DwainBowman,
Interesting developments. I'm wondering if they have these new requirements because they are realizing that they have many more mature witnesses waking up to their BS, including a list of elders that will continue to post the Letters to the Elders before they are even available to most elders, etc?
If they make it more demanding to participate in the LDC then only the most devoted hypnotised will participate. They mentioned in their original talk, introducing the LDC, that they were going to eliminate people like Gideon did down to 300 men, "to show that Jehovah is behind their work".
Another thing is, maybe they realize that the majority of their RBC workers are aging and the younger ones are not replacing them. So drastically cut the participants and lean out the workers make the die off of workers seem less.
I know this,... I have relatives working on the Warwick project that are in their mid 60's, if the WTBTS needs your skills it doesn't matter how old you are, they will roll out the red carpet and do whatever they need to love bomb you so that you will stay to build their retirement home. If your wife is elderly and can't work a full week, then she can work two days. Remember they said that anyone over 50? could not work at Warwick? Well, evidently that is not set in stone orrrrrr, the whole truth.