Jehovah's Witnesses no longer count time. How is this news affecting moral and meeting attendance at local congregations?

by Balaamsass2 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Balaamsass2

  No more Watchtower and Awake mags every 2 weeks to place. No private home Book Studies. No more "essential" spiritual food meals 5x a week. No more counting of time. Pioneering requirements lowered. Kingdom Halls essentially closed for three years. No conventions/assemblies for three years. Zoom meetings one can attend ...or...not... in pajamas with a cocktail. Another "Spirit Anointed" Governing Body ("Tight pants" boozer Tony Morris) member was booted from Bethel headquarters. Continuous begging for money. The end is still....just....around...and.... around the corner....NOT. And more inspired flip-flops.

  How is this affecting "still in" JWs you know? Does the local Kingdom Hall have any cars in the parking lots on Sundays? How many?

  An old JW (PIMO) friend called today to say his local San Francisco Bay Area halls are only 30% filled now, and he has heard the same from halls all over California. What are you seeing and hearing?
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  Ron.W.

  Yes, I was wondering how moral and attendance was in the kingdom halls.

  Have they managed to somehow put a positive spin on everything like they usually try to??
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  dropoffyourkeylee

  They just read the announcement for the first time yesterday at this hall (midwest US). It was not followed up by any discussion, he just read it and walked back to his seat. I looked around the audience for any reaction, but didn't see any. Kind of curious. I don't associate any with them, so I don't know if there was any conversation before or after.

  Generally people are kind of brain dead around here.
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  road to nowhere

  Word spread fast. The response has been to keep keeping on. They still give money to jeh
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  Rattigan350

  The word is "morale" - ": the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence, or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand"

  Morals have to do with the adhering to right or wrong.
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  Beth Sarim

  "They still give money to jey"

  LoL

  Sounds about right. Giving money to invisible people.
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  Journeyman

  How is this affecting "still in" JWs you know?
  

  I looked around the audience for any reaction, but didn't see any. Kind of curious.
  

  Word spread fast. The response has been to keep keeping on.

  This is the interesting thing, and the big change from how I remember things used to be years ago.

  Today, changes - even major ones - get barely any discussion among R&F from what I can tell. No buzz of excitement or desire to discuss what it means at length. I can remember we used to spend ages privately debating what each announced change, new release or new 'light' might mean and the implications or possibilities.

  Funnily enough, these days I see more interest, speculation and excitement - for good or bad - on here and among other exJWs online than among active JW publishers whenever a change happens in the organisation.

  I think that almost more than anything else shows how flat everything is now.

  As for the meetings, a good proportion of the R&F are no longer attending in person and choose to stay at home on Zoom (usually between 25-50% of the congregation). Barely any of those have their camera on or try to comment. I suspect in the UK, USA and much of Europe, as we go into winter, attendance will get worse.

  The change to reporting is just another nail in the coffin of any excitement or buzz that there used to be in congregations, as it will reduce the motivation and need for many to spend as much time supporting ministry groups, working with other publishers or getting up early on Saturday mornings, for example.
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  Dagney

  Oh to be a fly on the wall...
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  TonusOH

  If I was still in, I assume I'd have a muted reaction around the other JWs. But I'd be feeling pretty good about the new arrangement. I think a lot of them will continue to meet up for field service, but those numbers will dwindle and eventually they might make it a voluntary thing- why bother with door-to-door when you can reach out to anyone and get that all-important checkbox filled out for the month?
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  Diogenesister

  Journeyman Funnily enough, these days I see more interest, speculation and excitement - for good or bad - on here and among other exJWs online than among active JW publishers whenever a change happens in the organisation.

  😂😂Lol I can well believe it! There are a couple of witnesses I speak to very occasionally and they are only defensive toward most enquiries. My only good witness friend only seems to find things vaguely amusing - but then she always has (I think because she has a rich life outside the hall - a real career and good relationships with neighbours and non JW family).