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Monger 1
 
Reply Tue 12 Apr, 2005 05:51 pm
TF's new categories of membership
(From ML3507; GN1096) ... New categories of membership

Q: What are the new categories of membership for our sheep?

A: Here is an overview of the different categories of Family membership that are available to the sheep you’ll be ministering to who don’t join as live-in members.

Stage 1: Activated Readers
Most Homes will have a large number of "sheep" on the line, most of whom should move fairly soon into the first official stage of feeding, which is the Activated magazine (if available in their language). Those who do so would be called Activated Readers.

Stage 2: General Member
This is a brand-new category of Family membership, what could be termed "entry-level" membership. Those who join the Family at this level could be compared to the "congregation" of a Home's "church." It is a low-commitment level of membership, which is as simple and procedure-free as possible, with a minimal code of conduct and very few requirements. The purpose of this category is to make it as easy as possible for a wide range of sheep, friends, contacts, and anyone else who wants to feel a part of the Family and our work and be associated with us, to be considered a member of our movement.

Stage 3: Active Member
This is also a new category of Family membership. It's very similar to General membership described above, and has the same minimal code of conduct and requirements as does General membership. Active members are those who have completed the 12 Foundation Stones course, and are therefore eligible to receive the new The Family Magazine [working title].

Stage 4: Missionary Member
The Missionary membership category is a membership level available to Active members who are unable or unwilling to drop out and live full time in a FD or MM Family Home, but who want to serve the Lord at this level while living outside the Home. This is a high-commitment level of Family membership. The new incoming Missionary members will be similar to those live-outs and catacombers of today who have a lot of contact with the Home and who want to serve the Lord, but either aren't ready to join as full-time disciples, are unable to do so due to circumstances, or they do not feel called to this level of membership, and yet want to participate in active Family service.
 
Anonymous
 
Reply Fri 1 Sep, 2006 12:55 pm
what about the elite (administrative) level
I am not an ex or current member of THE FAMILY but I find both the histories of Tf and indivdual ordeals fascinating. Thank you everyone for the revealations made by this site because I think "systemites" need to be involved and educated about TF. It's hard sometimes to grasp the euphemisms and other FAMILY-SPEAK. But I'm getting the hang of it.

My question is then what about the elite or administrative memberships?

Here's what I've understood so far from the volumes of information.

I presume that the elite membership is only open to the FIRST GENERATION disciples who joined at the inception of COG/TF. TRUE? FALSE?

Second, the elite status is further narrowed towards those disciples who have technical abilities (ie: artists, publishers). TRUE? FALSE?

Third, the elite membership if open at all, would only be open to comely women and/or wealthy contributors/donors. Because it seems that the COG could never have enough women nor enough money.

If all of my assumptions are true then, it seems implausible that the TF is converting more people and that it would crumble or weaken because no one else is moving up in the org. What I mean to say is that there is no "ladder to success." No chance of a promotion from one who is witnessing to the ones living in Switzerland where they are not lifting a finger much less a leg!

It seems the only way to be a part of the TF elite (if you had not known about the TF) is if you were a wealthy donor or had some relative utility for the group. TRUE? FALSE?


I've read some heartwrenching stories of ordeal and suffering but I can't help but remain fascinated of the TF and I would love to learn much more. I would like to have correspondences with someone who can relate their experiences so that I may be more supportive and enlightened
 
WalkerJ 1
 
Reply Fri 1 Sep, 2006 03:00 pm
Re: what about the elite (administrative) level
Hi curiousgeorge,

curiousgeorge wrote:
I presume that the elite membership is only open to the FIRST GENERATION disciples who joined at the inception of COG/TF. TRUE? FALSE?

False. There are quite a few SGAs (Second Generation Adults) in WS (World Services) and leadership in general.

curiousgeorge wrote:
Second, the elite status is further narrowed towards those disciples who have technical abilities (ie: artists, publishers). TRUE? FALSE?

In some cases, that is true. However, the primary requisite for anyone who works in WS or other Selah Homes is that they must be "yielded" to the Lord's Will (as defined by prophecy) and to Family leadership. They must also follow the Family's doctrines closely.

Anyone who works for WS is hand-picked by Family leadership. The candidate must be deemed trustworthy, as most WS operations are highly secretive.

curiousgeorge wrote:
Third, the elite membership if open at all, would only be open to comely women and/or wealthy contributors/donors. Because it seems that the COG could never have enough women nor enough money.

While I'm sure those two demographics are welcome, WS has a fairly balanced population of men and women. Regardless of the candidate's wealth, I would tend to think the above mentioned criteria still apply.

curiousgeorge wrote:
If all of my assumptions are true then, it seems implausible that the TF is converting more people and that it would crumble or weaken because no one else is moving up in the org.

If anything, the main reason the orgaization would deteriorate would be from members leaving the group. SGA family units tend to be smaller (2-5 children) than FGA families (4-15 children) and their recruitment statistics appear to be at an all-time low. I believe all those factors are large contributors to The Family's declining membership.

curiousgeorge wrote:
It seems the only way to be a part of the TF elite (if you had not known about the TF) is if you were a wealthy donor or had some relative utility for the group. TRUE? FALSE?

If there is money in the family or an individual is in line for an inheritance or windfall, care is taken (and, in some cases, exceptions are made) to ensure continued membership. But it is not a prerequisite for joining WS.

Hope that helps.
 
evanman
 
Reply Sat 2 Sep, 2006 11:30 am
Quite a way to increase the cults membership numbers on paper.

Wow, just subscribed to the mag and "Hey Presto!" you're a member.
 
Piram
 
Reply Sat 2 Sep, 2006 02:19 pm
evanman wrote:
Quite a way to increase the cults membership numbers on paper.

Wow, just subscribed to the mag and "Hey Presto!" you're a member.


Judging from the thread I just came from, evanman, comments like that are gonna get you labeled a "hostile apostate" pretty soon*... :wink:

*or a doubter that TF´s leadership(and therefore, its dictates) is divinely ordained, which, I suspect, is more or less the same thing...
 
evanman
 
Reply Sun 3 Sep, 2006 02:03 pm
Guess they've borrowed that label from the Jehovah's Witnesses.
 
 

 
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