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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, AUGUST 19, 1986
EDITORIAL SERVICES
WHO OUR READERS ARE; NEW BOOKLET ON DATING; YES ENROLLMENT
Who Our Readers Are Although this was mentioned several times in the
last Ministerial Refreshing Program, we thought it might be time for an
update on our readership of the publications. Although you realize our
8,000,000 circulation in "The Plain Truth" around the world is to a
predominantly secular audience, you might be surprised to learn that more
than 90 percent of "Good News" readers are not members of God's Church.
The percentage is the same with "Youth 86" readers--more than 90 percent
are not associated with the Church. This means that we can't refer to
YOU or other Church programs without thoroughly explaining them. Also we
can't assume our readers understand the doctrines and terminology we are
so familiar with in the Church.
We don't shy away from educating our
readers about the Church, but we have to be very basic in our approach,
not assuming they will automatically understand what we are talking
about.
With our readership the way it is, the publications can't be expected to
furnish members a complete spiritual diet in themselves.
Because "The
Worldwide News" goes only to members, Pastor General Joseph
w.
Tkach and
others can write more plainly and exhort the Church in a direct way.
"Iron Sharpens Iron" is a column designed to encourage Church members,
allowing subjects to be addressed in a way that we couldn't in the other
publications.
But these columns in "The Worldwide News" are not enough to fill in every
gap of spiritual information that Church members need to receive. That
is where you come in. We expect and look to you .ministers in the field
to fill in those gaps. I know there has been some misunderstanding in
the past about why we use the approach we do, especially in "The Good
News," so I hope being reminded who the audience is will be helpful.
New Booklet on Dating As you are no doubt aware, a new booklet on dating
has been much needed.
We've had our first planning session on the
booklet now, and this is what we envision.
The new booklet will go
beyond explaining how to date. It will address male and female roles,
knowing and evaluating one's self (personality, health, background),
marriage preparation, the effect of today's media, questions and answers
about dating and male-female relationships and other general aspects of
life as single persons.
This is quite an ambitious project, but we have the information, and a
large segment of society, young and old, in the Church and not, need it.
We plan to run each chapter as an article in "The Good News" first and
then produce the booklet after the series is completed. This is the way
we also handled the child-rearing booklet in "The Plain Truth."
The long-used reprint "Is This the Only Day of Salvation?" is being
replaced by one that should be more meaningful to today's audience. Few
people today think in terms of "days of salvation." The title of the new
article is "Is God Trying to Save the Whole World Now?"
It has not
appeared in print before.