Working With a Subject and a Setting

When you receive an assignment on the school that involves working with a setting, how should you proceed?

Three main things need consideration: (1) your assigned subject, (2) your setting and the person with whom you will be speaking, and (3) the counsel point on which you have been assigned to work.

You need to gather material on your assigned subject. But before you go very far with that, think seriously about your setting as well as the person with whom you will speak, as these factors will have a bearing on the type of material that you will cover and the way that you will present it. What setting will you be using? Will you be demonstrating how to present the good news to someone you know? Or will you show what might happen when meeting an individual for the first time? Is the person older than you are or younger? What attitude might he have regarding the subject that you plan to discuss? How much does he likely know about it already? What objective do you hope to achieve as a result of your discussion? The answers to those questions will provide important guidelines with which to work.

Where will you find material on the subject that has been assigned? On pages 33 to 38 of this book, there is a discussion of “How to Do Research.” Read it, and then use the research tools that are available to you. In most cases you will quickly find more material than you can use. Read enough to become aware of the potential that is available. As you do that, however, keep in mind the setting that you are going to use for your presentation as well as the person with whom you will be speaking. Mark points that are suitable to use.

A Word About Settings. Examine the suggestions on page 82, and select one that will be practical in your ministry and that will allow you to make realistic use of the assigned material. If you have been in the school for some time, view this as an opportunity to reach out and develop additional skills for your ministry.

If the Theocratic Ministry School overseer assigns the setting, accept the challenge. Most settings involve witnessing. If you have never witnessed under the circumstances described, get ideas by talking to publishers who have. If possible, try to discuss your assigned subject in a setting comparable to the one that you will use in the school. This will help you to achieve an important objective of your training.