Some thoughts on the new midweek meeting

by Saltheart Foamfollower 55 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Saltheart Foamfollower

  The new midweek meeting has been running for a month now. Here are my thoughts on how it is going so far:

  1) Elders are looking frazzled from being on virtually every meeting and having to prepare unfamiliar formats for items. The congregation isn't much better.

  2) The talks/demos are already boring and repetitive - are they really going to have first call/return visit/bible study every week?

  3) There is no longer any room for any form of individualism - even the questions are assigned for the bible reading - it is like having an oral review every week. The only meeting with any non-scripted comments now is the public talk. How long till that gets cancelled?

  How's everyone else finding the new meeting?

  SF
  
• 

  TimDrake1914

  Ditto. Although most probably enjoy the fact that they don't even have to prepare like they used to. I'm sure some love the push towards dumbing things down.
• 

  sparrowdown

  I think the most important observation you make is "there is no longer any room for any form of individualism.."

  Whatever individualism we think we have as JWs is illusory anyway, but even what little opportunity there was for personal application of material is going, going gone.

  I think that's exactly the GB's intention. Do not go off script.
• 

  sir82

  People were all hepped up at the first one 3 weeks ago. It was like a high school pep rally. Attendance was well over 100% of publisher count. Everybody showed up. Everybody raised their hands to comment.
  

  This week, it was a lot more subdued. Attendance was right back to normal, about 75%. Participation was back to the same dozen or so publishers, over & over & over again.
  

  Well, that went downhill fast!
  

  I agree, week after week of the same 3 depressingly boring demos will get old very quickly. At least on the old TMS, there was variety, and it was entertaining to see how you could twist a talk on "Oholiab" or "Zerubabbel" into something approaching remote modern day relevance.

  The parts are more scripted and thus, of course, more boring (hard to imagine how that would have been possible, but there you go).

  As with every new "exciting" change the WTS rolls out, there is initial enthusiasm, followed quickly by acceptance and boredom. No one even cares any more about the "special campaigns" for the Memorial or regional conventions, because everyone sees how they are completely & utterly ineffective failures. Same thing will come to pass with the CLAM - by April it will (yet another) boring routine.
  
• 

  cofty

  it was entertaining to see how you could twist a talk on "Oholiab" or "Zerubabbel" into something approaching remote modern day relevance

  Priceless!

  I agree. A lot of talks were terrible but at least they were individual and reflected the personalities of local people.
• 

  sparrowdown

  Care Less Accept More - ???
• 

  Darkknight757

  I haven't been to the new meeting in person yet this year but I did listen a few times over the phone. It's like listening to a train wreck. The brothers are for the most part completely frazzled and sound like blundering idiots. The first talk is absolutely boring as all hell and the demos are sleepers.

  Taking any last bit of individuality out of the meeting killed it dead.
• 

  LevelThePlayingField

  I absolutely hate the new meeting format. I'm glad this discussion was brought up. You are right. There is no room for individual thought. Well, I take that back. There is two questions during the first part of the meeting where you can raise your hand during the bible highlights, if that's what it's still called. But in my congregation, that's all that gets called on is two people. Two questions, so two comments and that's it. The rest of the meeting is stale popcorn. I really think the whole thing sucks.

  I've never really gone to the meetings and hated them until now. I just seems like we're all over the place. And I can't stand it. If it wasn't for my in wife I would not be there at all.
• 

  Beth Sarim

  This new ''CLAM'' as it's called, the new meeting. It is painfully boring and absolutely no room for individualism. Much less room to give ''own'' comments, other than the Bible Study at the end. A lot of parroting.
• 

  Tech49

  Gone are the days when a brother (or sister for that matter) could write up a talk and make it go anywhere they wanted. Brothers especially, with years of experience, could use 5 minutes to bring out some really unique and thought-provoking points that could benefit everyone.

  Now, not ever. Not going to happen. The Ministry School is gone. Teaching people, and learning to speak publicly... gone. Nothing of substance exists anymore. It's all parroting and repetition:. Do it this way, demo the leaflet, I mean magazine (not 2 anymore), pretend to have an RV, watch a video, answer the paragraphs from the paragraph. Oh, and here's another video. YAY!!! So encouraging!!..... Now let's follow along with our "Bible Study" from the Faithful book, about things that might have, could have, probably did, and evidently took place. Now that we are thru that horror, lets sing this new song that sounds like a kids cartoon commercial from Sesame Street ---- facepalm---
  

  The new meeting format is just embarrassing. And as was mentioned, all this hype was over at week 2.