by Vanderhoven7 68 Replies latest watchtower bible
"So what are members called now? Obviously not parishioners. Congregants? What is the word used by the WT for R&F witnesses?"
Lemmings: a person who follows the will of others, especially in a mass movement, and heads straight into a situation or circumstance that is dangerous, stupid, or destructive.
RB.
FRIENDS?
Here in the UK others in the congregation are usually called "brothers" or "brothers and sisters". However we hear the term "friends" used quite a lot these days, usually on US WT media. Thursday's video about a CO couple is typical, "The FRIENDS were there to meet us". It sounds so false.
George
NotFormer:
If u have a copy of the shepherding book --
I will not quote the many references eliminating the word"member" - but pubs are now called -
"individal, publisher, anyone" - those are the three designated labels now entered rather than "member" in this particular book - I would assume with the increasing legal woes due to child abuse that the org is now washed in, that the word "member" has been changed due to legalese and suits. This points the finger away from a "member".
However we hear the term "friends" used quite a lot these days, usually on US WT media. [...] It sounds so false.
Hear, hear! I hate that expression. "The friends" this, "the friends" that. Now that sounds a very 'culty' phrase to British ears!
It's sounds as false as the GB constantly saying "We all love you verrry much!" at the end of every broadcast! *shudder*
Yes. Everything is more "culty" all the time.
It's sounds as false as the GB constantly saying "We all love you verrry much!" at the end of every broadcast! *shudder*
This reminds me of Erich Mielke at end of the GDR: https://www.ddr-museum.de/en/blog/archive/erich-mielke
geico has sold its sprawling woodbury property for $27 million.
the buyer for the 236,365-square-foot office building on 20 acres at 750 woodbury road is the christian congregation of jehovah’s witnesses.
Does that sound like the Borg is going broke ?
I don`t think so.
Plenty of large companies have over-reached themselves with mergers or acquisitions of smaller companies, property or other assets even though their long-term balance sheets are weak, and many big names have gone on to fail shortly after doing so.
So again, just because the org may make an apparently sizeable purchase here and there, doesn't mean they are on solid financial footing.
If they are sensible, what they will do with this land purchase is use some of it for rental income, perhaps by leasing it for property development. Too often they've just purchased land for their own use, which is fine as a held asset, but has no real value unless and until it is sold, at which point it only generates a one-off income anyway. The real win is in generating a regular return, and the best chance of that is with leasing of land or property for commercial or residential use.
Also, in terms of long-term finance, if this is to build an assembly hall - as it seems from the info at https://jw-longisland.org - then it's probably with the intention of saving money on renting expensive corporate facilities in future (and possibly closing and selling off nearby kingdom halls).
Perhaps those who believe the org wants to move to being more like a 'mega-church' with a small number of large facilities rather than lots of smaller halls - at least in the USA - might be right after all? All those dozens of small, ageing halls must be building up a serious repair and maintenance backlog, which depends on a dwindling number of congregants to support with their voluntary labour. Better to centralise more, sell off those burdensome properties and merge remaining congregations. A smaller number of large congregations would also be easier to control, to spread the falling number of appointed men among, and would enable the org to cut the number of circuit overseers too.
For the new donation arrangement, here in the UK it is £5.40/pub/month.
So for 139,000 publishers that's over £9 million/year. Extrapolate that world wide.
George
