Are They Cynically Shutting Down The Organization?

by metatron 112 Replies latest jw friends

  • dozy
    dozy

    Interesting comments & analysis.

    I just get the impression of an organisation that is seriously running out of cash but is in something of a denial about it ( perhaps a disbelief born out of a stubborn belief that they are "Jehovah's organisation" & he will make sure they are ok ). It is just a classic textbook situation where the management of a corporate entity are in an ivory tower & have a bunker mentality. The GB are just surrounded by yes men telling them how everything is wonderful while the organisation just slowly bleeds to death.

    The press releases & reasons given for closing branches & reducing magazine sizes would seem to indicate this. Also the comment by the GB that they are building a new hq but aren't sure whether this is God's will or not would imply this as well - it has all the hallmarks of the WTBTS accountants telling the GB that there really isn't enough financing in place for this project and the GB just scratching their ( collective ) heads & backsides & wondering what to do. Firesales of properties at vastly reduced prices & mothballing of facilities all over the world are a sign of this as well.

    The WTBTS only have themselves to blame for this shambles. In hindsight they have made two dreadful strategic errors. By demonising further education they have ensured that overall their membership has much lower net income than the general population & aren't in a position to bankroll the society like the membership of other religious groups. They really didn't need to do this - it has no scriptural basis & religions that have even nuttier beliefs than JWs ( such as Scientologists & Mormons ) still manage to recruit & retain graduates. And they should have come to some kind of settlement with the governments rather than scrapping payment for literature at source , thus drastically reducing ( by some estimates over 50% ) their income from literature sales.

    The real concern for the WTBTS is that there is a massive cash crunch ( perhaps yet another major paedophile lawsuit ) & the society are really screwed. What on earth do they do if bailiffs are suddenly appearing at the doors at Brooklyn or Patterson? How on earth do they explain that to the rank & file? Persecution? Surely most of the R & F aren't going to buy that.

  • jookbeard
    jookbeard

    I believe something along these lines will happen within the next few years, the whole doctrinal makeup is simple running out of time, but I believe there would have to be some substantial drain in thier membership to make this viable, whilst they even post growth rates in low single figures in the major developed nations they will still plod along, I believe also that DC's in vast sports stadiums must be next for the chop and making all local congs print their own litertrash.

  • Aussie Oz
    Aussie Oz

    I wouldn't think they will shut down the organization. Well, maybe the WTBTS Corporation but the jehovahs witnesses will still be there. The faithful will want to be led and a new corporation could be created that fills that need.

    I think there could well be a Rutherfordish coup again, that one was accomplished on shaky legal technicalities and it forced out men who no doubt were true believers, it can happen again I am sure. Will they bargain on a big loss? Sure, and i think that will suit them just fine and dandy. They clearly do not want to grow, they went from the leader of the pack as evangelizers to the bottom of the pile by staying with outdated methods, on purpose, IMO.

    I think the ultimate direction is downsize EVERYTHING including numbers. Those who will not follow the new regeme will be labelled apostates and be considered good riddance by the remaining faithfull.

    The way is open for them to declare the preaching work 'done to god's satisfaction', the small number of rank and file that stay loyal will sit back and wait out the new wave of so called persecution, not realizing that the persecution is fake. Spin will eliminate even more Bethels and It wouldn't surprise me at all for even Australia to lose its. The new name corporation will declare that jehovah no longer wants the magazines printed on paper and indeed a new name is to be given them as well.

    Connect every trusted head of the local congregation into a data base run from NY and have that guy print off whatever they are told to and there is no longer a need for ANY representaion other than a few special visits from one of the popes evey now and then.

    Perhaps eventually there will be no Bethels anywhere and it will all come from the secure compound at Paterson via the internet and word of mouth heavies in each country that direct underlings to keep the R&F in a state of giving cash and in constant fear of more persecution. They will be kept busy by trying to be subversive to ex members, and maybe even go back to burying caches of cherished literature (what may be left) like we did in 1974.

    Life will go on as per normal, they will live in society as they do now. Just with a more 'persecuted quietly and suspicious mindset'. Closed gates and no window kingdom halls like the exclusive bretheran. More control will be demanded and they will go more cultish yet.

    They can do anything they like with the pawns in the game, just by invoking 'new light', 'apostasy' and 'jehovah's blessing'.

    koolaid indeed.

    Oz

  • John_Mann
    John_Mann

    {...now that they are the FDS, they pull some of the tricks that the Mormons have pulled, such as having major "revelations" that turn some of their long-standing positions a complete 180º...}

    Pull the strink! Pull the strink! (In a Bela Lugosi fashion)

    Now they are the exclusive direct channel to Jehoovah! In a little while they will use this new power and make some changes!

    BEVARE!

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot

    The proprosed complex upstate is their little ark/masada.

  • Doubting Bro
    Doubting Bro

    The reactionary moves of the last 20 years lead me to believe that there is no faceless, shadow group running the WTS. If there is, they are the worst business men in the world. The organization lurches from point to point like a ship without a captain. I think the GB makes the decisions and they are surrounded by uncreative yes men who tell them what they want to hear. The legal department chimes in when necessary, although I'm not sure they're always listened to.

    I'm as cynical a person as there is but they are too inept to be anything but misguided true believers who believe they have been selected by God to lead his people.

    I could fix the business fairly easily and suggest in addition to some of the good ideas above:

    1 - Institute tithing

    2 - Greatly reduce printing operations including moving KMs and WT study articles digital format in countries where it makes sense. Move as much to digital as possible in 1 st world countries and reduce 3 rd world printings to basics. Eliminate the public WT.

    3 – Drop the shunning and DF’ing policy, it costs too much to enforce in terms of donations. Better to keep bad JWs on the tithing rolls than to kick them out. Also, not having people confess their sins would protect the WTS from pedophile lawsuits. If they don’t know about it, they can’t be expected to act.

    4 – Amend the door to door work to only pioneers and create a new pioneer category that is for say 15 a month people. You still want recruiting to keep the illusion of a world wide successful preaching work but you eliminate a big bulk of printed material. Also, amend door to door to be like the Mormons where they give you a tract and direct you to their website. Again cuts down on materials. Finally, charge for the literature that is ordered and pay any local taxes that are necessary. You just add the tax on to the purchase, it’s not that hard.

    5 – Amend the blood policy to conscious matter to defuse the potential liability.

    6 – Have local elders elected by the congregation. Again, eliminate the liability link to the mothership.

    7 – Turn the new facility in Warwick into a small private college similar to BYU.

    If the organization were run from a business prospective, you could see that some of these changes could be made and there would be a master plan to do them. As it is, they seem to be going on the whims of the GB and it shows.

  • sir82
    sir82

    BB's ideas would keep the organization running smoothly for at leat another 100 years.

    Fortunately, the WTS is just too plain dumb to implement any of it, with the possible exception of items 1 & 2.

  • Hermano
    Hermano
    The reactionary moves of the last 20 years lead me to believe that there is no faceless, shadow group running the WTS. If there is, they are the worst business men in the world. The organization lurches from point to point like a ship without a captain. I think the GB makes the decisions and they are surrounded by uncreative yes men who tell them what they want to hear.

    I'm with Doubting Bro. They're a bunch of mindless believers who are committed to an ideology they've been taught not to question. How do you learn when you've been taught to fear knowledge? They're stuck in their own web. How can they realize their doctrines/actions don't make sense when their doctrine tells them to believe even when it seems to make no sense?

  • Cagefighter
    Cagefighter

    I have addressed this is previous threads. They are "decentralizing" the command structure. In 10 years they will not have any control over the individual congos. They will simply publish and sell the mags, books, etc.. to the congos that wish to purchase and use them. They will probably school and train circuit overseers, pioneers, elders, etc... and "ordain" them for a small fee of course.

    The congos will be free to join and make confernces or "circuits" and hire the circuit overseer of their choosing. They've ridden this pony as long as they can and they know it.

  • solomon
    solomon

    doubting bro said

    I think the GB makes the decisions and they are surrounded by uncreative yes men who tell them what they want to hear.

    I think this is the winner. Most corporations suffer this. The problem lies with who is promoted in their organization. Workers are not promoted based on intellegence or creativity. The exact opposite is true. People are promoted based on their ability to follow instructions and to obey.

    General motors, Chrysler many many corporations come to a point in time where the people running the show are just followers and the whole business has to be restructured to survive or it will go broke. The entrepenuers who started the business are long dead and people afraid or unwilling to make the hard decisions are in charge. Whisleblowers are fired.

    The largest challenge is staying relevent and profitable in a changing business climate. What worked 50 years ago no longer works. Today, things change so fast that what worked 1 or 2 years ago is no longer profitable.

    Private companies have a hard time existing past the 3rd generation. Most of them cease to exist at this point. This is where the Watchtower is today. The innovators in this religion are long gone. They surrounded themselves with yes man followers unable to make any significant changes. The door to door salesman business model of the 1900's doesn't work in the internet age. It will be interesting to see what they have to do to survive.

    One company that will be interesting to watch is Apple. Now that Steve Jobs is no longer with us, will they be able to survive or will they end a slow painful death like so many other tech companies.

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