Could the Watchtower handle a huge increase in numbers?

by JH 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  JH

  Less than 1% of people in America are JW's. Now imagine if 10 or 20% of people became JW's. Could the Watchtower handle the numbers?

  Congregations are about 100 people.

  Lets imagine a town of 20,.000 and lets say 10% were JW's, this would mean that there would be 2,000 JW's in that town.

  Now at 100 per congregation, that would make 20 congregations.

  Lets imagine 2 congregations per hall, that would mean that they would need 10 kingdom halls in a small town of 20,000. And now we are talking of only 10% of the population are JW's.

  Any other religion would build 1 or 2 big halls, rather than 10 small halls. But the Watchtower has to control people, so they wouldn' t want big congregations, where many could fall asleep or miss meetings.

  What I'm getting to, is that the Watchtower couldn't function the way it's functioning now if they had a huge increase.

  They would also lack elders and MS, so they would become like big religions, where only a few preach and the rest are followers.
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  BizzyBee

  I agree with your projections. But I don't think they are in any eminent danger of any big increases.
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  greendawn

  My opinion is that they are diabolical and dictatorial enough to do it and they have many years of experience in brainwashing and in ruling with an iron rod.
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  AK - Jeff

  Big Numbers is precisely what they want - they salivate to that tune.

  However, if there any single religion that has captured that large a percentage within this country? Maybe the Mormons in the area of Utah, but otherwise I think the numbers you refer to are astronomical to any religion.

  Jeff
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  JH

  What I find funny is that although they want everybody to join, their setup makes it impossible. If 100% of people in a town of 20,000 were JW's, it would take 100 halls !!!
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  drew sagan

  Big Numbers is precisely what they want - they salivate to that tune.

  It's what the membership wants... kind of. But I am of the opinion the leadership wants something other than just more JWs.
  
  They are in the business of creating dedicated and loyal members who will never leave their org and who will eventually worship it. This is more than just a spike in numbers. The way they go out and hand pick newbies via their service, then they 'prep' them before they come to the hall. Little by little the change the person untill they are fully converted to the JW mindset. They don't want mass coverstion, just a steady stream of new converts that become deeply rooted in the org.
  
  To many converts all at once would ruin their setup imo.
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  fullofdoubtnow

  I doubt that they could handle that sort of increase.

  Fortunately, they won't have to
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  headmath

  They are having a hard time managing the downsizing, never mind the upsizing
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  stillajwexelder

  If - and it is a big if, it were to happen , it would not happen overnight. They would have time and easily handle the increase. I know of Halls in London UK tha thave 6 congregations using them. Make a hall two storey and it could in theory handle about 12 congreagtions. They would drool over increases like this and it would be no problem to them. If they got 10% there would be enough fighting to be MS/Elder/ CO/DO they would have no problem

  BUT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN
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  Quandry

  JH

  Your post is interesting. I imagine that even if the Watchtower could handle the numbers and congregations, what would that do to the town? If even on third of the town was going out in service, they would be on top of each other preaching to fewer and fewer non-witnesses. Also, what if alot of people were really zealous--would they quit their jobs of being teachers, doctors, etc. so that they could pioneer and wash windows? Also, who would make improvements for the town if lots less townfolk voted? It would all possibly be a bad scene.