Saturday, September 20, 2008

09-21-08 Watchtower Study "God Who Makes It Grow"

Field service hours are down. It seems that witnesses just are not finding "joy" in walking around for hours in the heat, the cold and the rain and not finding anyone at home. Is it any wonder why many witnesses in field service spend so much of their time in donut shops?
While there are some parts of the world that are still fertile ground for the witnesses, increasingly people just do not want to be bothered with a message to join another religion. This is especially true in developed nations.
While the Watchtower says that witnesses are preaching an urgent, life saving message, is that really true? If it were so urgent, wouldn't they buy television time to reach the largest number of people? What about radio air time? Or perhaps an ad in all the newspapers around the world? They can well affford to do this. But they don't. Instead they choose the least effective of all means available to advertise their urgent, life saving message. The door to door ministry done by unpaid volunteers who are duped into believing they are doing the Lord's work.
Since the Watchtower cannot motivate it's members by pointing to a date in which the end will come, they have to find other ways to get their recruitment needs met. Sunday's Watchtower study is one of five that was written specifically to get the witnesses off their duff's and out in field service.
Notice this little gem from paragraph 9 of the study article.
Q 9. What comforting truth did the apostle Paul and Jesus both emphasize?
9. Faithfulness on the part of the sower is not measured by the results of his work. Paul alluded to that when he said: "Each person will receive his own reward according to his own labor." (1 Cor. 3:) The reward is according to the labor, not according to the results of that labor. Jesus likewise emphasized this point when his disciples returned from a preaching tour. They were overjoyed because the demons were made subject to them by the use of Jesus' name. As exciting as that may have been, Jesus said to them: "Do not rejoice over this, that the spirits are made subject to you, but rejoice because your names have been inscribed in the heavens." (Luke 10:17-20) Even where a sower may not see a lot of increase as a result of his work, he has not necessarily been less diligent or faithful than others. To a large extent, results depend on the heart condition of the hearer. But ultimately, it is God who makes it grow!
Notice that the Watchtower says that individual results are not important. So if you spend two hours in service and speak to no one and no one answered the door that is okay. You did not waste your time. You were "sowing Seeds". So there is really no need for you to prepare well to go in field service, because good or bad results are not proof of God's blessing and or proof that you are not doing a good job.
The message is just to get out in field service and engage in our "trademark" of door to door recruitment. You may get lucky and you may find someone that wants to join our organization. The Watchtower has heavy expenses and they need all the members that they can get!

28 comments:

hudsoncarl said...

not sure if this is one of your famous cut-n-paste jobs, or what...but these conclusions are so ignorant, i don't know what!

how do you go from the article saying 'not seeing a lot of increase does not mean you are less diligent' to your conclusion that it's ok not to prepare? that's just plain dumb.

you've had much better arguments in the past. try harder, would-ya?

spiritualbrother said...

The point is that despite much preaching there does not seem to be a corresponding increase in new converts. Despite this the Watchtower keeps urging members to increase their preaching activity. During the CO visits the CO urges the brothers to put even more hours in Field Service and encourages more to think about pioneering etc.

kimmy jo said...

It seems to be about 'appearances' more than anything and they are BIG on saving face in the form of 'appearances'. If you can get some out the door more are sure to follow. The pressure to conform within the group is the silent pressure, to live up to what 'everyone' is doing, to be seen. Plus it keeps the # up.
This act of going out in service has got to be piercing their conscious mind of some, telling them or at least giving them the feeling, they are really pests and annoying at peoples doors 'preaching'. Such a pointless exercise, proves nothing.

Someone answer why they don't use/invest money and time in modern communication to spread this 'life saving' message, instead of purchasing land and buildings? I have seen the Mormon commercials. They could refer to the change as 'new light' !!!

Anonymous said...

Part of the post is definitely copy-n-paste, which is the Paragraph 9 and its Question.

Evident: the scripture: (1 Cor. 3:)
It should be written (1 Cor. 3:8), but because the forum where GBL copy the text from translates '8)' into a smiley, so when GBL copy-n-paste he missed those '8)' characters.

So either he doesn't have the watchtower magazine and the bible to look for that missing verse number or he just so ignorant to re-check what he copy-n-pasted. Maybe both.

Anonymous said...

Let's inject some reality!

GBL: Field service hours are down.

2006 Grand Total Hours 1,333,966,199
2007 Grand Total Hours 1,431,761,554

So, clearly, service hours are up - by a whopping 7.3 percent!

But maybe you meant the average hours per publisher. Here are the average hours each publisher did in the whole year. To get this figure, divide the total hours by the average publishers for the year:

2006 average hours: 205
2007 average hours: 214

That has gone up as well!

But maybe you meant just the USA. Let's look at the total field service hours for the US:

2006 total hours: 194,815,417
2007 total hours: 211,314,864

Another increase (8.4%)!

What about the average hours per publisher in the US (again for the whole year)?

2006 Average hours: 193
2007 Average hours: 203

That's a remarkable increase - a picture quite different from the one you paint in your article.


Spiritualbrother said:

The point is that despite much preaching there does not seem to be a corresponding increase in new converts.

Well, let's look at the average hours needed for one person to get baptized. Just divide the number of persons baptized by the number of hours in field service:

World 2006: 5372
World 2007: 4800

USA 2006: 6738
USA 2007: 5674

So it appears the preaching is actually becoming more effective, rather than less!

Thank you, GBL and spiritualbrother, I would never have looked this very encouraging information up if it had not been for your page!

By the way, for the record, I preach because I want to and I believe that is what Jesus wants me to do, not because anyone else tells me to.

Anonymous said...

Kimmy Jo said:

Someone answer why they don't use/invest money and time in modern communication to spread this 'life saving' message, instead of purchasing land and buildings? I have seen the Mormon commercials.


Perhaps this is the answer:

Although Jehovah's Witnesses currently rank 25th in size with over 1.06 million members, they reported a 2.25 percent increase in membership since the publication of the 2007 Yearbook. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - also known as the Mormon church - grew 1.56 percent and is listed by the NCC as the fourth largest "church."

(Source: www.christianpost.com article entitled Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons Fastest-Growing 'Churches' in U.S.)

I wonder what would be the point in imitating the Mormons if our methods are already more successful than theirs.

Anonymous said...

If the government knew a Category 4 hurricane was heading to, say, New Orleans and ordered an immediate evacuation what would be most effective to notify the largest number of people in harms way? Would it be:

(1) TV;
(2) radio,
(3) internet,
(4) daily newspapers, or
(5) weekly magazines?

Now ask yourself:

If the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society REALLY believes what it has you telling us, i.e., that Jehovah intends to destroy most of the world's population soon, then why is it refusing to use any of the most effective ways to get the word out?

The simple answer is...Because it is a PRINTING COMPANY, stupid.

NOTE: At one time the WTB&TS owned and operated more than 400 radio stations--including one on Staten Island that reached over 8,000,000 households in New York City market. These stations were sold off during N. H. Knorr's presidency. Why? The answer, according to one Bethelite who was working at that station when it was sold, was told "because radio doesn't sell books".

...Apparently selling literature is more important to the Society than saving lives.

Anonymous said...

That might be something to consider....but JW's don"t "sell" book. Invariably they are left with the individual for FREE!

Anonymous said...

What most people do not understand is we are looking for people who want to serve Jehovah. This is not a campaign for just anyone, and vast numbers are not what Jehovah's Witnesses expect. The road to life is narrow and few are finding it....remember?

And becoming one of Jehovah's Witnesses isn't quick or easy. A person who studies with Jehovah's Witnesses has to study the Bible and understand the Bible and know what a serious personal commitment they are making.

None of this...... come on down and on the spur of the moment get saved and "become a Christian" like a Billy Graham rally.

JW's won't run flashy ads on TV because this message is not a "product" to be offered up like a bar of soap.

Jehovah doesn't need TV, He has Jehovah's Witnesses who are 7 million strong saying, "Here I am, send me." All members counted are ACTIVE!

The Catholics, Methodists, Baptists can say they have members, but are they active???? And the Mormans count the dead in their numbers...I think that's cheating....:-) hahahahahahaha. But maybe theose dead folks saw the latest TV ad and converted, who knows??????????

Ringwielder said...

And yet, as each year passes, millions more are born to be destroyed by Jehovah, the God of Love.

Millions more than the JWs can save.

And if those ignorant of Jehovah, who have not heard the message, (as some Witnesses say) will be given a second chance, then the very worst thing to happen to you is for the JWs to call at your door and you reject the magazines.

Avoid hearing what they have to say....and maybe you will have a chance!

S said...

I'm not sure what your point is?

Sure, the door to door work is inefficient, but what other way would we preach as a congregation?

Remember that the ministry is not all about making converts, it is about associating and encouraging as a congregation.

Unknown said...

keep yakkeee yak you don't even know what you are talking about
keep yakee yak

Anonymous said...

Anon said: "This is not a campaign for just anyone, and vast numbers are not what Jehovah's Witnesses expect. The road to life is narrow and few are finding it....remember?"

Problem is, as was mentioned prior, the Mormons and most other religions are growing at a slower rate. This must mean they have the truth, right?

The Society wants it both ways in many respects. They want to boast about the increases as proof of Jehovah's blessing, but they also want to show that since they number only 7 million (which is tiny compared to most religions) they must have the truth since very few want to join.

Their way of thinking can be dizzying if you let it. My advice is to hold onto something or take a seat before delving into their theology. That way if the room starts spinning from their explanations you won't fall and hurt yourself.

N/A said...

Anonymous said, "That might be something to consider....but JW's don"t "sell" book. Invariably they are left with the individual for FREE!"

That's right, JW's don't sell books. The WTS does. Perhaps you're unaware that future literature shipments are withheld from a congregation if they don't pay for what they have previously received. That's right. The WTS keeps tabs on what each congregation is ordering and if the "donations" sent in from the congregation don't meet or exceed the value of the literature previously sent, parts of their future literature orders will be withheld until they receive the funds.

Go ask the brothers in charge of the literature department. Special order items will appear as "pending" until the funds have come through. In each congregation donations are first applied towards the magazine order. Then books, brochures, and tracts, etc. Lastly, the donations are put towards special order items.

Congregations that aren't meeting their "expenses" find that special order items can be pending for a long, long time.

kimmy jo said...

"What most people do not understand is we are looking for people who want to serve Jehovah."


Shouldn't you say 'serve the Watchtower'...that would be the correct way to make this statement.

Anonymous said...

"That might be something to consider....but JW's don"t "sell" book. Invariably they are left with the individual for FREE!"


NOT TRUE!

The congregation has to pay the SOciety for literature. Its already been paid for. YOU paid for it...If a donation is given at the doors then they get double.

disgruntled elder.

Anonymous said...

Dear Chocolatepuddingeyes,

I had no idea that the WTS was holding back on special orders until the funds to cover them are received from the congregation - that doesn't truly make the orders for literature a voluntary donation basis, does it???

Boy, if the congregation members ever knew what happened behind the scenes, I think that they would feel incensed.

S said...

BroinFlorida?(for real)
said:
"The Society wants it both ways in many respects."

No, it is not the Society, it is me and it is you that wants there to be growth for Jehovah's blessing, but the fact is that it is a narrow road. That means that we don't gain people by having gynmasiums and ball fields and craft classes and day care, etc.

Anonymous said...

I'm encouraged to see the decline in the number of publishers in some of the Western lands, where the Internet is available. People like myself are having an impact. The deceptions that Watchtower is guilty of are so easy to find, with Google.

Had I been an adult with an Internet connection, I would have never become a Witness. After a Bible study or two, I would have Google's JWs and discovered the many distortions of truth. I would have gained perspective on how their claim of being selected by Jesus in 1918/1919 is pure fantasy.

Prior to the Internet, the public library and real-life 'apostates' were almost the only ones trying to help people come to Christ, and avoid false prophets and people preaching about the 'End of the World', as if they have some special knowledge.

S said...

chocolate said:
"That's right, JW's don't sell books. The WTS does."

well, there is no free lunch.

Get real. It takes money.

The temple took money or food to run. If the people didn't bring their tithes, the temple didn't run.

S said...

chocolate said:
""What most people do not understand is we are looking for people who want to serve Jehovah."
"Shouldn't you say 'serve the Watchtower'...that would be the correct way to make this statement."

No, only the Bethelites serve the Watchtower.

But there really is no difference and I don't see a problem with 'serving the Watchtower'. Getting the literature to people is a good thing.

But you can make your ignorant hateful statements because it shows your ignorance.

Anonymous said...

Voice of Reason wrote: "But there really is no difference and I don't see a problem with 'serving the Watchtower'. Getting the literature to people is a good thing."

Your admission, as stated above, is truly a miracle of concision.

I pray that one day you'll see it for the error that it is.

You indeed joyfully serve the Watchtower, taking literature to people.

Meanwhile, I serve Christ Jesus and take the Gospel to people.

No Watchtower needed, no literature needed. Same as it was done for almost 2000 years, before Russell decided he was so darn special and being used individually by God.

S said...

"The congregation has to pay the SOciety for literature. Its already been paid for. YOU paid for it...If a donation is given at the doors then they get double."

Not true either.

The congregation does not have to pay the WTS for literature. The congregation makes donations to the WWW fund.

If a donation is given at the door, that is not for the literature, that is for the World Wide Work.

"disgruntled elder. "

That explains why you are wrong.

And you ought to be doing things to become gruntled as it is not good to be disgruntled.

S said...

Joepublisher said:
"Boy, if the congregation members ever knew what happened behind the scenes, I think that they would feel incensed. "

No, the congregation is not as egotistical and arrogant as you are to think that you know everything and that the Society owes you.

S said...

"I'm encouraged to see the decline in the number of publishers in some of the Western lands, where the Internet is available. People like myself are having an impact. The deceptions that Watchtower is guilty of are so easy to find, with Google."

An impact at what, helping weak ones who do not love Jehovah show it? No big deal. And if people are fooled by the deceptions of the Watchtower, as you put it, then they are not Jehovah's Witnesses anyway.

"Had I been an adult with an Internet connection, I would have never become a Witness."

You don't love Jehovah if what man does stumbles you.

" After a Bible study or two, I would have Google's JWs and discovered the many distortions of truth. I would have gained perspective on how their claim of being selected by Jesus in 1918/1919 is pure fantasy."

Well, you as well as many others such as GBLetters do not understand what that means. You are listening to only one side. That is a poor way to make decisions.

"Prior to the Internet, the public library and real-life 'apostates' were almost the only ones trying to help people come to Christ, and avoid false prophets and people preaching about the 'End of the World', as if they have some special knowledge."

I have yet to see an apostate come to Christ. The fact that they are apostates show that they do not love Christ as Christ would not act like they do.

You really need to grow up.

S said...

Pastor said:
"Voice of Reason wrote: "But there really is no difference and I don't see a problem with 'serving the Watchtower'. Getting the literature to people is a good thing."

"Your admission, as stated above, is truly a miracle of concision."

So what of it?

"I pray that one day you'll see it for the error that it is."

Do you pray that because you are unable to state the errors? If you can't state it, then that means that God does not agree with you.

"You indeed joyfully serve the Watchtower, taking literature to people."

I didn't say that. I said that serving the Watchtower is serving Jehovah. Both result in the same thing.

"Meanwhile, I serve Christ Jesus and take the Gospel to people."

No, you do not. You are one person and can not do anything meaningful.

"No Watchtower needed, no literature needed. Same as it was done for almost 2000 years, before Russell decided he was so darn special and being used individually by God. "

My suggestion: Watch the Metallica video of their cover of the song "Turn the Page" and then say that.

Anonymous said...

Voice of Unreason wrote: [insert self-incriminating evidence here]

No response is really needed to your last reply.

When you go in the door-to-door ministry the next time, please let your householders know that serving Watchtower is equal to serving Jehovah.

They will find your honesty to be refreshing.

J said...

VoF
"And you ought to be doing things to become gruntled as it is not good to be disgruntled."

That is actually insightful and funny. It's the first thing you have said that makes me think you may still have some sanity left in you.

VoF do you believe all the goofy crap you post or do you do it just to get people all riled up? It seems your goal is just to be disagreeable and the devils advocate to see how people respond.

I don’t really believe you truly believe a word you type.