Pioneering !

iknowall558

Question :

Why is 'pioneering' a 'privilege' when every JW goes out in ministry anyway. Even those who have lost privileges, or been disciplined, or been reinstated after being disfellowshipped are still expected to go out in the ministry. These ones could do the 60, 70, or 90hrs per month if they so wished. So, why do you need to be 'exemplary' to be a pioneer ? Why are requirements needed in order to make it 'official' or to have the 'title' of 'pioneer'. Even if you are removed from being a pioneer, and are shamed in the process, you are still expected to go out in the ministry.........just without the title ....... so whats the difference?

Titus

I hate pioneering!

I really hate pioneering!

Yes I still am an active JW! And I like to go in field-service! Even more than 50 (or 70) hours/month!

But I simply hate to wear the title of PIONEER!

AwSnap

you scared me....I thought you'd changed your evil ways to go back . That's funny you mentioned this because I was just talking with somebody yesterday who said this exact thing happened to her. She lost all her priveledges in the hall, but they told her she needed to be out in service. I've never experienced this personally, but can definitely picture it happening

alanv

It is all to do with serving 100%. The society know that many can't do it because of family responsabilities but those with no ties are encouraged to do all they can. I gave up an apprentaship to regular pioneer because it was put to me what is the point in building a carrer in a dying system.

Iknow. The reason you are expected to be exempary is because you are spending so much more time with the public. Just like a company rep. would have to be red hot when dealing with the public so too with a pioneer.

Everyone who steps down from a position is viewed with extreme skeptasism. They always wonder if you are on your way out.

The society are old hands at this. They know exactly what they are doing as would any worldwide business.

miseryloveselders

It's just a title. Same as a Ministerial Servant. I look at the Regular Pioneers in the Hall I attend, we've got nine Regular Pioneers, and there's on average 3 Bible Studies between the nine of them. On the flipside of things, I see people's cards who are averaging 30 hours a month, yet averaging more Studies than the Pioneers. I'm not talking about those counting their Family Studies either. I've been out with these people. Their time is legit. During the Winter, I'd rather be doing RV's with the just above national hour average crowd, than the Pioneers.

The other thing that bothers me about it and maybe someone else can answer this question for me, but is the word Pioneer, or anything like it in the Bible, anywhere? If not, why promote something not biblicle for people to aspire for, yet provides little more than the hamster on the wheel effect, as opposed to actual converts?

OnTheWayOut

Yes, it is all about the coveted title. It's win-win as far as WTS is concerned. The organization wants the totally obedient slaves who never question them and the title-hungry ones want the prestige of being pioneers.

Keep in mind that every step up in the organization past elder involves pioneering. So they make that title seem like a very important one, practically guaranteed to get into paradise.

AllTimeJeff

Pioneers get prestige (mostly, as long as they agree with the elders on everything). It's a title. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but they continue to act like it does. Idiots.

Pioneering, and the promotion of it, is a large contributing factor to the self esteem problems of many in the congregation. You would like to think you are doing all you can to serve Jehovah, and you do your best, but only pioneers can be examples. Everyone else is just along for the ride.

blondie

PIONEERING means

a) that you get your name announced at the service meeting

b) in days gone by, regular pioneers got a financial break on magazines, books and other publications. At the conventions they got a $15/day allowance for food. This break is gone.

c) you used to have to be a regular pioneer to go to Bethel, not any longer; but you do have to be a regular pioneer to go to Gilead.

It has been said that it is the actually preaching that matters and you don't need the label of "pioneer" to put in 50 or 70 hours. I was a regular pioneer for over 10 years and never felt that I should be honored over publishers. After all, jws should accept this statement.

(Luke

17:9-10) .So YOU, also, when YOU have done all the things assigned to YOU, say, ‘We are good-for-nothing slaves. What we have done is what we ought to have done.’"

WTWizard

It is a waste of time. You sign up, you are committing yourself to put in that number of hours. If you just get the time, theoretically you could come up short if something comes up. That option is gone if you pio-sneer.

And, they call it a "privilege" by telling people what a blessing it is. They tell you that you don't know what it is like until you try it. Well, I never did it, but I can tell you what it is like--giving up everything you enjoy doing, and wasting all day knocking on doors and returning on them. If you are simply a "publisher", you only need waste a portion of the day or only waste 2 or 3 days a week instead of 5 or 6.

If you don't feel like doing it but you love field circus, by all means just put in what you can and not worry about how many hours you do. You could do 1 hour or 200 per month--but you should do it only to the extent that the marginal benefit exceeds the marginal cost. And, once you start pio-sneering, you are really doing it because you have to. If you are not, you are doing it because you enjoy it.

And, if you don't truly enjoy it, you always have the option of stopping.

cantleave

The last time I pioneered, it was during March. It was cold wet and miserable. No one wanted to support me because it was cold and wet and miserable (ahh the love and support), in the end I gave up and faked my hours. By this time I was really having doubts anyway. My last month of Auxillary Pioneering helped me on the road to seeing the light.

Pioneering !

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