This thread is to formally address this subject. This is for forum members and especially for lurkers (current witnesses reading this in secret). Please feel free to post any additional points.
There are a lot of changes happening in WT land. The entire religion is being re-branded. It started with the website and the seemingly sudden embrace of technology and digital literature. The JW.org logo was then pushed and placed everywhere. Now the religion is moving to franchise-like commercial kingdom halls on strategic pieces of invest-able real estate.
Here is the thread link to investigate these new construction strategies
Let's not even waste time debating what this is. This is big business. This is a multi-billion-dollar international corporate conglomerate with a new business vision. The biggest piece of that vision is in real estate. They are aggressively growing their real estate empire. This empire is no longer just miscellaneous kingdom halls or assembly halls. They have now moved on to other commercial and even residential properties under the label of training centers and "translation offices".
Here is a thread link to just one luxury residential property that has been acquired as a "translation office"
Here is a thread link to a recently acquired training center (commercial real estate investment)
These real estate investments including the new commercial-grade kingdom halls will be built, renovated, or maintained by a volunteer labor force (reduced costs) and easily flipped down the road (10 - 20 years) for a healthy profit.
These points are-what-they-are...
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Now for the question posed in the title of this thread:
Who Benefits from the Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Empire that is WT?
This can be confusing... and purposefully so. Jehovah's Witnesses do not have a payroll that we know of. Local elders do not get paid to be preachers. This is something most people consider a good thing. It keeps the financial-greed motive out of the equation at the local level. There is also transparency at the local level. Accounting is kept of all the funds coming in and out of each kingdom hall. Monthly Accounts Reports are posted for the public to see. This gives an impression of organization-wide openness and honesty. Most JW's only ever see this local level of activity and judge based on this.
What about at higher levels in the organization? Do people get paid at the NY headquarters? Well, as far as we know, they do not receive a paycheck per-say. Of course we have to go on word-of-mouth to verify this because there is no financial transparency at the world headquarters. There is no Accounts Report from New York.
Let's consider what we do know.
Do men at the top of the Jehovah's Witness organization support themselves the same way that elders do at the local level? No.
Men at the top of the organization receive food, clothing, shelter, security, transportation, full medical care (including chiropractic and massage therapy on site), laundry services, cleaning services, gym facilities, personal assistants, and more. Now answer this question:
Do the men at the top of the Jehovah's Witness religion make their living as ministers within the organization? Yes.
To replace this means of living and level of access, they would have to make a hefty salary outside the headquarters. I would put it in the healthy 6-digit category. Most of these men, if not all of them, cannot match their current creature-comforts making their own living in the real world. Most of the men also have wives to answer to that are used to a certain standard of living and security from living at headquarters.
Beyond material comforts, men are often motivated by a desire for power. Why do men sometimes leave jobs making 7 figures to run for political office? Why would they pursue another job that pays so much less? ....We all know the answer. Power, control, perks, prestige, backdoor financial benefits, etc. etc.
-Sitting at the top of this multi-billion-dollar international corporate conglomerate called Jehovah's Witnesses would be intoxicating to any power-driven man. How would you feel if you served on committees deciding how to manage billions of dollars worth of equity? Would you feel pretty important? Would you feel pretty powerful? How would you feel to serve on committees that made life-altering decisions for millions of followers worldwide? What if you had the power to enforce compliance to these decisions as if they were literally the word of God?
Control billions of dollars and millions of lives?
Please.... for a power-driven man this stuff is crack cocaine...
Why do politicians often vote to increase the power and scope of government? To increase their personal power.
Why would Jehovah's Witness leaders seek to grow the wealth and power of the organization well beyond the needs of any ministry work? Same answer as above.
Greed can show up in many ways. Often those with power want more of it.
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So, Who Benefits from the Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Empire that is WT?
Answer: Anybody serving in a Leadership Capacity at the World Headquarters or other branch location.
How do they benefit?
This aggressive business model works to grow the organization's wealth. On a personal level this insulates and potentially improves the Leaders' living and lifestyle, adds to their prestige, increases their power and authority over others, and produces opportunities for backdoor perks and benefits (monetary and otherwise) as millions change hands through the entire empire-building process.
If these are the only benefits, it is more than enough. Men have killed for less.
-TE
