Future of the Preaching Work?

by NeonMadman 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  jeeprube

  My wife tells me that at the D Convention a lot of emphasis was put on going to were the people are to preach. I remember they started that line several years ago, seems they're sticking with it. Couple that with the new handbill stuff from the KM and I see a new approach. Get ready for Dubs in your face at the gym, in the grocery stoor, at your job all with a special handbill.

  When the internet fist began to catch on back in the 90's I started preaching online in the Prodigy chat rooms. That was right around the time the "go to where the people are" stuff started. On the internet I had a constant supply of people to talk to. There was no "down time" between doors, and if I needed a break I didn't have to go hang out at McDonalds for 45 minutes; the fridge was in the other room. The Society was already strongly pushing telephone witnessing. Sounds great, right.

  However when I started turning in twice as much time as I normally did, the elders started questioning me. They insinuated that I was lieing. I explained to them what I was actually doing....boy was that a no no. Brother, don't you know that the internet was invented by the apostates, they told me. (they didn't say that exactly, but it was very clear that they were scared to DEATH of the internet. They just can't handle the free flow of information.
• 

  carla

  All I know is that I tell my kids, 'never answer the door', ever. Especially with the jw's letting pedophiles to continue to knock on unsuspecting doors. I am almost always here, mostly just running out for milk or something. They are well old enough, one could even be on her own now.

  My jw doesn't realize that most people simply look at jw's as some kind of 'oddity'. Are they selling magazines, trying to get you to join their 'church' or what? So, of course I inform people as much as possible.

  How can the door to door 'work' last? I can't see it happening. It seems to me the only reason is in fact to fill out the little 'time cards'. Once when I didn't answer the door, I heard two jw's saying, ' should we count this one?" At that time I didn't know what they meant. Obviously they were going to lie on the time slips. Do they even understand that non jw's find it offensive that they even 'count time'?! To think, my husband can now count as time every conversation we have! disgusting! carla
• 

  NeonMadman

  Couple that with the new handbill stuff from the KM and I see a new approach.

  What's this about new handbills? Haven't heard that yet.
• 

  jeeprube

  It was under the thread dealing with this weeks Service Meeting. A 25 minute part dealing with how to handbill effectively. You probably know as well as I do, that the WTS does not devote 25 minutes to a topic on the Service Meeting unless they're getting serious about something. I sense a shift in direction, a return to methods employed 50 years ago. It wouldn't surprise me to see JW's on the street corners wearing placard signs.
• 

  IP_SEC

  
  The door to door work is completely ineffective now. You work a street on saturday morning and you might get 1 out of 10 ppl home. I think many are HbH (home but hiding) because they know JWs and dont even want to have a conversation.

  A couple of years ago the society started pushing alternative forms of witnessing. "Go where the people are" was a km article. Most saturdays I would take my car group to do parks, bus stops and the like, because d2d sucked. The problem with that is that it can be very difficult to follow up on any interest. Most ppl are very leary of giving out their contact info.

  I think the preaching work is defunct but it is a good way to keep control of die hards. Tell them they are like noah and even if ppl dont listen they are still doing what christ said to do and they will keep slugging it out. The society isnt out anything because the R&F are still donating for the materials they use in service. As long as they can at least keep growth flat or slightly up through normal population growth they probably see that as livable.
• 

  TheListener

  Hey,

  At my family study last night we finished up our sandwich boards for service tomorrow. (hahahahah)

  I believe you're right about the future of witnessing. Most I know, elders included, don't really enjoy the service aspect of WTdom or the Service Meeting. They do it because it's a mark of spirituality and you are watched by everyone else.
• 

  jeeprube

  There were two exciting times for Saturday field service for me. 10:30 when we'd all pile into McDonalds for break; and 12:00 when we could finally go home. I remember when I got my first car at 16, my brother and I and our friends started forming our own car group to go work "not at homes" or some our own territory we'd checked out. Then we'd just go work about two doors and cruise around till break time. It was sweet.

  One more thing, does anyone remember that awkward time at the Saturday field service meeting when Bro. Lame-oh would start dividing up car groups. It was like getting picked for baseball teams in school. Please pick me please pick me. I can remember a few times when they completely passed over my mother and us, like during a CO's visit when EVERYONE was out in service. Then the CO would ask if he'd missed someone. My mom would never raise her hand. She'd get so pissed we'd just drive to one of her RV's then go home. Best days of service ever!
• 

  jeeprube

  Oooppps, my bad. It wasn't a 25 minute part it was a 10 minute part. The 25 minute part was about Pioneering, and giving up everything cool in your life so you can go gain more good little JW converts.
• 

  garybuss

  Here service means tossing a two month old Awake! magazine on the ground. In countries like the United States, service is just something to keep the Witness people busy between meetings and assemblies and to maintain a demand for mass produced religious literature printed by the corporation.
  Service serves as a form of advertising. Advertising, not by doing the service, but by writing and talking about doing the service. Service is an activity distinguishing the Witness people from other fanatics. Service is the REASON for the "service" meeting and the context for the ministry school.
  The Witness group is extremely close to just being just another church group. "Service" still makes them different. If they quit service, dropped the ministry school and service meetings, dropped the ritual reading of the error prone Watchtower magazine, and actually studied the Bible at mid week study, they'd be indistinguishable from most any other big business religion.
  The printing business isn't the cash cow it was since the tax avoiding donation arrangement foolishly came into use. Losses are being cut by quitting mail subscription service, and by Awake! magazine being cut to once a month. Now it's solicited gift donations, convention rents and solicited convention donations, and real estate development and speculation that account for the desired income. The printing business is becoming an expense item and an encumberment. That's a bad thing to notice for a printing company.
  Rutherford turned the group into a political and social hate group. Knorr turned it into a religious multi level marketing company. Franz saw himself as a prophet and is the purge president. Henschel inherited a big mess in 1992. Guaranteed income for items produced was lost, the "creator's promise" was due to expire unfulfilled, and the alternative service rule was still sending Witnesses needlessly to prison.
  Actually the BIG changes of "generation", sheep and goats, alternative service, and the HUGE disassociation of the Governing Body, all happened in Henschel's watch.
  This is a fun company to watch.
• 

  Fe2O3Girl

  The door-to-door work doesn't have to be effective at gaining converts, or even getting money, as the publishers donate for the literature before they leave the Kingdom Hall.

  The door-to-door work continues to be very effective at keeping the rank and file too busy to think, and making them an object of ridicule and aggression. The JWs love persecution. Persecution proves they are right. Every "not interested" confirms that they are the chosen few.