Hello again. I'm just catching up with this thread. I started it last week while on vacation. Yeah it sucks that when I should be excited about seeing Mickey Mouse, I'm in the shower speculating about the future of the JW's. So it goes. I just wanted to put it in writing before I forgot so I could "mark it for later".
Someone asked about the Society owning Kingdom Halls. What I said was that they were the "de facto owner" of the Kingdom Halls. What I meant was that the Society's name is not on the deed, but due to organizational changes they have the ability to seize and sell Kingdom Halls through the local elder body. If the elder body doesn't go along with the scheme they can be removed and replaced with one that will cooperate. There is more to this that can be found by examining a real case. Google "Menlo Park Jehovah's Witnesses" or "Menlo Park Lawsuit" to get started. With even more recent changes in how Kingdom Halls are financed and the loss of autonomy, I'm anticipating an acceleration of congregation consolidation and Kingdom Halls sales, especially in real estate markets with high return.
Let's talk about this new Governing Body. Unlike their predecessors, these men want to be first and foremost in the hearts and minds of Jehovah's Witnesses. During the coup of the 1980's that saw the end of the president as lord-commander and organizational figurehead, the newly empowered governing body was content to operate more in the background. This was especially true when the GB stopped holding cooperate office. After that JW's did not have a strong leader like in the days of Russell, Rutherford, or Knorr/Franz.
This new Governing Body is a different beast. The trend started with them getting more face time in the publications. Next they started popping up in the videos, with special attention given to spotlight each of them, if only for a few seconds. They changed doctrine so that they alone were the Faithful & Discreet Slave and even wrote themselves into Bible prophecy as an "overlapping generation". Next, they opened up the annual meeting so that the rank & file could hear their talks via video streaming. This provided another opportunity for them to write themselves into JW history, by putting their own stamp on one of the Organization's proudest achievements, the New World Translation. Now at conventions the GB is getting even more facetime by giving talks through a video feed.
I don't think it is far off to expect that the new Governing Body could rebrand the religion just as Rutherford did in 1931. As others have observed, it appears that "JW.ORG" is the chosen brand. Going with this would have the same affect as the updated NWT. It both modernizes and helps to write the new GB into the annals of JW history. (Even if they don't go this route, I'm going to suggest that it would be a good shorthand on forums like this to describe this Internet-age version of Jehovah's Witnesses which is increasingly distinct from the past incarnations.)
It would be fitting because the Internet is gradually rendering tradtional publishing irrevelant which is bad news for a religion that grew out of a publishing enterprise. The downsizing of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines really mirrors what is going on throughout publishing industry. You may have seen your local newspaper getting smaller. Ebook sales are growing while paper book sales are diminishing. The GB are following the exact same trend, by scaling back traditional printing and betting more on JW.ORG.
I'm going to be bold and suggest that the preaching work will trend likewise. We are already seeing that the focus of the preaching work has moved more from selling magazines and books to distributing free tracts and coming soon, promoting JW.ORG. Stands and storefronts are popping up focused on JW.ORG. If this is the direction the preaching work is going than it will be mean less boots on the ground. They simply don't need a door-to-door sales force of millions anymore. Millions of Jehovah's Witnesses are at risk of becoming redudant, just like the Bethlites, special pioneers, district overseers, and others that are being retired every year. And who gets the cushy job working in the JW store or booth? The most loyal special pioneers and exemplarly regular pioneers.
This loops back into my original post that suggested that the Society could lose a huge chunk of the rank-and-file and still survive. Indeed the pieces are being set up for this. The recent implimination of a tithe-like arrangement is a way to decouple donations from the preaching work. Simply put the days of selling literature is drawing to a close and will be replaced with more direct member support. However, member donations are only as good as the members are loyal to the cause. Do you remember your wallet snapping shut as you learned the truth about the truth? If this comes true, it will be ironic that this new donation arrangement was promoted as a way to answer the need for more Kingdom Halls, but the opposite may happen. It will usher in the need for less Kingdom Halls.
A overall reduction in membership will also help another problem, the lack of Ministerial Servants and Elders. Studies have shown that the JW's have a horrible retention rate among born-ins. The pool of qualified men coming up to serve is anemic. The older generation is dying off. Others who are qualified are simply abstaining, not wanting to deal with the headaches and work that comes from being an elder. Fewer congregations, means fewer elders. Those that stick-it-out will be extremely loyal and hardcore.
Now, who is ready to have a "tinfoil" party? Since the new GB is emulating Rutherford, they'll need their own "evil slave" to villinize, like the Judge did with Bible student dissenters. This new GB is increasingly demanding exclusive loyalty to themselves, as the Faithful and Discreet Slave. They are already prepping for MAJOR dissent. Their gamebook in the past has been to float ideas out in talks and the literature to start prepping the religion prior to making the chanes. Have you observered all the fierce rhetoric against apostates cropping up continually in the literature and in talks? Did you think that was about us? What if it the target isn't those that have left but those that are still in -- those that might have some strong objections to some big changes coming up?
Matthew 24:10-14 could possibly be used in such a scenario give a Biblical basis to an organizational decrease ("the love of the greater number will grow cold"), villinizae dissenters ("many will be stumbled and betray one another and will hate one another"), promote loyalty to the GB ("the one that endures to the end will be saved"), validate the WORLDWIDE website JW.ORG ("this good news will be preached as a witness to all nations.") and be used as a sign that the end is nigh ("and then end will come".)
Sorry for writing a book. Lots of thoughts on my mind this morning. Cheers!