I concur reporting will be online plus how much you donated as well
New Upcoming Changes - No More Publisher Record Cards & Reporting Hours
by thedepressedsoul 108 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
truth_b_known
Jehovah's Witnesses is a religion based on the business of selling books. That is why the term "Publisher" is used when they refer to a fellow member. Businesses collect data on sales to help make decisions. Jehovah's Witnesses literally were door-to-door salesmen for the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. That was until the 1990s.
Fears over losing their religious tax exempt status in the U.S. caused the Watchtower to change its model. Instead of selling their printed products, publishers were to "place" them with interested ones and then make that person aware of the donation process supporting the "World Wide Work." This model failed as a business plan.
As a result we saw many changes come and come quickly. Hardbound books were replaced with paperbacks. Watchtower and Awake magazines were reduced in the number of issues published and the number of pages. A new digital format has been adopted requiring members to download publications on their own devices.
Why the change again? For legal reasons. I see the same being true with maintain records on members with the recent privacy laws being passed in Europe. I could see members having to log into an account and report their activities with the servers being based in Wallkill, New York.
-
slimboyfat
I hesitate to disagree with careful, because he’s usually correct, but the OP says the rumour is they’re going to stop collecting hours, not just change the method of collection. And he was apparently correct last time. And it seems to me the organisation is experiencing a slow motion collapse. I agree with truth b known, this is the next natural step, and probably to avoid legal trouble, but will likely have huge unintended consequences.
How will the organisation function without the carrot of privileges and the stick of deletions to keep everyone in line? For many sisters their status as pioneer is their badge of identity and their only way of gaining any sort of recognition in the religion. Take that away and will they be bothered to keep going?
It will accelerate the ongoing organisational collapse, if true.
-
Ding
The WT will have to have some way for keeping track of field service time.
Otherwise, no more field service.
-
sir82
How will the organisation function without the carrot of privileges and the stick of deletions to keep everyone in
line?
Exactly my thought.
The number one, bar none, absolute top requirement for getting appointed as an elder or MS is, "are his hours high enough?"
In the top 5 is "Are his wife & children getting enough hours?"
Counting of hours is the easiest way to quantify "spirituality".
Ask a random elder "Is Brother Jones a spiritual person?" and 9 times out of 10 the answer will be "Let's look at his publisher card".
I can easily imagine moving away from the cardboard cards to electronic record-keeping, but stop the collection of hours? I remain highly skeptical.
-
slimboyfat
Sir, have you noticed that field ministry has been downplayed slightly in the new elder book in the section on recommendations?
The old elders book said that appointing someone as an elder who is not zealous in the ministry would have a dampening effect on the congregation. The new elders book doesn’t include this comment.
Maybe this was in the pipeline when the new elders book was prepared.
-
Doubting Bro
Interesting. I wonder if the various privacy laws have created a situation where they don't want to keep all that personal data? If they dumped it completely, it would be a massive culture change and would likely cut FS activity even more than it already is down. Also, it would create difficultly in assessing how to appoint elders & MS. Plus, to the many women who have nothing to reach out for in terms of prestige within the organization, if you take away the pioneer designation, you demoralized your best performers with one decision.
I don't doubt your information nor your source TDS, I just can't figure out how they can possibly think dropping the collection of FS reports would be a good idea. It would impact so many things.
-
sir82
It would be a seismic change - it would shake everyone to the core.
I think the R&F JWs would welcome it, except for those whose primary, maybe only, source of self-esteem is their "pioneer" designation.
I see that the sentence you cited has been removed - however, I still see the phrases "zealous in the ministry" and "meaningful share in the ministry". Hard to believe that (most) elders would have the insight & discernment to evaluate "zeal" and "full share" without numbers to look at.
I remain skeptical.
-
Vidiot
slimboyfat - "...In some ways it’s the natural extension of halting literature production. Why do you need to measure 'publishing' activity when there’s no literature for people to distribute?"
Hard to argue with.
slimboyfat - "...It really does feel like the GB believe the game is up, so they are drawing down their assets, and winding down the organisation..."
I call it "managing the decline".
-
Gayle
Seems would be likely to stop publishing annual "Grand Totals." Especially, when Numbers on Branches down, Total Congregations down, Memorial Attendance, flat - almost half countries decreasing, Partakers increasing (WT admits many nut cases), the WT. ridiculously plays on 'Peak' & 'Average' Pubs., baptisms decreased, Hours in Field so meaningless at 2 Billion (half just driving around & @McD), Bible studies no doubt going down (now that there is a limit of up to 2 yrs. length). Reporting time or Bible Study on their children is ridiculous. This report would discourage any JW with a half-brain.
Perhaps no 'paper' reporting, but by computer, for elders, COs, and Headquarters eyes and controls only.