Is the WTS About to Massage the Numbers in a huge Way? (page 2)

garybuss

With the new downgraded Kingdom Ministry format, the Watch Tower Corporation is behaving as if: they expect their numbers to noticeably decline, they're preparing to reduce the focus on sales activity reporting, or both. The former KM activity reports were nothing more than a reminder of the past when the Watch Tower people were actual door to door sales people, and success was measured in numbers of printed publications sold to the public for cash.

Success as a Watch Tower Witness was directly tied to door to door sales activity, both in effort time, and in sales results. Then the focus shifted to recruiting new members in the typical fashion of a pyramid marketing business. Now the focus is on meeting attendance and staying at the right hotel during the district assembly.

Meeting attendance was always stressed but not like now. Now it's a prerequisite. In the 50's and 60's here in the midwestern United States, anybody could help build a Kingdom Hall, there was orchestra music at circuit and district assemblies, there was a piano player at every meeting, Witnesses smoked if they wished, few drank alcohol, and I didn't know anybody who was disfellowshipped before 1962.

Homerovah the Almighty

Now it's a prerequisite.

If thats the case Garry then they really want to keep a close eye on everybody around them to see who might be shaking up

things, whose talking what and where and who could be possible disenters.

I guess in these times they may want to know whoes causing trouble, maybe that was the reason for dropping the BS

( the elders couldn't keep an eye on everyone ), at the Kingdom Hall they can.

moggy lover

Can someone please clarify something for me? Has the official policy of the Watchtower changed since I left some thirty years ago?

Can an elder now count his hours if he is making a shepherding call on a Watchtower follower who needs some guidance? This was a no-no in my time and even COs refused to do this because no time was counted. "Wasted theocratic time" we called it. If someone was depressed, well, tough. Let him go out on the FS. That'll larn him. Depressed, indeed. What we would do is get these ones out on the service, and counsel them at that time. Kill two birds with one stone, heh? We count the time, and they get counselled, and Bob's your uncle.

Can an elder count his hour that he gives at a public talk? I know the GB members count the time that they posture about the world's stage making elliptical utterances. But local elders? Again that was a no-no in my time. I can see elders grasping for giving talks all over the place. Sure beats trudging from door-to-door in an otherwise meaningless exercise.

The pages from the Jan 15 09 Wt only mentions that these things are part of the Watchtower follower's ministry, but I see no authorization to count the hours. My understanding is that the "brothers" volunteer their services in this way, as a commendable institutionalized way to "minister"

BluesBrother

This thread is running off at a tangent............

A public speaker can count the time delivering his talk. That is now just 30 minutes. It is after he has got together the family and driven at his own expense maybe several miles to the congo to which he has been assigned. In my experience it is rare these days to give a talk at "home"

All the time preparing it is uncounted. Neither is any time spent giving or preparing other talks.

Why are they having to print articles like this extolling the virtues of helping each other? It is not that J Ws are less caring individuals . It is because you cannot count the time for it. The first two study articles of this same WT issue have emphasised the importance of the Preaching work

They have created a culture of meritocracy based on the hour s you put on the report . Every hour spent visiting Sister Sickly is an hour off of your personal Field Service record. No wonder the "fringe members" complain of a lack of love !

LUKEWARM

Hi Dismayed,

Love your comment:

"I cant wait to unload that one in the next elders meeting when some over righteous elder questions someone's hours. "Well, now that the Branch doesn't publish the hourly average, it must not really be that important"

That is Gold - Absolute Gold!

Lukewarm

WTWizard

They are hounding people to start doing the above works. Yet they cannot count the time as field circus hours--and never will be able to. Hence, within a few weeks (and sometimes immediately), it will go back to just doing things to further the field misery.

Is the WTS About to Massage the Numbers in a huge Way?