Is everyone required to be enrolled in the theocratic ministry school?

by hoser 28 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Quarterback

  Joining the TMS is voluntary. But, some Elders make it mandatory. I remember an Elder in our cong that just kept assigning talks to individuals who asked to quit. Rather than argue with him, they just developed a brief sickness the night of their assignment. Yes, many Elder wives have resigned from the school.

  You can ask to be not assigned for some time, but, they may or may not try to talk you out of it. They can't do anything to you if you quit. Maybe a special needs part. Don't wory, you won't be the only one sweating in the audience.
• 

  Lied2NoMore

  I used to give awesome talks...at least that was what I was told...but I never will again...I used to write talks up in 5 mins for the boys or girls....I still could in perfect JW lingo and indoctrinated nonsense. ...but my family won't trust me to do so lest I slip something in..."not WT approved" so I gladly sit unbothered by the drivel...
• 

  life is to short

  I Stopped giving talks 10 years ago five years before I stopped going to meetings. The last talk I had I totally disagreed with what I was saying. I just could not do it anymore. I was surprised at how easy it was to stop. My husband was a strong elder at the time and I thought for sure I would be given grief over it but no one said a word to me. If only I had known how easy it was to stop I would have quit sooner. After I stopped I started to realized that hardly any of the elders wives gave talks.

  LITS
• 

  ShirleyW

  "Joining the TMS is voluntary"

  Not if you were a born in and you just happen to killing time at the meeting by standing in the back and reading the bulletin board and you see you are scheduled to give a talk and you ask your mother how did this happen because you know for a fact you didn't join the Ministry School and she lies (in the name of Jehovah of course) and tells you "I thought I told you" . . . !! BTW I was eleven years old when she pulled this stunt.
• 

  molybdenum

  How is it a school anyway?

  You have a Brother assigned to be the TMS oveerser who, at

  least, in most cases, has no formal teacher training and just

  reads the counsel from the school guidebook.

  "On page 57 it says ..blah blah blah...."

  It is purely a subjective opinion if someone gives a "good" talk or not.

  There is no incentive to progress as you can see who is obviously the

  school oveerseers' favorites and anyone else can just take a back seat.

  The assignments sisters give are often in contrived settings that would never

  arise in real life. ( not that I am denigrating the sisters efforts, they do a good job

  considering the circumstances) and usually ends up with the householder agreeing

  100% with the ( impractical) information presented.

  Like: "Now I see that I have to quit my job to go to the meetings" ...

  Maybe the TMS should be renamed to something more appropropriate.

  Any ideas?
• 

  blondie

  Officially at the international level, no one is required to join the TMS but...if you want to be an MS or elder, most congregations would expect you would want to improve your speaking abilities.

  But I know several elder's wives who refused to be in the school. I knew a few brothers with anxiety issues who did not join but did not have a problem with one on one at the door and were regular pioneers.

  BOEs all have their own personality and rules; I can imagine that some say it is a requirement.
• 

  WTWizard

  There is nothing to stop the hounders from putting you on the schedule despite repeated requests to drop off. And there is nothing to stop you from dogging your talk, or just not showing up. Of course, they are likely to look down on you as lower than dirt if you drop out of any theocraptic assignment. Once you are pushed into something, there is no way to discontinue or reduce, whether the Theocraptic Misery "School(??)" or pious-sneering. Do it, and chances are good that you will be looked down on.

  And, there is nothing to stop Brother Hounder from hounding you about blowing off a talk or dogging one, and then calling it "brazen conduct" the next time they put you on the list for a talk and you blow it off or dog it.
• 

  Jaidubdub

  i hardly ever missed giving a talk on TMS but one time I was genuinely sick so was was a no show (I rang & told them the day before) & the next time I was overseas (which I again told them well in advance) & they stopped giving me talks. I was actually relieved. When I started to miss meetings, we had a CO visit us & he recommended I start up again but maybe as a householder at first. I was wanting to become active at the time & told him I would like that. He spoke to our elders but they did nothing about it. that was over 7 years ago. I have been inactive for the last 3 years & since the memorial have only attended 4 meetings & the Sunday of the DC. I guess I should thank them for that....
• 

  stillin

  I am considering suggesting to the school overseer that the "ministry" school time is wasted on me anyways, since I don't go out in the ministry. He gives me talks for when the CO is here,( I think that means that he likes me) and always has glowing things to say about my talks. Maybe in some perverse way I need that. Pathetic, isn't it?
• 

  Decided

  When I was 8 years old I was in the TMS when it first started up. My mom made up my talk and I read it from the stage standing on a box so I was tall enought to use the speakers stand. We were meeting in a room beside a store that a JW owned, it's just down at the end of the street where I live now.

  When I was the TMS servant one of my bible studies who became a JW gave his first talk and began crying on the stage becuase he was so shy. He couldn't finish his assignment.

  To many old memories.

  Ken P.