the real purpose of field service

what_Truth?

I've been racking this around my brain for a minute now. You've got people puttin in an average of 10 hours a month, giving away countless publications, and still only converting one or two families every 20 years or so.

This raises an obvious question, "If the door to door ministry doesn't bring in converts why do it?"

I'm starting to think that the real reason the WTBS insists on house to house to amplify the guilt that a JW feels when they read the article.

For example, Johnny is a 21 year old pioneer who likes to drink. Friday night he goes out with a couple of his roomates to an out of town pub. All three of them get completly smashed one gropes up a worldly barfly, and listen to a cover band belt out AC/DC tunes. They drive home at top speed swerving every inch of the way.

Next morning, a very hungover Johnny is expected to go from house to house offering an Awake magazine that talks about the evils of drunkedness with a Young People Ask column on demonic music. Now his conscience is really getting to him. It's one thing to get condemned from the platform and another thing entirely to hypocritically tell a bunch of people not to do the exact same things you did the night before or they'll die in Armageddon. If Johnny is a typical dub, his conscience will eat at him the point that he doesn't go out anymore.

Is that how it works? Is my theory anywhere close?

Dragonlady76

Simple: It's a publishing company and it uses it's "publishers" to go door to door selling magazines made by free labor, in the name of the all mighty dollar. So it's all about the benjamins!

The guilt part is always there regardless of what activity a JW may be participating in.

Dragonlady76

Stromboli

That's exactly how it is!!

Edited to add:

The guilt part is always there regardless of what activity a JW may be participating in.

I agree with what_Truth? as the field service acts as a check on people so it increases the dose of guilt. If there wasn't a way to check people up you would gradually lose most of the guilt and live as you wish.

RunningMan

Well, I believe that the door to door work was effective in the past. It did bring in a lot of converts, like my parents. So, it's original purpose was to sell the product, and it worked.

However, the days of the door to door salesman are long over. But, the organization is so mired by ineffectual, geriatric leadership that they are unable to recognize this.

Now, the d2d work does serve a secondary purpose - it keeps people busy, makes them feel useful, provides a mechanism for evaluating staff, etc. But these are all byproducts, that other religions seem to do without quite nicely.

Whiskeyjack

I think its now "make-busy" work. When coupled with the meeting and personal study requirements/suggestions, who's got time for mischief or independent thinking? It's like the army where officers and noncoms will make work for the troops to keep'em too busy (idle hands...). The ineffectualness of the activity is now secondary to the real utility this basic tool of organizational control (especially in light of the "bogus" nature of the reported efforts/accomplishments).

This does seem strange given the org.'s embrace of technology in the past (radio for example) but we all understand why the internet hasn't been embraced as a tool for communication - you have to prove the veracity of your spiels!

W.

tijkmo

im sure that special campaigns are not designed for the public either..they are designed to generate some enthusiasm among the cong..the last one was offering the brochure about keeping on the watch which isnt even designed for the public to read...our cong was so excited that one person pioneered...me...one year reinstated i was now allowed to..so i did cos i used to enjoy it so thought i would try to see if it would make a difference to my mental state......gave up after 2 weeks..surprised i lasted that long

LongHairGal

Since JWs differ for the sake of being different, could another reason for the purpose of field service be so that the public can see us going out? After all, the JW trademark is door to door service. If JWs no longer went out in service other religious organizations might say the JWs were quitters or something like that. Maybe this is part of it.

LHG

Shania

Your service report is your spiritual thermometer, as one CO put it---------the numbers prove if you are spiritually healthy or spiritually weak-------------it is all in the numbers.....that is how they know what catagory you belong in....Also the sisters need to be out there so they can hear and spread accurate gossip to hurt the friends that do not go out oh excuse me, spiritual weak..................thats the way I see it, I'm glad I don't have to go anymore.

zen nudist

I think its a function of blind obediance....the more bizzarre the activity dished out with the greatest of urgency coupled with oblique explanations that it pleases God, the more each individual will feel guilty for not engaging and find their own rationale for doing it and defending it.... the stronger the emotional investments the stronger the defense by those involved

EvilForce

The real goal of field service is so the "borg" can measure how good of a Christian you are. I mean without some sort of score keeping how would anyone know when they were ahead, and therefore a better Christian?!?!

Come on now! Give us a shallow, easy to follow indicator telling us what a "superior" Christian we are. We don't want the difficult task of examing our hearts, souls, intents, or desires. That's more work than driving around in a car and banging on 3 or 4 doors in an hour with only maybe 1 of them home.

the real purpose of field service

Share this