The Field Service will end someday, maybe?

by Quarterback 52 Replies latest jw friends

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  the-illuminator81

  To the people who can't imagine them stopping.. it won't be an instantaneous moment from where 100% of the 'publishers' can suddenly stop going door to door. It will come as a slow reform, which has already started. You can now count 'family study' as service hours, you can count 15 mins as service hours. At a certain point they might say that those with physical problems only have to make 15 mins in a year, instead of a month. They will say that people like elders don't have to have that many hours because they already spend many hours preparing for talks and other works. Then you will find that only the service overseer will go into FS, and the other elders will be hardly seen going door to door.

  Then they will say that some are simply not meant for the preaching work (Ephesians 4:11) and that just like with the anointed you would feel a special calling to preach or not.. and pretty quickly there will be few left who preach more than 5 hours a month and many who don't preach at all. I haven't seen my 'active' wife going into service for two months now, but she still reports hours because she has told a coworker she was going to the DC (5 minute conversation -> 2 hours of FS reported). Many JWs operate in this way.
• 

  sir82

  If (and I realise that's this a big 'if') the dubs who are going door-to-door report back their true experiences, how long can the WTBTS let this continue?

  Up until now, well over 99% of the non-JW population just flat-out can't be bothered to care about JWs. JWs are little more than a twice-a-year nuisance who try to sell them magazines. All they know about JWs is a vague notion about "hey, aren't those the guys who sell magazines, don't celebrate Christmas, and don't take blood transfusions?".

  Now, though, with the Candace Conti case, and the undoubtedly dozens if not hundreds or potentially even thousands of cases that will brought up against them, the publicity will be imposssible to overcome. JWs will quite likely be lumped in with "Catholics" and "Penn State" as "organizations that knew about child abuse but covered it up".

  At that point, then the door-to-door work will begin to be a true liability for the WTS. Imagine if even 10%, or 20%, of households were utterly disgusted by JWs, that every time a JW knocked at their door, they let loose with a diatribe about child abuse and WT leadership and "how can you sleep at night" and "so which one of you at my door is the child abuser?".

  If / when door to door work stops serving its purpose (reinforcing JW beliefs and unity through mind-numbing repetitive busy-work) and instead serves to reduce the JWs confidence in WT leadership, expect "new light" to flash forth.
• 

  konceptual99

  @the-illuminator81 - I would agree that any changes would be slowly introduced but I really don't see it reaching a point where field service as we know it now, even D2D, is brought so low as to be meaningless.

  The society is fixated on reporting and numbers - we just had a heavy talk on why reporting is so important. The points I may already, especially, about it being a spiritual barometer and touted as a major identifying mark are well intrenched and would need years and years to turn around.

  I'm not sure if the elders would be the first to be released either. Visibility on the D2D is a major factor for judging an appointed man's qualifications and the publishers pick up on any perceived hypocrisy in this area real quickly. I've used the fact that no elders were regular in Sunday service to counter elders trying to make me feel guilty about not doing it. If the elders stopped 99% of the cong would stop.

  At congregational level they are still really hot on this "congregation average" thing for appointed men - even though it cannot be found in scripture or even the publications.

  I think the only thing that counters the argument on reporting is the fact that in the western countries there is a decrease in many areas. The memorial attendence was down again this year in the UK and peaks in publishers and hours are artifically spiked with the 30 hour special. It is feasible that constant reductions in numbers may not be reported but I think it more likely to be spun as "love of the great number cooling off" and it actually being used to "prove" the end is nearer.

  At the end of the day the society is a publishing club. It need members and it needs to constantly recruit to keep the spons in the coffers.
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  Bella15

  I heard the same as a little girl, and I am not that little anymore ... LOL!
• 

  jgnat

  What if door to door work morphs in to telephone soliciting? I would suggest also social network witnessing, but I suspect this would be too wild and uncontrollable for the WTS.
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  Wasanelder Once

  It died for many after 1995 when they stopped seperating the sheep from the goats. It sort of took the wind out of their sails. When the the generation thing went kablooy most have been going through the motions. When they lose 1914 it will become the work of hardcore zombies only.
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  jgnat

  Armageddon Okies is right. Out here in the boonies, clocking in service time is sweet. Our community is 200 kms from the nearest town, and we have no Kingdom Hall. The "brothers" who service this area get to count travel to and from and their coffee time here in town.

  You can imagine how vigorous the tract distribution is.

  I think it is telling that the "brothers" have never bothered to pick hubby up to join them in their field service.
• 

  WTWizard

  They have been saying that forever. At some point, Jehovah was supposed to put a stop to field circus and close the door. At which point, it is supposedly too late to join. Usually, that point is given as the onset of the great tribulation or soon in.

  Don't worry, it's just another lie.
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  DesirousOfChange

  I really don't see it reaching a point where field service as we know it now, even D2D, is brought so low as to be meaningless.The society is fixated on reporting and numbers

  Totally agree.

  The 1.7 BILLION hours in "preaching the Good News" is a huge bragging right.

  "No greater work to be done today."

  "NOW, especially urgent!"

  "Save yourself and those who listen to you!"

  "The 269,000 new baptised pubs last year are indication of Jehovah's patience for no one to be destroyed!"

  Quit your bellyachin' and head out for Field Service Starbucks.

  Doc
• 

  redvip2000

  It will never stop as long as the Watchtower is operating and needs money to keep it afloat. Even as printed media is switching to electronic formats, this will not affect the Watchtower that much. The Org does not rely on the end consumer to pay for it's products. In their business model the sales person - the publisher pays for the product up front, so as long as there people willing preach, money will keep coming in regarless of whether it has acceptance at the door or not.