I have some family and friends still in the organization. I don't actively seek updates - my lovely contacts provide me with them unsolicited. So far the updates have been reliable and confirmed sooner or later by subsequent developments. Some interesting trends have been described in New Zealand (and I daresay this country is not dissimilar from trends in other relatively affluent, modern democratic countries such as Australia, Britain, Scandanavia, Canada and the States). Meeting attendances are trending significantly downwards, especially during the week, it's harder to get younger males to take up ministerial servant roles and harder still to replace older and "retiring" elders, and there continues to be among olderJWs a yearning for the return of the Book Study. I have heard on several occasions that, over the years since the home-based Book Study arrangement was stopped, that the organization has continued to receive a steady stream of disquiet about its being stopped AND that there has been serious talk about re-starting the arrangement. I acknowledge this has not been substantiated. However, I wonder if others who are either still in or have contact with others still in, have heard this? I understand that, of all the "feedback" the organization has received in recent years, the most strongly negative has been about the decision to stop the Book Study which is said to have led to ongoing declining meeting attendances for other eetings- attributable to the unintended message of stopping the Book Study that meetings are not as crucial as they once were.
Due to Ongoing Concern about Dwindling Meeting Attendances, IS THE BOOK STUDY ARRANGEMENT GOING TO BE RE-INSTATED NEXT YEAR?
by steve2 53 Replies latest jw friends
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Phizzy
It would probably be the best thing they could do to restore a lot of what they lost by doing away with the Home Book Study Group idea, but, was not the reason they stopped them mainly because of fear of WT liability for any Abuse that occurred in the Group Study situation (as it did in my own Congo !) ?
$$$ speak loudest in deciding WT policy, not what the R&F may want.
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steve2
The "official" reason was the then persistent hiking of the cost of fuel that brothers and sisters were burdened with due to meeting attendance. A peculiar line of reasoning in an organization that trumpeted its five weekly meetings (with two combined, of course) as another strand of evidence that this was the one true religion. We are unlike the churches of Christendon, the Watchtower declared, where members are nominal and "just" attend church on Sunday. Nowadays, the Witnesses are not thay far away from being top heavy with their own emerging nominalism.
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LostGeneration
I think there are three real reasons for them discontinuing the book study, all good ones if you are a high control religion.
1) Legal - Pedophelia risk - much easier for a sick pervert to commit a crime like this in a private home. I'm actually shocked that there aren't more known lawsuits from this happening. Maybe the WT has done a great job in settling these out of court, maybe they are still working their way through the legal system.
2) Apostasy- Way, way too easy for real "bible discussions" to break out either during or after the study, where actual bible texts are examined or discusssed.
3) Ease the burden on elders - I did this for a couple of years personally, conducting a bible study and also field service at least two Saturdays a month really pissed me off. I had to be "on task" every Tuesday, ready to lead the discussion. It sucked. Now elders have a turn every month or two, and only have a 1/2 study when looking at the time involved. The Wt realized they were burning through elders because they were basically slaves to this meeting, almost no way out, so they dropped it.
That being said, it was the most liked meeting. Even being the full blown "apostate" that I am today, my best memories of my years as a JW involve the intimacy of the Book study. Probably because it didn't have the WT bully breathing down its neck. I could conduct without a suit jacket if I felt like it. And who could complain about having desserts afterwards. Yep, the WT really knows how to suck the joy out of life.
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metatron
Has anyone noticed some C.O.'s encouraging the friends to have 'get togethers' recently?
I can't ever remember them encouraging this but recently, that's what I'm hearing. It may be getting through their thick skulls that congregations are dying in large part because of the lack of SOCIAL activity.
metatron
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gingerbread
Agreeing with the posts above. In addition, the home based 'book study' won't be reinstituted for the following reasons: it's convenient for the publishers, it encourages social interaction, it strengthens personal relationships and newly interested ones are more likely to attend (for the first time) an informal meeting.
But the single most important reason: the 'book study' arrangement in homes does not generate income for the congregation/organization.
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hoser
I really doubt if you could get people to go back to that. Now that they have the extra night I don't think many would like to give it up for another meeting.
But I am sure they are losing members because of not having it. There are 5 days between meetings now and it is sufficient time for the mind control to wear off.
hoser
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DATA-DOG
The GB should appoint me through the mail. Just skip the stupid MS and Go staright to Elders/GB member, ...I already partake so what the heck?!??!
I have this problem solved. Once the Conti case becomes public knowledge to all JW's and the Media, just send a letter to all congregations, stating that the cleansing, refining work, is still being done. This is evidence of Jehovah's blessing. He disciplines those he loves. Since these are the final part of the last days, Satan has been trying to infiltrate the Congregation as never before!
The GB are on top of the situation. Then they give a real apology..this would cement their position as Christ's brothers for decades. Then re-institute the book study arrangement. The times are sooo bad, and the end could come at any moment! The fact that Satan could 1) Infiltrate the Organization with wicked men/pedo's and 2) Manipulate the Judicial system, proves how dire the circumstances are!
Then simply choose uber-loyal Elders to host the book study. The final step is........
Every approved Elder will get one of these in the home. It goes straight to the Branch. The local congregation pays for the machine with donations, of course. The local needs talk will " suggest " a $5 minimum donation to make it practical. We can't be paying more for the transaction than we are raking in.
So.. fear-mongering+apology+book-study = treat night and happy dubs who contribute. The small book-study setting will increase the pressure to donate in front of everyone. Problem solved!!!
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blondie
They stilll have a "book study meeting"; it has just been moved to the same night as the school and service meeting. Three meetings on one night in the KH rather than the book study in some private homes on a separate night. The last congregation I attended had only had 2 out of 5 in a private home due to the lack of "appropriate" locations. Also it was hard to find enough elders to conduct at 5 locations....many worked out of town during the week. More and more MS doing it and then fewer and fewer "qualified" MS.
I think what people liked were the smaller groups, more time to get to know each other, treat nights, being able to "pick" who you spent time with.
I remember when the WTS called meetings for service "rendezvous." That ended in 5 months.
I remember when they read the paragraphs after the comments rather than before.
I remember a 15 minute intermission between the talk and the WT Study (that ended)
My grandparents went to the WT study on Sunday evenings after field service all day. There was not a public talk every week, not enough qualified speakers.
There were no book studies.
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lisaBObeesa
I believe they stopped the book studies in homes because many cities say if you have more than "X" number of people attending a private home bible study it becomes a 'church' and it violates codes for residential areas.
Basically they were forced to stop book study in homes, and tried to play it off like they made a choice to save the brothers' gas money.
if you google 'home bible study illegal' or the like you will see many examples of people cited and fined for this type of thing.