How Reported Field Service Isn't Real

by metatron 25 Replies latest jw friends

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  metatron

  When I was an elder, I commonly got in my ( required) minimum of ten hours a month. Typically, I put

  in a lot of time door to door. Months would go by without ever opening a Bible in the door to door work.

  People said "I'm not interested" and quickly closed the door.

  Suppose we had a stopwatch to time the actual amount of time spent talking to people, with the

  inevitable door closing. How much time would that be? I estimated less than 5 minutes per month.

  There you have it. In Western nations, reported field service time is mostly imaginary - if not outrightly

  bogus. Don't ever buy into the nonsense that Jehovah's Witnesses 'are the true religion' because of

  their claims about a door to door "ministry" - that mainly, doesn't exist.

  metatron
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  Open mind

  Can you imagine how dishonest the numbers would be if the dubs ever became a "for profit" publicly traded corporation?

  Open Mind
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  nvrgnbk

  Spot on, metatron!
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  NewYork44M

  Even if all the hours were legitimate (although not productive), remember that while you are knocking on not-at-homes three people are sitting in the car waiting for you.
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  R.F.

  Excellent point metatron, and this is something i've often thought about.

  The WTS knows this, and that's why I think they aren't so detailed in explaining exactly how field service time is supposed to be counted. There have been many that have only talked to one person in a total of 2 hours in being out knocking on doors, yet 2 hours were counted for the day.

  I wouldn't be to surprised if the WTS put some idea in the heads of the Borg members and making it even more gray as to how to count time just to get the average hours up.

  R.F.
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  Mum

  There was a pioneer sister in one of the congregations I was in who would work rural territory. She would stop at a return visit close by first, as she said, "to get [her] time started."

  Did anyone deduct from their report time out for coffee and donuts?
• 

  R.F.

  Did anyone deduct from their report time out for coffee and donuts?

  There were many that would drop a tract on a counter or just about anywhere wherever they took their coffee break. So they take a 20 minute coffee break, drop a tract and their time is still going. Sure, I did the same thing sometimes, but I still believe the actualy hours reported on the overall report when you look at the methods are bogus.

  R.F.
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  sir82

  Don't forget the time spent driving from one end of the territory to another, knocking at the empty homes of return visits. Usually at least 15 minutes of driving from one house to the next.

  And don't forget to divide the (already miniscule) numbers by 2, as they inevitably knock on not-at-home doors in pairs.

  Of the "one billion hours per year" spent in the ministry, likely less than 5% of that is actually spent talking to a person.
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  SnakesInTheTower

  bogus numbers indeed. and I appreciate the posters who talk about the various time waster methods of ministry....

  I always called the afternoon return visit routine the Star Method:

  start at KH A (lower left corner), go to RV B (center top), go to RV C (lower right corner), go to RV D (left center), go to RV E (right center), go back to KH A (lower left corner). Of course, the more spread out the RV's were the longer the ministry time counted. And, of course, if 4 were in the car, at least 2 would be sitting for a long period of time talking only to each other!. This is worse if it is a van load going in the ministry. This method should also be called Wasting Gas and Time Method.

  1 billion hours.,....yeah, they did it...not real productive mind you...Field Ministry is kind of like SPAM EMAIL.... only on wheels... know one wants it, everyone expects it, almost everyone deletes it (or shuts the door in this case), everyone tolerates it as a cost of freedom.

  Snakes ()
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  V

  So true, this coming from an active JW.

  For a while I actually did time only the interaction with non-JWs at the door. 2 hours of service would net 5 minutes--if you could snag a religious person and chat nicely about the neighbourhood.

  I totaled only the non-JW conversation time, I would not be able to count 1 hour per month if 10 hours were spent in field service. That would make me inactive!

  JWs are allowed to count time:

  1. When traveling to territory or return visits. In a car group, the time is multiplied by the number of passengers.
  2. Noninteractive activities like leaving magazines in waiting areas.
  3. Standing on the street holding a magazine, but not talking to the hundreds walking by.
  4. And standing as a couple, one person is counting time but not participating! This means the time is counted twice.

  So if JWs are allowed to count all this time why not count ALL the time you are out of the house?? Isn't your entire life a witness?

  It's all bogus.