H - Shepherding visit

Recognizable questions What is a shepherding visit? Who makes such a visit? How often does that happen? Why would an elder want to know how you’re doing? Can little participation in field service be a reason for a conversation? Can a visit also take place because an elder has heard something about you? Do you always know in advance why elders are coming? Do you have to follow their advice? What happens to personal information you share? And how much room do you have to come to a different conclusion yourself? What is a shepherding visit? A shepherding visit among Jehovah’s Witnesses is a conversation in which elders give personal spiritual attention to a congregation member or family. The term refers to the biblical image of elders as shepherds caring for the flock. According to Jehovah’s Witnesses, the goal is to encourage and strengthen congregation members and, where needed, give spiritual help or counsel. So such a visit does not automatically mean that someone has done something wrong. An elder may simply say: “We’d like to know how you’re doing.” And that may truly be the reason for the visit. Who looks after the people in a field service group? A congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses is divided for preaching into field service groups . Normally, an elder is assigned to such a group as the group overseer. His responsibility goes beyond organizing the preaching work. He is expected to show interest in the spiritual and practical needs of the people assigned to his group. He tries to get to know them, work with them in the ministry, and offer spiritual support when needed. The public book Organized to Do Jehovah’s Will describes personal help and encouragement as part of this shepherding responsibility. How often is a group overseer supposed to have contact? In the internal elder’s book Shepherd the Flock of God , the group overseer is expected to regularly show interest in the people in his group and maintain contact with the families. In addition, it is his responsibility to arrange periodic shepherding care for everyone in his group . No simple fixed rule is given for a personal shepherding visit, such as: every congregation member must be visited exactly once a year. Rather, the emphasis is on ongoing attention to the people in the group and extra care when that seems to be needed. The group overseer and the service overseer are not the same These roles can easily be confused. The group overseer is especially responsible for the people assigned to his own field service group. The service overseer has a broader responsibility for the preaching work throughout the whole congregation. He visits the different field service groups and works together with the group overseer, among others. In a small congregation with few field service groups, such visits to the same group may naturally come around more often than in a congregation with many groups. The service overseer’s visit to a field service group is therefore not the same as a personal shepherding visit to a congregation member or family. What can a shepherding visit be about? The topics can vary greatly. Someone may be sick, have lost a loved one, be experiencing problems in marriage, feel discouraged, attend meetings less often, participate less in the ministry, or have doubts about faith. Sometimes the congregation member has asked for help themselves. Sometimes elders notice something and take the initiative. A shepherding visit can therefore be preventive, supportive, or corrective in nature, depending on the situation. The ministry can also be a topic of the visit The group overseer is not only interested in how someone feels personally. He is also responsible for supporting and encouraging the people in his group in the preaching work . So when someone participates little or no longer in field service, that may come up during a shepherding conversation. The elder may want to know why someone is less active. Perhaps illness, fatigue, work, family, uncertainty, mental health issues, or spiritual doubts play a role. From the elder’s perspective, such a conversation may be sincere shepherding care: “We see less of you in field service. Are you doing okay, and can we help you with anything?” For the congregation member, the same conversation may also feel like an expectation: “Apparently it’s being noticed that I’m less active.” Those two experiences can exist at the same time. How is participation in the ministry tracked today? The current situation is important here. Since November 2023, regular publishers no longer report how many hours they spent in the ministry. In principle, they simply indicate whether they took part in the ministry during the month. Different reporting requirements apply to pioneers and certain other full-time servants. A group overseer can therefore no longer simply look at an hours report for a regular publisher and see that someone preached, for example, two hours rather than ten. But elders can of course still notice when someone hardly ever goes out with the group anymore, doesn’t participate for long periods, or otherwise becomes less active. That can be a reason to ask how someone is doing. Care, oversight, or both? That difference can matter in how a visit is experienced. A group overseer may sincerely think: ‘I hardly ever see this brother or sister in the field ministry anymore. Maybe something is going on. I’d like to help.’ At the same time, the congregation member may think: ‘I thought you were coming to ask how I was doing, but apparently you’re also looking at how active I still am.’ Within the structure of Jehovah’s Witnesses, interest in someone’s spiritual activity is part of shepherding care. As a result, interest, encouragement, and supervision of spiritual activity can feel different to different people. That does not have to be a criticism of the elder. It does help explain why the same encounter can be experienced differently by both people. A shepherding visit can also have a specific trigger An elder may have seen or heard something that made him concerned about a congregation member. That does not necessarily involve a serious sin right away. It may also be behavior that the elder thinks is unwise, sets a bad example, or may not be in line with Bible principles. From his perspective, it can be loving not to wait to address it. For the congregation member, it may come as a surprise when only during the conversation does it become clear that behind the general question ‘How are you all doing?’ there is a specific reason for the visit. An example involving a sister and her seven-year-old son A sister in one congregation had a seven-year-old son . An elder had been in the field ministry with her son. During a conversation, the child spontaneously mentioned that friends of his parents were staying overnight with them. The elder asked the boy whether those friends were married to each other. They were not. They also did not live together, incidentally. Later, the same elder visited the family at home. He had gathered information and Bible verses from Jehovah’s Witness publications and put together about two A4 pages of counsel on the example parents set for their children. The message the woman and her husband took from the conversation was that allowing an unmarried couple to stay overnight would not set a good example for their children. The friends lived about two hundred kilometers away and therefore sometimes stayed for the night. After the conversation, the parents decided to no longer allow that. When their friends came after that, they booked a bed and breakfast. For the woman, it then became difficult to explain why her friends could suddenly no longer stay overnight at their home. The same event from two perspectives This example shows how differently a shepherding visit can be experienced without any bad intentions needing to be assumed. From the elder’s perspective, his thought may have been: ‘These parents may not realize what example this sets for their children. I want to help them with that from the Bible.’ From the woman’s perspective, the same conversation meant: ‘Something my seven-year-old son mentioned spontaneously during field ministry led to counsel about what we as adults could allow our friends in our own home.’ Both perspectives can be set alongside each other without needing to determine what the elder personally thought or felt. That is precisely why, in shepherding care, it is useful to distinguish between the intent of the counsel and its practical consequences for the person receiving it . Children can also receive personal spiritual attention Elders may also show interest in the spiritual development of children and young people in the congregation. That can be experienced very positively. A child who gives a first talk, goes in the ministry, or becomes an unbaptized publisher can receive compliments and personal encouragement. In the same family, for example, the children received cards from this elder when they made spiritual progress. One card could say that someone was becoming a ‘fine brother’ . For a child, such personal recognition can mean a great deal. A respected adult sees what you are doing and shows that he is happy about it. Encouragement also gives direction Positive attention is not automatically pressure or manipulation. However, children also develop through encouragement, examples, expectations, and social affirmation . That happens at home, at school, in sports clubs, and also within religious communities. When a child receives praise for preaching, giving a talk, or becoming an unbaptized publisher, that can strengthen their religious development. From the perspective of Jehovah’s Witnesses, that is positive: adults help a young person build a good relationship with Jehovah. From a developmental psychological perspective, however, one may also ask how much room a child experiences if later they would want to make a different faith choice. Sincere encouragement can be loving in intent and at the same time influence the direction in which a child develops. Giving counsel is part of shepherding care A shepherding visit does not necessarily consist only of listening. Elders may read Bible verses, discuss publications, encourage someone, or give practical counsel when they feel there is reason to do so. For an active congregation member, that counsel can be very welcome. He may even have asked the elders to help him understand what Jehovah expects of him. Someone else may experience the same counsel as intrusive when it concerns personal choices about family, friends, clothing, recreation, relationships, or religious activity. The question therefore is not only: ‘Was the elder kind?’ but also: ‘What meaning and what weight does his counsel have for the one receiving it?’ Rule, guideline, or advice? That distinction can be important during a shepherding visit. An elder may discuss a clear rule that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe follows directly from the Bible. He may also discuss an organizational guideline or advise how, in his view, a Bible principle should best be applied. Those are not necessarily the same thing. That is why someone might ask: ‘Is this a clear Bible rule, a guideline from the organization, or your advice on how I can best apply a Bible principle?’ Such a question need not be a rejection of spiritual guidance. On the contrary, it can help clarify how much room there is for personal decision-making. How free does advice feel? Something can formally be advice and yet carry a great deal of weight for a congregation member, precisely because it comes from an elder with spiritual responsibility. For example, a congregation member may wonder: ‘If I don’t follow this advice, will the elders still consider me spiritually strong?’ Or: ‘Will this later affect responsibilities I’m allowed to have in the congregation?’ That does not mean that every piece of counsel is automatically a hidden obligation. It does show that counsel from someone with religious responsibility can be experienced differently from advice from a casual acquaintance. How confidential is a shepherding conversation? Elders are expected to handle personal information carefully. Still, confidential within a religious congregation does not automatically mean that everything said to one elder under all circumstances remains exclusively between those two people. When, for example, information comes up during a conversation about serious sin or a matter for which other elders have responsibility, the information may need to be discussed further within the procedures that apply. That is why someone may ask before sharing very sensitive information: ‘Will what I tell you stay between us? And when would you need to discuss this with other elders?’ That is a practical way to understand in advance what boundaries apply to the conversation. What if a child says something? Children sometimes spontaneously tell adults things without realizing that adults may attach a different meaning to them. In itself, that need not be a problem. But an elder who hears something may decide, based on his responsibility, that it would be wise to discuss it with the parents. For parents, it can therefore be useful to realize that an informal conversation between their child and an elder can sometimes become a reason for a conversation about the family. That does not mean children should be afraid to talk to elders. It is, however, good to understand that an elder remains an elder even in informal contacts and may view information through the lens of that responsibility. A shepherding visit is not a professional counseling session Elders receive Bible-based, shepherding, and organizational training. However, being an elder does not automatically make someone a psychologist, therapist, doctor, or social worker. An elder may genuinely listen, offer practical support, and provide help that is especially valuable from a faith perspective. When problems are primarily psychological, medical, or legal, professional help may also be needed. Spiritual and professional support do not have to exclude one another. Also for an elder, shepherding takes a lot Responsibility has another side as well. Many elders combine their congregation duties with work, a spouse, children, personal field service, meetings, and other responsibilities . A group overseer also tries to get to know the people in his group, work with them, and notice when someone may need extra support. A shepherding conversation takes preparation and time. When someone is truly having problems, one conversation may also be insufficient. So shepherding can be a significant responsibility for elders too. That is important alongside the influence their counsel can have on congregation members. What if the visit unexpectedly turns out to have another reason? When you thought the elders were only coming to ask how you are doing, and during the conversation it turns out there is a specific concern, you can ask for clarity: ‘Is there a specific reason for this visit?’ ‘Have you heard something you want to talk to me about?’ ‘Is this about something you think is not allowed, or are you giving me advice?’ ‘Is my participation in field service being discussed because you have concerns?’ ‘What exactly do you expect from me?’ ‘What happens if I come to a different application myself?’ This makes it clearer what kind of conversation you are having and what the meaning of the counsel given is . Shepherding from two perspectives An active congregation member may experience a shepherding visit as something valuable: ‘These elders know me, notice when I’m struggling, and take time to help me.’ Someone else may experience more tension with the same form of care: ‘They’re not only asking how I’m doing, they’re also looking at my choices and my spiritual activity.’ And someone may experience both at the same time: ‘I know he cares about me, but I also feel pressure to meet certain expectations.’ Those experiences do not have to exclude one another. It is precisely by naming both perspectives that it becomes clear why shepherding can mean support for one person and sometimes also social or religious pressure for another. Something to think about for yourself Do I know why the elders want to visit me? Is this general encouragement or is there a specific reason? Is my participation in field service being discussed, and why? Am I first being asked why I’m less active before conclusions are drawn? Do I experience the interest as support, as expectation, or as both? Does the counsel given concern a Bible principle, an organizational guideline, or a personal application? How much freedom do I feel I have to come to a different application myself? Do I know what happens to personal information I share? Can I ask why a particular topic is relevant? If my child tells an elder something, do I understand what may happen with that information? Can I recognize an elder’s good intentions and still think differently about his advice? In conclusion A shepherding visit among Jehovah’s Witnesses is primarily meant as personal spiritual care. The group overseer has a special responsibility for the people in his field service group and tries to know them, support them, and give extra attention where needed. So a visit does not at all have to mean that someone has done something wrong. It may concern illness, grief, discouragement, family situations, or simply personal interest. Less participation in the preaching work can also be a reason to ask how someone is doing and whether support is needed. At the same time, a shepherding visit can have a concrete reason. An elder may have heard or seen something he wants to discuss with someone, or about which he wants to give Bible-based counsel. From the elder’s perspective, care, spiritual responsibility, and upholding Bible standards can go together there. For the congregation member, support, advice, and the experience of social pressure can sometimes be harder to distinguish from one another. That is why a simple question at the start of a shepherding visit can provide a lot of clarity: ‘Thanks for showing interest. Is there a specific reason for this visit, or do you just want to hear how we’re doing?’ Sources Feed the Flock of God - guidelines on group overseers, shepherding care, and field service groups Organized to Do Jehovah’s Will - elders, field service groups, and shepherding care JW.org - How do the elders help the congregation? Watchtower Online Library - publications on shepherding visits and spiritual encouragement JW.org - information on the change to field service reporting as of November 2023 New World Translation - Acts 20:28; Galatians 6:1; James 5:14, 15; 1 Peter 5:2, 3 See also in the A-Z Glossary of Jehovah’s Witnesses C - Elders’ committee - When is a serious matter handled by several elders? E - Elder - What role, training, and responsibility does an elder have? F - Field service - What place does preaching have in a Jehovah’s Witness’s life? F - Field service group - How is a field service group organized? P - Publisher - What does it mean to be a publisher? C - Confidentiality - What happens to personal information you share with an elder?