Is the midweek meeting the new bookstudy in regards to attendance? (page 2)

Gayle

Not enough of you lazy bastards are pioneering!

Regular pioneers have been increasing in most places. Aux. Pio, have definitely been decreasing; thus the special 1x annual 30 hr aux pio. provision which helps to skew their numbers on that.

I do not know how I ever made weeknight meetings once I had a job. That was when I had a job on the clock, so overtime was a rarity. Once I was salaried, it was way more hours (no extra overtime costs). Don't know how I could work until 6 or 6:30, go home (30-minute drive), cook, eat, find clothes, change into them, head to the meeting and get there by 7:30 (or was it 7:00 some nights?).

In fact, that's one of the things that made me inactive before I ever became "apostate". I hated being the center of attention coming in late. I discovered it was much easier to skip. So if I didn't make it in time, I turned around and went home or didn't even go if I was really late.

I wonder if they relaxed or eliminated the dress code, if it would improve their attendance. That coming home to get changed was always an extra step, unless you work in a suit. Which these days is becoming less and less common. If I didn't have to come home, I could grab a bite on the way to the hall.

The book study was actually that way and closer to home (1/2 mile) than the hall. I could go business casual, even skipping a tie at our book studies (basically what I wore to work). The meetings at the hall required suits as the norm so they took more prep.

hijosdelawatch

At least where I live, that's the case. Brothers are complaining about the midweek meeting being so boring.

I saw the attendance records in my congregation and when we had 3 meetings a week, the School and the Service Meeting had an average of:

2007 96%

2008 93%

Those were good numbers, although declining but look at what happened after the introduction of the new midweek meeting arrangement:

2009 87%

2010 83%

2011 76%

These are % of publishers. In fact, since we had a decreasing in the number of publishers (almost 15 moved away) the numbers look very bad. The last time we had the CO visit it was his main pont during the visit.

Finkelstein

Not surprising they would come out and impose guilt onto people, the WTS. has been doing that for over 100 years,

it supports the workings of this publishing house on so many grounds, their literature distribution and proliferation.

The imposing guilt of not pioneering enough has been going on realistically for as long as the WTS. has been in existence.

cuckoo in the nest

It's just another part of their relentless, ongoing campaign to keep the rank & file dubs doing theocratic BS, rather than doing other things they might discover are actually more worthwhile or enjoyable. They have to jerk the leash that little bit harder, every time.

steve2

One of the main points was mid week meeting attendance. Apparently the attendance is very low. It reminded me of how very few went to the book study and they used to complain about it.

Yes, historically the book study was the least well attended of all the meetings - perhaps another reason why it was ditched. Their mistake was not anticipating that it would inadvertently signal that meeting attendance was not as important as it had once been - because if it were important you don't go eliminating a meeting, do you brothers? Duh!).

Now, with this message of one-less weekly meeting, the growing band of slackers have become more likely to miss the mid-week meetings as well. The attendance rot spreads.....

NOLAW

Announcements merged, no greetings allowed from visiting-tourists brothers, and you expect to have attendance?

bobld

Right on, low attendance.About family worship night,I for one could not figure out why they called it

a loving provision for the faithful slave.I believe you should worship God every day and read the bible

every day.Not by some rule of some men in N.Y.

hoser

Emery

Yeah sitting there and reading the opinions of a bunch of social outcasts for an hour and a half is totally better than watching Thursday NFL football.

Is the midweek meeting the new bookstudy in regards to attendance?