Are You Learning All You Can From Jehovah?

¹ Jehovah, our “Grand Instructor,” wants us to be educated. (Isa. 30:20) He began teaching after he created his firstborn Son. (John 8:28) After Adam’s rebellion, Jehovah did not stop teaching, but he lovingly provided instruction for imperfect humans.​—Isa. 48:17, 18; 2 Tim. 3:14, 15.

² Today, Jehovah is directing the greatest educational campaign in history. As prophesied by Isaiah, millions around the globe are streaming to the figurative “mountain of the house of Jehovah.” (Isa. 2:2) Why stream there? To be instructed in God’s ways, yes, to be taught by Jehovah! (Isa. 2:3) During the 2010 service year, Jehovah’s Witnesses spent over 1.6 billion hours witnessing and teaching people Bible truth. Additionally, each week spiritual instruction is imparted in more than 105,000 congregations earth wide, and educational Christian publications are produced by the faithful and discreet slave in well over 500 languages.

³ Benefit Fully: How we have benefited from divine education! We have learned that God has a name and that he cares about us. (Ps. 83:18; 1 Pet. 5:6, 7) We have learned the answers to some of life’s most important questions: Why do people suffer and die? How can I find real happiness? What is the purpose of life? Jehovah has also given us moral guidance that enables us to ‘make our way successful.’​—Josh. 1:8.

⁴ In addition, Jehovah makes available specialized education to help a number of his servants expand their service to him. Pages 4-6 list opportunities that are available to some. Even if our circumstances prevent us from receiving the training that is listed, are we taking full advantage of the divine education that is available to us? Are we encouraging young ones, who are often steered by schoolteachers and others to pursue the world’s higher education, to set spiritual goals instead and pursue the highest education​—divine education? Learning all we can from Jehovah will help us to enjoy a happy life now and an everlasting future.​—Ps. 119:105; John 17:3.

Literacy Classes

• Purpose: To teach people how to read and write in order for them to engage in personal Bible study and to teach others the truth.

• Duration: According to the need.

• Location: Local Kingdom Hall.

• Who May Attend: All publishers and interested persons.

• How to Apply: Congregation elders organize literacy classes according to the local need, and they encourage all who can benefit to attend.

₆ Theocratic Ministry School

• Purpose: To train publishers to be effective preachers and teachers of the good news.

• Duration: Continuous.

• Location: Local Kingdom Hall.

• Who May Enroll: All publishers. Also, others who are actively associating with the congregation, who agree with the teachings of the Bible, and whose lives are in harmony with Christian principles.

• How to Apply: Speak to the Theocratic Ministry School overseer.

₇ Foreign-Language Classes

• Purpose: To teach publishers how to preach the good news in another language.

• Duration: Four or five months. The classes are usually held on Saturday mornings for one or two hours.

• Location: Generally, a nearby Kingdom Hall.

• Who May Enroll: Publishers in good standing who wish to preach in a foreign language.

• How to Apply: Classes are arranged by the branch office in accord with the need.

₈ Kingdom Hall Construction

• Purpose: To construct and renovate Kingdom Halls. This is not a school, but under this arrangement volunteers are taught various skills so that they can assist with building projects.

• Duration: According to the circumstances of the volunteer.

• Location: Anywhere within the Regional Building Committee’s assigned region. Some volunteers may be invited to assist in relief work in a more distant location affected by a disaster.

• Qualifications: Brothers and sisters must be baptized and approved by the body of elders. They may be either skilled or unskilled.

• How to Apply: Fill out a Kingdom Hall Volunteer Worker Questionnaire (S-82) supplied by the local elders.

₉ Pioneer Service School

• Purpose: To help pioneers ‘fully accomplish their ministry.’​—2 Tim. 4:5.

• Duration: Two weeks.

• Location: Decided by the branch office; usually a nearby Kingdom Hall.

• Qualifications: Those who have been a regular pioneer for at least one year.

• How to Enroll: Eligible pioneers are enrolled automatically and informed by their circuit overseer.

₁₀ Bethel Entrants’ School

• Purpose: This school is designed to help new arrivals to make a success of their Bethel service.

• Duration: One hour each week for sixteen weeks.

• Location: Bethel.

• Qualifications: Must be permanent members of the Bethel family or long-term temporary volunteers (a year or longer).

• How to Enroll: Eligible members of the Bethel family are enrolled automatically.

₁₁ Kingdom Ministry School

• Purpose: To train elders and ministerial servants to care for their oversight and organizational responsibilities. (Acts 20:28) This school is held every few years as decided by the Governing Body.

• Duration: In recent years it has been conducted for one and a half days for elders and one day for ministerial servants.

• Location: Usually at a nearby Kingdom Hall or Assembly Hall.

• Qualifications: Must be elders or ministerial servants.

• How to Enroll: Eligible elders and ministerial servants are invited by the circuit overseer.

₁₂ School for Congregation Eldersa

• Purpose: To help elders to care for their responsibilities in the congregation.

• Duration: Five days.

• Location: Decided by the branch office; usually at a nearby Kingdom Hall or Assembly Hall.

• Qualifications: Must be elders.

• How to Enroll: Eligible elders are invited by the branch office.

₁₃ School for Traveling Overseers and Their Wivesb

• Purpose: To enable circuit and district overseers to be more effective in serving congregations and to “work hard in speaking and teaching” and to shepherd those in their charge.​—1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Pet. 5:2, 3.

• Duration: Two months.

• Location: Determined by the branch office.

• Qualifications: Must be circuit or district overseers.

• How to Enroll: Eligible traveling overseers and their wives are invited by the branch office.

₁₄ Bible School for Single Brothersc

• Purpose: To prepare unmarried elders and ministerial servants for additional responsibilities. Most of the graduates will be assigned to serve where there is a need in their home country. A few may receive an assignment in another country if they make themselves available.

• Duration: Two months.

• Location: Decided by the branch office; usually at an Assembly Hall or a Kingdom Hall.

• Qualifications: Single brothers between 23 and 62 years of age and in good health who want to serve the brothers and Kingdom interests wherever there is a need. (Mark 10:29, 30) They must be serving for a minimum of two continuous years in an appointed capacity.

• How to Apply: If this school is available in your branch territory, a meeting for those interested in enrolling is held at the circuit assembly. Further information is supplied during this meeting.

₁₅ Bible School for Christian Couplesd

• Purpose: To give married couples specialized training so that they can be used more fully by Jehovah and his organization. Most of the graduates will be assigned to serve where there is a need in their home country. A few may receive an assignment in another country if they make themselves available.

• Duration: Two months.

• Location: The first few classes are being held at the Watchtower Educational Center in Patterson, New York, U.S.A. Thereafter, this school will be held at locations decided by the branch office, generally at an Assembly Hall or a Kingdom Hall.

• Qualifications: Married couples between 25 and 50 years of age and in good health who have the circumstances to serve wherever there is a need and who have the attitude: “Here I am! Send me.” (Isa. 6:8) Further, they must be married for at least two years and be currently in full-time service at least two years without interruption.

• How to Apply: If this school is available in your branch territory, a meeting for those interested in enrolling is held at the special assembly day. Further information is supplied during this meeting.

₁₆ Watchtower Bible School of Gilead

• Purpose: To train pioneers and other full-time servants for missionary service.

• Duration: Five months.

• Location: Watchtower Educational Center, Patterson, New York, U.S.A.

• Qualifications: Married couples who are baptized for three years and are between 21 and 38 years of age when submitting their first application. They must speak English, be married for at least two years, and be currently in full-time service at least two years without interruption. Applicants must be in good health. Pioneers serving in a foreign country (including those with missionary status); traveling overseers; Bethel family members; and past graduates of the Ministerial Training School, the Bible School for Single Brothers, and the Bible School for Christian Couples may also apply if they meet the qualifications.

• How to Apply: In selected branches, a meeting for those interested in this school is held at the district convention. Further information is supplied during this meeting. If there is no meeting at conventions in your land and you would like to apply, you may write your branch office for further information.

₁₇ School for Branch Committee Members and Their Wives

• Purpose: To help those serving on Branch Committees to care better for the work of supervising Bethel homes, giving attention to service matters affecting congregations, and overseeing circuits and districts in their respective territories, as well as translating, printing, and shipping literature and overseeing various departments.​—Luke 12:48b.

• Duration: Two months.

• Location: Watchtower Educational Center, Patterson, New York, U.S.A.

• Qualifications: Branch Committee or Country Committee members or being assigned as such.

• How to Enroll: Eligible brothers and their wives are invited by the Governing Body.

[Footnotes]

[Study Questions]

1. How does Jehovah feel about education?

2. What educational campaign is now under way?

3. How have you personally benefited from the education Jehovah provides?

4. What are some educational opportunities that are available to God’s servants, and why should we learn all we can from Jehovah?