Shepherding calls are a joke at best, in first hall out here went there 4 years, we received one shepherding call, next hall again there four years and we received 2 calls, both (related to you could do more, I was doing 18-20 hours a month then) It took the second of the calls at the 2nd hall to realize that nothing we or I did would ever be enough. The next hall I went too, we never received a shepherding call, the one after that just one and they tried to frame mischief, first question out of their mouth was did we still recognize the FDS, 2nd was did we think Jehoober was using the FDS and GB, 3RD was did we believe jesus was crowned king in 1914, and 4th was did we believe Jesus and Jehober were using the GB to guide us today, i ignored the questions and asked them why would you ask something like that, is this the 3rd degree or is this a shepherding call? I then told them God used the Catholic Church to come up with the bible did he not, and if he can use them he can use anyone or any organization to accomplish his will, the fact of Jesus being crowned King was something we had been taught by the society, the 3rd response i gave them was people and or organizations making extraordinary claims were due to provide extraordinary evidence of such claims were they not, they agreed, and when asked what the extraordinary evidence was in the case of The jehovah witnesses being chosen by Jesus other than growth, they had no answer and quickly switched tactics.
They came here for trouble not to shepherd, there were 3 elders, and we couldn't for the life of us figure out what they were up to other than looking for trouble, one was so overbearing, I told him to take himself out of my house as he wasn't welcome here, and to never under any circumstances cross my threshold again. He was astounded at being talked to like this, but i was adamant, I also told him he came looking for trouble not to help and his reputation as a "gunslinger or hitman" wasn't going to fly in my house and NOW GET OUT OF HERE. Well he left and to my surprise the other two stayed here and became quite civil after that, they even apologized for the questins he had asked, as they said he was like that, they were quite amused at my telling him to get out of my house as no one had ever spoken to him like that before and that when at all possible they wouldn't take him on shephereding calls. He that elder I told to leave to this day won't hardly talk to me and when he does he can't look me in the eye.
I also told the remaining two that this was a poor excuse for a shepherding call, that if they really in fact cared about the flock they would be looking after it all the time, not just the pioneers and the elderly and their friends, that Jesus care everyday about the flock, not just once a year or once every two years like this particular congregation liked to do. That, that was shepherding or caring that was just fulfilling obligations due to fact that the new C.O. was a stickler for congregational elders doing shepherding work.
Yeah, the whole shepherding business was a buch of hooey. Never was it upbuilding, except when I told the hitman to get out of my house, that was upbuilding and worth all of the effort.