Kingdom Hall

Kingdom Hall is the name of meeting places for Jehovah's Witnesses. Officially given its name by the then Watchtower president, J.F. Rutherford, in 1935, it is there where Jehovah's Witnesses receive the majority of their Bible education and instruction.

Table of contents

1 Uses
2 Maintenance
3 Location and Presentation

Uses

Typically three nights a week (or more, depending upon how many congregations use the same building), a congregation will meet in their Kingdom Hall for the purpose of receiving instruction from the Scriptures and building each other's faith through association, and is often the gathering place used for prayer and encouragement before engaging in their door-to-door ministry.

Maintenance

Kingdom Halls vary in size and in shape, but are often noted for their cleanliness and modest, yet attractive appearance. The upkeep of each Kingdom Hall is due to the work of the members of its attending congregation(s), whose earnest voluntary efforts keep it clean and presentable, and the Regional Building Committee, responsible for its repair and maintenance.

Unsolicited donations by each attending congregation's members are given to help maintain the Kingdom Halls. In lands where money is scarce, the funds for building and maintaining a Kingdom Hall may be acquired from the donations to the Kingdom Hall Building Fund set aside by members in all the congregations around the world.

Location and Presentation

Though these structures can be found in all kinds of areas of a city or village, they are not given gaudy edifices, statuary, or reliefs or advertised with large, tall billboards, garish fluorescent or flashing lights so common among religious structures today. Neither will one see crosses or representations of saintly figures on stained glass windows.

Regal, Stately and Majestic are not adjectives that can be used to describe Kingdom Halls. Each one is designed to look comfortable, but formal. It is believed by Jehovah's Witnesses that the glorification of the work of men's hands, such as is found in expensive church structures and statuary, does not bring glory to God, but detracts from one's ability to focus on and give true glory to God. They believe that it is the cleanliness and modesty of the structure that brings glory to God.