Where has all the money gone? (page 5)

brandnew

What on the way out said........n stuff.

berrygerry

I think the Borg leaders reacted much the same way after 2008. The money from their stock and real estate investments was gone so they started selling off first branches then new York properties to stay afloat until the economy got better. When it did they thought they could go back to business as usual thats why they made statement about so much growth and new building to go on in the future a year ago or so. But then it's like some one from accounting sat these clowns down and showed them that the investment money hasn't come back and the donation money is just a small percentage of what they used to get. This accountant maybe an outside firm then showed them that the glory days we're over religion as a whole is dieing in the western world and people do to inflation are not going to donate as much any more. So its like this accounting firm said your done now make the most of what you can in the near future and then if you want to try to squeeze more out of their dead cold hand you may be able to but don't bother investing or spending to much in any part of your religion that doesn't get you a return on investment. So no more paying missionarys ,special pioneers, etc because no ones joining from outside the borg and if they are thier to poor to make us any money. Let's down size to reduce costs as much as possible so we can continue to ride this gravy train for a few more years.

A year ago, I would have disagreed with this - but with all of the cutbacks, it really looks like they have legitimate problems.

Cannot wait for the 2016 Yearbook, if they dare to print real stats.

Problem with WT that it run business model established by Knorr fit for 1950's style corporation instead a modern IT driven world. Printing and publishing is obsolete way to distribute information in the 2015. Brochures and books are no more the primary mean of communication even in 3rd world countries where everyone has access to Facebook. WT will need to come with different model, and they will. They are around for 140 years spreading nonsense.

Vidiot

@ Crazyguy...

I'm torn between believing your scenario completely (because it makes a lot of sense)...

...and rejecting it completely because I have a hard time imagining guys like Anthony Morris III or Stephen Lett willingly listening to that kind of thing without their heads exploding like that guy in Scanners.

The Big Machine

I can't see the Watchtower saying that there's more funds going out than in like they did in the May broadcast unless that were actually true. They have to know that kind of soliciting would have angered a lot of people. I think there is a problem and we will see tithing similar to the Mormons. Tithing would wake a lot of people up.

tim3l0rd

I don't think they will tithe on an individual level, but I think we will see them pressure the elders to pass resolutions to tithe on a congregation level. They already are after having the mortgages "forgiven", but I could see them pressuring the COs to pressure the elders to up their congregation tithes. Then when the congregation cannot pay the monthly amount, it'll be up to the elders to have a local needs about donations. The flip side of this is that, as the congregation tithing amount increases, the R&F will decrease donations directly to the World Wide Work thinking that the congregation is covering that now.

DesirousOfChange

A family member who is an active MS told me last night that the CO basically instructed the Elders as to how much of a monthly contribution was "expected" from them. He also said that there were rumors of another nearby Cong closing. (That would be #4 this year.)

Doc

steve2

Oftentimes the organization adopts practices, if not beliefs, that ape teachings of Christendom - but uses different rationales and language.

Take the example of "the Rapture" which the organization has zig-zagged on across the decades. Now, it has virtually stated belief in the Rapture without using that label or language.

Not dissimilarly, I would expect an arrangement for stipulating specified sums of money that would be akin to tithing - but not be called tithing and being bolstered by different reasons than used by churches.

Where has all the money gone?