I bet there are a lot of people on this board that know lot’s about the Pioneer Spirit.
Many of you have no doubt trudged door to door hunting the “hours” that are so essential to
the “spiritual” Watchtower person.
Don’t you remember how fulfilling it was? How happy you were every day for having such a privilege as this “bigger part” in serving “Jehovah”? How you felt superior to the lowly congregation publishers? I bet you did.
Using a Watchtower cliché, how “thrilling” it is to be a pioneer. In Brooklyn they are forever considering more efficient ways for the Pioneers to spend their valuable time.
In an October 1, 1998 letter to the Body of Elders, they write:
“Practical Ways to Assist the Pioneers: One reason some pioneers find it necessary to relinquish their privilege of service is health problems. While health care is a personal matter, elders can encourage pioneers to maintain their strength by eating nutritious meals, keeping a reasonable schedule, and getting sufficient rest. If you observe a pioneer who lacks balance in one of these areas, it may be helpful to share an appropriate Awake! article on the subject. g97 6/22 11-13; g95 6/8 17-19; g90 6/8 14-16.”/So health problems are the major cause of quitting as a pioneer. Apparently pioneers don’t eat right, they don’t rest as much as they should and they have unreasonable schedules? Wonder what causes all that? Could it be the Watchtower Society demand for a certain amount of hours? Nah, that is of course not possible for as we all know “Jesus burden is light”. Anyway, Awake! Has dealt with such “problems” so you don’t have to come up with anything yourself.
Another reason for Pioneers quitting is finances:
Another reason some stop pioneering is to care for financial obligations. In many cases, changes in circumstances make this unavoidable. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) However, some pioneers have had to discontinue because of a failure to keep their eye simple, becoming preoccupied with material possessions, pleasures, and the anxieties of life. You can help pioneers to maintain a proper balance in such matters by being alert to commend them for their fine example of putting spiritual things first in their lives and by setting a proper example yourself.Wow! Some pioneers actually thought they could have a life! Being dirt poor, pushing brooms at night and getting doors slammed in their faces all day wasn’t enough for them, ungrateful bastards! And all that just because they couldn’t keep their “eye simple”. Well, a little false praise and back patting will always help. I mean what could be more spiritual that delivering canned badly delivered boring sermons at people’s doors?Anyway, did you know that some pioneers have problems getting along with others?
Most pioneers make a fine contribution to the peace of the congregation, but at times some have problems getting along with others. How can you assist such ones? By kindly helping them to appreciate that pioneers must be peacemakers. (1 Peter 3:11) As exemplary Christians, they need to pursue peace in all their dealings with others, both inside and outside the congregation. Their being peacemakers will contribute to the joy of the entire congregation and will result in blessings from Jehovah.-w91 3/120-5.Any of you former pioneers have any clue as to what causes a pioneer such problems. Could it be that the pioneer is an arrogant overbearing asshole or is the entire cong consisting of assholes?
Well, the main goal is to get the pioneer to continue “enjoying” his/hers “privilege”, how to do that?:
Perhaps the finest way elders can encourage the pioneers is by working with them in the field ministry on a regular basis. (ks91 25) In addition to the interchange of encouragement that takes place when sharing together in this activity, doing this provides you with an opportunity to show a personal interest in them. If a pioneer is experiencing some difficulty, he or she may take advantage of the occasion to discuss it with you. Providing a listening ear and a word of encouragement at such a time may be just what a pioneer needs to continue in full-time service. (Proverbs 25:11) Therefore, make it your aim to work with each of the pioneers in your congregation at least once during the current service year.-Colossians 4:11.This way the elders can cajole, pressure and coerce the poor pioneers into continuing their useless existence, as pushers for the multinational con operation printing empire.
[quote] Promote the Pioneer Spirit: Those with the pioneer spirit have a positive attitude toward the ministry and are zealous for fine works. (Titus 2:14) Many publishers would like to pioneer but are unable to do so because of their circumstances. Yet, they do all that they can in the ministry and are supportive of the pioneers. Their attitude and actions reveal that they have the pioneer spirit. Those serving as regular pioneers must also display the pioneer spirit.
How can you as elders promote the pioneer spirit in the congregation? Primarily, by cultivating the pioneer spirit yourselves. When you take the lead in displaying a positive attitude toward the ministry, your example speaks for itself. Others will imitate your zealous spirit, and the entire congregation, especially the pioneers, will benefit. (Hebrews 13:7) Furthermore, Jehovah's blessing will be upon the fine spirit shown by the congregation.-Philippians 4:23.
Yes, the elders really get good at acting don’t they? I had the “privilege” several times to be accompanied by an elder with a “pioneer spirit” in the field service. Usually this guy went up on the platform the very same evening and very enthusiastically told the congregation of the fantastic day he had had in the field service, and it was indeed fantastic how many interested people we had met during the day according to him, he acted out a whole spiel of what was being said and such and it was indeed fantastic. Problem is, none of it had ever happened! I know, I was with him that whole day. There were a lot of those elders around in my days. Some of them even became CO’s but their fantastic stories from the field service continued.
Apparently pioneers have and are employed as troubleshooters by the elders and have been assigned to “work” with slackers and spiritual dead beats:
[quote]Pioneers Assist Others: Congregations that have been diligent in implementing the Pioneers Assist Others program are experiencing fine results. Since the new program has now been functioning in most congregations for about six months, Congregation Service Committees should again meet with the book study conductors to make new assignments. The Society's letter to all bodies of elders dated January 20, 1998, instructed these brothers to "consider which publishers would benefit most from assistance" when making assignments. This means that they should consider which publishers have the most potential to make progress in the ministry from the assistance being offered Good discernment should be exercised in this regard.
In some congregations, pioneers have been assigned to assist individuals who were weighed down with intractable personal or spiritual problems and who appeared to have little potential to benefit from the assistance being offered. Such assignments generally produce few positive results and often prove to be draining to the pioneers. Therefore, it is usually advisable for the elders to give shepherding attention to such individuals rather than using the pioneers to assist them. Of course, there is no objection to assigning a pioneer to assist an irregular or inactive one if it is felt that the person will really make progress and is truly in a position to benefit from the program.-See also the September 1998 Our Kingdom Ministry, page 4.
This “program” seems to have been a failure as the pioneers are more likely to become as disillusioned as the person they are supposed to “help”. So the elders will have to deal with such “hopeless cases” themselves. Another impossible demand from the Watchtower Society is that the elders should use “Good discernment”, something which is far beyond the reach of most elder appointed from Brooklyn. Whatever that can be considered Good discernment will always be defined in Brooklyn and an elder can never be sure what that might be at any given moment.
Norm.