BREAKING NEWS | Adjustments to Field Service Reporting

[Timl1980]

Wow, huge news!!

 

On October 7, 2023, at the annual meeting of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, the following exciting announcement was made. Beginning November 1, 2023, congregation publishers will no longer be asked to report the amount of time they spend in the ministry. Nor will publishers be asked to report their placements, the videos they show, or return visits. Instead, the field service report will simply have a box that allows each publisher to indicate that he or she shared in any form of the ministry during the month. There will be one more box where publishers can report the number of different Bible studies they conduct. Missionaries, circuit overseers and their wives, special pioneers, regular pioneers, and auxiliary pioneers will continue to report the number of hours they spend in the ministry, along with the number of different Bible studies they conduct. Further information about this adjustment will be provided to all congregations in the coming weeks.

[Ross]

Lovely! It’s now between us and Jehovah. 

[Dages]

That's huge 

[Timl1980]

I know, I thought the same thing!! 

[Luisabola]

I wonder when we’ll get a more fuller explanation. 

[Kristian]

Just now, Luisabola said:

I wonder when we’ll get a more fuller explanation. 

Perhaps at the Annual Meeting.

[Timl1980]

It was announced at the annual meeting. So I think they'll have a more detailed explanation there.

[DancesWithWife]

22 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

congregation publishers will no longer be asked to report the amount of time

Will pioneers still report hours and other items as you said "publishers"? 

[DancesWithWife]

Just now, DancesWithWife said:

Will pioneers still report hours and other items as you said "publishers"? 

Sorry, I missed the part that included the answer. I have a reading disability that causes me to skip over sentences. 

[Timl1980]

It says in the announcement who will still be required to report hours, and I'm really looking forward to the annual meeting this year now! Pioneer's are included in that list.

[Timl1980]

I'm sorry, my last sentence was cut out: Missionaries, circuit overseers and their wives, special pioneers, regular pioneers, and auxiliary pioneers will continue to report the number of hours they spend in the ministry.

[Qapla]

Yes, it is "Breaking News"

 

[Timl1980]

That's where I quoted it from. It's amazing and I'm just looking forward to seeing our annual meeting!

[Qapla]

2 minutes ago, Timl1980 said:

That's where I quoted it from

 

I figured ... but a screen shot ensures there are no typos or missed sentences 😉

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by Qapla

[Timl1980]

Very true. I used copy and paste because I'm old school, but screenshot is definitely a better look!! I'm learning, it just takes a while to sink in.

[jwhess]

Please note that Publisher will continue to count Bible Studies and indicate that they shared in the ministry for the month reported.

[Jan Brad]

Is it me or did someone on this forum actually speculate that this could happen🤔🤔? Does my memory serve me well?

[TheKid23]

17 minutes ago, Jan Brad said:

Is it me or did someone on this forum actually speculate that this could happen🤔🤔? Does my memory serve me well?

Yep 

[TheKid23]

1 hour ago, Luisabola said:

I wonder when we’ll get a more fuller explanation. 

The end of that announcement says “Further information about this adjustment will be provided to all congregations in the coming weeks.” 

[coony77]

These are really the most amazing breaking news I have ever read!

Of course, I don't know what the reasons for this decision were (maybe we'll find out in the next broadcast) but Jehovah always has the best motives for decisions. I myself never " bothered " to fill out the report, but a few thoughts came to my mind as to whom all this must be a relief to now. Jehovah is truly loving, and obviously wants organizational things to be as simple as possible for us in these last days. He doesn't need a report anyway to know how we feel about our service.

[Eejay]

Exciting news indeed!!

But no need to get confused about this. We will get the reasoning behind it soon. Keep in mind Jesus words when he said: "Come to me all you who are toiling and loaded down and I will refresh you"  Matt.11:28.
So the GB is helping publishers to see that it is important for us:

1. To preach.

So we report that we have. We can be trusted to do our best can't we? We are dedicated after all. Everyone will report a different quantity so that is between us and Jehovah. Then, 
2. To teach.

So we report our Bible Studies. And that includes family studies with unbaptised children.

 

Full-time servants have made an agreement to carry out a particular target of ministry activity, like the Nazirites who made a vow, so they have a slightly different requirement.

Looking foward to further instructions.   😊

[humble bumble bee]

19 minutes ago, coony77 said:

but a few thoughts came to my mind as to whom all this must be a relief to now.

It certainly is a relief!

For months I felt embarrassed bcs of health issues, to just report that I was active as a witness, (did get used to it) now I don't have to anymore.

[Stormswift]

Yes, our hearts will impel us to do our best. We stand before Jehovah not because of time spent, but because we are doing our best, be it a little or more than a little. Love the song about the Widow's might. 

[Pjdriver]

I guess when elders are considering a brother to appoint, they’ll just go by his visibility, now instead of avg. hours. 

 

I never did like the idea of everyone reporting hours. The opposers used to say we were trying to earn salvation.

Of course we know that’s not true.....but.....

 

[jwhess]

38 minutes ago, coony77 said:

These are really the most amazing breaking news I have ever read!

Of course, I don't know what the reasons for this decision were (maybe we'll find out in the next broadcast) but Jehovah always has the best motives for decisions. I myself never " bothered " to fill out the report, but a few thoughts came to my mind as to whom all this must be a relief to now. Jehovah is truly loving, and obviously wants organizational things to be as simple as possible for us in these last days. He doesn't need a report anyway to know how we feel about our service.

The organization still wants a report from each publisher showing that they participated and how many Bible Studies they conducted.  So continue to report, just in a condensed manner...❤️