New Monthly Report Suggestion!

by The Searcher 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  The Searcher

  Just an idea for the weekly G.B. conclave to consider - unless it's too Christian for them to think about!

  Paul wrote this to the "Israel of God" - Galatians 6:2 " Go on carrying the burdens of one another, and in this way you will fulfill the law of the Christ."

  The law of the Christ is highlighted in these three verses:

  (John 13:34) I am giving YOU a new commandment, that YOU love one another; just as I have loved YOU, that YOU also love one another.

  (John 15:12) This is my commandment, that YOU love one another just as I have loved YOU.

  (1 John 4:21) And this commandment we have from him, that the one who loves God should be loving his brother also.

  How about "adjusting" the monthly report slip to include these two new methods of counting F.S. hours:

  1) Number of hours spent visiting elderly/sick brothers and sisters.

  2) Number of hours spent helping brothers and sisters with necessary household tasks.

  If Elders can count time giving a 30 minute "Public" talk and RBC free labour counts as "witnessing" time, then how much more so would obeying the law of the Christ be witnessing?
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  disposable hero of hypocrisy

  Nicely put. I'm sure the gb minions will report this to the upper echelons and it will be acted on immediately.

  If only.
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  joe134cd

  I totally agree with your sentiments. It just amazes me how an organization will spend billions of dollars and countless man hours trying to find a new recruit and yet will do relatively nothing to help, maintain or retain that member. As you have highlighted here. It's just like they don't get It. Estimates are they lose around a million members every decade and they just stand by and watch it happen. Beats me.
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  leaving_quietly

  I agree with the sentiments, but I would never agree to "report" my hours doing this., Continuing a little further in Galatians 6:

  Go on carrying the burdens of one another, and in this way you will fulfill the law of the Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deceiving himself. 4 But let each one examine his own actions, and then he will have cause for rejoicing in regard to himself alone, and not in comparison with the other person. 5 For each one will carry his own load. - Gal 6:2-5

  How about we remove hours, return visits and bible studies altogether from the report? If they want to know how many magazines, books, brochures, etc. are placed for the purpose of projecting printing amounts, fine. The rest of it is, quite frankly, not their business. That should be private.
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  JWdaughter

  It's really a good idea. They could totally up their FS hours just by being NICE to the people that they already LIKE and approve of. Of course that might help retention in the cult-not a good goal, unless it helped turn the cult into (dare I say it) part of Christianity.

  They will say that it is not something that they need to track. And for the WTBTS, it isn't. It isn't revenue producing for them, nor is it bringing anyone new in. But for JWs, it would be wonderful.

  One think they COULD consider though is something that marketing/advertising folks know already. It is much cheaper to retain customers than to get new ones. If they could stem the tide with some old fashioned good deeds, you would likely see a numbers shift more dramatic than a new date for armageddon.
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  Awake at last

  As I have said in other posts on this forum and JW recovery forum, the straw that broke the camel's back in my case was the lack of love shown to my elderly mother in the years leading up to her death.

  Reporting the time is about the only way I can think of which would make witnesses care about the elderly and this would go a long way towards solving the problems of what nursing home employees and the leaders of other religions think of the witnesses. These people would not know, most likely that time doing these activities is counted to earn brownie points. They would probably think the Jdubs have some new found love thing happening.

  However, do people who have a relative in a nursing home or who is sick, or indeed the person who is sick, want visitors who count time? I would be insulted and my now deceased mother would have been too. If the witnesses are so devoid of love that they will not do anything without counting the time then I am glad that I am as my forum name says AWAKE AT LAST!!!
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  Awake at last

  My mother would turn in her grave if she knew what sort of incentives her fellow witnesses needed to show care for other witnesses in need.

  Just in case you were wondering, yes, my mother used to visit others who were old, lonely and sick while she was able to. My father did too.
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  sowhatnow

  funny, just yesterday I was talking to my mom who just had her C.O.visit, she told me they went out on thanksgiving day

  I said wouldnt it have been better had they instead of bothering people who have company, went and visited people from the kingdom hall?how does anyone ever get to know anyone if all they do is say hello to you at the kingdom hall?

  she quickly dfended it saying 'well they most likely went to older return visits and some of the ones who were sick. , [no, they didnt this i know]

  well, I sat there bitting my tongue, becasue what i wanted to say was ,

  you dont need a circus overseer visiting for the sole purpose of checking up on everyones feild service records, and dictating new rules to the elders

  what you need is the local brothers to actually give a crap about the real people that are alreaddy in the congregations and maybe associating with people and getting to KNOW them as FREINDS!

  what other than tp check up on people and provide intimidation to the elders is the real purpose of a co??
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  _Morpheus

  Its an interesting Suggestion and one touched on in CoC. There was evidently a big dust up when "commentary on james" was written over that very matter. when writting that publication it was argued that reporting if service time was counter to the spirit of the scriptures and removed emphisis from other important aspects of christian living. I agree very much however it goes contrary to the orgs big picture recruiting efforts. The real irony is that by creating closer knit congregations retention, especially of young ones, would be much higher. They are so caught up in running things they cant see the obviousness of the truth
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  joe134cd

  There was an elderly sister in my cong, at the time I was very active. Ok she wasn't a publisher but was at all the meetings. It wasn't until she was dead and buried and I went to chase her up for something that i discovered that she had died. At the time I put it down to been a big congregation but now that i look back on it i have to wonder how I possibly could not have known. I swear not a word out of anyone. Would love to know what her wordly family thought.