Herbert W Armstrong

Newsstand Distribution: All of us at Headquarters would like to ask you pastors to pass on to the brethren handling the newsstand circulation of "The Plain Truth" our appreciation for the tremendous amount of zeal and dedication shown in the distribution of the magazine. Please let them know that even though we temporarily must cut back in that area, we recognize their part in supporting Mr. Armstrong in fulfilling the great commission given this Work.

Visit Requests: We want to make sure that all pastors understand our current policy on handling new visit request letters. Since this is a very critical area and a major responsibility for all the church pastors, we feel that further clarification and instruction is necessary. (Though some of the information in this article specifically applies only to the U.S. ministers, the overall principles apply to all.)

Visit request letters are separated into two categories indicated by the color of label placed on the outside of the envelope that is sent to the church pastors. The letters from individuals who are very new have a blue label attached to them. These people have been sent a letter giving them the name and telephone number of the pastor in their area and inviting them to call. Often these individuals do not call, but the opportunity is given to them anyway. (You also can follow up on these if you have time and a desire to do so.)

A red label is used for letters from individuals who have a stronger, long-standing interest. These individuals have received "The Plain Truth" for a year or more and are usually co-workers. They have received various pieces of our literature and their letters show a good understanding. The letter we send to these individuals contains the pastor's name and telephone number, but it also assures them that our minister will contact them.

Some of you have mentioned that even certain of these "red label" people are still lacking in interest and are a waste of time to call. Several things should be considered in this regard. First, it is a judgment as to which requests are made red label and which blue label. We can make a mistake and accidentally classify someone as a red label who clearly should have been a blue label. Or, a misevaluation could also have been made in judging the individual's level of interest. This is probably unavoidable in a certain percentage of cases because we have a very limited amount of information to go on. If you run into a letter like that, send it back to us after you have called the person.

Another factor to consider in evaluating the profitableness of visit requests is that even some of our members do not have the level of enthusiasm and interest that we would like to see. So it shouldn't seem unusual to find brand new people without the commitment, direction and zeal that they need. Let us understand. Part of the pastor's job is to cultivate that interest and lay the groundwork for God to continue to work with them though the “World Tomorrow” telecast and the literature, if that is all they are ready for at this time.

If all they want to do is "chew the fat,” as one minister mentioned, then be willing to pleasantly listen and gently direct the conversation along profitable lines. Be all things to all men.

Perhaps at this time the result may seem like a big zero; however, these people have shown enough interest to ask for several pieces of literature, to resubscribe to "The Plain Truth" one or more times, to give donations on more than one occasion and to write the letter that initiated the visit. Taking a few minutes to talk to them over the telephone or going to their homes for a visit does establish a very personal contact between that individual and the Church. We have to have faith that God's Word will prosper according to God's purpose. He may not desire to call that individual to be a member right now. The value may be for a later time. For example: That person undoubtedly has friends, relatives and other social/business contacts. The contact with you may result in a positive comment to someone else that would help that individual to come along toward the truth.

This leads to another area that has been troublesome to many. That is how to properly handle the situation when an individual only wants to receive the church address so that he can attend church. Obviously we can't invite new people to church without first working with them to bring them to the place where they are ready. At the same time we need to be careful not to cause offense or give the impression they aren't good enough or that we are a secretive group.

We are enclosing with this issue of the "Pastor General's Report" a copy of the text-library letter used by the Personal Correspondence Department in answering questions relating to why individuals aren't invited to church and can't attend services right away. Also enclosed are two sample letters based on the standard text showing how this material is tailored to fit specific situations. These will be of help to all you international ministers as well.

Please study these letters to glean from them the various approaches that should be used to explain properly to new individuals why they can't be invited to services. This material has been very successfully used by the men in PCD both in writing letters and talking to individuals over the telephone.

The main points we need to stress are these: The difference between God's Church and this world's churches, individuals in attendance need to be ready for the meat of God's Word that is preached in church, they need to prove whether this is God's Church first and they need to be willing to yield to God before they begin to attend church services.

Obviously some individuals will still be upset. However, as much as possible we need to avoid giving offense by striving to handle church attendance questions properly.

Please make it a very high priority to get in contact at least by telephone with all new individuals as soon as possible ??" within two or three days of having received their letters from us. Don't give the impression that we don't care by waiting a week or two before calling. As tenuous as it may seem, this is the fruit of a lot of effort that has gone before. We don't want to let it fall to the ground when it reaches us. We want to set a right example of common courtesy and concern as ministers of Jesus Christ, whether these individuals become members or not.

Deduction: The "double tax deduction" will continue one more year. U.S. ministers who have owned and occupied their homes prior to January 3, 1983, will be permitted to continue to list the property taxes and mortgage interest as itemized deductions on their income-tax returns through the 1986 tax year. This is allowed even though these items were paid with the tax-free housing allowance. The Internal Revenue Service announced this summer that it would not apply the ruling that disallows this tax benefit to ministers until January 1, 1987. However, ministers who have purchased homes after January 3, 1983, are not eligible for this benefit.