The Society boasts about the Billions of hours spent in the ministry worldwide. But, when one asks how many of those hours were spent visiting one sick or needy sister? The answer is ZERO. Why? Because of the system. The system says only hours spent talking to or being with un-baptized persons can be counted. So, if the sick sister is baptized then the time spent visiting her is not to be counted. This is not to say that JWs do not visit their sick. But, since they are urged to maintain a certain monthly average of countable hours, one can see where they are going to invest most of their energies. Elders, Ministerial Servants, and Pioneers are extra sensitive towards maintaining their averages in order to safeguard their privileges.
Those billions of hours are presumably spent each year in doing the following; (I am sure I left out a method or two!)
- All time spent in attempting to reach a non-witness by traveling to their location and knocking on their door or by phone, or a letter, or nowadays email. The person need not be present or respond in any way. This tends to foster a preference for distant territories, as time spent in traveling quickly adds up. It is not unusual for a witness to spend a whole day in the service and not talk to a single person and yet count the entire time.
- All time spent conversing, placing literature or studying with a non-witness about JW doctrines. By habit, most witnesses will check their watches the minute they end their conversation or visit with a non-witness and count the minutes or hours spent.
- Parents can count time spent in teaching their childern about JW doctrine. Also JWs can count time spent in teaching the siblings of other witnesses.
- Car Groups. After a service group, the conductor pairs the witnesses in twos and assigns those without transportation to car groups. Since the Society encourages only one pair to approach a non witness or knock on a door then that leaves another pair or more waiting in the car or a van. The pair that is knocking on the door or conversing with a non-witness will count their time as well as those waiting in the car will also count their time.
- Phone witnessing. When two or more witnesses gather around a phone and take turns to place calls to people on a list. While one witness is conversing on the phone and counting his time, the others too can also count their time while waiting for their turn.
- Partial time spent with a non-witness, where JW teachings were not initially discussed, but the topic was later broached. This is called “informal witnessing”. Some witnesses will count all the time spent regardless of how much was entirely devoted to discussing doctrine, some other witnesses will only count the exact time, down to the minute.
- Caring for a non-witness. All time spent in caring for a non-witness can be counted. Like helping in personal needs and chores etc. A JW can also count time inviting a non-witness to a JW meeting and including the entire time spent at the meetings, although very little discussion can take place at such meetings. Also, if a JW accompanies a non-witness to an assembly, the travel time back and forth, the assembly time, and any other time spent with them whether in a restaurant or in the hotel can also be counted.
- Giving a public talk. Elders and ministerial servants that give public talks can count the time spent in traveling to the Kingdom Hall and delivering the talk.
- Pioneers can also count their time spent in their training school, special projects, assembly responsibilities and parts and other Organization approved activities that are allowed to be counted.
In light of the above, one wonders when Jesus Christ finally comes and sits on his Judgment seat, of which is he going to be impressed the most; a boastful record of billions of hours spent in the above “qualified” service, or a discreet one hour visit to a sick or needy sister?