I was talking to one of my customers about the newly replaced Kingdom Hall on Westminster Highway in Richmond, B.C. She does not know I used to be a Witness. She was telling me how the labour is all donated and they only pay for the materials. I suggested that they do not really own the Kingdom Hall, but rather, it is owned by the Society. She said "...technically the Landsdowne Congregation owns it..." What is that supposed to mean? I did not get into it. Does the congregation have documents proving their ownership or is this just in her mind, thinking, ".. it's our Kingdom Hall, we must own it.."?
...Technically the congregation owns it...
by Esse quam videri 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Esse quam videri
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Darkknight757
I think the Society owns all the kingdumb halls. In most cases, the build is funded through a loan from the society.
How could they (the society) sell it behind their backs when money is tight if they DON'T own it?
If I remember right they tell the congregants that they do not have a loan but they have to pay for that hall forever under the new arrangement.
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blondie
Here in the US, the congregation that holds the assigned door to door territory the KH sits on are the ones who select 3 trustees (elders in that congregation) who administer any legal processes required by local and national government. No one owns it. If the congregation is dissolved, the WTS talks over trusteeship of the land and property, and any funds.
(see nonprofit religious corporations under the US Tax Law)
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Lostandfound
Is the saga of Menlo Park about who owned that hall?
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stuckinarut2
The new worldwide arrangement that came in a few years back is that NO individual congregation owns a hall.
The titles are held and owned by the local branch offices.
The branch took on the debt if any was remaining and "forgave the loan" to the individual congregation. But if that cong had paid off their loan already, it didnt matter. ALL congregations must pay a monthly fee regardless of whether their hall was paid off or not.
It is like having your mortgage paid off, and yet having to still pay off a loan forever anyway!
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Brokeback Watchtower
I think that the reason for the WT corporation to forgive all congregation loans for KH was that technically they are not qualified legally to be in the money loaning business that charge interest and secondly they own the KH even though the congregation forms a corporation with local elders and special by-laws (that give all control to the WT) so that basically they own it and receive the money if it is sold. I'm sure their is something very illegal about the whole thing and forced the GB to forgive all loans.
I think the removing all contribution box designations for specific funds has ceased and now pretty much everything is labeled for the worldwide work which gives them less book keeping head aches and allows them to use the money for what ever.
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Finkelstein
She said "...technically the Landsdowne Congregation owns it.
The Congregations used to own the KHs and land through a trust arrangement within each Congregation in the past but new arrangements are that the Title to the KH and land were handed over to the Branch Headquarters, in this case the Canadian branch.
Most JWS in the Congregations do not know of who really owns "Legally" the KH and land which they attend.
.......and there is a reason for that
When it was realized by the WTS heads how valuable real estate was and how having the Tittles to Kingdom Halls were, they made an aggressive move to take over those Titles.
Brainwashed ignorant drones don't think objectively, its demeaned in Religious cults such as the JWS.
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Brokeback Watchtower
I'm thinking that they were breaking non profit charity laws by making the congregation pay back loans with the WT corporation for property they technically own,, there has got to be a law about scamming people this way especially if your using charity status to conceal the scam. Some kind of law that demands honesty of a charity and for it to be truthful to its contributors.
So I'm thinking the canceling of all congregation loans was an effort to prevent corruption charges in the future because they we in violation of the law in the way they were fleecing these congregations.
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scratchme1010
"...technically the Landsdowne Congregation owns it..." What is that supposed to mean?
My guess is what she means is that she's very confident that the "Society" is never going to evict them. That is true... until some "new light" comes up that tells them to get packing.
Remember, many JWs blindly trust every single thing that the WT says and does. She's not going to believe that the WT has an entire real estate empire, making gazzilions of money from all the KHs that were turned over to them.
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The Searcher
From the Britain Branch letter to all Bodies of Elders: November 1st 2016 -
3. Ownership: Each Kingdom Hall is dedicated to the worship of Jehovah. Whether the property title, or deed, is held in the name of a local corporation or trustee arrangement or it is held in the name of a legal entity managed by the branch office, no congregation should conclude that it "owns" the Kingdom Hall. However, it is the responsibility of the congregations using the property to care for it and see that it is used in harmony with Kingdom interests.
"Clarifies" the situation in no uncertain terms for any potential rebel elders/congregations.