Part II—Contributing Toward an Accurate Report
1 Counting the time we spend in field service is important but it is not our primary objective. However, it is important to report our field service time accurately. Time spent getting ready for service, attending the meeting for service, and the travel time involved in getting from home to the territory, and so forth, is really not time spent in preaching and teaching, is it? It is understandable that after one gets into the territory and the preaching work has gotten under way, there will be time spent walking or traveling between homes and such can reasonably be counted as time in field service. While the conscience of each publisher is involved in counting time, each should be careful to maintain a good conscience in this regard.
HELP NEWER ONES TO BE ACCURATE
2 Often it is noted that newer ones need help to understand how to report their activity accurately. If they conduct a Bible study several times during the month, they may wrongly report several Bible studies instead of just one. A Bible study conducted with an individual or a family should be counted as only one Bible study even though it may have been conducted three, four or more times during the month. However, a return visit should be counted for each time the study is conducted and the time should be counted. Some have also improperly reported several return visits because there may have been several interested persons present. However, it is the number of return visits that should be counted and not the number of persons visited.
3 Accurate reporting is very helpful to the Society in determining which part of the country or the world may need help in getting the good news preached. It also gives a good picture of the work accomplished. And these reports, posted on the publisher’s record card, help the elders locally in determining how best to assist individuals in the congregation.
4 Paul could report that the good news in his day “was preached in all creation that is under heaven.” How encouraging! By your zealous preaching and accurate reporting you are contributing to the same encouraging report in our day.—Col. 1:23; Matt. 24:14.