It was inevitable. After dodging the bullet for a few weeks, the elders finally made their way to our house today. At first I thought I wanted to get them to come sometime after March, you know - put a kink in their 'theocratic arrangement,' but they were too insistent on coming this month regardless of our circumstances.

We started off with a little chit-chat about this and that and the one elder who led the call informed us directly that the visit was primarily for my benefit, not the wifes. He said that they were there under the direction of the Society to visit all inactive ones. He handed out to us a homemade typed piece of paper with a few lines and scriptures annotated on it. The topics were simple and to the point. He had in his hand an original document which looked like something given to him from the CO, I'm guessing, as there was no Corporate print at the top. His paper seemed to be the outline for what he gave to us. Quite simply, our sheets contained various examples of "lost sheep" and refered to Acts 20:28 three times.

*** Rbi8 Acts 20:28 ***

28Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed YOU overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own [Son].

The overall theme of the paper was that the elders were making these calls because they did not want to be bloodguilty by not reaching out and finding inactive ones and helping them. Which then led into the reason for the call... Unbeknownst to me, it seems that the lead elder already took it upon himself to assign me to an elder in the hall(the one accompanying him today) to go over topics in the new Worship book. What irked me about it was that he practically said that I was going to study this book with my assigned elder. He went into how we didn't have to study each chapter in succession from beginning to end, but I could pick out whatever I wanted to study. He then asked for my opinion on the matter.

Here was my crisis of conscience. After he asked for my opinion and all eyes were then on me, I paused and looked down for what seemed to be like a minute or so.(At this point, soooo many thoughts were running through my head as to what I was going to say. Should I just say "no, thank you" and leave it at that? Should I speak right up and say I don't believe this and that anymore? Why in the hell did he automatically presume that I would study this book?) I raised my head and said(paraphrasing here), "I really have a good foundation on the topics in this book already. It is almost a word-for-word copy of the United in Worship book which I have been through several times. I have other topics that I am interested in that I would rather go over which are not covered in this book. Topics that I have been researching myself." Both elders looked a little worried after I said that, and they did somewhat of a nervous shift in their chairs. They didn't ask me what it was that I wanted to go over, but instead, the lead elder told his fellow elder(my assigned one) that we should make arrangements on the side to meet up and discuss whatever it is that I want to bring up. He did stress that we meet weekly and to not miss hooking up.

In the end, the lead elder talked about how he had to make a report back to the CO on all the visits. It seems that in these reports, the elders have to write down the 'heart condition' of those inactive. The reason I think this to be so, is because he asked me what he should write down for my report. He was being jocular the way he said it, but I know it was true. He said, "So it would be ok with you if I wrote down you were doing cartwheels over this visit?" I didn't care one way or the other what he wrote down. I knew he was simply following orders from the top. Nothing more, nothing less.

In the past, I recall shepherding visits that encompassed more material than today's visit. I remember getting encouragement to attend the meetings, to go out in field service, hold family studies, and to pray more. I was expecting those very same encouragements today. But they were never brought up. The basis of their visit was shrouded in a "shepherding call." That is what they called it. This was no shepherding call. Here I am inactive, yet they did not ask me if I needed help in going out in service. No encouragement to rejoin the school. No questions to see if the wife and I study regularly or read the bible together. Like they said, this call was directed towards me, not my wife. But in the end, they only wanted me to study a book. That was it.

And by the way, I did record the visit. Nothing exciting happened, but you never know.

Hi Craig,

I really don't think so.  The visit didn't come across that way by the time it ended.  The brother assigned to me is one that we do quite a few things with normally.  His family was the first that we took to when we moved into the territory.  Knowing this elder, I can already see our "studies" fizzing out within a few weeks.  He is the type that if I don't bring anything up, he won't ask.  He will just plug along like everything is ok.I don't know.  As I mentioned previously, there was no debating whatsoever or emotionally charged statements made by anyone.  This was a quick one-hour visit with them trying to get me to study the new Worship book.  Nothing was said that could be used in a suit, at least nothing that I remember.

This is very interesting.

We recently had a phone call from elders in our new congregation which we have never attended after moving into their territory. They wanted to do a 'shepherding call' we were immediately suspicious and thought somone had 'dobbed us in' for something.

My husband told them in a very polite and friendly tone that we were quite happy and fully understood our current position and don't really need a call, thanks all the same. The Elder said ' I will have to see if we can accept that.' or something very similar. So now we are not sure whats going to happen but we hope that's the end of matters.

I wonder what they'll put about our heart condition?

 

For those who've expressed some caution, I believe it's warranted. Think about it, under what circumstances do two elders make a call together? It's the routine practice for investigating elders as a precursor to a JC.

Appearing pleasant is all part of the act. It's standard practice.

There's no getting away from the instructions that BOE have been given to 'regularise' the inactive files. Either they're "in", and or they're "out" (DA). These are the instructions that branches have been passing on to BOE and COs.

Sooner or later those friendly visitors will have to ask for your opinion of the role of the WTS i.e. ido you recognise it as the FDS? That's what they're instructed to ask. There's no hiding from that.

Cheers, Ozzie

Wow Jourles! I don't get into these discussions much because it's been so long since I attended a meeting, I wouldn't know what to say if I got a shepherding call. But I do care about you and hope the best for you so please take care and contact me on yahoo if you need to okay? ~Aztec

That is the best way, I feel, to approach this whole issue.   

If making judgement calls on heart conditions is the job specifically of God and Jesus, just who do the GB think they are to assign by proxy the judgement of a persons heart condition.  They are in fact not there to make a judgement call as to whether or not you love Jehovah or Jesus, they're there to test your loyalty to the WT organization.  Too many people on the outside are still actually trapped because they still feel that they have to answer to nosy elder bodies.

The elders knocked on my door a couple of months ago.  I yelled "GO AWAY" and made no move to answer the door.  My wife, who's still a firm believer, went and answered the door and talked to them for a few minutes.  She didn't volunteer to me what she said to them, but, they haven't been back.  She's on notice that unless I initiate contact with them, I expect to be left alone. 

Hey Joules, interesting! Keep us posted. I guess quite a few of us have this to come! If you refused or showed a 'bad' heart condition.....would they have DA'd you?

ISP

Yesterday, I put a sticky note by my doorbell that said "JW Elders - do not call today". This because they have been at my door 5 times in the past 2 months - three visits from elders in my previous hall, and now two from elders in the new hall (my pub cards were sent without my final authorization; I said "I may be moving", and lo and behold, two weeks later, the elders from the new hall told me they got my records).

Well, they never saw my note, because I was in my car, warming it up, when they walked up and knocked on my window (startling me in the process). So that's 6 visits now - this time, they wanted to know which bookstudy I planned to attend. I haven't been at one in 9 months or so.

Well, I went to the PTalk yesterday for my first visit to this new hall, and left right after the talk. I think the elder who saw me leave could tell I was not in a good mood.

Overall, the visit wasn't what I expected.  I was sure that I was going to have to face the question, "Do you believe that the org is directed by the fds, blah blah?"  Along with - needing help in the field ministry, the school, etc.  I was seriously dreading those questions as my answers could have led into an entirely new situation, a very uncomfortable one.  But in the end, it all worked out ok.  I didn't have to face any tough organizational questions.  I didn't have to lie about my stance towards the org. 

I predict that my current situation will continue to be the same as it has been for the past few years.  I try to stay out of the limelight for family sake.  I still attend a few meetings here and there and most everyone at the hall seems to like me a lot as I tend to get along well with most people.  We are always invited to do stuff with people from the hall - just about every week.  Funny, that for an inactive bro, I get included in a lot of things.  Must be because of the strong spiritual wife.  I think that if my wife wasn't so outgoing, we would merely be blips in the congo. 

I think that there are two types of inactives out there.  One of them is my type.  We still go to the meetings, support our families, and do not make waves.  We get along with everyone and still get invited to do things.  On the other hand, the other type of inactive is the one who never goes to ANY meetings, could care less about going, and gives the elders a hard time about everything.  I think it is the latter one that the elders are going after to get rid of.  The ones with the bad "heart condition."  It could also depend on the type of elders too.  But for the most part, they are not all that hardcore and anal.  At least not in my hall....

Jourles, the reason I can't go back and "not make waves", attend a meeting here or there, is because I know its all a lie. Its like living a lie and being two people. I don't go out of my way to debate doctrine, even with my family who I see quite often. I have had a slip once or twice when hard pressed by one of my family, but it didn't come to anything. Basically, my wife and I were HARD PRESSED to go back when we first left, but we simply refused to give an answer, just that "we don't want to go". Nobody really bothers us about it anymore, although I want to shout things at them when they are having their 15 year old daughter sign her life away in a medical release, power of attorney form. Or when I see my brother and sister in law, young kids, willing to throw their future away for this fairy-tale of a religion.

I don't know if you still somewhat believe in this religion, and I guess thats not the issue. I don't, and I think that there is plenty of evidence to prove that they are totally full of crap and have been since the late 1800's. But I encourage you to do whats best for you and don't live a lie, after awhile, it takes a toll.