WTS Rich or Hurting for $$$

Zeds Dead

Seen a few discussions asking if the WTS are hurting for $$ or still sitting on a mountain of gold.

Regardless of their child abuse legal fees and ongoing broadcasting for more dough, I believe they have piles and piles of cash.

Talked with a Diff'd accountant who sat in the accounting dept. at the conventions for years.

A football stadium (or the like) costs them about $70 - 90,000 to rent for a 3 day Dub show. They take in $400,000 in donations from the R&F. Now times that by a hundred dub shows in the USA alone.

Think you can do the math!

I believe you may be correct. I believe the concern now is long term sustainability. Been able to stay a float financially and membership wise is the issue. Sure they are bringing in all this money but no one (all be it the upper tear) really knows what's going out. I would suggest by their behaviour that this organisation is showing signs that things arnt well or its certainly an organisation that is different to the one I knew 30 years ago where it's international foot print was seen as God's blessing.

Crazyguy

They sold off many of thier buildings in New York so no thier not hurting anymore. They have also downsized costs. Now it's about long term survival for them. You can tell someone is running the show that's not the GB. I think thier biggest concern is falling membership. Most countries don't have the money to give and the US members are becoming poorer and poorer.

The number of US members that are of Latin decent and probably illegals are becoming the major population of jws in the coming years. So in the end it's about falling numbers of members that's driving thier decisions. I bet they have less then 4 million adult baptized members that are actually in a position to give money if they wish. 4 million and falling!

never a jw

They reached their peak. The may even be at their peak right now. However, from here on is downhill all the way, membership and finances. The only thing to speculate about is how long this is going to last.

Chook

Most are failing to see that if you have 8 million adherents, who were encouraged not to have kids, then theses ones leave their estates, as we know these millions now living have died and the jackpot is WT slush fund. I know a lot of JW are poor, but plenty married into wealth or inherited it from some relatives. JWs don't send around a plate at the hall because they want more than what the dish holds.

LV101

Good one, Chook, re/the collection plate. The ole cult wants your life and your loot - crooks!

ZAPPA-ESQUE

I don't think the sell-offs have anything to do with potential costs of lawsuits from Pedo cases - Were all the pedo cases to be revealed in one glorious moment of Apocalysis and All the victims commenced legal proceedings at the same time ...................no ...its not the case...imho !

But membership fall-off could be a factor.

I had reason to discuss the construction programme taking place at the South African Bethel - just this morning with someone [South Africa - where I am located] And this Bethel is now a major campus - it seems to be going balls to the wall there!

Otherwise the GB are just highly deluded and convinced of the imminence of the Big-BuggerUp ....or there is some strange "Third Force" factor at play ????

http://jw-branchoffices.blogspot.co.za/p/branch-expansion-south-africa.html

Vidiot

Asset rich, sure.

Revenue flow? Not so much.

AnonVet

Your math is quite off. 1 million JWs in USA divided by 100 assemblies leaves 10000 attenders per "football stadium".

$400,000 divided by 10,000 attenders is $40 per person.

Not plausible.

careful

Z-E, thanks for the link. It indeed looks like they are focusing on just one or two bethels on each continent. Two in Europe and N. America, one in Asia (?--Japan?), one in Africa (S. Africa?). If someone could correct these numbers and locations, I'd appreciate it.