What were the best Watchtower years?

JH

During what period of time did they have some credibility and were they most active and making the most money?

Around here, when I joined back in 1987, there were so many pioneers in the congregation and they were in the field service morning, afternoon and evening.

That lasted about 5 years, then it was a quick and steady decline in field service and a decline in building new halls.

I wasn't a witness before 1987, so I don' t know if there were ups and downs in their preaching.

But they really are in a "down" period around here anyways.

What I have always said is that the best years were when it was all possible... When 1975 seemed like a possibility. Even when that year passed, we just thought it was a little late... In my 30+ years as a witness, the glory days ended in the mid to late 80's...

Life in the org. was different then. There was lots of love to go around. Families cared for one another. Many pioneers. It felt as though we were part of a "spiritual paradise". Yes, it all seemed possible...

Those days are long gone... We have been duped.

garybuss

I think they hit the mother load when they discovered they could make money at conventions without setting up the food tent. Before that they actually did cash business as a mobile cafeteria masquerading as a religion. The assemblies were an excuse to get people to come and buy food.

slimboyfat

Leolaia made the interesting observation that their eschatological interpretations of Daniel and Revelation lent themselves best to the 1950s at the height of the cold war. Ever since then they have been losing credibility.

That was also the era of the gigantic Assemblies. Must have been exciting times. Every congregation still seems to have a core nucleus of older ones and their families who were brought in during that period.

Slim

OnTheWayOut

I think they continued to make "MORE MONEY" up until the change to donations in the United States.

They were probably most active before 1975, although the hardcore preachers of the past (pre World War II) were probably out more than thoes of any other time. I came in in the late 80's, same as you, and there was a steady decline in activity. That decline certainly is speeding up in the last 10 years.

fullofdoubtnow

I guess the best years for the watchtower would have been before I joined, in terms of increase, but we were seeing a steady increase in attendances when I was baptised in 1983, and this kept up for a few years. However, since the mid 90's, there has been a decline in meeting attendance, active publishers, pioneers and baptisms, and I can't see that changing now.

JH

Maybe the most damaging Watchtower article was back in 1995, when they re defined a generation.

Many dreams suddenly ended, and I'm sure the heart of many JW's was saddened and this continues to reflect in field service and meeting attendances.

Narkissos

From a "spiritual" standpoint, I found that the best Watchtower years were 1976-1979, when the literature became less "prophetic" and began focusing on deeper issues imo, and the organisation was getting more humane -- incidentally that was the period when I entered "full-time service". But as far as figures and money go, these were probably the worst period ever for the Watchtower. When they started reasserting their old "specific" doctrines and policy in the early 80s, just after the "Brooklyn purge," increase set in again This was viewed as Jehovah's blessing on a "cleansed" organisation, and was probably just the ugly law of the religious market -- depth and moderation don't pay. Since the early 90s (before the "generation" change) they seem to have lost the increase for good, but they are still scared of making any move which might be interpreted as "going mainstream".

Nathan Natas

My opinion is that historically the best years of the WTB&TS were around the turn of the century - 1900 - when Russell was still alive and many of the later divisions were still on the horizon. Rutherford really messed things up, negating nearly all of Russell's teachings and installing himself as the god behind the curtain of the tabernacle. He made the book publishing biz what it is today, and taught it how to hide behind clerical garb.

What a pity that CTR didn't live as long as, say, Fred Franz. I sincerely believe things would have been completely different, but don't take that to imply that I'm a member of the CTR fan club. I believe that CTR's deficiencies would have caught up with him and the entire movement would have collapsed into oblivion under the weight of their failed expectations and speculations.

Tristram

Amazing(1914) wrote this great bit about the 70's a while back. Good stuff...

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/94607/1.ashx