"The ministry" is a liability. For over a century, it was their way of making money. Even after switching to all-donations, it was their way of making money. Strangers used to pay for all the literature that was made tax-free by volunteers. Then members paid for all the literature that was made tax-free by volunteers. But the money was starting to dry up. Print is so 1990's. In the 21st century, people don't want the Watchtower literature, even if it is free to them.
"The ministry" is still there, because it gives the members purpose and keeps them too busy to question the doctrine. If they abandoned the literature distribution program all at once, not only would the members have more time to question, but they would also have more reason to question why the very thing that made them sure this was God's organization was now abandoned. It will happen, but slowly in stages. I imagine the literature distribution over the last decade has changed enough to keep an actual profit in it. They cheapened the products with paperbacks and thinner mags, less mags, less books. They abandoned mailed-subscriptions and they abandoned keeping large quantities of mags going to each member to the point where they just take what they can place from a stack at the KH. Now, they have the carts and the tables where they don't push the literature on people at all. I bet some members are figuring out that there isn't really a profit in placing more "free" literature.
But to follow the McDonald's pattern of business, the real money is in the real estate. The hamburgers and fries were important to get things going, but the corp. made big money in leasing land and buildings to a franchise that sold their product. In Watchtower land, a congregation could be considered a franchise that used to make it's money by selling the parent company's product. Now, with the product in less demand, the franchise still pays the parent company, but by fleecing the members. And if members didn't give enough to cover the product (literature), the parent company cheapened and reduced their product until the parent company was back on top of this. And anytime a piece of real estate becomes more valuable than the congregations, OFF WITH THEIR HEADS.....or kill the congregation and send them somewhere else.
