Field Service Question

by zzaphod 23 Replies latest jw experiences

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  sir82

  Are they as active on the doors as I remember them in the 80`s, (when a territory map would be covered every month or two),

  Every congregation is different.

  In New York, where there are high concetrations of congregations in some areas (partially due to the Bethelites attending there), some congregations cover their territory every month.

  In South Dakota or Idaho, where sheep outnumber people and there might be one congregation covering 5000 square miles, some territories are worked once every 5 or 10 years.

  In general, in my experience in mid-sized US cities, people are a lot more eager to take 45 minute coffee breaks and ride around criss-crossing the terrotiry doing return visits now, as compared to the 1980's.
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  jookbeard

  it's never been really effective has it? they are known for it and survey the mass general public about what The WTS preaches in regards to the message of the Kingdom of God and the token answers will be that they peddle The WT/dont take blood and dont celebrate xmas and the conversion rate from a cold call to full baptized publisher must be negligible?

  My own status at being called on since leaving in the early 90's and living at 3 addresses has been once, the Mormans made contact 2/3 times and I told them not to call any more, not a very impressive statistic . I'm not a DNC and the local KH is under 2 miles from here.
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  tiki

  someone just reminded me....those letter-writers that have absolutely NO command of the English language.... I always found that thought down-right frightening. And the dopiest of the dopes were the ones doing the most of it.....
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  Gordy

  I too live in a fairly large town in the UK.
  Probably about 4 congregations within 5 mile radius of where I live.
  There is a congregation just a 5 minute walk up the road from me.

  I have lived here for 10 years and have noticed how very seldom I see JWs on the "ministry" now.
  They used to be around about every 2-3 months, now it seems about every 4-5 months.
  In fact as I walked round the area most days I very rarely see them anywhere.
  I've seen Mormons about more often than JWs these days.

  The only reason can be that they don't have the numbers to cover territory as they used to.
  I know the congregations I was associated with have dropped in number since I left.
  A couple of them only about half of what they were.

  They may say they are increasing, but where is the increase coming from?
  I know of congregations that have no one baptised for a least a couple of years.
  Others where those baptised where usually the children of JWs.
  It seems to be very rare that an "outsider" has come in studied and been baptised.
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  awildflower

  I think it depends on where you live. Here in Oklahoma, their territory is so big and rural that it barely only got covered once every two years. I've seen the jw's once in my neighborhood and I've been here six years! And it's a new neighborhood!. Now watch, we're all going to get a visit just for talking about it, great
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  jamiebowers

  I live in a very small city with a population a little over 5,000. The neighboring township has about the same. There's a kh right here in town, and the jws have been here twice, (left back issues of the ragazines) in the past seven and a half years...have never received a Memorial invitation. I was never a jw in Ohio and have been out for more than 20 years, so I don't think they know me.
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  WTWizard

  I have been noticing that territories are being worked less often. The last time I saw the witlesses in field circus was last October, and I don't know what they got accomplished. During my last years as a witless, I noticed that much more time was wasted in running errands, going on "stupid calls" (that is, the ones they know are likely not at home), and puttering around getting coffee and doughnuts. (No wonder so many of them are so fat.) Their walking speed is about half what a snail moves, and they are lucky to be driving 10 MPH (the speed limit is 30).

  Hopefully, now that it is getting harder and harder for them to defend their teachings against the scriptures they are supposed to be based on, they will get even slower.
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  Bangalore

  Many are likely more interested in getting their time in than actually talking to people.

  Bangalore
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  shopaholic

  The increase is with illegal immigrants and in third world countries but soon that will change.

  If you've ever watched the JWs in a third world country, you begin to feel very bad for the folks joining the religion. They really do not know what they are actually getting into to but once they figure it out, most have NO trouble walking away from it. Family and community is STRONG and they are not concerned about losing it. After witnessing missionaries and foreign (american, english, canadian) elders working hard to get families to cooperate with the DF arrangement, is when I begin to understand why folks referred to JWs as home-wreckers.

  It was interesting that most of them couldn't comprehend why they needed to stop talking to friends or family because they simply no longer wanted to be a JW. In their minds, it was just someone changing their religion...which it is.
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  mentallyfree31

  My former congregation has more pioneers now than it did years ago. So i think they are knocking on more doors than ever here. Also, a zealous pioneer elder moved in a few years ago and has implemented regular telephone witnessing at least one day a week.

  -mentallyfree31-