Transparency in Field Service Hours

by Earnest 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Earnest

  I notice that in the recent Instructions for New Regular Pioneers (2020-08-S-236-E) it lists a number of assignments for which a pioneer can be credited (up to 75) hours in a month.

  These include:
  construction oversight, Assembly Hall oversight, assembly oversight, and convention oversight, as well as serving as temporary volunteers at Bethel, commuter Bethelites, remote volunteers, Bethel consultants, Hospital Liaison Committee members, Patient Visitation Group members, Disaster Relief Committee members, Local Design/Construction Department field representatives and maintenance trainers, and so forth. Approved assignments also include assisting with Kingdom Hall construction when such is done at the request of the branch office or its representatives overseeing the project, assisting with pre and post-assembly or convention work, assisting with work at Assembly Halls, conducting or participating in congregation meetings held in prison, as well as attendance at a theocratic school or class

  When I was pioneering and doing pre and post-assembly work I was told I could include the time spent working in my monthly report, which I did. After all, it was all sacred service. However, I notice the instructions now given to pioneers is that they

  should report this activity to the congregation in the 'Comments' section of your Field Service Report (S-4). The hours spent working on an approved assignment should not be combined with the hours spent in field service.you should keep a record of all the hours spent working on the assignment during the month. You should report this activity to the congregation in the “Comments” section of your Field Service Report (S-4). The hours spent working on an approved assignment should not be combined with the hours spent in field service. Although your theocratic assignment is part of your sacred service, some time should be spent in the ministry each month.

  I occasionally read on this forum the suggestion that the amount of field service is exaggerated, so while I personally don't see this record keeping as a scriptural requirement I do applaud their transparency.
  
  
• 

  Justaguynamedmorph

  Its been that way for at least ten years, back to when i stepped down. Hours on builds were supposed to be “credit” and reported on the back of the time slip. At service years end they were tallied if the pioneer didn't meet the actual hours.

  Every elder i know, myself included, put any hours we spent shepherding, giving talks, hospital visits etc as actual service time.

  The exaggeration of service hours comes from a lot of things, including people eating loooooong lunches and leaving a tract with a tip, writing a letter for two hours etc...
• 

  nowwhat?

  So there are many ways to can count your time except actual charity work. 😆
• 

  Magnum

  This is not a change. It's been that way as long as I can remember - for decades. The things you mentioned in the OP were never supposed to be counted as field service time; they were supposed to be credited to the pioneer. It's just that most (even elders) did (or do) not understand that.

  It's kind of like "public reproof". There's no such thing, but most (even elders) think there is and don't understand the concept of reproof.
• 

  Justaguynamedmorph

  I hear you magnum but reproof is either announced or not. Announcing it makes it “public” so i always understood the concept behind the phrase.
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  fulano

  Exactly as Magnum wrote. Hours on other assignments were never counted as fs hours.
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  DATA-DOG

  Remember all the sacred service vs worship debates? Did anyone else argue with Eldubs about that? Can’t count this time as service because..blah, blah... Helped your neighbor in need but weren’t “visible” in service??

  They very fact that the WT perceives a need for an official corporate memo about “counting time” shows just how f’d up and Pharisaic they are.

  DD
• 

  slimboyfat

  The phrase “some time should be spent on the ministry each month” at the end gives the game away. It indicates there were some “pioneers” who were fulfilling their entire monthly quota using time spent on assignments and none on the ministry. In order to avoid this massive loophole the society are instructing pioneers to break down their hours to indicate that at least a few of the hours reported include actual time spent on the ministry.
  

  There is no suggestion that this breakdown will be shared with ordinary members in the congregation. The transparency here is that pioneers are being asked to reassure the society that at least some of their reported hours are spent on actual ministry by breaking it down.

  Are the assignment hours reported along with the ministry hours in the annual report? This document doesn’t say. It says they should not be reported together by the pioneer. It doesn’t explicitly say whether or not the society reports it together in the “total hours” of the final report.

  I can see it might be a reasonable inference that the society want the hours listed separately in the comments because they are not including them in the annual report. But that’s not a necessary implication of the wording used, and I’m not convinced they would not combine them in practice.

  Was this document written during the pandemic? Because it’s weird that they don’t even mention the fact that public ministry has all but ceased at the moment, and that pioneers are not currently required to meet any hourly requirement.

  Another loophole this document doesn’t address is the fact that elders can report shepherding and some other activities in their reports. During the pandemic it seems many elders are getting all of their hours in by calling members of the congregation on the phone and none contacting members of the public.

  Elders have always included shepherding time in their reports but this is now on steroids. And I don’t know of any indication that shepherding time is bracketed out or not included in the annual report.
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  dropoffyourkeylee

  Likewise, the ones who are in Bethel are classified as 'fulltime' ministers, whether or not they actually go in preaching field service or not, yet they are required to spend some time in the actual ministry anyway. I personally observed Brother Poetzinger in the service once back in the '70's. He and his wife were doing street witnessing in Brooklyn.
• 

  Drearyweather

  Are the assignment hours reported along with the ministry hours in the annual report?

  No, the hours mentioned in the comments section are not sen to the society, and are just used for that particular pioneer. As a Secretary, I never had to total or send those hours mentioned in the comments.
  

  Another loophole this document doesn’t address is the fact that elders can report shepherding and some other activities in their reports.

  No. Elders cannot count the shepherding hours in their report. This has been the official instruction since 1981:

  The Society is interested in knowing how much time is spent in proclaiming God’s truths to those who are not dedicated, baptized Witnesses. So time spent in shepherding or other calls made on those who are not strong spiritually and those who have not associated for some time should not be counted if the individual is a baptized Witness. It is a labor of love.

  -Kingdom Ministry - August 1981, Page3