Making Progress in the Ministry
1 There is an old adage about progress that says: “Begin where you are. But don’t stay where you are.” How applicable that saying is to making progress in the ministry! When you started in the ministry, you may only have been able to make a brief presentation of the Kingdom message. But if a few years have passed and you have not moved beyond that stage, having stayed where you were, what can you do?
2 The first step is to ask Jehovah for the wisdom needed to teach with skill. (Prov. 15:14; Jas. 1:5) The second step is to work in harmony with your prayer. Set aside some time to go over presentations in the Reasoning book. Find one that you feel you can effectively use, and go over and over the presentation until you have it clearly in mind. The third step is to accompany your brothers in the field so that you can make the presentation you have prepared.
FRIENDS TO HELP YOU
3 You may be saying, ‘That is easier said than done.’ True, but that is why you have friends to help you. If you are young, talk with your parents or with experienced publishers who are productive ministers. Ask them for suggestions on how to converse with people at the doors. They may suggest practice sessions where you can try your presentation. They can play the part of a householder, raising common objections encountered at the doors. With practice you can learn to converse skillfully with people.
4 You have other friends who can help you. There are pioneers who have learned preaching techniques through experience and by attending the Pioneer Service School. Your book study conductor or the service overseer may also be in a position to work with you from door to door and further demonstrate how to talk and reason with people.
FOLLOWING UP THE INTEREST SHOWN
5 We are interested in giving further spiritual assistance to people who accept our literature. That means we must return to stimulate further interest. Before making the return visit, review what you said on the initial call so that you can more effectively develop the subject that captured their interest. Keep in mind, too, that while we plant and water, it is Jehovah who makes it grow. Ask for his guidance before making the call. (1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Cor. 9:10) As we help others to learn, we make personal progress ourselves.
6 The next important step is starting and conducting a Bible study. If you have not yet reached that stage in your ministerial development, continue to approach Jehovah in prayer and ask him to help you find and feed a sheeplike one. You may find it helpful to observe how an effective teacher conducts a Bible study and then copy his teaching methods. Also, review information on teaching such as that found in The Watchtower of August 1, 1984, pages 8-17. By thus preparing yourself, you will be ready to conduct a study when your prayers are answered.
SET AND REACH GOALS
7 Reaching the goals of more effective teaching, making return visits, and conducting studies takes time. Could you set for yourself another goal, that of being an auxiliary or regular pioneer? As you continue to make advancement in the ministry, you can be a source of encouragement to others. Many blessings from Jehovah can be yours if you do not stay where you are but steadily make progress.