Worldwide Design/​Construction Department

THE rapid growth in Jehovah’s organization is creating an increased demand for more Kingdom Halls, Assembly Halls, theocratic school facilities, remote translation offices, as well as branch buildings in various places. Hence, in October 2013, the Governing Body established a new department so that the work of designing, building, renovating, and maintaining our facilities could be carried out in the most efficient and economical manner. This new department, called the Worldwide Design/​Construction Department (WDC), is located at our world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, and functions under the direction of the Publishing Committee of the Governing Body.

The WDC oversees the Regional Design/​Construction Departments, which are at the branch offices located in Australia, Germany, South Africa, and the United States. These departments coordinate the design, construction, and maintenance work in their respective regions. Their goal is to speed up the construction of Kingdom Halls. Previously, Kingdom Halls were built with the help of either the Regional Building Committee or the program for lands with limited resources. These two arrangements have now been merged into one, with a view to using the best of both systems to help accelerate our construction work.

To coordinate this ever-increasing need for Kingdom Halls and Assembly Halls, a Local Design/​Construction Department was formed in each branch. This department reports directly to the local Branch Committee. An exciting feature of these adjustments is that now all branches can assign full-time construction servants to help local brothers build Kingdom Halls and Assembly Halls.

In April 2014, there were over 270 large projects that needed to be completed, including 90 remote translation offices, 35 Assembly Halls, and 130 branch projects. In addition, there is a pressing need for Kingdom Halls, with more than 14,000 that must either be built or undergo major renovation.

How faith-strengthening it is to see Jehovah’s unified people transcending national boundaries, cultures, and languages to build facilities that bring praise and glory to his holy name! “There’s a tremendous amount of work that still has to be done,” says Dan Molchan of the Personnel Committee Office at world headquarters, “and because of this, we appreciate the prayers of our brothers and sisters, as well as their donations in support of the work. But we are very grateful for the brothers and sisters who offer themselves willingly to assist with the projects.”