On Saturday, January 31st a special meeting was held for all elders in the United States Branch Territory. A letter sent out in advance advised elders that the meeting would be to unveil “a new, dramatically different Kingdom Hall design.”
Since then, images of the proposed new standardized “cookie cutter” design have been leaked on an ex-JW forum. They show a building that appears to have been envisioned with commercial applications in mind if the building ever needs to be sold in future.
One elder’s notes from the two-and-a-half hour meeting, also leaked online, indicate that elders were urged by Governing Body helper Robert Luccioni not to become like the Israelites who complained after leaving Egypt.
Ecclesiastes 7:10 was read, which says: “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ for it is not out of wisdom that you ask this.” The application was made that elders should not dwell on the past or point out flaws in the new arrangements.
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Leon Weaver, also a Governing Body helper, then revealed that there had been heated discussions within the US branch committee through the night as to whether the design for the new standardized kingdom halls was to be residential or commercial. Eventually, however, it seems all voted in favor of a commercial-style model – with windows.
JWsurvey has already reported on the changes that are being introduced by the Governing Body regarding how kingdom halls and assembly halls are built and financed. These changes involve all congregations sending a fixed donation to Watchtower every month, even if they were not previously in debt, and relinquishing all surplus funds to Watchtower.
Though the majority of rank-and-file publishers seem to have greeted the changes under the false impression that Watchtower is waiving the debts of congregations, not everyone has fallen for it.
On my Facebook page I was sent the following PM by an active publisher, who is happy for me to share it while asking to remain anonymous…
Hey John. I’m a baptized JW. I created this hidden account for myself for obvious reasons. I’m married to a zealous sister…my family are 90% JW and I was raised one from birth.
I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. I have been doing a lot of digging around and watching videos on YouTube… including yours on this organization. Reason why? Some things just don’t seem right. Some things just don’t seem logical..etc.
Last night a letter was read at my KH – by the way I’m from [country deleted]… The letter said that from now on, all contributions we make will be towards one global fund… so no more KH building fund box, world wide work box etc. It’s just one contribution that will go into a global fund. Now there was a resolution from the headquarters to be passed by all congregations that each congregation will send a certain amount to this global fund monthly.
The amount that was set for our congregation was [equivalent to] US $113. Keep in mind this is separate from Congregation expenses. We have around 70+ publishers. I thought if our brothers are struggling to pay congregation expenses… how are we going to keep this up monthly? Anyways they say it will go to everything like disasters, building halls, printing etc.
BUT THIS IS WHERE I WAS DISTURBED. AFTER THE MEETING I WAS CLEARING THE CONTRIBUTION BOX… AND I WAS TALKING TO AN ELDER ABOUT THE LETTER WHO IS THE SECRETARY… JUST TO UNDERSTAND IT FULLY. HE SAID TO ME… “WE WILL NEED TO KEEP IT UP SO THAT JEHOVAH’S SERVICE WILL BE CARRIED OUT… FOR EXAMPLE…I DON’T KNOW IF I SHOULD SAY THIS YET… BUT IT WILL BE NO SECRET SO I GUESS I CAN. DID YOU KNOW THAT LAST WEEK ALL CIRCUIT OVERSEERS GOT A BRAND NEW 2015 RAV4 FROM THE SOCIETY?”
I SAID “WHAT!!!!” HE SAID “YES BRAND NEW.” SO I SAID “BUT THE CO WAS HERE TWO WEEKS AGO WITH AN OLDER 2001 CAR?” THE ELDER SAID…”WELL I GUESS HE HAS 2 CARS NOW”… IN MY MIND I’M LIKE WHAT!!! THIS CANNOT BE RIGHT!!!
I AM STRUGGLING TO PAY MY BILLS AT HOME..I’M ENCOURAGED BY THE SOCIETY TO KEEP LIFE SIMPLE…DON’T START ANYTHING THAT’S GOING TO TAKE UP TIME LIKE A NEW BUSINESS EXTRA HOURS AT WORK ETC… AND NOW YOU ARE TELLING ME I MUST CONTRIBUTE MY MONEY SO THAT CIRCUIT OVERSEERS CAN DRIVE BRAND NEW CARS…ON TOP OF THAT…THE ELDER SAID THEIR SUVS WILL HAVE FREE SERVICING EACH TIME IT NEEDS IT AND ANY PARTS THEY NEED THIS WILL ALL BE PAID FOR BY THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY.”KEEP IN MIND IT COSTS AROUND $217 TO SERVICE ONE OF THESE SUVS EXCLUDING PARTS. I WAS THINKING IN MY HEAD…YOU MEAN PAID BY ME AND OTHER POOR BROTHERS WHO EITHER HAVE TO WALK EVERYWHERE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO HAVE A SIMPLE LIFE OR IN MY CASE I HAVE AN OLD LITTLE CAR THAT NEED LOTS AND LOTS OF PARTS RIGHT NOW… I DON’T EVEN HAVE A/C IN MY CAR, AND I’M TO GIVE MY MONEY TO HELP BUY 2015 SUVS AND MAINTENANCE…
CAN’T BELIEVE THIS… MY WIFE THINKS ITS A BLESSING FROM JEHOVAH…BUT I CAN’T TALK MY FEELING BECAUSE WHENEVER I DO..SHE SAYS I’M AN APOSTATE! …WHAT DO YOU THINK? CAN YOU DO A VIDEO ON THIS? I’m not sure if the COs only in [my country] got 2015 SUVs or it’s a worldwide thing…but it’s shocking to me. I’m just in a puzzled state right now.”
Publishers like my friend above can expect to be even more bewildered as they see Watchtower continue its downsizing trend. Where once the organization prided itself on huge investment and global expansion – consolidation, thrift and cost-saving is now the order of the day.
Watchtower is now big on style, low on substance.
And with this new standardized kingdom hall, it appears Watchtower has one eye on what publishers will expect in return for accepting the new stealth-tithing arrangement, and one eye on making kingdom halls as marketable as possible should they eventually need to be sold off.
Further reading…
I just about vomited up my absolutely delicious lunch… I send my ex (quite happily and more that court ordered) a good chunk of money every month. I expect that it is to be used in the care and support of our daughter. It sickens me to know that while I struggle to make ends meet my hard earned money is certainly being given to the heinous org. There ought to be a law!
Peace and love
Peace and love.
AZ
Do I understand correctly that most US kingdom halls do not have any windows at all? That seems odd to me.
With the downsizing trend…. the kingdom hall does look rather large for only ~70 people to attend!
To be clear, the $113 is per month? It’s a little hard to judge whether this is reasonable if the country is unknown. It would seem to me the local congregation expenses are multiple times that, assuming a wealthy country.
I see they have also thought about possible visiting celebrities/royalty (CO/GB? ;-)) with the roof in front of the entrance. Then, in case it rains, they don’t get a wet suit. Very practical!
Most of the Kingdom Halls here in the U.S. in my area do have windows but the floors are slanted down towards the stage and I always wondered how that would work when a Kingdom Hall is sold. I think the Society is seeing and end and are preparing for it ahead of time.
Our congregation had paid off the loan for the remodeling and the elders put before the congregation to continue to pay the Society for the “world wide” work of over $700 a month and they agreed. Thankfully I haven’t been to a meeting for about 8 months so I am glad I wasn’t in the audience to raise my hands for that one. Funny thing. The elders always bring up stuff like that at the service meeting and school, when there’s hardly anybody there that night.
Can you at least verify that the congregation in question in the FB message is not located in an underdeveloped country? I have to be honest, asking an entire congregation in the developed world to set aside $113/month for the WT is not that much to ask. If there are just 70 publishers that breaks down to $1.61 per publisher per month.
Yes, I think it’s fair to say the publisher’s country is an under-developed country where $113 per month would be considered A LOT of money.
So, that letter was from a poor congregation, obviously and the circuit overseers are being provided with 2015 new SUV’s????? In the latest jw broadcasting for Feb. at the very end they are showing these lovely but poor African brothers and sisters waving to everyone and half of them are missing half of the teeth in their mouths!!! So, it’s like people like that who are being asked to take out of their “want” to provide new SUV’s to the circuit overseers. That makes it even more reprehensible!!!
Thanks for the verification.
This is great for resale value…………it could easily become a Shopper’s Drug Mart, or the like. They are looking to their financial future………..
All free labour, donated materials lots of times, wow, now this is smart commercial thinking. Keep the slaves working, then they won’t have time to think.
I look at that new hall design and all I can think is “soulless”. If there aim is to make WT look more family oriented and free from worldly influence, I would have to say they continue to fail miserably.
Free labor, Free donations, willed estates all add up to increased profits down the road. The Bossett Hotel is one such example of profitability.
So with all the pending and future lawsuits against them that have been won against them they need to come up with more creative ways to raise money to pay them.
You really have to hand it to them for almost fooling all the people all of the time. If your stupid enough to buy into it then don’t complain about it.
Actually it is much worse than that. If there are materialistic advantages to people like COs (CEOs in a commercial context) then it shows that the WTBTS is coporatising, not just ‘saving money.’ This is the way the West is going. Why would the WTBTS be any different?
Every time I read the Watchtower and see the absurd things it says it leads me to wonder how long are the members going to keep in acting like they believe this hog crap? LOL
There’s got to be a tipping point on how much nonsense they can hear and see before they tip and have a mass exodus.
I’ve said that for 30 years now.
there are two kingdom halls that i attended that have no windows, thought I have no idea why, there is no crime in the middle of nowhere. most inner city kingdom halls have no windows.
this building looks like a driver license center or an office building. its ugly.
so yea no more interesting unique individuality for each congregation, or architecture advantage for a rural neighborhood that’s for sure.
and to mis use the bible in that scripture to support such a crock of crap is , well a crock of crap.
Like many other Congs, we bought our K,H, with an interest loan
from the org, it was a great relief when the loan was paid off.
Now we could accumulate some spare cash for maintenance
in case of vandalism, storm damage, & General deterioration etc.
Now that the Congs , have been ordered to empty their bank
accounts ( apart from a small sum to cover a few weeks expenses)
and send the cash to the org. If any emergencies do arise the bros,
will have to go “Cap in Hand” and beg for some of their ” Own money”
In order to fix things. No one but con artists would have the gall to
Pull a stunt like that.
New K,H, design. It’s a case of more “Cloning” they do it to people
why not buildings. Maybe they employed McDonalds designer.
Making the buildings commercially attractive, is a case of watching
their backs. The halls can be easily sold off , in the event that the
numbers in the cong become small and are unable to up-keep the
the place. It all reeks of “Greedy commercialism.
Top of the range wheels for the C,Os, fair enough! But I wouldn’t buy
a used car from these guys.
They should have no trouble selling these off when they need to, it already looks like a Krispy Kreme factory.
the standardize design has its benefits quick permits,quick build ,quick maintenance,quick transformation for other use end with possible quick sale if needed…so its very pragmatic and business oriented wise step however the question is who will benefit the most of “smart solution” the publisher or the leadership ? Will funds saved such arrangement use to help whom ?
As Paul said not everything what is legal is beneficial…!
And if its beneficial at same time question is still same …for whom ?
Other aspect of standardizes design and blueprints provide platform for standardize components and this provide platform for one standardized supplier.One general supplier can guarantee better-cheaper price and bigger discounts ! Can you imagine whole US & Canada under same roof.Potential supplier will do bidding war in order to get in & will for incentives as is usual in this world ,will anyone be tempted to misuses it and benefit of this ?
If yes who?
I believe those who made the decision knows the answers too !
Generally speaking, when COS’s get a new vehicle, their previous ones are sold. I heard there was a waiting list for the cards that would be sold. This way, they don’t stay in inventory. In Canada, the COS’s received Buicks, Toyota Camry LE, and last time I saw their cars, it was a now a Chevrolet Impala. I found out that the Society makes deals with the manufacturer who will accept their deal based on a high volume discount. After all, not everyone will buy 70-100 cars at a time.
Does anyone have a copy or a link to the letter that said that all funds are to go to a global or general account and not just to the construction? I don’t think we had that one read to us (or a may have just missed the meeting) but I know the rumors circulated. I just never saw the actual letter.
Most JWs don’t get the whole scoop and for the most part are not educated enough to connect the dots. Is not difficult, really. The most difficult part, for most of us, to start our own religion and pull the same stunt, is to have the guts to remove all shame and ethics.
@David
high volume buyers are always more than welcome doesn’t matter what you buy cars,construction material or paper rolls and suppliers will always stand up for the rights of such buyers :-)
I can remember the first KH in the town my mom lives in now. It looked like a schoolhouse. This was intentional they said, to make sure it didn’t look like a church, and to emphasize that it is a teaching work JWs do. Many years later they built a new hall. This one was much more modern, and looks something like a large home. This was intentional they said, to make sure it didn’t look like a church, and to reflect the fact that it was God’s house. Now the new design comes along and it looks like a bank… I assume that is so it doesn’t look like a church, and to reflect the fact it is there to collect money?
@resvo
jw.bank with drive through “jw-atm” machine deposits only
They will have a hard time getting this industrial look approved in a lot of neighborhoods and cities. I know for a fact there will be issues getting through Planning Commissions. They don’t want a commercial looking building in a residential area (and what neighbor wants to be next to a building like that?). Meanwhile, they are building TOP OF THE LINE buildings at “World HQ” in Warwick. Such irony….
I hate to double comment but I just remembered something hilarious related to KH selling. I’ve only actually seen two KHs that were sold. One of them was made into a daycare, but the other was turned into a Metaphysical Church. I had to crow to myself laughing. You’d think that the demon hoards would have been loath to enter such a sacred space previously consecrated to Jehovah. I’m also curious how the purchase transaction went down, or if they simply didn’t care who they had sold it to. Hello Watchtower, I would like to purchase your KH for my den of demon worship, is that ok with you? Yes? Ok great! Anyway, it was fun for years because JWs at that time weren’t very well known around here and most of the residents believed that the JWs had changed their name to Metaphysical Church. The pastor said that a good part of her congregation were people who had come in being curious about the JWs. She didn’t tell me how much she paid but said she got a good deal on the property. They painted lovely nature murals on the inside walls to make up for no windows. PS: I joke about the demon hoards. I went to one service at Metaphysical Church and they were lovely kind people. A bit goofy but well meaning.
Just a corporation slowly changing things to have all JW’s used to the corporate image. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future they start setting up advertisement in YouTube with videos of how nice and blessed the JW life is (I saw one from Mormons which was pretty appealing)… if they are not making them already. Newcomers will “feel” that “all the organization/corporation” belongs to them and so be proud of providing money. I wonder how that would work in my country… have to wait and see.
@resvo
business works both ways my current K.H. was a church before so good deal is good deal no matter what buy or sell !
Cedars
A friend stopped by after his meeting the other night and said a Elder in his hall said that all large congregations will be reduced in size by splitting and they should be small around 35 publishers. Have you heard this?
Everything lately seems geared towards a more generic overall look and a streamlined operation.
The age of the JW MacKingdom Hall is here!!
There is a very good reason why “hearsay” and anecdote is not permissible in a court of law as evidence. This blatantly anti-Jw puff piece is long on hearsay and short on fact. Cedars is descending further down the path of the whiny, whinging ex JW encouraged by the ‘ataboy’ crowd of likeminded complainers who now frequent his site. Steve Louis
Steve,
Anecdote and hearsay are absolutely valid in a judicial committee, so I guess I don’t see your point.
hello Cedars,
is there a possibility that you were set up from this brother? I just can’t put my finger onto this, but somehow something in this pm to you stuck me wrong. Maybe it was that this person asked you to make a video of it – giving you no proof whatsoever except for his account.
Don’t put me wrong, I think the car thing fits right in the imprudence of the JW leadership and I can fully belive something like this to happen – and more! Its just that I recently learned from the Misha Anouk Book you kindly recommended reading, told me that its completely right for JWs to lie for “theocratic reasons/theocratic warfare”.
Making a video out of nothing but heresay, and then of course from a fake facebook account.
The PM rings true from what I’ve heard from others and from my own personal experience with C.O. vehicles. Anyone is perfectly within their rights to ask me to do a video on a certain subject, just as I am entitled to accept or decline such requests. On this occasion, I thought it better to share the message, which can be read on its own merits, rather than make a video.
@Steve, it’s not “whiny” to me. It’s just news.
After wasting years of my life believing WT lies, I like to know what they’re up to next. But I won’t set foot in a KH to find out!
News reports like these are useful to me. I thank the undercover spies. They perform a service I’m not willing to do.
@Steve Louis . YOU CONDEMN CEDARS about being Short on Fact!!! That’s A BIT RICH coming from an Organisation founded by A RIGHT PROPER CHARLIE !!! The Most Eminent Glorious ???Charles Taze Russell!! Ermm let me see when JESUS inspected the F&D Slave in 1919 he found only one religion (Bible Students) feeding the proper food at the right time which was ‘The FINISHED MYSTERY’!! Have you ‘Steve Louis’ read THAT BOOK??? You should because JESUS chose the GB on the basis of what was in it !! It is the LEAST FACTUAL BOOK you will EVER READ in your LIFE!! Have you read The Divine Plan of the Ages’ another one in Russells ‘Studies in the Scriptures’ which was supposed to be food at the Proper Time? The whole DATING SYSTEM was based on the Pyramid of Giza. When JESUS chose the Governing Body alias The F&D Slave in 1919 They Thought Jesus Invisible Presence at that time was 1874 & The time of the End began in 1799?? Do Your Research ‘Steve Louis’ PROPERLY& See if you KNOW WHAT THE FACTS ARE!! I would rather trust Cedars than I would a Multi BILLION ,Yes Billion PROPERTY Publishing Empire using FREE LABOUR & DONATIONS of Many Not Well off Ordinary JWs.!!!
@Yawn. You Made Me Laugh.I think your comment was Brilliant when you said HERESAY& Anecdotal Evidence is Fine in a JUDICIAL COMMITTEE !!! I Know of one Married Brother who lied to a Judicial Committee that he wasn’t still sleeping with another Married sister & he was reinstated But he later wrote letters to half the Congregation that HOW COULD the ELDERS have Holy Spirit if they didn’t know he was LYING to them when he was RE-INSTATED as a JW!! By the way by this time he had become Apostate !!
Yeah Cedars, probably I am maybe too much primed to expect generic troll baits everywhere.
Adorning a story with unimportant details (like him clearing the contribution box etc) might be true or just be done to let it ring true – but with my very limited experiences with JWs, chances are I am unjust in this case.
When it comes to halls my eminent international servant bro in law told me that all materials will now come from china, this is so standardised halls which cost less are the future of the cash strapped organization.
This arrangement started in Australia mid last year,the materials for halls used to be supplied by local bros but too many were rorting the arrangement and making some tidy coin on the side,a perfect example is in my present hall which has 2 massive air con units totalling $30 000 WHICH ARENT EVEN USED,lol
I jokingly said to the PO,are they for investment purposes,he replied in a depressed tone,”they were meant for the great increase in publishers”, our cong has gone from 140 to 65 lol
The first Kingdom Hall I went to was sold (can’t remember to whom anymore) but shortly it was sold again to an abortion clinic. The sad thing is the couple (who donated the land) living next door (about 50 feet from the front door), donated the land and for the rest of their lives, had to live next door to an abortion clinic and that clinic was in the news a lot due to protests outside and even a bombing once.
What the Society should do if they were smart, is open up a factory to make those Kingdom Halls here in the United States and then ship them out in chunks on semis to the new Kingdom Hall sites. The brothers and sisters in those factories, of course would only get about $25 a month to live on but hey, they’d be doing the work for Jehovah’s service and just think about how much money the Society could make then, to pay off all those sexual abuse cases…
How do you like that comment Steve???? Is that whiny enough for you????
@Anonymous.Love your Nice WHINEY comment to Steve. I think I am Better at WINE-Y comments especially when I am typing comments in one hand & in the Other Hand I have a Glass of Merlot or Chardonnay then my WINE-Y comments improve dramatically !!
@Steve
My wife says the same thing about me and my fellow ‘apostates’ that I talk to; we are all whiners and complainers! We don’t like to be told what to do and we don’t like to be disciplined.
You know, she’s right! ‘We’ don’t like being told what to do and we’ve already got several layers of government, the police, our parents and our employers to do that anyways. We’re not really crazy about discipline especially when it comes from unqualified, uneducated, hypocritical and misled elders that follow an obviously made-up and constantly flip-flopping, cult.
Yes we whine and complain. I was born into a doomsday cult that convinced my already subservient and beaten down parents (they went through horrible childhoods in WWII with very little food or education, and suffered from extreme stress) to obey the elders and GB and deny their family normal experiences and opportunities because “The End” was coming. Of course Armageddon isn’t here yet so keep being obedient and give more of your money and time to the JW Org so you MIGHT make it through. Kind of like the Catholics praying and paying for their dead relatives to make it out of Purgatory. Now the Catholics admit there never was any Purgatory, we just made that up. But don’t be mad about it, you whiners. Be happy and look at everything we did give you!
It is like someone being swindled out of their life-savings by a stupid/corrupt investment advisor; you’re going to be angry and you’re going to complain to everyone you can. You’ll want to warn other people and you will want to put this thief out of business.
That’s a little how we feel.
P.S. I do love how my JW family tells me that I have a lot to be thankful for. Look at all the blessings that I have. My reply is that the Jehovah’s Witnesses didn’t give me any of the ‘blessings’ that I have!!! In fact, if I would have listened to them I wouldn’t have my great job with a golden pension and benefits, my house, my wife or my beautiful children. I would be a poor, single pioneer waiting hopelessly for the brutal end of the system when the only change is I would be under more autocratic, self-serving, incompetent as$h0le$ like the ones I already have!
@Anonymous and Wild Olive
Bravo! Both of your comments made me laugh out loud! It takes a lot to do that and it feels great.
I am still chuckling over that KH being turned into an abortion clinic and right in front of the couple that donated the land. Protests and bombings! That is awesome!
And Wild Olive, I love how the cong planned for the huge increase. The only huge increase that I see is in the size of the average JW! There must be more obesity inside the org than outside?!? I know that sitting for long periods is as dangerous as smoking so those marathon indoctrination sessions over weekends isn’t doing these fat arses any good. Can God really be that medically unwise???