January 1, 1928

A GLIMPSE AT A BUSY CHURCH

"Tour obedience is come abroad unto all men. 1 am glad therefore on your behalf; but yet

1 would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil."’

—Romans 16:19.

The point of this statement of the apostle to the church at Rome is somewhat missed if we separate it from the context; for the sixteenth chapter of Romans is one of the great service chapters of the Bible.

The Apostle Paul knew the workers of the church at Rome by name. He could and did send his regards in this one chapter to Phebe, Priscilla, Aquila, Eptenetus, Mary, Androni-cus, Junia, Amplias, Urbane, Stachys, Apelles, Herodion, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympus and the mother of Rufus. Thus twenty-five are actually named.

Special Mention for Faithfulness

Paul particularly mentions the class which met at the home of Priscilla and Acquila, the households of Aristobulus and Narcissus, the brethren that were with Hermes and those that were with Olympas; and he does not forget to note the particularly good service records of Phebe, Priscilla, Aquila, Mary, Urbane, Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis.

Then he invites the brethren to mark them which cause divisions and offences, declaring that “they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ” but their own interests; and he concludes with the words of our text.

The gist of the matter is that the apostle was a human being and realized he could not do everything himself, but needed and appreciated the intelligent and sympathetic and aggressive cooperation of every member of the Roman church. He wanted the workers to know that not one of them was unnoticed, and he was not willing that those who had been most active should be deprived of the special encouragements which were their due.

Those who were unwilling to fall in line with the work which he had outlined for the Roman church were not to be pampered. Rather they were to be ignored, and if they tried to make any trouble in the ecclesia they were to be shunned and avoided. It would be for their good and for the good of the whole church. But the obedient ones were commended. The apostle was glad on their behalf because they were truly wise with the wisdom that comes from above.

METHODS OF WORK

Almost all workers in actual service are of one mind regarding the work of the future. They foresee a great distribution of the message of truth. To what extent the message is yet to be given to the people workers, we believe, can best judge. They know how much of the territory has been reached, how many homes they called upon where they actually met the people, and how many homes are yet without our literature in their territory. In order to provide for this increase in the work the Organization Method was altered. It now provides a plan that can be used as a general procedure for the conduct of the work throughout the world. The Organization Method as revised is a method for action. It does not contemplate holding the work within certain bounds. Rather it aims to provide that freedom of action that must be accorded all who are forging ahead. It defines certain features of the work that must be cared for in order that the work in each locality may be a unit, complete in itself. The spirit of the new Organization Method is that of creating joint responsibility for the work, a responsibility shared alike by the members of the service committee and all the workers in the class organization.

Time Principal Consideration

Workers engaged in the service have a certain amount of time to devote to witnessing. The Organization Method shows the importance of using time put into the service to the very best advantage possible. Time is really the principal consideration. If it is employed well, it w'ill produce more. If it is not, great results can not be expected. In every plan of action workers should consider the amount of time that will be required to do the work and should allow sufficient time in which to do it. If at times it seems advisable for workers to consider witnessing in some manner other than canvassing from door to door, the deciding factor should be the extent to which any other distribution will interfere with the house to house canvassing. Advertising literature of one sort or another is one of the things that use the time which could be employed in canvassing. Trips to isolated territory of a class assignment should also be regarded from the standpoint of the time it takes to get there; and in working such isolated points it is of more advantage to use a canvassing party than for individuals to attempt to do the work alone. These considerations are among the important things for workers to take into account, when any plan of action is brought to their attention by the service commitee.

Committee Formulate Plans

The service committee is charged to formulate plans that will adapt the instructions sent from this office to the conditions in the territory assigned to the class. The service committee will discuss ways and means of procedure, how the time should be employed in putting the plan into operation and what will be required to make it the best and most successful campaign in witnessing that the class has yet enjoyed. The service committee will bring this plan to the attention of the workers at the workers’ meeting. This meeting should be set aside for a discussion by the workers; and it is here that we wish the workers to take an active part, especially along lines that we have recommended regarding w'atching the time and also bringing to the service committee that close touch which workers have with their territory. Draw the committee’s attention to the circumstances in which you will have to work, the attitude of the people toward the message, the amount of time that you can give to make the plan work, etc. Such discussion should be constructive, it should be in the way of suggestions that will make a plan a success rather than suggestions of an entirely different method of procedure.

Method of Organization

We believe that the Organization Method covers quite well all the points of organiza-lion; anil now it remains for the workers to use it and make it produce that which is intended. Oftentimes there occur at such discussion counter-suggestions by workers, some that are new but oftentimes more novel than new. Though there may not be a general decision against the method, there is too often a recommendation to “try it anyway and see how it works”. Workers will try this method, and then another and another, and consequently are not enlisting their wholehearted cooperation in any plan. The work so far as they arc concerned has become an experimental one rather one of driving ahead and getting results. The committee must have your suggestions, those that will harmonize with instructions sent from headquarters office. How to make those suggestions work is what the service committee needs from workers.

Final Plans Supported By All

We believe that one meeting is ample to discuss any plan sufficiently to bring it to a final vote. After the plan has been discussed, it should be submitted for the final approval of the workers; and we recommend that all who are to participate in the service should vote upon the plan. This vote need not be limited to the workers who have been in the service in the past. It should include the vote of everyone who will lend his efforts in actual field work to make the plan a success. If there are two proposals made, all who vote, regardless of what plan they vote for, should be prepared to lend their wholehearted support to whatever plan receives the majority vote. This is what is meant when the Organization Method makes the distinction between votes by members of the ecclesia and votes by the workers. All who will participate in the work should have a vote, but this participation should be more than that of an advisory capacity at a workers’ meeting. Participation means active engagement in the field work. Each class should have a quota or an estimate of what they expect to distribute in books and booklets for the year, and we recommend that additionally each worker assign himself an individual quota.

Method of Establishing Quota

As to what this quota is, no one need kuow except yourself and the Lord. For the guidance of the director we recommend that he have the advice of the workers in setting the class quota. One way in which he might ascertain what the class quota shall be, would be for each worker to place on a blank piece of paper the number of books and the number of booklets set as each individual quota. Omit any signature or means of identification, hand the slips to whoever will collect them at the workers’ meeting. When all slips are received from all the workers, the total will indicate what the class will attempt to distribute during the year.

Cooperation Essential to Success

The director needs your support. He needs your advice and your cooperation. His duties and the duties of the other members of the service comittee are to coordinate the activities of all so that the work will be a success. Whatever plans the director and the service committee bring to your attention should be accepted by the workers as merely the director’s discharging of his responsibility to you of accomplishing that which you, the workers, have set to be done during the coming year. Oftentimes he will have the thankless duty of informing the workers’ meeting that they arc behind in their work, that they must catch up, that things are lagging, that there is too much individual work and not enough team work. The director does not mean to rebuke you. He is merely telling you of conditions, and it is the duty of the workers as a whole to correct these conditions.

Some classes have auxiliary colporteurs and class colporteurs working in their assignments. These have special rates because of the amount of time they can give to the work; but they are in no way separate from the class organization, nor are they individuals who are working alone. They must work in cooperation with the rest of the workers and bring their efforts under the supervision of the director and other members of the service committee.

Credit

The Society has arranged to extend credit to classes for repeated orders of books, that is, books and booklets that are used in service work. This credit does not include hymn books, Bibles, Watch Tower and Golden Age subscriptions, etc. This office has also directed the stockkeeper to extend to the workers greater liberties in the way of credit. If you are in need of books for work, draw upon the credit that the Society has extended to the class. As soon as the books are sold, remit to the service treasurer. Naturally this extending of credit will require that the service treasurer remit more frequently to this office. We have asked him to remit more than once a month. You will help to advance the work here by making your remittances to him as soon as you sell the books you have on credit.

Reporting

Reporting is another feature in which the director needs your prompt cooperation. To know the great extent of the witness is always encouraging, but this information can be had only by taking the time to report. We have asked directors to get reports here promptly; and, in order that we may insist upon promptness, we ask the workers’ cooperation in getting the reports to the directors. It is important to know the lines of battle in order to see the effects and what has been done month by month. Reports from the field give us that view of the field as a whole, and we in turn can pass it on to you for your encouragement.

Coming back again to the question of time: Aside from the time you set for work with a canvassing party we recommend that you undertake a personal assignment of territory, this assignment to be worked days when you have some time for service, be that time only an hour or an hour and a half throughout the whole day. This employs some time to good use, and it will keep you in touch with the field and in training with your canvass so as to warrant best results when you go out in canvassing parties.

Checkups

Canvassing parties will probably be arranged for more often than they have in the past and we urge that on such occasions all who are in the canvassing party take advantage of quick checkups. If the party is working in the morning, have by previous arrangement a corner set apart where workers can meet for a five or ten minute checkup on results, quickly giving to each other methods of approaching people and profiting by the checkup will, no doubt, bring better results The remainder of the morning after this checkup will, no doubt, bring better rsults to all. This five or ten minute checkup will allow workers to report on the attitude of the people, aiming to see that greater gains can be made than the first hour or two of work has accomplished. In a day’s canvassing such checkups should occur at least in the middle of the morning and the middle of the afternoon; and in addition the noon hour should allow for general conference of the workers while they are enjoying their noon lunch. Such methods, we believe, will bring the most profitable results for the time that you devote to the work. In closing we would again repeat that the time you can devote to the service and how it is occupied is the principal consideration for workers.

Trusting that the coming year will present results far in excess of what you can foresee and estimate, we are

With Christian love,

Your brethren in the King’s service,

Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.