What was the Average Attendence at your Kingdom Hall?

by jayhawk1 23 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  jayhawk1

  I don't think we ever had more than 75 for an average attendence at the local Kingdom Hall. I was driving by there the other day when the Thursday meeting was going on and it appears based on the cars that there is still about 75 people attending. When I drive by churches of similar size [meaning the church building is about the same size (square footage) as a normal Kingdom Hall] there seems to me many more people, perhaps 110 or more attending.

  I'm just curious if it seems to be a practice to keep JW congregations to around 75 to 100 people or not.
• 

  blondie

  We were told by an attending JW that about 60 out of 100 were attending on Sunday. Attendance is down. Be sure not to count people visiting from other congregations.

  Blondie
• 

  jaguarbass

  I thought back in the 70's when they got much bigger than 75 the started to form a new congregation.
• 

  jayhawk1

  Maybe so, Jaguarbass... that's why I ask. It makes me wonder if the smaller groups are easier to control so that is why they keep the groups to about 70 people. It is just an assumption of mine though. That's why I thought the topic would be worth discussing.
• 

  free2beme

  If we had 100 publishers, I would say for the most part about 50 showed up to the weekly meeting and other then elders and MS, it was often a mixed group. Sunday meetings would see higher attendence then other. For the most part, I never understood why they put so many chairs in the KH. As most of the ones I saw over the years, were left empty. Unless it was a memorial, wedding or funeral. Seemed like a great waste of chairs.
• 

  raylo

  I guess i just never paid attention to any annoucements made about publishers..so I never had any idea of how many ppl were there... all I wanted to hear was "amen" so I could go home.

  Raylo
• 

  aniron

  When I last attended my old KH, 5 years ago, the average attendance was 120-130 on Sundays, there was about 85 publishers. From what I have learned recently attendance is now 90-100 , with 80 publishers.

  Also we used to have the book group at my home, attendance there was an average 20, at one time we were hitting 30. Now I hear the attendance is 8 !

  Another congregation also shared our KH. It was always larger than ours, averaging about 150 - 160 on Sundays. I was told by someone who went to a Sunday meeting a couple of months ago that the attendance was 20-25. I couldn't believe it! Seems they had a lot of problems. But strangely none of those that weren't there,are going to the other congregation that shares the KH.
• 

  greendawn

  It was around 50 the average though of course it's quality not quantity that counts, virtually all of them were no good. From what I see in other churches most attending are 60 years old or more there are very few if any young people. They abandoned the churches back in the sixties, many are atheists anyway who see no point in religion.
  
  It could be different in the USA especially the Bible belt.
• 

  blondie

  I guess i just never paid attention to any annoucements made about publishers..so I never had any idea of how many ppl were there

  Hi, raylo. They rarely announce the number of publishers unless it is during the CO's visit. They like to announce the percentages to "encourage" the rank and file to do more.

  Actually, most congregations have an attendance list posted on a "bulletin/information" board in the back of the hall where the attendance for the meetings is posted by either the head attendant or one of the elders. I found it very informative. The most poorly attended KH meeting tended to be the service meeting in this area.

  Blondie
• 

  lovelylil

  In one congregation I was in, Hingham MA - the attendence was laughable. It still is judgeing by the amount of cars in the driveway when I drive by. (the KH is right around the corner from me). Anyway, out of 90 publishers, we may have 55 - 60 on a sunday meeting and much less attended during the week. The ministry school was the lowest. And many times my our book study consisted of my family of 4, the elder conducting and his wife. There has been talk for a while now about combining that hall with another one that also has very low attendence.

  BTW - we were in the Hingham Cong. for 10 years and during that time NOONE got baptized at all that was not a child of a JW. My hubby and I got baptized in that hall but ten years past, no new people. The next cong. we were in only 2 years but same thing. No one getting baptized. Of course we know why - because the "requirements" are outrageous and no one in these two halls were reaching out to get to know new ones. I think the JW's stick in their own tight knit groups nowadays. Lilly