 1925, 1975, and many
  other times in-between.

  Everything I said above, NEVERMIND.
  It's busy work- not efficiency or effectiveness that's important. Just keep them busy.
• 

  Pubsinger

  SSHHHHHHH. Don't tell ' em
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  ButtLight

  Sure it does!!!! They knocked on my door, had a study with me, I went back to the meetings, (1 1/2 meetings)!! Within a total of 2 weeks I had my comittee "meating", and they kept the congregation clean by keeping me out!!! lmao
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  Paralipomenon

  While not very efficient it does work as there are new people joining to replace the the droves leaving.
  
  It's pretty much like religious spam. If you preach to thousands of people a day, eventually there will be one person called on that is at an emotional low or vulnerable. That's where it works. If they didn't go door to door, they would eventually recede, stagnate and splinter off into small groups when the WTS could no longer afford to be profitable.
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  thebiggestlie

  to highlight the "affectiveness" (sp) of the door-to-door work one "pillar" bro in a recent service meeting talk asked for a show of hands of all that came into the org by the door-to-door work. There was possibly 80 or 90 people at my hall but prolly only 8 or 9 raised there hand. In dismay the speaker just 'fudged' it to go in line with his point and said "ahhhh.... well see almost all of you...." I almost burst out laughing....
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  OnTheWayOut

  "ahhhh.... well see almost all of you...." I almost burst out laughing....

  Great story. Not to change the subject, but a similar story-
  The elder who recruited me was touting the new JW calandar for that year (1989).
  The calandar showed photos from around modern-day Jerusalem with historic significance.
  He says, from the platform, "None of us have ever been to Jerusalem, have we? None of us
  has ever seen Hezekiah's well, have we?" I thought he was asking a question of the audience,
  and I had only been baptized in Summer 1988. I raised my hand, so he called on me.
  "Bro. OnTheWayOut." "I have been there, I saw the well." His whole train of thought got
  wrecked. He finally recovered and said, "Well, one out of the entire congregation has been there."
  Next an older sister raised her hand and just shouted out, "I was there, too." It was sooo funny.