"Special" campaigns a cause of JW malaise? (page 2)

eyeslice

I think that most Witnesses would agree with the comments here. In my experience these campaigns stir up very little enthusiasm anyway.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Very true about the complete failure rate. But at least it's a quick and easy failure.

Mickey mouse

These campaigns only took place every few years going back to the 1980's and 1990's. With two a year now it's hardly "special" is it?

yknot

If JWs are in malaise, unmotivated to share in the ministry, they will also be unmotivated to attend meetings, to contribute money, or do anything else expected of them.

..... well that sounds similar to what is beginning to happen in a large percentage of the population of JWs.....

Ministry.... Many more are fudging here and there.

Contribute Money..... ahhh the silent killer, and easy to claim financial inability in these hard economic times.

Meeting Attendance .......

(a) I noticed at the two DCs I have been dragged to have had a lot of empty seats. If you were to squish everyone together a third or more of the rented facility would be empty.

(b) I understand leaving early or skipping CBS night is a growing trend.

(c) I visited a KH recently where a third of the attending got up and left after the PT (apparently it is a weekly occurance too)!

I think the WTS has relied on these in the past to generate interest but the only way they worked was that the JW passing them out was interested and excited about these campaigns. I think we are all weary and burdened so the key element that would make them successful is dead. It is just a ruse to keep everybody arranging chairs on a deck of what has been an aimlessly drifting organization.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

...and it makes it easy for every little kid and nutjob to become, and be counted as, a publisher in dubdom. While the D2D is a total failure, they're making it as easy as possible for anyone to be counted as a publisher and put in at least a few hours as they throw out these scraps of paper.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Mickey: "With two a year now it's hardly "special" is it?"

It's a "special campaign" every few months in the same sense as there being a "special bus" every schoolday. Similarly, both are "short".

leavingwt

Is there any evidence of a malaise? They have more members than ever before.

sir82

Is there any evidence of a malaise? They have more members than ever before.

I'm referring more to attitude than raw numbers. From an insider's perspective, the enthusiasm just isn't there like before.

Compare Watchtower study articles from today to those of 30 or 40 years ago.

Then it was all types & antitypes, historical commentaries, motivational encouragement, etc. Sure it was utterly wacky, but it had a certain depth. Insane, but coherent.

Today it's all "Obey us or die", "Get back out in service you lazy slackers", or "You greedy materialistic louts, quit trying to improve your wretched lives".

Why the shift in content and tone? I contend that the enthusiasm just isn't there, at least in western lands (where, incidentally, most of the money comes from).

leavingwt

Gotcha.

Mickey mouse

From an insider's perspective I have to agree with sir82.

"Special" campaigns a cause of JW malaise?

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