They are NOT going down anytime soon.
I agree. The WTS is not going to suddenly crash, instead the organization will slowly shrink and loose resources until they finally die with a quiet whimper.
January 15 WT : Beware of Apostasy
by truthseeker 63 Replies latest jw friends
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Elsewhere
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blondie
integ, it is hard to judge just by one area. In my area, 60% are attending and not as many go out in the door to door, phantom hours are turned in. Donations from the rank and file are down, children of JWs are fleeing with one in ten staying. There are not young men coming up the ranks to be MS, let alone elders.
But it is different. 20 years ago, my husband and I would have found it hard to find a group of non-JWs and have the anonymity we have here. Remember it is hard for people to leave whose whole social system is at the KH and face shunning from friends and family.
Beyond young JWs (under 15), who are being baptized today. Before I left talks were given saying that no one new had been baptized in over 10 years. Congregations play round robin or rotation membership, 6 leave one to go to another, 4 leave there to attend yet another. Is that increase?
I figure the WTS is like an aircraft carrier; it takes sometime for a new course to register.
Blondie
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Finally-Free
The entire governing body could admit on live TV that they rape young boys and steal on a regular basis, and sit around together and have circle jerks, and it STILL WOULDN'T MATTER. The hall would still be packed come Sunday. I think this is the reality we face.
I hate to admit it, but I think you're right. I pass the kingdom hall every day and the lot is always full on meeting nights. For years now, in Canada, the JWs have had very little growth; I recall one year when there was a decrease of 1%, but that only happened once in recent memory. It's like a revolving door there - JWs are leaving as fast as they're coming in, but they're still maintaining their numbers. I was sure the child abuse and UN scandals would have convinced a lot more to leave.
I wonder if many of them realize it's all a sham, and just can't be bothered making the effort to get out. Maybe the threat of losing family is the only thing that's keeping most of them in.
W
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DannyHaszard
Canada's churches suffering serious decline
Spero News - 8 hours ago
... support of institutions is also marked among the more traditional, conservative religious groups: "For example, in the 2001 census the Jehovah's Witnesses are ...Canada's churches suffering serious decline Researcher says membership losses pushing Canadian churches to brink of 'extinction' Tuesday, December 06, 2005 by Ferdy Baglo Canada's churches are suffering such a serious decline in membership that some denominations could disappear, according to a report to the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), released recently by Can West News Service. Keith McKerracher, a retired marketing expert who advises the church, published data showing that, between 1961 and 2001, Anglican membership plunged from 1.36 million to 642,000 - a decline of 53 per cent. McKerracher said the ACC is losing 13,000 members a year and "is facing extinction by the middle of this century." McKerracher also reported that membership in the United Church of Canada (UCC) fell from 1.04 million to 638,000 over the same period, a loss of 39 per cent. And membership in the Presbyterian Church of Canada declined by 35 per cent, the Baptist church 7 per cent, and the Lutheran church, 4 per cent. Roman Catholic membership figures were not available, he said. The Rev. Harry Oussoren, executive minister of the UCC Support to Local Ministries, told Ecumenical News International: "Generally, not only across Canada but the entire Western world, we're aware of a trend that says that institutionalized religion is not central to peoples' lives, as is individualized religion." A group that calls itself Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance says on its Web site - www.religioustolerance.org/can_rel.htm - that "small non-Christian faith groups are increasing in number and popularity." It says percentages of self-professed atheists, agnostics, humanists, secularists and people of no religious adherence are increasing rapidly, and many Canadians "identify themselves as adherents of a specific religion, religious group or denomination, but no longer attend services." Others have pointed to a decline in birth rates among the Anglicans' traditional constituency - white Anglo-Americans and Anglo-Canadians - as a root cause of the membership drop. According to Oussoren, the drop in support of institutions is also marked among the more traditional, conservative religious groups: "For example, in the 2001 census the Jehovah's Witnesses are showing a loss of 8.1 percent, the Mennonites 7.9 percent, Pentecostals 15.3 percent," he said. Source: Ecumenical News International
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serendipity
In our cong, we only had 2 people baptized this year, both kids of JWs. Last year I think there was only 1 person. My congregation is growing, but it's because JWs are moving into the area. I think JWs are just shifting around a bit. The attendance at Sunday meetings is by far the largest at 100-110% of publishers, with a significant number leaving after the public talk. I don't think attendance is the best way to gauge losses. I believe Brooklyn has lost control of many JWs and though they have the butts in seats, they no longer have control of the minds and lives.
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integ
I agree that the growth isn't as big, but it's just hard to figure out why so many STILL SHOW UP for assemblies, meetings, etc when there is so much info out there to refute their ridiculous lies and cover-ups, and false teachings, and control.
It doesn't make sense. I know there will always be some who go for truly social-peer pressure reasons, but I hope that trend starts to reverse itself soon.
-integ.
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Gozz
integ, Assemblies're probably a different thing. Many attend simply for the social bonding; the same goes for high-profile JW events. Save for those who have nowhere else to go and those who're ruled by fear (of rejection, of losing their social connections and those simply too old to leave etc - which is pretty much a large chunk!), the JWs are in some trouble. The younger generation aren't joining in; it'll be a while before it all becomes clear. In my area, new JW members are usually refugees; in the local congregation, no native has been baptised in the congregation for over 5 years except for 2 children of JWs, yet, attendances of PT and WT Study 're good.
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proplog2
The Watchtower Org knows the power of reading information that challenges your beliefs. Most JW's left their families religion when they read Watchtowers critical of their religion. It works both ways.
You can't stop it. Information is all around us. The fact that they keep harping on the internet shows that they know its their weak spot.
IF nothing happens by 2014 (centenial of "Christs Return") they will break up into various dissenting groups.
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DannyHaszard
Plummeting attendance shows Canadian church faces 'extinction'
Ecumenical News International, Switzerland - 3 minutes ago
... "For example, in the 2001 census the Jehovah's Witnesses are showing a loss of 8.1 per cent; the Mennonites 7.9 per cent; Pentecostals 15.3," he said.3 minutes ago We are on top of everything
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bj_rio
No, the organization is not going to disappear, but nor will it expand meaningfully. This is consistent with the overall increase in bull-headed religiosity in the U.S. Aside from the kids of JWs who find it impossible to leave, the only growth seems to come from poor/uneducated immigrants and similarly situated persons who live at or below poverty, especially from women in minority groups (in the U.S. and Western Europe). Given the changes in the congregation population, the tactics will become increasingly oppressive and authoritarian. I grew up in two such congregations, and the possibilities of ascending within the JW hierarchy are, to an extent, more enticing than an uncertain *freedom* in a world in which persons lack the financial and educational resources to really compete.
