"The end of the preachingwork is here... TODAY!"

DeWandelaar

Well... not yet (it was just a thing that was bugging my brains today). BUT it might actually be going that way still. Why?

Do you remember as a child or teenager that every time we preached and asked when it would stop the answer would be: "till Jehovah tells us it is no longer necessary"?

The amount of literature is dropped... there are no old bibles... they sell all kind of keylocations all across the globe etc etc etc ... all money is getting centered to one spot one way or another.

Also... if shit is gonna happen worldwide (maybe a "normal" world war or something) it is actually not a strange thought that one day soon they may announce something like the following:

Brothers and sisters... we have now officially preached till the end of the world... armageddon is coming this very moment... we stop the presses and all kingdom activities since from now on it is in heavens hands... we see your sorry asses in the new world and will contact you then...

It would be the perfect excuse to make an exit for them.

wallsofjericho

Never

its not about reaching people, its about keeping the members busy.

Witness My Fury

Yep, it's just "busy work" and I think also to reinforce the cult programming about doing Big Js will as well as the persecution complex it evokes.

laverite

It's all about busy work, keeping them obedient, and CONTROL.

Doubting Bro

Right it is about busy work and control. As long as they are making a profit on whatever literature they are producing, they will continue. I honestly think that they will change it over time to just be the distribution of tracts. I think the next phase is the discontinuing of the public WT and only have the Awake offered to the public.

You have to keep the service piece because 1) you use it to measure a person's devotion to the religion (ie - appoint ms/elders based on the time spent), 2) gives women a place in the organization since pioneer is really the only thing they are allowed to do and 3) allows you to identify people who may be wavering based on their hours.

It's highly ineffective for making new converts but every effective for measuring and controling the flock. Until they come up with something else that accomplishes that purpose, there's no way they drop the "preaching" work.

LongHairGal

DeWandelaar:

No such luck.

I think the preaching work is a visible yardstick or a "prop" by which to judge how "faithful" people in the congregation are. If they just so happen to find an interested person here and there that is a bonus.

If the religion really had a lifesaving message, it would use the media.

The religion also does not want to totally give up public preaching because it is their claim to "fame" and a trademark of sorts. They are afraid if they stop, people may wonder if the JWs have given up. So, they will always have some visible presence. Now, they have those literature carts around.

I also get a sense that things are changing in some congregations and there might be a new "norm". There seems to be not so much of a stress on going out in service as much as in the past but that more sisters are being diverted into doing favors for certain ones in the halls and this is how a lot of their time is taken up.