Common Sharing Questions & Problems

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Congregation Sharing is an optional feature that can be enabled inside New World Scheduler by a Congregation Administrator.

Congregation Sharing allows you to automatically share and synchronize all New World Scheduler data with other appointed brothers in your congregation. It also allows you to share data between two of your own computers.

Congregation Sharing does NOT store confidential information online. Congregation Sharing is fully compliant with sfl and fully compliant with European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Getting Started

Connecting

Data and Syncing

Disconnecting

Security and Privacy

Yes. We take data security and privacy very seriously.

Please see How does Congregation Sharing work? for detailed information about how safe and secure Congregation Sharing is.

New World Scheduler is not an official app or program created by the Watchtower Society. Therefore, New World Scheduler is obviously not “endorsed by”, “recommended” or “officially approved” by the organisation.

This makes sense. The organisation does not and will not create a list of books, songs, movies, websites, programs or apps we can or cant use. (see w14 7/15 14) These are personal decisions.

World Headquarters (WHQ) has been in contact with us several times over the years NW Scheduler has been in operation. They are fully aware of New World Scheduler and has no objections to its use, nor any objections to the use of Congregation Sharing.

New World Scheduler and our NW Publisher app are both used by hundreds of thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide every single day! This includes elders, pioneers, missionaries, Bethelites and even Branch Committee members.

Please feel free to read the comments of many spiritually mature elders around the world, including in your local area.

Sharing Regions

If you are NOT a Congregation Administrator, you should select the Sharing Region that your Congregation Administrator told you.

If you are ARE a Congregation Administrator, please select the Region closest to where you live.

  • North America East 2 (located in South Carolina)
  • North America Central (located in Oklahoma)
  • North America West (located in Los Angeles)
  • Europe North (located in Frankfurt)
  • Europe South and Africa (located in Zurich)
  • Asia Pacific 2 (located in Sydney)
  • South America (located in São Paulo)

If you are ARE a Congregation Administrator and want to change the Region of your whole congregation:

For security reasons, the only way to change the Sharing Region is to Disable Sharing, and then Re-Setup Congregation Sharing on the new Sharing Region.

  • Note: Only Congregation Administrators should change the Sharing Region. This will affect all other Sharing Members in your Congregation, so you should immediately inform all other users of the new Region. They will then need to Disconnect, and join the new Region. If you continue to use two different regions, your data will not sync!
  1. Click Congregation > Congregation Sharing
  2. Click Disable Sharing
  3. Re-setup Sharing on the new Region, according to Help > Congregation Sharing

Please note you can also simply leave the region as is. There is no requirement to change it.

If you are the ONLY Congregation Administrator, please see How can I change Sharing Region above.

Otherwise, first Delete your Congregation, then click Open a Congregation from Sharing and select the correct Sharing Region.

Please note you can also simply leave the region as is. There is no requirement to change it. (This is assuming all shared users are connected to that same Sharing Region.)

IDs, Passwords, PINs and Email Addresses

Congregation ID: A unique 9-digit ID that identifies your congregation. This is used by both appointed brothers to connect to Congregation Sharing, and by publishers to connect to the NW Publisher app. Please see Help > Congregation > Congregation Information

Congregation Sharing Password:  A password created by a Congregation Sharing Administrator that allows other appointed brothers to use New World Scheduler Congregation Sharing. Please see Help > Congregation Sharing > Congregation Sharing Help

Congregation PIN: This has nothing to do with Congregation Sharing. This is a 6-digit number randomly generated by New World Scheduler that is given to publishers to allow them to use NW Publisher app to connect to your congregation. It can be found on the App view. Please see Help > NW Publisher app Help

App Person PIN: This has nothing to do with Congregation Sharing. This is a 6-digit number randomly generated by New World Scheduler. This is given to publishers by their elders, and allows them to Identify themselves in the NW Publisher app. It can be found on the App > App Persons view. Please see Help > NW Publisher App > App Persons

If any Congregation Administrators are still Connected, they can check the Password Hint on the Congregation Sharing screen. Or they could click Change Password on the Congregation Sharing screen to set a new password.

However if no Congregation Administrators are still connected, please Contact Us and we can disable your Sharing, which will allow you to re-setup with a new password. Please provide your New World Scheduler Congregation ID and your sharing region.

For added security and to enable 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication), a persons Email is used for authentication.

  1. A persons New World Scheduler Person record Email 1 (see Person Information) must exactly match their Identify Email (see Me > Settings)
  2. Their Shared Person record Email must also exactly match their Person record Email 1.

For example:

New World Scheduler Congregation Sharing Person Email 1

=

New World Scheduler Congregation Sharing Shared Members Email Matches

=

New World Scheduler Members Identify Member Email Matches

Since the Email addresses are used for authentication, a Congregation Administrator will need another administrator to help him change his Email address.

  1. Click Persons > select yourself > change the Email 1 to your new email address
  2. Click Me > Settings > and Edit your email address. Enter your new email address
  3. Ask another Congregation Administrator to remove you as a Shared Person, then re-add you.

Shared Persons

This is an appointed brother who has been added to Congregation Sharing. He will show in the Shared Persons list, and can then connect to your New World Scheduler Congregation.

You may assign different User Access to different Shared Persons.

Any Shared Person who has Congregation Administration – Edit access is considered a Congregation Sharing Administrator. We strongly recommend your congregation has at least 2 Congregation Administrators. Otherwise you might get locked out of your congregation.

Please see Congregation Sharing Help > Congregation Administrators for more information.

  1. Click Congregation > Congregation Sharing
  2. In the Shared Persons list, select the person you want to make a Congregation Administrator
  3. Click User Access
  4. Set their Congregation Administration access to Edit
  5. Click Save

Please see Congregation Sharing Help > Congregation Administrators for more information.

Please see Add Persons to Congregation Sharing and Remove Persons from Congregation Sharing

Please see Remotely Delete New World Scheduler data

How to Connect

Please see Open a Congregation from Sharing

Please see Enable and Setup Congregation Sharing

Please see Add Persons to Congregation Sharing

Since the Email addresses are used for authentication, a Congregation Administrator will need another administrator to help him change his Email address.

  1. Click Persons > select yourself > change the Email 1 to your new email address
  2. Click Me > Settings > and Edit your email address. Enter your new email address
  3. Ask another Congregation Administrator to remove you as a Shared Person, then re-add you.

Yes, this is very easy:

  1. Ensure you have a Congregation License 
  2. On your first computer, Enable and Setup Congregation Sharing
  3. On your second computer, Open a Congregation from Sharing

Please see Change (or Move) Congregation

Connecting Problems

If you are NOT a Congregation Administrator:

  1. Ensure your New World Scheduler Person record Email 1 exactly matches your Identify Email. If needed, click Edit to change your Identify Email.
  2. Ask a Congregation Administrator to confirm they have added you as a Shared Person.
  3. Ask a Congregation Administrator to confirm your Shared Person record Email is also exactly the same as your New World Scheduler Person record. (See screenshots below)

If you are a Congregation Administrator, and YOU are seeing this message:

  1. Ensure your New World Scheduler Person record Email 1 exactly matches your Identify Email. If needed, click Edit to change your Identify Email.
  2. Ask another Congregation Administrator to confirm your Shared Person record Email matches your Email 1. If not, they should remove you, then re-add you as a Shared Person.
    • Note: If there are no other Congregation Administrators with access to your congregation, please Contact Us and ask us to reset your Congregation Sharing.

If you are a Congregation Administrator, and SOMEONE ELSE is seeing this message:

  1. Ensure the brothers New World Scheduler Person record Email 1 exactly matches their Identify Email. Ask them to confirm or send you screenshots to confirm.
  2. Confirm they have been added as a Shared Person.
  3. Confirm their Shared Person record Email is also exactly the same as their New World Scheduler Person Email 1. Otherwise, remove and re-add them as a Shared Person.

For example, ensure the following exactly match:

New World Scheduler Congregation Sharing Person Email 1

=

New World Scheduler Congregation Sharing Shared Members Email Matches

=

New World Scheduler Members Identify Member Email Matches

We still have problems:

If after trying all of the above you still have problems, we will please need multiple, full screen screenshots of all of the above steps.

  1. Verify you have been added as a Shared Person by a Congregation Administrator and your Email Address exactly matches your New World Scheduler Person record. This is for added security.
  2. Ensure your internet connection is working fine, and you can connect to google.com
  3. Ensure you do not have any Firewall or Antivirus software stopping New World Scheduler from connecting to the internet
  4. If this is the first time connecting, make sure you are clicking Open Congregation from Sharing
  5. Ensure you create a New World Scheduler Account in the correct Sharing Region
    • Note: Please ask a Congregation Administrator to double-check which Sharing Region the congregation is in
  6. Ensure you are entering the correct Congregation ID
    • This is a 9 digit number in the format of 123-456-789
  7. Ensure you are entering the correct Congregation Sharing Password
    • Note: Please also ask the Congregation Administrator to double-check they are giving you the correct Congregation Sharing Password
  8. Take note of any error messages or reasons why you can’t connect. E.G. Congregation Password incorrect, Congregation does not exist, etc. This will help you work out why you can’t connect
  9. Try closing and re-opening New World Scheduler
  10. Try clicking Disconnect and connecting again

Password Incorrect means the password is incorrect. It is as simple as that. There is no need to restart, re-install or re-download. Please try the following:

  1. Ensure your internet connection is working fine, and you can connect to google.com.
  2. Ask your Congregation Administrator to tell you the password again.
  3. Ensure you have selected the correct Congregation Sharing Region and are using the correct Congregation ID
    • Note: Please double-check with your Congregation Administrator that the Congregation ID and Sharing Region is correct. Ask him to double-check his computer, and confirm 100% that he is telling you the correct Congregation ID and Sharing Region.
  4. Double-check you are entering the password correctly, e.g. any capital letters, numbers, etc.
  5. Double-check you don’t have Caps Lock on or Num Lock off.
  6. Ask your Congregation Administrator to double-check the Password Hint and Last Updated record to see if anyone recently changed the password, and to double-check he is telling you the correct password.
  7. If you still can’t connect, ask a Congregation Administrator to Change the Sharing Password.
  8. If no Congregation Administrators can access the Congregation, please Contact Us via Help & Support > Contact Us and we can delete your Sharing and allow you to re-setup.

If you don’t receive a Verification Code shortly, please try the following:

  1. Check your SPAM or JUNK folders.
  2. Double-check your Email address is exactly correct.
  3. Click Resend Verification Code.
  4. Wait 15 minutes and Resend Verification Code. Sometimes our email servers are very busy, especially after an update.
  5. Wait 24 hours and try again. Sometimes email servers are temporarily unavailable.
  6. Create a new email account that will accept emails. We recommend Gmail.
    • Note: Some email domains will not accept email verifications due to MailPolicy violations. Hotmail or Outlook also tends to block a lot of emails. There is nothing we can do about this. We do not control the policies of other email providers.  Either contact your email provider and ask them why they are blocking our emails, or just use Gmail.
    • Note: If you change your email, you must also ask a Congregation Administrator to change your Person Email 1 record, and remove and re-add your Shared Person. 
  7. Please do not contact us unless you have tried all of the above.

All brothers must be using the same version of New World Scheduler to use Congregation Sharing.

They are receiving this message because a brother in your congregation is using a newer version of New World Scheduler, and they have not yet updated. Please ensure they update to the latest version of New World Scheduler.

  • Note: If New World Scheduler says there are no updates available, please visit Downloads and double-check you are using the latest version. If you have done this and are still receiving this message, this means someone in your congregation has Enabled Beta Testing and installed a Beta Update. You must also install the Beta Update to continue using New World Scheduler. Please see Beta Updates for more information.

This means multiple elders have separately created a New World Scheduler congregation. You cannot merge multiple New World Scheduler congregations. (However, you could export data from one New World Scheduler congregation and import it into the other.)

Instead, only one elder should Create a New Congregation and all other elders should Open a Congregation from Sharing to connect to that congregation.

To fix this problem, any elder with the wrong Congregation ID should first Delete their Congregation, then click Open a Congregation from Sharing

Connection Errors

This means New World Scheduler cannot connect to the sharing server. The problem is not with New World Scheduler, it is either with your computer or your internet connection.

Sorry, there is nothing we can do. New World Scheduler must be allowed to connect to the internet and have a reliable internet connection.

There are several things you can do to solve this problem:

PROBLEM: There is a temporary internet problem.

SOLUTION: Try clicking Reconnect now, or a few minutes later, or a few hours later, or the next day. Click the Test Internet Connection button, which may help you diagnose the problem.

PROBLEM: Your computer has Anti-Virus, Firewall or Security software preventing New World Scheduler from connecting to the internet. (This is the most common reason for this error)

SOLUTION: Uninstall, disable or correctly configure all 3rd party Anti-Virus, Firewall or Security software to allow New World Scheduler to connect to the internet. We recommend removing all Anti-Virus, Firewall and Security software and instead using the free Windows Security that comes with Windows 10 and 11. This works fine with New World Scheduler.

PROBLEM: You are using a VPN, a proxy or workplace network or internet connection.

SOLUTION: Try disconnecting, disabling or deleting all VPN software. Do not use a proxy, or correctly configure it. Ask your workplace technical support for assistance.

PROBLEM: Your internet or Wi-Fi is slow, congested, unstable or unreliable.

SOLUTION: Try connecting again later, at a different time of the day. Ensure no one else is using the internet. Try moving your computer closer to your Wi-Fi router, or into a different room. Try using an internet connection at another location, or try using 3G or 4G. Try contacting your internet service provider (ISP).

PROBLEM: Your computer or someone on your network is performing another internet intensive task.

SOLUTION: Ensure no one on your network is streaming videos, downloading large files, performing Windows or other software updates.

OTHER SOLUTIONS

If you have tried all of the above and you still receive this message, you could also try:

  • Use another internet connection at another location.
  • Reinstalling Windows
  • Use another computer
  • Ask a local brother who is good with computers to help you.

Please remember, the problem is not with New World Scheduler, it is either with your computer or your internet connection. There is nothing we can do.

This means New World Scheduler cannot connect to the sharing server. The problem is not with New World Scheduler, it is either with your computer or your internet connection.

Sorry, there is nothing we can do. New World Scheduler must be allowed to connect to the internet and have a reliable internet connection.

There are several things you can do to solve this problem:

PROBLEM: There is a temporary internet problem.

SOLUTION: Try clicking Reconnect now, or a few minutes later, or a few hours later, or the next day. Click the Test Internet Connection button, which may help you diagnose the problem.

PROBLEM: Your computer has Anti-Virus, Firewall or Security software preventing New World Scheduler from connecting to the internet. (This is the most common reason for this error)

SOLUTION: Uninstall, disable or correctly configure all 3rd party Anti-Virus, Firewall or Security software to allow New World Scheduler to connect to the internet. We recommend removing all Anti-Virus, Firewall and Security software and instead using the free Windows Security that comes with Windows 10 and 11. This works fine with New World Scheduler.

PROBLEM: You are using a VPN, a proxy or workplace network or internet connection.

SOLUTION: Try disconnecting, disabling or deleting all VPN software. Do not use a proxy, or correctly configure it. Ask your workplace technical support for assistance.

PROBLEM: Your internet or Wi-Fi is slow, congested, unstable or unreliable.

SOLUTION: Try connecting again later, at a different time of the day. Ensure no one else is using the internet. Try moving your computer closer to your Wi-Fi router, or into a different room. Try using an internet connection at another location, or try using 3G or 4G. Try contacting your internet service provider (ISP).

PROBLEM: Your computer or someone on your network is performing another internet intensive task.

SOLUTION: Ensure no one on your network is streaming videos, downloading large files, performing Windows or other software updates.

OTHER SOLUTIONS

If you have tried all of the above and you still receive this message, you could also try:

  • Use another internet connection at another location.
  • Reinstalling Windows
  • Use another computer
  • Ask a local brother who is good with computers to help you.

Please remember, the problem is not with New World Scheduler, it is either with your computer or your internet connection. There is nothing we can do.

Data and Syncing Problems

To fix this error, first note what Type of data cannot be decrypted, e.g. Field Service Meetings.

Then in the Sharing Logs, select that Type of data and click Push. Or if you do not have access to that data type, as a Congregation Administrator to do this.

For all other data problems and syncing problems, please see Congregation Sharing Data or Syncing Problems

Data and Syncing Questions

It can take about 30 seconds for changes to be sent to the New World Scheduler transfer servers and synced with other members.

However please note that some changes do not immediately update the User Interface. Sometimes you must either refresh the view or close and re-open New World Scheduler to see any new changes.

Congregation Sharing does not support multiple people adding/update the same type of data at the same time.

Generally having multiple people connect at the same time won’t be a problem, but it depends on what they are doing:

  • If multiple brothers are only viewing data, there will be no problems.
  • If multiple brothers are editing different data types, there also shouldn’t be a problem. For example, the COBE is scheduling the Life and Ministry COBE parts, while the Secretary is entering Field Service Reports.
  • However, if two people are adding or editing the same information at the same time problems will likely occur.

Additionally, some changes do not immediately update the User Interface. Sometimes you must either refresh the view or close and re-open New World Scheduler to see any new changes.

Yes, that is fine.

On one computer you should Enable and Setup Congregation Sharing, then on the other computer you should Open a Congregation from Sharing. You can use the same name and email address with both your computers.

You will need a Congregation License.

No, once the data has synced, it should be immediately available. However some changes do not immediately update the User Interface, so you might need to refresh the view to see the changes.

E.G. For Meeting Attendance Records, select another month, then back to that month. For Field Service Reports, select another Member, then re-click that Member, etc.

No. Congregation Sharing is for sharing your data with other elders only. There is no “backup” made on the servers.

Please make sure you regularly make a local Backup of your data. It would be wise to save these backups off-site in case your computer crashes, is damaged or stolen.

Sharing Logs

These are logs of all data that has been created, edited or removed by all Shared Persons in the last 14 days. This allows brothers to see who, what and when all congregation data was edited.

It is important to please check the Sharing Logs if there are any data or sharing problems.

To see the Sharing Logs, click Congregation > Congregation Sharing > Sharing Logs

The Pull Data button causes the current Shared Data for the selected Data Type, to be downloaded to your computer, overwriting your local data.

  • For example, if a brother selects Meeting Attendance Records, then clicks Pull Data, his local Meeting Attendance Records data will be overwritten with the Shared Meeting Attendance Records.

Please see Congregation Sharing Data or Syncing Problems for more information about when this button should be used.

  • Note: You should not have to regularly use this button! This should only be done on rare occasions where data is out-of-sync. If data is regularly out-of-sync, please carefully review Congregation Sharing Data or Syncing Problems.

The Push Data button causes your current Local Data for the selected Data Type to be uploaded to the Sharing Server, overwriting the Shared Data. This new Shared Data will then be automatically transferred to all other Shared Persons in your congregation.

  • For example, if a brother selects Meeting Attendance Records, then clicks Push Data, their local Meeting Attendance Records will overwrite the Shared Meeting Attendance Records and be sent to everyone else.

Please see Congregation Sharing Data or Syncing Problems for more information about when this button should be used.

  • Note: You should not have to regularly use this button! This should only be done on rare occasions where data is out-of-sync. If data is regularly out-of-sync, please carefully review Congregation Sharing Data or Syncing Problems.
  • Note: You must have User Access – Edit Access for the data type you are Pushing.

Yes, there is a category called Sharing Errors which shows any Sending and Receiving errors in the last 14 days.

These Sharing Errors can help reveal if you have data or sync problems, and who is causing the problem.

If you notice any regular problems, please see Congregation Sharing Data or Syncing Problems

To fix this error, first note what Type of data cannot be decrypted, e.g. Field Service Meetings.

Then in the Sharing Logs, select that Type of data and click Push. Or if you do not have access to that data type, ask a Congregation Administrator to do this.

Disconnecting

This will Disconnect you from the Sharing Server, so you will no longer receive any data changes, and any changes you make will not be Shared with other members.

You should generally not click Disconnect, except when diagnosing problems or moving to another congregation.

Even if an appointed brother clicks Disconnect, his User Access does not change, so he still will only have access to parts of the program that the Congregation Administrator’s have decided.

Clicking Disconnect does not Disable Congregation Sharing.

For security reasons, only a Congregation Administrator in your congregation can either Enable or Disable Congregation Sharing.

New World Scheduler Support cannot Enable or Disable your Congregation Sharing.

  1. Click Congregation > Congregation Sharing
  2. Click Disable Sharing
    • Note: This will affect all other Shared Members, and will immediately and permanently remove all encrypted data and logs from the Sharing Server.

Additional Help

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