I was thinking about the FOG model this morning, particularly about the "Obligation" part.
My mind went back to the last Elders school I went to. One of the parts in the section on appointments was discussing how we should not place too high a bar (human standards) for brothers to try and jump over when we are considering them for appointment as a Ministerial Servant. That they only needed to demonstrate the Biblical qualities to a "reasonable" degree.
Then I was thinking about the very last elders meeting I attended with the CO (which also happened to be the one I resigned at). The body was recommending a fine young man to be appointed as a Mistrial Servant. But the CO squashed our recommendation. This man had made such fine progress in the last couple of years and was doing so much in the congregation, working on sound and stage, handling the accounts (which was always a difficult and time consuming job) etc etc. But his hours were not as high as is normally expected, especially for a brother without kids, just wife to take care of.
We pointed out to the CO that the mans wife was going through some prolonged and difficult health and emotional issues, that the mans hours were not a true reflection of his zeal as he was doing so much (non-witnessing) work in the congregation. However the CO would not have a bar of it. He coldly and unmercifully suggested that all the work this man did for the congregation and the brothers meant nothing if his hours were not at the bar the Society (unofficially but in all reality) set. That this brother should be encouraged to do less other stuff and spend longer out in the ministry, the other stuff (practical and charitable things like helping brothers move house, working on hall maintenance, helping with IT issues at the hall etc). It dismayed me so much and I realised we were all just bean counters, our mentality was only concerned with time sheets, not with real human help.
It disgusted me that a humans worth was measured only by the hours on his report card! This was one of the many reasons I resigned that night. I could not longer be complicit in such an arrangement.