Do You Have a Personal Territory?
1. What is a personal territory?
1 A personal territory is one that is assigned to you. It may be conveniently located so that you can reach it quickly and preach either alone or with another publisher. While it is beneficial to support congregation arrangements for group witnessing when possible, having a personal territory to work on other occasions can help in giving a thorough witness, especially in congregations that have a large amount of territory.—Acts 10:42.
2. What are some benefits of having a personal territory?
2 Benefits: Some have found additional benefits preaching in a personal territory near their workplace during their lunch break or immediately after work. Others have enjoyed working together as a family in their neighborhood for an hour or so before the Congregation Book Study. As a result, the return visits and Bible studies obtained were in a nearby area, resulting in an economy of effort, time, and expense. Because more can be accomplished in less time, having a personal territory may help some to auxiliary pioneer from time to time or even to enroll as regular pioneers. In addition, working a personal territory and becoming familiar with the householders can assist us in gaining their trust and tailoring our presentation to their concerns, making our ministry more effective.
3. What was the experience of one pioneer who obtained a personal territory?
3 One pioneer who was encouraged by the circuit overseer to obtain a personal territory relates: “I accepted this advice and soon became well acquainted and friendly with the householders in my territory. I adjusted the times of my visits according to their convenience. As a result, my return visits rose from 35 to over 80 a month, and I have seven home Bible studies.”
4. How may you obtain and work a personal territory?
4 How to Do It: If you want to request a personal territory, speak to the territory servant. Feel free to invite another publisher to work along with you, and keep a record of the not-at-homes. You should try to complete the territory within four months. If you have difficulty doing so, you may ask your Congregation Book Study overseer or others for assistance. At the end of four months, you can either return the completed territory or ask to work it again. However, you should not keep the same territory indefinitely but return it so that others may request it. If you are in a congregation where territory is limited and it is not possible to obtain a personal territory, perhaps you can request a portion of a territory from your book study overseer.
5. What is required in order to fulfill our commission to preach?
5 Our commission to preach “in all the inhabited earth” is a daunting assignment. (Matt. 24:14) It requires good coordination of effort. Supplementing group witnessing with preaching in a personal territory can help us to reach as many people as possible with the good news.