Whenever I read the Bible, about prayers and giving gifts in secret, and not letting the right hand know etc. it became clear to me that handing in a report with my name on was unscriptural. My elder friend even agreed - but said we gotta do it anyway. Did anyone else try to report without putting their name on, like I did, until I found out they added it anyway?...
The field service report
by James Free 13 Replies latest jw friends
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Dismembered
Greetings James Free
We'd pin reports with no names on the information board, and leave them there until someone got sick of looking at it, and then throw it in the trash. It was quite the loving thing to do.
Dismembered
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Pahpa
I think the thing that I resented the most about the field service reports was the assumption that one could tell another person's spirituality by examining them. Whenever a circuit overseer visited he would spend time going over these reports. From them he would determine who was "weak" spiritually.
There was no consideration about all the other "good works" a person may have done in the congregation. I remember one sister who felt she wasn't qualified to go from house to house. But she was always the first to call whenever someone was sick to see if she could help. And she always was very hospitable and kind to others in the congregation. Yet, she was considered "weak" because of her field service report.
It was clear that the only thing the overseers cared about was the field ministry.
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blondie
Wow, what would disqualify one from going house to house? Even the privately and publicly reproved JWs go door to door and even reinstated JWs aren't restricted from door as they are commenting or being in the "school."
Blondie
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OnTheWayOut
Wow, what would disqualify one from going house to house?
They say that back in the day, withholding field service was a restriction imposed upon folks.
This changed, especially in the U.S. where the right to go door-to-door was established and
the Borg was afraid to take it away from individuals who had the same individual right that
the organization fought for.I think the poster is referring to the SELF-IMPOSED qualification of being able to speak
publicly in a worthy way. The JW might feel that she just can't get through the whole presentation.
We had some publishers like that, who were a bit unstable or fell apart in front of people.
They did some letter-writing and phone witnessing (from a script). The Borg would never accept
any excuse, so the local elders had to find a way for everyone to "get their time in." -
James Free
"one sister who felt she wasn't qualified" This might not mean she was disqualified, but humbly felt she lacked the education, communication skills, knowledge etc. to go door to door. Anyway, that's one possibility...Otherwise I agree wholeheartedly that an Org. and Body of Elders led by holy spirit shpoldn't be relying on bits of paper to judge the spirituality of others.
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blondie
I wonder when they will start taking attendance at the meetings?
The WTS bases "time slips" on the fact that on 2 occasions the bible mentions the number baptized, 2 nice rounded off numbers, 3,000 and 5,000. No mention ever of keeping track of how much "time" was spent talking to non-Christians.
Blondie
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nvrgnbk
The field service report.
Yes. Those little slips of paper helped me to see the org. for what it is. A legalistic, works-oriented, never-satisfied,
high-control group. There's no way that a real Jesus or Jehovah could have anything to do with field service reports.IMHO.
Nvr
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OnTheWayOut
Ray Franz mentioned that many who should be spiritual shepherds are just
spiritual taskmasters.Often, these men will say nothing to you all month, regardless of what's going on in
your life. You might even miss all your meetings. You might be in some serious
trouble that they were aware of, but didn't check on you. You might have family
or employment problems. Your grandmother might have died (happened to me).
Any of that, and they can totally ignore you, or pass by you at the Kingdom Hall.
BUT FORGET TO GIVE THEM A SLIP OF PAPER AT THE END OF THE MONTH,
and they are all over you like white on rice. -
greendawn
Seeking to keep records of their members' preaching activity is obviously aiming at control. For them preaching by the R&F is something of primary importance not because of saving lives but because through it they make a handsome profit each year. They are devious enough to misrepresent the real reasons as to why they are so persistent and coercive in this area, why they prioritise and promote it so much. Keeping records so that the elders can pressure the R&F while the COs make sure they do their job properly.