Could this be part of the reason for the WT “big relocation” campaign?

Hecce

COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (AP) — A struggling Minnesota church is asking its older parishioners to leave in hopes of making it more attractive to young families.

Grove United Methodist Church in the St. Paul suburb of Cottage Grove is closing in June, with plans to relaunch in November. The present members, most of them over 60 years old, will be invited to worship elsewhere, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. The church is asking that they stay away for two years, then consult the pastor about reapplying.

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/01/21/struggling-cottage-grove-church-asks-older-members-to-go-away/

After Reading these news I was wondering if there is a similar motive in the big congregational changes that are affecting more than anyone else the elderly within the WT.

For the last few years the faithful brothers that were taking the lead have been replaced by 30-40 new blood and little by little they have been put to pasture. What is happening now with the fusions is just another step in that direction.

JeffT

If that's their plan, its a plan for committing institutional suicide. You don't grow your business by dumping on your most loyal customers. I suspect that church is going to go under. I don't expect to see the end of the Watchtower, but its going to shrink a lot in the next few years.

Crazyguy2

I think it’s more about closing congregations to avoid or make it harder for lawsuits attorneys to find documents and because so many have left over the years.

eyeuse2badub

Half full kh's eventually take a psychological toll on those that attend and since most kh's are only half full the wt is beginning to realize it. Full halls give the false impression of growth.

Also as Crazy says, "confidential records" can conveniently get lost as congregations merge!

just saying!

Pete Zahut

For the last few years the faithful brothers that were taking the lead have been replaced by 30-40 new blood and little by little they have been put to pasture.

I think this is being done to get rid of the older ones who remember how things used to be and who may question why they've changed what is considered "The Truth" for decades. It's easier to manipulate a rookie as compared to someone who has been at it for decades and is beginning to see the flaws in their organization.

LongHairGal

HECCE:

I think this particular church made a major mistake.

All these older people ‘asked to leave’ should stay out and never return. They better stop any regular donations! If that were me they’d never see me again or get any $.. Let’s see how this works out for them!

PETE ZAHUT:

With regard to the JWs:..I’m not so sure that younger JWs are necessarily valued because they ‘don’t know certain things’. They’re certainly not giving the $ the faithful elderly gave.

The JW religion is downsizing and it’ll be Sayonara - every R&F for himself - if at some point a small clique of ‘elites’ isolates themselves somewhere and tells everybody else they should go online.

road to nowhere

That is really cold. A big middle finger to them. Wouldnt take me long to leave

Link disappeared BTW

Hecce

Another link

COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (Gray News) - Cottage Grove, Minn. (Gray News) – In an effort to reach younger families, the Grove United Methodist Church is telling the old folks to get out.

The struggling church wants to build a new congregation with a more youthful bent.

“I pray for this church, getting through this age-discrimination thing,” William Gackstetter, one of those no longer in the target demographic, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The plan is to shut down the church in June and reopen a rebranded version, probably in November.

A church memo recommends older members stay away for a couple of years and then consult with the pastor if they’d like to rejoin. Most members of the congregation are over 60 years old.

“This is totally wrong,” Gackstetter’s wife, Cheryl, told the newspaper. “They are discriminating against us because of our age.”

The church averages about 25 people in worship each week.

There’s no full-time pastor. A member of the church delivers the sermon.

Regional United Methodist congregations are paying $250,000 to fund the restart.

A specialist in starting new churches has been hired.

https://www.nbc15.com/content/news/Struggling-Minnesota-church-asks-older-members-to-go-away-567141051.html

WTWizard

Maybe a better solution would be to dump rules that go against nature. And that means totally. And, relying on real truth instead of lies to function. The truth offends those who rely on lies to exist, and too many see through the lies when they start contradicting themselves or blatantly going against nature. "This generation"--which one? You don't run this "generation" through several consecutive generations. And this double donation? They are blatantly expecting people to donate for littera-trash when they pick it up, and again once they place it. And they openly call this "not double donating"?

Just about everything else goes against nature. Such as holiday bans--why do so many people continue celebrating holidays despite churches making it harder? And why do said churches have to pick up on these holidays? I bet that, if the cat lick church were to continue banning Christmas (which is the pagan Yule, which worships the sun), they too would be having a miserable time attracting and retaining anyone. And being strict about fornication? You are supposed to pick one partner, and if that partner is not compatible, too bad? And gay sex bans? I have news for them--homosexuality exists throughout nature, as well. (To note--had Sodom been exclusively gay, they would have failed to procreate and would die out in one generation. Why did joke-hova, therefore, choose to stick its foot in the affairs?)

And the poverty and hardship workings. They can keep that up for just so long before people realize that it is bogus. Wasting a whole month's wages for a helicopter ride to a single boasting session? Crossing crocodile rivers on one leg, 30 km each way, and facing a beating upon return home for a single boasting session? This is blatantly false, and even if not, why would I want to go to boasting sessions that are not worth it? And giving so much--they push so much for money. If I was in that position, I would rather do a money working that would enrich the whole congregation, while enriching the church at the same time. That would make people really feel that there are blessings. Instead, they push that all blessings are in the future? No wonder they close half the places down and force the other half to drive 55 miles or 90 km each way per boasting session.

truth_b_known

The Methodist Church is an international organization that is about to have a major break up. The issue of whether or not to conduct gay marriages and whether or not to allow LGBT+ members to become clergy is the dividing point. The Methodist Church wants to change and allow it, but many congregations (especially in Africa) do not. In the end there will be a new conservative/ant-gay Methodist organization splitting from the main church.

Could this be part of the reason for the WT “big relocation” campaign?

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