Ministry evangelistic evaluation Essay
Ministry evangelistic evaluationCHURCH IN FOCUS: JEOVAH’S WITNESSES Status: Active in over 235 countries around the world Persecuted in at least four to six small areas but still continues to grow1. Does this church follow a “Total Church Life Model,” “Strategically Focused Church Model,” “Programmatically Focused Church Model,” or a “Purpose Driven Church Model?” Provide at least five detailed examples of that support your claim. In responding to this question, please interact with the thoughts that Reid makes in this section of Chapter 16 – pages 287-295.
The said church claims to have a systematically organized manner of completing their tasks of evangelism. Through following the bible principle of Matthew 24:14, the said religious group claims to be following the steps of Christ in evangelizing about the gospel of the Bible. Through this they are thus able to follow the commands of Christ as he ascended to heaven. Now, they are governed by a certain hierarchy of administrators whom they call their “Governing Body” some of which are those who are appointed to ascend to heaven with Christ (Revelation 14:1) when Armageddon arrives. The governing body is composed of ten elders who are fixing the programs and the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses such as Assemblies, Memorial Celebrations and other occasions that the said religious group is engaging with every year. All around the world, there are at least more that two hundred head quarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses which they call “bethel homes” where local occasions and publications are handled. From the Bethel Homes comes the Kingdom Halls. These hierarchy of organizational administration arrangement makes the entire church more focused on their idealisms of serving their God JEHOVAH to the fullest through an organized system of operation to evangelize to other people in more than 235 countries around the world now.
2. Create a chart as found in the “Application” section of Chapter 16 (pg.305) and list all of the church’s current ministries and emphases, determining which, if any, of the categories they fit. NOTE: This is YOUR OWN assessment of their ministries.The said religious group follows a five-meeting arrangement which they are supposed to attend every week. They have the Theocratic Ministry School which teaches their members how to evangelize or preach the good news to people; they have the service meeting that serves as their local news where announcements are made to assist the people understand of any new developments within the organization.
They also have they Watchtower Meetings, where they have a magazine to study as a congregation with certain different topics each week. The Public Discourse is another meeting that handles a 30-minute speech from an elder who is appointed to discuss a certain topic according to an outline that has been given to them as prepared by the governing bodies. The congregation book study on the other hand is a meeting that is handled in smaller groups which focuses on understanding one particular book. This meeting serves as a chance for others to develop better in speaking as they are handled within smaller groups of people.Most congregations (Kingdom Hall Based Groups) have their own schedule of going out in “field service”. Within a certain community, the areas are divided into how many congregations are actually able to visit the said “territory”. Most Jehovah’s Witnesses have a weekly schedule of going out and preaching to the different villages. Their so called “publishers” are composed of men and women, young and old who are equipped with the knowledge to face the people and share the different principles of the Bible with them.
Most congregations handle a five-day to six-day schedule of field ministry. No body is forced to join the ministry, but everyone is encouraged to do so. The said ministerial field work is supported by the members of the church for free. Once they find someone interested in the field, they also offer free home bible studies with which a Witness would visit the house of the interested individual at his most convenient time to study the bible within 30 to an hour every week.3.
Present your chart to an active member or leader of this church and ask them to comment on the way in which you plotted their particular ministries. Ask him/her to make any changes to your chart as HE/SHE VIEWS their church’s ministries and/or if you missed any ministry(ies). If there are any changes made, please provide commentary on why the member made changes to your chart. NOTE: At this point, you will provide TWO charts within your paper – one chart identifying your observations & one chart identifying and commenting on a member’s/leader’s changes to your chart.ActivitiesSchedules(FIVE MEETINGS)Theocratic Ministry SchoolService MeetingPublic DiscourseWatchtower StudyCongregation Book StudyWeekdays (1 hour)Weekdays (1 hour)Sundays (30 minutes)Sundays (1 hour)Weekdays/Weekends (1 hour)(ANNUAL ASSEMBLIES)Special AssemblyCircuit AssemblyDistrict ConventionInternational Convention (Once in every four to five years)One day affairTwo day affairThree day affairFour day affair (held In chosen Countries only)(OCCASSIONS)Memorial Celebration (remembering Christ’s death)MARCH/APRIL/MAY: once a year 30 minute meeting after sun downREGULAR FIELD MINISTRIESLasts for at least 2-3 hours of house to house work depending on the territorial scope scheduled for the day.
OTHER TRAININGS FOR Evangelism:Pioneer Service SchoolMinisterial Training SchoolGilead SchoolFor Regular Pioneers (Men and Women, Young and Old)For Ministerial Servants (Men)For Aspiring international missionariesCOMMENTSNO CHANGES WERE MADE:COMMENTS:The organization of the regular meetings as well as the annual assemblies are designed to follow the bible principle written in Hebrews 24: 10 that there is a need to continuously create camaraderie between brothers and sisters to keep worldwide relationship intact and serving their God JEHOVAH in a more united state.The regular field ministry schedule is a must. Every congregation around the world have this particular arrangement made as it aims to follow what Christ commanded in Matthew 24: 18,194.
Ask the member/leader what his/her thoughts are about how the ministries of his/her church rate as they relate specifically to evangelism. Was he/she shocked that their ministries do/do not prepare the congregation for evangelism…pleasantly pleased that the ministries provide many outlets for evangelism…encouraged…disappointed..
., etc? Why?Everything has been commendably organized. All the members are carefully prepared to teach other people with regards the truth as they themselves are taught by the church to handle even the hardest questions in the bible very well. Surprisingly, even children as young as five years of age are well-versed in the Bible and could explain the different principles of God in their own words. “They need not be nerds”, comments a member, “they just need to have that genuine love for Jehovah and the will to teach others of his ways”. This, according to the members is what makes them different from other religious groups.
5. Provide a “Summary of Findings.” Summarize your evaluation.
Within this summary, provide at least three observations/intriguing details – whether pro/com – that you gleaned from developing this evaluation that seem to “stick in your mind.” Also, provide your personal summary or “take” of the interview. Did you agree with the changes the member/leader made to your chart? Were you surprised…encouraged…disappointed with their reaction to the plotting of their ministries? And, why? (NOTE: Don’t worry, your comments will not deliberately be sent to the interviewee or the representatives of that church)Overall, as noted through the research and interview, the author of this paper could note of the undeniable fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses show a certain level of arranged organization that keeps their systematic approach to evangelism efficient and effective around the world.
If observed closely during their gatherings (Meetings and Assemblies, memorials and ministries), the love that they claim binds them together and moves them forward to following the Bible’s principles strictly, actually creates the sense of truthfulness in them with regards what they do for Jehovah, for Jesus and for the people of the world. This perhaps is the very reason why even though they are persecuted in many lands such as Georgia, where violence against Jehovah’s Witnesses are regularly reported, they never stop to preach and reach for the people whom they know could still be interested in reading the Bible and following its principles in their daily lives.References:Alvin Reid. (1998). Introduction to Evangelism.
B&H publishing Group.
