by Viva la Vida 30 Replies latest jw friends
With all these halls being blessed by Jehovah and a witness to the increasing of the interest by folks, under the direction of the holy spirit when first opened... what is the reason for the sale?
How far do the congregations have to travel now with all the surrounding halls being sold? I take it the gas prices in Denmark may be more than in the Usa/Canada??
TL
Much of Europe is becoming less religious by the year, so the Borg is feeling the pain like a lot of religions. That's a very good thing. In every survey the Danes come out as one of the happiest (top 5) countiries in the world. They have a strong blend of government and capitalism, with a strong economy and social structure. The differences between the haves and have nots is much lower than in the US and some other countries in the developed/developing world.
In addition, the Danes, are among the smartest (IQ) people in the world and rank as one of the most atheistic countries (depending on which survey they are often indicated at number 1 or 2). They certainly are among the least religious.
As I pointed out to Ruby on another OP (she didn't want to hear it), there is a very strong correlation between atheism and societal functionality, intelligence, education and happiness. The Danes just might be the best example. The Borg isn't likely to reverse this trend. Looking at the numbers and the culture, one could speculate that the Borg could eventually nearly disappear in Denmark.
funny, some time ago, I heard from an elder, that in denmark they going to sell KH, and the reasoning of Bethel generally seems to be, that it is not too much for publishers to drive 40km one direction to a kingdom hall...
so much about saving costs for individuals, like they said after ending the bookstudy, its all about cash for the org...rank and file does not count....
When I see things like this it just confirms that they are under financial pressure. Just how much time will tell.
joe134,
I would agree. Although the Dark Lords in the Dark Tower are benefitting from the sell-off of billions of dollars worth of assets at Mordor (Brooklyn), they have zero intentions of using this for anything other than their own comfort and benefit. Day-to-day costs (operations and maintenance) and expansion (capital) costs for developing worlds and KH replacements (maybe) arent going to see any of the cash from those sales. So what do you do?
From what you all have been saying: You downsize (magazines, corporate structure by eliminating DOs, streamlining conventions (very surprising since conventions used to be cash cows), fewer Bethelites, missionaries, Branches, etc.), merge/combine to save costs, especially in 'non-profitable' areas (such as Denmark and other European lands where there is a net decrease), and develop new sources of cash flow (the Borg now 'owns' all of the KHs from what some of you say and has implemented a cash grab from the local congregations).
They are likely awash in cash from the sell-off of the property in Mordor; much of that will be used to fund their own 'lifestyle.' But they appear to be acting a bit desperate for cash flow. Let's hope so.
The Borg owning the KHs and greedily attempting to grab as much cash from the rank and file as possible, IMHO, is a process fraught with potential problems. Liability, KH replacements, dis-illusionment of the rank and file as time goes on if their KHs and KH bank accounts both take a beating, etc. I would think that the lawyers in the Dark Tower have been making a lot of decisions recently.
I have heard is stated many times that the Borg is under financial pressure. I seriously doubt that. And if they were under any serious pressure all it would take is one letter from the governing body begging for money and they would receive an amazing windfall.
Ignoranceisbliss,
You may be right; none of us really know. Based on what I have heard from you all, they likely have a lot of cash, but have no intentions using it for capital projects and little intention for using it for O&M. The cash wouldn't last long if they had to. So both statements appear correct. Funding O&M and capital projects out of this 'reserve' fund would be similar to the dying days of a business. Lack of cash flow to cover operational costs and expansion is one of the primary reasons for business failures. The Borg is a business.
So there is no downside to moving to Denmark.
A quick glance at the photos appeared to show a guardhouse at the entrance road...and a wishing well on one of the properties. Hmmm....
The Borg strategy for decades was to build, or have built by the local cong., smallish KHs which would hold about 150 or so. The KH would then be shared when it got over that by splitting into two smaller congs., and then build another KH of similar size nearby when the numbers allowed. They used to brag about keeping the size small, comparing it to the 1st Century and stating that it was so much better for the sheeple than the large mega-churches.
That strategy worked until it didn't. I would guess that the highest profile task/assignment at the Dark Tower now is a cadre of MBAs and other business experts who are laying out the corporate structure and identifying cost saving measures, which we have seen for a while now. When that met with limited utilitarian value, they appear to have addressed the other thing in their control, paying very close attention to each business unit (DO, CO, Elder, DC, RBC, Branch, Missionary, Bethelite, etc. - think of these as 'overhead' not directly associated with production) and make cuts, closures and consolidations.
When that exhausted its financial abilities to give the Borg the bottom line and cash flow desired, they did something very different - they appear to be morphing into a completely corporate structure where the production units, the KHs, are now being targeted. If they are closing, combining and consolidating in Europe, they will most certainly do so in the US. It will be interesting to see if the rank and file will be willing to leave their existing KHs, which they probably live within minutes of and for which they have shed blood, sweat and tears and provided $$ to keep afloat, and drive to new and larger KHs which combine several congs.
That, IMHO, is where they are going. So expect more mega-KHs in the future, driven by economics. The Borg's MBAs are closely evaluating changing demographics (religiosity, education, economic status, and racial/ethnic profiles) of every community to best determine the most efficient use of funds. If they technically 'own' the KHs, it makes this corporate shell game of closing, consolidating and combining much easier.
Will the rank and file be OK with their own KHs closing/combining/consolidating??? Shiny new KHs may do it for some; for some, eh - not so much. That, IMHO, is the 64 dollar question. The European example will likely become standard.
Designs:
"The Wt. is quietly becoming like the Mega Churches in the US."
Yes, I agree; I think the WT looks at those huge buildings, the big screens, with music and large audiences and just goes totally green with envy.
Problem: those churches also do softball teams, have daycare, do actual charity work; these are things the WT will not 'waste' money on.
