Why don't JW's change their failed methods of witnessing...

by zeroday 25 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  blondie

  Actually, they have changed to some degree.

  Before 1900, Bible Students handed tracts to people as they left their church (ow!)

  In order to distribute millions of tracts and there only being 6,000 Bible Students, the WTS had them printed by secular firms and distributed through the newspaper boys.

  Then, testimony cards were printed up. A JW would go up to the door and hand the card to the home owner to read.

  JWs placed a whole series of books, and delivered them at a later date.

  Then there were the phonographs and sound cars and placards.

  In 1943, the WTS started have home "model" bible studies. (before that there was no formal study program as today)

  In the 1950's JWs delivered 8 scripture sermons at the door.

  Then in the 1960's and 1970's there was the six-month bible study program in the Truth book.

  Then they switched to 2 books, then back to 1 book, and now back to 2 books.

  But it is probably due for a change.
• 

  zeroday

  Do you know what it appears to me Blondie, these people are nothing but the "walking dead". They no longer think for themselves and have not for most of their lives. The society is so stuck in the past that their many failed predictions have come back to bite them in the behind that they are paralized in this one way rut. They don't know anyway but the one they are on. It's like a dionsaur being attacked by an F15 all they can do is swat back in a futile attempt to defeat overwhememing odds. THIS IS ALL THEY KNOW.
• 

  SirNose586

  We do evening witnessing during the summer, and then switch to phone witnessing when there is insufficient daylight. Phone witnessing is run by mother-daughter combos; it is preferable to walking around in the heat of the day.

  In my hood there are plenty of people who have nothing better to do during the day, so there are people to be found...it just depends on what part of the neighborhood. In the higher-rent areas, you will find nobody home during the day, because they are all at work.
• 

  aniron

  Zeroday

  You talk about your congregation seemingly as a whole, doing field service.

  In my congregation we had 8 different group centres. Each would make its own arrangements for field service, based on the circumstances of the group members. In my group there wasn't a day that didn't have field service. Territory would be covered in the morning one day, afternoon another or even both morning and afternoon on some days. Evenings were usually used for not-at-homes from the morning and afternoon service. Sundays was a united arrangement of all groups from the Kingdom Hall there would be on average about 20 publishers for that. All the Elders were expected to attend that one. The pioneers we had went out with their own groups, then went on whatever arrangements they had, return visits, studies etc. The average monthly hours for a publisher, according to end of service year report, was usually between 10-12 hours. Of course some did more, some less.
• 

  sspo

  For 30 years i've around and mostly as an elder, we tried under pressure from the society and CO to arrange wednesday night witnessing, primarily in summer time since you could stay out until 8:30- 9 pm and usually the only one that would show up would be the brother assigned to take the group out.

  Elders would not even show up, those that came they usually went on a study.

  I have never seen a cong. supporting evening witnessing.

  Don't forget, left upon the witnesses the majority truly do not enjoy going out knocking on doors, we all did it under pressure and obligation in order to hold on to a position we had and usually when it was convenient to us, whether it was during the week or on a saturday. You put in your 8-10 hrs a month and everything was cool, you were left alone and nobody bothered you.

  Another reason they do not go out at night, i truly beleive that very few in the org, have a sense of urgency about the message, when you have been doing for decades you learn not to push yourself and just do enough to satisfy your conscience and others in the cong. Of course there are always exception.
• 

  fullofdoubtnow

  The elders tried to introduce evening witnessing in my cong, at the suggestion of the circuit overseer It lasted for 3 or 4 weeks, then fizzled out, but seemed to get revived in the 2 weeks prior to each co visit. Some jws did go out in the evenings, but it was usually a private arrangement, or rvs/studies, not an official cong arrangement.
• 

  jaguarbass

  Thats a good point!
• 

  becca1

  It's not about ingathering. It's about keeping those who do it occupied and too busy to go anywhere else.
• 

  Lady Lee

  Like most abusers and others who seek to control people, the WTS will promote whatever it takes to maintain the control over those already under their influence.

  Dysfunctional groups or people tend to stay within the very narrow limits of what they know. If it stops working they tend to instill greater fear in their subjects to "Do more. Do better" While there might be minor adjustments they will stay with what they know has worked in the past. Blame will be put on the subjects of their control for not doing it right, often enough, or well enough to get the desired returns. Thinking outside of ther box isn't one of their strong suits.

  The subjects of these controllers do what they are told. Their lives rooted in fear of not gaining or maintaining the approval of their master will "Do more. Do better." Scared of their master's wrath they will accept the blame for failing to meet the expectations. Thinking outside of the box is forbidden. (often referred to by the WTS as "jumping ahead" of Jehovah or the organization)
• 

  Amazing

  Hi Zeroday,

  The issue is not about being efficient or making the most of the remaining time before Armageddon. It is about moving book and magazine inventory. The Society needs the Publishers to buy the literature (via in the name of a donation, but it pays for the literature nonetheless) and then they make the JWs feel good about themselves by going door to door ... knowing full well it is a waste of time. But the big bosses really don't care.

  Many years ago, in the pre-1975 years, we learned that daytime door to door work was important because we could gain a listening ear with the women at home. Then, from there we could get to the men. However, as the 1970s arrived, more and more women were also working to make ends meet. So, we did, for a time, have an emphasis on evening witnessing, and found it somewhat effective. The problem is the window of time between the end of dinner and when people don't want to be bugged. That window proved to be between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM.

  While we did get several promotions from the Society and the COs to do evening witnessing, somehow it never really took root ... and now, with 1975 and the excitement of the end being so clearly close is far in the past, the witnessing work seems to have regressed back to the colporter days when the Bible Students were merely book and magazine salespeople. If the Society had the "truth" they would be blessed and succeed. As it stands, many churches grow more in total and in percentage around the world that JWs have ever been able to do.

  Jim Whitney