[Box/​Picture on page 18]

PLACING MAGAZINES

Have You Tried?—

◆ House-to-house witnessing

◆ Street witnessing

◆ Business witnessing

◆ Magazine-route witnessing

◆ Evening witnessing

◆ When book offer is refused

◆ When making return visits

◆ Calling on former Bible students

◆ When traveling or shopping

◆ When talking to relatives, coworkers, neighbors, schoolmates, or teachers

11. (a) Why schedule magazine witnessing, and how often? (b) Can magazine service be a help in the Bible study work? Explain. (c) How may you be able to place The Watchtower and Awake!? See box.

¹¹ Can you schedule at least one day for magazine witnessing each week, making this part of your spiritual routine? (Compare Philippians 3:16.) “Publishers, and pioneers too, do not spend sufficient time in magazine work,” observes the Watch Tower Society’s Nigerian branch. But should magazine witnessing now overshadow the disciple-making work? On the contrary, reports from the Society’s branches in Australia and Brazil show that placing magazines can be the initial step in starting many Bible studies. “From my initial magazine placements, three studies were started,” says an Australian sister. How may you be able to place magazines that might lead to a Bible study? Look at the box entitled “Placing Magazines” for suggestions.

Have You Tried These Suggestions?

12. What suggestions proved helpful to one publisher?

¹² Our Kingdom Ministry of March 1984 had a four-page insert on magazine witnessing. Have you tried the suggestions it offered? Kingdom publishers would do well to read that insert again and apply its advice in the field service. One sister from the United States did this; the results pleasantly surprised her. She writes:

“I’ve been putting into practice the points outlined in the March 1984 Kingdom Ministry insert about magazine placements, and it’s working! At the end of 1983 I had only placed 36 magazines the whole year! I was unhappy, not so much because of the numbers on the report, but because I had failed to get this life-giving information into the hands of people who need it. I prayed to Jehovah about the matter and determined to make more of an effort to place The Watchtower and Awake! I put to use the suggestions about setting a personal goal for placements, using a brief presentation that highlights only one magazine, regularly going out in field service on magazine day, and having a positive attitude. Now when the householder rejects the regular offer, I say: ‘Well, in that case I’ll just leave you the latest issues of The Watchtower and Awake! for 40 cents.’ These points really work. In the last four months, I’ve been able to average 14 magazines per month!”

13. What advice published in 1888 is still practical today?

¹³ In the December 1888 issue of Zion’s Watch Tower, under the heading “A Suggestion to the Reapers,” this advice was given: “The greatest difficulty on the part of many seems to be, that their hearts are so full of the good tidings, that they are tempted to tell a little too much concerning the Plan of God.” Is that advice still applicable? When asked what publishers can do to increase magazine placements, one circuit overseer from France answered: “Be brief. Get to the point.”

14, 15. How can the pictures in The Watchtower and Awake! be used in witnessing? Give examples.

¹⁴ In many of the languages in which the magazines appear, attractive illustrations in four colors have added to the appeal of the Kingdom message as it reaches different types of people. With the January 8, 1987, issue, Awake! joined The Watchtower in being printed in four colors in most major languages. Have you used the illustrations and pictures in the magazines as talking points? Many have, with good results. Theresa, a missionary in the Far East since 1976, has. She distributes 260 magazines a month. “I use the pictures to highlight the main point of my presentation,” she says. “Many times I just show the cover to the householder and mention the topic, and the magazine almost places itself.”

¹⁵ Kay, a missionary in the country of Suriname, has had a similar experience. She and her husband have been there for ten years, and they find the pictures to be effective when witnessing, especially to those of the Hindu faith. Why? Kay explains:

“The Hindu religion is a picture religion. At one door, I asked a woman: ‘Please tell me the name of your gods on your pictures.’

“‘This one is Shiva,’ she answered.

“‘Now, which one is the top god?’ I next asked. No answer. ‘Shall we read Jeremiah 10:10-12? Which God can make the claim of being the Creator? Only Jehovah. We know you love pictures. Aren’t these pictures in The Watchtower and Awake! beautiful and interesting? Wouldn’t you like the joy of learning what they mean?’”

Why not try weaving the pictures into your conversation next time you are in magazine work?

16. What suggestions from a publisher in Hong Kong may you find helpful?

¹⁶ While serving in Hong Kong, Gene averaged over 300 magazine placements per month. How did he do it? He explains:

“First, pray for Jehovah’s blessing upon your magazine witnessing. Second, be positive, smiling, and friendly. Third, be adaptable and agreeable, and look for a common ground with the householder. Fourth, order enough magazines for the entire month. I have a large order, since this gives me extra motivation. Fifth, set aside one evening a week for magazine service, since more people are at home then and in a relaxed mood. Sixth, start a magazine route, even if it is a small one.”

Starting a Magazine Route

17. (a) To what feature of our magazine witnessing can the principle at Acts 15:36 be applied? (b) In countries that have poor mail service, what is one way the publishers can place magazines?

¹⁷ “Keeping accurate records of where magazines have been placed and then calling back regularly is one way to increase magazine distribution,” says Ollie, who has served in the African country of Burkina Faso. “I have had 15 people on my magazine route. Since Burkina Faso is not a printing branch and mail delivery is uncertain, the Witnesses often receive their magazines for distribution in bunches, maybe four or five issues at a time.” Is that true of your country too? If so, what can be done to overcome this challenge to magazine placements? “You can hold copies of each issue in your hands, fan the magazines out, and invite the interested person to select which one he would like to read,” suggests Ollie. “Usually, he will take all of them.”

‘Keep Astir With a Goodly Matter’

18. What aspects of recent field-service reports are especially commendable, and to what could we give greater attention?

¹⁸ You publishers of the Kingdom have helped the number of subscriptions obtained for both magazines to rise dramatically. You are to be commended for your zeal in spreading the good news in this way. Also commendable is the rise in the total number of magazines placed. Perhaps, though, we can give more attention to our individual placements of the magazines. With more intensive territory coverage, magazine placements per publisher have declined. Since we are living deep in the time of the end, can we become even more ‘astir with the goodly matter’ of the Kingdom by means of magazine witnessing?​—Psalm 45:1; 1 Peter 4:7.

19. In what two ways can we champion Kingdom truth?

¹⁹ Christ in Kingdom splendor is riding on to success in sanctifying his Father’s holy name and vindicating His universal sovereignty. (Revelation 6:2) Let us use our tongues and the printed page to announce his arrival. May we loyally raise our voices with the anointed watchman class as it joins with Christ in championing the truth of God’s established Messianic Kingdom. Yes, let us widely distribute The Watchtower and Awake!​—magazines that fill a vital role as our King ‘rides in the cause of truth.’​—Psalm 45:4.