Why Does The WTBTS Really Require JW's To....

by Honesty 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Honesty

  turn in a Field Service Report each month?
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  Darth Yhwh

  It’s a way for controlling men to measure and judge the spirituality or heart condition of each member individually.
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  kls

  Recruitment ,thats what it is all about.
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  JH

  Control over fellow worshipers
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  Elsewhere

  Simple: First and foremost the WTS is a publishing corporation. Unless they know how many books are being sold placed they cannot know how many books they need to print.
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  ezekiel3

  Elsewhere: Agreed it's a good marketing report.

  But why the hours? If you took away the hourly count do you really think field service would increase? JWs need their conscience pricked in order to motivate them to knock on doors.

  The official reason below:

  Organized to Do Jehovah's Will page 83-90:

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  REPORTING ON THE PROGRESS OF THE MINISTRY

  Reports on the worldwide expansion of pure worship have been a source of genuine encouragement for Jehovah's people over the years. From the time Jesus first told his disciples that the good news would be preached throughout all the earth, true Christians have been vitally concerned with knowing how this would be accomplished.—Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 13: 10; Acts 1:8.
  
  Early followers of Jesus Christ took an interest in reports of progress in the preaching work. (Mark 6:30) The Bible book of Acts tells us that there were about 120 persons present when holy spirit was poured out on the disciples at Pentecost. Soon the number of disciples grew to 3,000 and then to 5,000. The encouraging report was made that "Jehovah continued to join to them daily those being saved" and that "a great crowd of priests began to be obedient to the faith." (Acts 1:15; 2:5-11, 41, 47; 4:4; 6:7) What fine encouragement the news of these increases must have brought to the disciples! How these exciting reports must have impelled them to move ahead with their divinely commissioned work, in spite of severe persecution spearheaded by the Jewish religious leaders!

  About 60-61 C.E., Paul reported in his letter to the Colossians that the good news was "bearing fruit and increasing in all the world" and had been "preached in all creation that is under heaven." (Col. 1:5, 6, 23) The early Christians had been obedient to the Word, and holy spirit had empowered them to accomplish a worldwide preaching work before the end of the Jewish system of things in 70 C.E. A seemingly impossible task had been completed. How encouraging it was for those faithful Christian workers to hear reports of what was being accomplished!

  In like manner, Jehovah's modern-day organization endeavors to keep precise records of the work being done in fulfillment of Matthew 24:14, which says: "This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come." As dedicated servants of God, we have an urgent work to do. We must be personally interested in seeing that the ministry is accomplished thoroughly before the end comes. Jehovah will see to it that this work is completed, and if we have a share, we will receive Jehovah's smile of approval.

  YOUR PERSONAL FIELD SERVICE REPORT

  What exactly are we to report? The Field Service Report slip provided by the organization indicates what information is to be included, but perhaps the following general comments, along with additional clarifications that are set out from time to time in Our Kingdom Ministry, will prove to be helpful.

  In the columns titled "Books," "Booklets & Brochures," and "Individual Magazines," list the total number of any of these publications that you placed with people who are not dedicated, baptized Witnesses.

  In reporting "Return Visits," count the total number of return calls made for the purpose of further stimulating interest previously shown by someone who is not a dedicated, baptized Witness. In order to count a return visit, you need to contact the particular individual who previously showed interest. When you conduct a home Bible study with an inactive brother or sister at the direction of a member of the Congregation Service Committee, you should report a return visit. You may also report return visits for studies conducted with a newly baptized person who needs temporary assistance. A return visit can be made not only by calling on someone at home but also by writing a letter, making a telephone call, or delivering some literature, such as the latest issue of a magazine. Each time a home Bible study is conducted, it should be counted as a return visit.
  
  Although Bible studies are usually conducted each week, they are reported only once each month. In lands where the Study Report slip is used, publishers should report each Bible study conducted during the month with people who are not dedicated, baptized Witnesses or with others as explained in the following paragraph. After filling out each slip completely and accurately, write the total number of different Bible studies in the box at the lower right-hand corner of your Field Service Report slip. The number you indicate on the Field Service Report slip and the number of Study Report slips you turn in should be the same.

  It is important to submit an accurate report of "Hours of Field Service." Basically, this is the time you spend participating in the house-to-house ministry, engaging in street witnessing, making return visits, conducting Bible studies, or otherwise witnessing informally or publicly to people who are not dedicated and baptized Witnesses. You may also count a Bible study that you conduct with an inactive brother or sister at the direction of a member of the Congregation Service Committee. Additionally, you may continue reporting time used in conducting a study with a newly baptized person who needs temporary spiritual help. If for some reason two publishers are working together, both may count the time if both share in giving a witness. There are essential activities for which time is not counted, such as getting ready for field service, attending the meeting for field service, and traveling to and from the territory.

  Your field service time should start when you begin your witness work and end when you finish your last call in each witnessing period. Time used for having refreshments or meals during a period of field service is not to be counted. Auxiliary, regular, and special pioneers as well as missionaries have hour requirements to meet. Congregation publishers are likewise encouraged to put Kingdom interests first and exert themselves in the ministry to accomplish all that they can in the field according to their individual circumstances. All of Jehovah's dedicated servants endeavor to be whole-souled in the ministry. (Col. 3:23) Those giving public talks may count the time spent delivering these, and a parent may count up to one hour each week when studying with his or her undedicated children.

  Time spent in the field service should be reported in full hours. An exception to this is made when a publisher is very limited because of advanced age, is shut-in, is confined to a nursing home, or is otherwise incapacitated. Such a publisher may report field service in 15-minute increments rather than in full hours. Even if he gives a witness for just 15 minutes during a month, he should report this time so that he can continue to be counted as a regular Kingdom publisher. This arrangement also applies to a publisher who is temporarily limited, perhaps unable to move about during a month or so because of a serious illness or injury. This provision is made, however, only for those who are very limited in their activity. The Congregation Service Committee will determine whether a publisher qualifies for this arrangement.
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  kid-A

  Oh, its such so slimy how they somehow draw an analogy between Jesus and his original disciples "keeping records" with the borg androids filling out their little slips of paper at the end of the month so brooklyn can keep their accounting books in order.......what a bunch of little weasels....

  I can just see it now: No, Peter, you cant just "tell me" you were out preaching.....you need to chisel the number of hours for me in this little stone tablet and drop it in the box at the back of the cave...."
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  Bryan

  The Brothers and Sisters are required to report hours so they can see how they are failing to do what Jehovahs requires of them.

  It's never enough. The guilt builds. Self-esteem sags. Control stays intact. It's a wife abuse issue. My dinners cold; my socks got too much starch; you didn't clean my boat?!

  What?! You only spent 2 hours today cleaning the house?! You are so pathetic. I ought to kick you out! You are not worth my sacrafice!

  Bryan

  Have You Seen My Mother
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  MerryMagdalene

  The tightening up of preaching responsibility began in 1920 when everyone in the congregation who participated in the witness work was required to turn in a weekly report. --Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, p.96

  Along with the related emphasis on organizational conformity and uniformity of thinking and action, the stress on door-to-door activity and on turning in a report of such is a major legacy of Rutherford's presidency that has remained to this day. --Raymond Franz, In Search of Christian Freedom, p.192

  With Rutherford's death and his replacement by Nathan Knorr a new area of expamsion began. Whereas Rutherford's presidency had a political cast to it, Knorr's presidency reflected his businessman's approach....Under his direction, the Watch Tower Society became one of the largest publishing organizations on the face of the earth....Idle equipment represented financial expense....The primary outlet for this stream of publications has consistently been the Witnesses' door-to-door activity. Along with "quotas" of hours to be met if one was exemplary, "magazine quotas" came into effect for "congregation publishers," each being urged to distribute 12 copies a month. --Raymond Franz, ibid, p.193

  The report slip has perennially been a major means for keeping this activity at a high level. The idea (often expressed) that these reports are needed for the organization to know how to plan its printing activity is a fiction--none of the Society's printing plants relies on such reports, for they gauge the demand not by the "field service" reports but by inventory reports from their own shipping departments and by monthly inventory reports received from the branches. --Raymond Franz, ibid, p.193

  ~Merry
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  in a new york bethel minute

  because jehovah doesn't get email. he needs everything hand written and sent via regular mail to him