Are we seeing the beginning of the end for Kingdom Halls?

by nicolaou 35 Replies latest jw friends

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  nicolaou

  Doesn't seem possible does it? After all, " At this time, over 13,000 Kingdom Hall projects and 35 Assembly Hall projects are needed worldwide. "

  Hmmm, not too sure about that but all the recent re-branding seems to be heading . . . . somewhere. Could this be the long game? Splintering the congregations into old style 'groups' that meet in private homes? Not a winding up of the Society but a massive shift in its dynamic? A 1st Century 'type' could easily be invoked and only Assembly Halls would be retained to host what would become a much more prominent Spiritual Festival.

  Imagine what the Watchtower Society wants to see 10 or 20 years down the road. Assets turned to cash, liability reduced to almost zero, administration slashed . . .

  No, they'd never dare to officially shut up shop and close the organisation down but, squeeze the rank and file for contributions for a couple of decades then cash in big time.

  If membership plummets? Who cares?

  

  "At that time, the life-saving direction that we receive from Jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint. All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not"
• 

  TTATTelder

  I think that would be a worst case scenerio type thing.

  If they can grow the empire by flipping properties and creating income streams they will.

  -TE
• 

  lriddle80

  That quote means that this is all leading to something terrible!
• 

  hoser

  I'd be willing to bet they will close a lot of non conforming Kingdom Halls and make the dubs travel.
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  nicolaou

  It's a long shot of course, I only wonder if this new Governing Body have an agenda completely different from their predecessors . . .
• 

  BackseatDevil

  What is "needed" and what is going to happen are not even remotely in the same realm.

  It's basic fundraising advert - "We need _____ and your donations will help us achieve that" is used from starving children in Africa to the bloated bellies of religion.
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  Theredeemer

  That quote always gives me chills!
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  DATA-DOG

  Notice they say "projects" not KH's. There is a difference. I don't know what is going on, but in my are they are merging halls. Because of overcrowding they are forming another Congo. Now there will be 4 buildings, each with 3 Congos sharing the building. This is not happening because of growth, but because on dubs moving in and over crowding certain KH's by territory jumping.

  Now think about this. The new donation arrangement turning into a DC style financial report. The Eldubs say, " Bros, we had X amount donated. Our KH expenses were Y. We have a deficit of Z." Now the Congo increases it's donations. All the while they fail to realize that the same BS is being done in each Congo for THE SAME building!

  DD
• 

  Vidiot

  nicolau - "Are we seeing the beginning of the end for Kingdom Halls?"

  Well, from what Barb Anderson is suggesting, the WTS JWorg is trying to rebrand itself as an "e-religion".

  Streaming internet sermons from the GB can't be that far off; how hard would it be to just watch 'em from home? And since the latest gambit will place ownership (and thusly saleability) of all the KHs into the WTS's hands, what the hell would an "e-religion" need them for?

  Sell the Halls off when the lawyers and accountants advise 'em to, and justify the action to the R&F by saying, "remember when we told you to trust us when we gave you instructions that seemed weird from a human standpoint?"...

  They're "managing" the WTS's inevitable decline whilst saving face (and just maybe avoiding the fragmentation experienced by the WCG).
• 

  twice shy

  The greater number has cooled off as Jehovah speeds up the preaching work by using the internet to supply spiritual food.

  Since meetings will then occur once a week we will need fewer halls, but bigger assembly halls.

  There will no longer be a need for the service meeting and/or school because everyone can use the internet at home.

  Now the one hall will be used 7 days a week. We don't have to meet just on Sunday so we can efficently have 21 congregations meet in one hall with 3 different congregation meetings daily.

  The Regions are bigger than the districts because the attendance at the districts are decreasing Not increasing here in the USA.

  People will eventually catch on to witnesses being recylced to other halls. Not new meat. The old being repackaged or disguised as new.