by iclone 45 Replies latest jw friends
Are you marked as inactive or irregular? If not, I think the requirement is simply that you have been regular for 6 months. So if you've been turning in time ever month, meeting attendance is more subjective. Some elders may be hesitant, but clearly your elders just want the numbers and the announcement.
NC
It is also worth mentioning that although my wife has consistently pioneered in years past including last year, she is NOT going to pioneer this year! On the drive home from the meeting as we were discussing my conversation with this elder and their tactics and she just came out and said she is not going to pioneer. You have no idea how happy that made me when she uttered those words. Be sure not to rub it in or have an "I told you so" attitude or it will drive her back deeper into the borg. Seriously! Just support her in her expressions of dissatisfaction without gilding the lily. |
ICLONE - that is seriously fucked up! I would chanllenge that elder to find ONE SINGLE PERSON in the month of March in the door to door ministry who progresses to baptism within a year. After he accomplishes that with his thirty hours, then sign up.
Never gonna happen. . .
This was common in a congregation I attended years ago. The difference was when u declined, it was a guaranteed mark. Don't expect any priviledges. I remember my ex FIL, (Then PO), stating that as a man in this organization, they can call u up for anything. Commenting, duties aroud the hall, (cleaning), or in this case pioneering.
I too agree filling in the information was a rather sleazy guilt trip.
This "let's fake pioneering" scheme is all around nauseating. What’s revolting about this “special” (dis)service is it’s always conveniently offered around the memorial campaign; basically not real door-to door, just a bunch of people out in droves pushing tracts in doors. So now we have fake auxiliary pioneering and fake service. NICE! what’s next, faux worship? Just say you did it and it’s done, no real effort involved. Think about it, the tract campaigns have gotten more and more frequent, and now lowered requirements; looks like the $ociety’s really working overtime to dumb things down. Hmm reminds me of another entity who became more lax so as to gain members, what do JWs call it again? Oh yeah Christendom!
@wha happened?: Every meeting I’ve been to since the push started I’ve had one of these wicked little forms shoved in my face, when I refuse, the elderberry gives me a shame on you look. I guess there’s nothin’ like good old-fashioned guilt to motivate someone.
Man, you just did what a lot of us wish we had the guts to do. You stood up to him and didn't flinch. I probably would have just taken the papers and tossed them later. Thanks for sharing. You brought a smile to my face.
DLL, sorry to hear u still have to endure meetings
It was a dirty pressure tactic. I also believed that announcing names from the platform was unscriptural. They not only draw attention to the individuals but do it BEFORE they have even completed an hour. One of the reasons I became a regular pioneer was because I had instructed the elders not to read out my name each month and they complied until a CO ordered them to do it. By going regular I could break the CO's demand. In time I became convinced that even putting in a named report was unscriptural so I would do it without putting my name on it (since they claimed they only needed it for stats). As you can imagine that caused a stir too (if it is a sacrificial gift as they claim then the Bible instructs that it remain private, so private in fact the left hand is not supposed to know what the right hand is doing). That, and seeing how the CO's and other regular pioneers would mock the rest of the congregation in our private pioneer meetings, was all part of my realization the WT did not represent God at all.
Iclone, give the elder credit for behaving in a relatively humble manner in accepting your courageously negative feedback - and he even apologized for offending you! On that basis alone, that elder acquaintance of yours is an exceptionally rare excellent example of a true shepherd.
