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I am hearing from sources on the ground that Nobody is ministering. This is a program fail of epic proportions
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/2018 11:01AM by Concrete Zipper.
When my friend was in a family ward before she went to a singles people ward, where she was once assigned to visit a woman who had just had her first baby and my friend turned down the assignment to respect her boundaries and privacy as a new mother. She used to ride with her neighbors to church but told them she'd be riding with someone else to give them space and privacy for their 2nd child who would be joining their family soon.
I had a conversation with a TBM a few days ago, and she said that she was discouraged with the new program because she didn't know how to do it. She felt like there needed to be special training so that she knows exactly what to do.
I think the whole idea of the ministering program is to make visits and interest in others seem genuine. But the church is trying to implement the program with people who have become accustomed to being told exactly what to do. Many members still want to check boxes and read an assigned message because they don't know what to do otherwise.
Right, isn't the whole point of church to be told what to do in all things? What to wear, what to say, how to pray, how to use every waking moment of every day?
Have you ever been "ministered" to, or "visit taught" and noticed that their service is done sort of "at" you? Like, you don't have to be an actual person in the room. They don't wait for your reaction, they don't ask if you really need something. They just do service "at" you.
My mother loves me this way. She buys me things I don't need, "helps" me with things I don't really need help with. It demonstrates that she doesn't really know me or doesn't really care to.
Same thing with the church. When I was young, married, and had my first child, my husband tried to change the brakes on our car. He got stuck, didn't know how to finish. He asked the bishop for help, like if anyone knew how to show him how to finish the job. Nobody ever came to help, but a month later, they came in our house (when we weren't home), had added us to a Christmas charity list, left a tin with $82 collected, and presents for our young son. We weren't struggling financially. We were just young. Kept out of debt, except our house. About a month later, we bought a different house in a different ward, just to get away from this type of "service."
"My mother loves me this way. She buys me things I don't need, "helps" me with things I don't really need help with. It demonstrates that she doesn't really know me or doesn't really care to."
My mother is poorer now so she stopped buying me Dollar General items I don't need.
"They just do service "at" you."
Ministering = drive by servicing. They shoot you and check your name off.
My Dad was a pretty good HT. I think he was actually ministering long before Rusty got his impression of developing the actual program. He would check up on certain members that were elderly and living alone. If we weren't going to town, then he would call them over the phone. He usually did this before and after a major storm hit the area. 95% of the time, no further action was needed. As far as I could tell, people seemed to appreciate his concern of their welfare. To him, it was time well spent unlike boring PH meetings and EQ presidency meetings.
HT was an epic failure and if the Mormon church wanted to continue the program they needed to overhaul, revamp, and simplify the program. Instead they renamed it. So it's not surprising that it is still a failure.
I talked to a friend a week ago and asked how it was going. He said the ones that had a hard time doing home teaching which are most are gone and don't do anything anymore. Told another friend that and he said that is me, I haven't done anything since the program. He said I should but it has no direction.He also said he can't wait for two hour church to start. Empty vessels. LOL.
I wonder how many people actually believe, rather than just going through the motions. A majority of the ward doesn’t show up and what does might know of many of the problems. It’s a social club where Jesus is either not invited or not believed.
People remind me of Fleetwood Mac: “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.” Those lies aren’t your friend. They’re the reason wards are the way they are.
In the five years that I have lived in this ward I have had ONE I repeat ONE home teacher visit. And that was to ask me if I would do something for free!!
I think that member ministry would work a whole lot better if the church limited it to people who want someone to check up on them, along with those who truly wish to volunteer for such a job.
My older TBM widow sister and her TBM widow friends are really missing that contact with the Visiting Teachers and Home Teachers. They depend on their cult for their social life, but the cult is letting them down. To make matters worse, the Mormons "consolidated" my sister's old ward, and it no longer exists, and she is now in a different ward from most of her old friends. She has not had any "ministering" at all. No contact at all. We're including her in all of our Christmas activities--the ones she wants to participate in, and she and I go to lunch quite often, and talk on the phone every day. Her ex-Mormon children have moved away, and are estranged from her, because she always put church before family--big mistake!
It is probably the best Mormon practical advice ever, to rely on your family, if you really need anything.
"Ministering" is probably a PR name for--nothing--and is another falsehood Mormons can brag about.