I remember being a teenager and being at friends home on Saturdays, and every time you turn around there was a Witness knocking at the door. My non-Witness friends would be nice, and say no, as they did not want to insult me. Even though, as a teenager, I was not a Witnesses (baptized) and did not make a public show of my connection to people outside of the congregation. I remember going to shopping centers, and seeing Witnesses working the corners or even handling out tracts to people leaving coffee shops and so on. I just plain remember, them being a lot more visible and active in the past. Now, I am in my yard on almost any given Saturday morning, when the weather is good. On only a couple of occasions in 5 years of living here in a large neighborhood, have I seen a Witness in the door to door work. I have not seen them doing street work, in who knows how long, and even friends I work with have commented on their less appearances at the door. Not that I am complaining or anything, but for an organization that claims to be working so many hours in the door to door work, I just don't see them as much as I used too and wondered if others noticed this, as well.
It just seems that Witnesses are less active these days.
by free2beme 21 Replies latest jw friends
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MeneMene
I haven't had one knock at my door anywhere I have lived for the last 25 years or so. The only witnesses I ever saw were on the streets of downtown Houston early in the morning before 7:00 AM. They appeared to all be spanish and most of the magazines were in Spanish. ... Of course my parents still try to get me to watch WTS videos when I visit them and try to give me magazines. I always declined but after finding this website I can see where it could be beneficial to accept them - that would give me the opportunity to point out some things to them.
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JWdaughter
I rarely see them anymore. I think once I left the rest of them all just lost heart. See what a big impact just one person can make on a worldwide organization??
Shelly-whose tongue is planted firmly in cheek
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PoppyR
When I was a teenager (cough cough years ago) there were about 10 pioneers in our Cong. And we regularly used to bump into another pair working the street or whatever, and would always see couples when driving around. Now I very rarely see them. In my experience (I've been out a year) when they did used to go on the ministry it was literally half an hour and everyone was off 'on calls'.
Interestingly my friend had someone call on her with a tract and she told me they weren't witnesses, they just handed her a leaflet..lol.
Poppy
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vitty
We didnt get one call in 3 years where we lived, and since moving over a year ago, we still have not had a call. I got offered a magazine in the train station. She didnt even say anything ,she mooched up and held the WT in my face. I never see them walking around the streets
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Mysterious
I remember hearing stories about those that went in service all day, and street corner work etc, but I never really saw that all that prevolently here. However the rank and file do seem to cover the territory rather quickly judging from when I was dragged from door to door. Overall the feeling seems to be of being tired and going through the motions.
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Moomin
My mum lives in a territory that never gets covered, its a little bit too far away for the witnesses. In my congregation there were only 2 pioneers (married couple) and they only ever did return visits. The rest of the publishers were quite inactive and most went out on a week day when no one was in. There was one zealous ms that went out on a Friday evening and would tell everyone what a good idea it was as everyone was in. He never got anyone interested though.
Whenever the Co was visiting he would say what a waste of time it was doing the doors during the day on weekdays, and if Paul was doing it he would have gone to the nearest town to do street witnessing or the business territory.
He asked all the window cleaners to raise their hands. Then he asked them at what time during the day do they collect their money. Most of them would collect in the evenings when they knew they'd be in. The CO told them that they should be applying that logic to the ministry as the householders lives are more important then their wages.
They still kept going out during the day though. The CO seemed to have a real knack of humiliating people to get them more active but everyone just ignored him.
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mama bear
Freetobeme said: -- I remember being a teenager and being at friends home on Saturdays, and every time you turn around there was a Witness knocking at the door. My non-Witness friends would be nice, and say no, as they did not want to insult me. Even though, as a teenager, I was not a Witnesses (baptized) and did not make a public show of my connection to people outside of the congregation. I remember going to shopping centers, and seeing Witnesses working the corners or even handling out tracts to people leaving coffee shops and so on. I just plain remember, them being a lot more visible and active in the past. Now, I am in my yard on almost any given Saturday morning, when the weather is good. On only a couple of occasions in 5 years of living here in a large neighborhood, have I seen a Witness in the door to door work. I have not seen them doing street work, in who knows how long, and even friends I work with have commented on their less appearances at the door. Not that I am complaining or anything, but for an organization that claims to be working so many hours in the door to door work, I just don't see them as much as I used too and wondered if others noticed this, as well. --
I live in an area where there are three congregations within a 20 linear mile distance. I live about halfway into that 20 miles. In the 4 yrs I have lived here, and I am at home during the week and on week ends often, there has been very infrequent activity. About 4 months ago a couple who are Witnesses moved into the house next to us. They still wave at us and smile ..obviously ignorant of the apostates who live right next door to them. This is quite the statement when you consider these folks have the meeting for service in their home on one of the week end days and in all these months obviously have not worked their own street where the territory card would have the big red A for apostate smack dab on our home! I believe the phenomenon may be attributed to a multiple of reasons...1] More and more households have both spouses working and week end activity is a minimal when it comes to field service; 2] More and more individuals who are not working are finding it more advantageous to be 'sick' which gives them sanctioned excuses for not participating in the many facets of the active JW lifestyle; and last but surely not least by any stretch of the imagination, living out here in the remote areas of our community people have come to rely on cable and internet access as a means to stay in touch and I believe the internet activity of many Witnesses for a plethora of reasons may be keeping them off the streets! The alleged 'staunch' ones may be doing their 'witnessing' online and counting that time while others may be busily apprising themselves of some seriously existing facts which compromises their belief system and may be dealing with the reality of disillusionment as have we all. The Service Report each year does not divide the methodology employed by individual Witnesses in how they go about 'accomplishing their ministry' they merely give the cliff notes and lump the hours in together not really stating how they are being spent.
Just some conjecture from an observant former Witness.
By the way, I am soooooooooooooo genuinely thrilled you are FREE TO BE YOU! That is one of the most precious gifts we are given when we leave is the FREEDOM to be who we really are!
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NanaR
I just plain remember, them being a lot more visible and active in the past.
In my particular area, there just aren't as many witnesses as there used to be. When I was attending meetings, there were two congregations close to me. Now one of those has been dissolved and their members absorbed into one congregation. The combined memorial this past spring was about the size of one memorial in my more recent memory. I am also told that the dissolved congregation territory (very large) is once again (after more than 40 years of being assigned to that congregation) unassigned territory.
Also a whole generation (of 20 somethings) is clearly missing. Of the young folks my girls grew up with, only one is still a regular publisher (to my knowledge). Several are disfellowshipped. My daughters were never baptized but are considered "bad association" although 2 of them study.
So my take is that the numbers are dwindling and the ones left are older ones and then new converts. Territory coverage will obviously be less under these circumstances.
I am amazed that the momentum has been maintained this long, in view of the ever changing reasoning behind the so-called "urgency" of the times and the fact that most people have access to information (such as found on this forum) to knock down the "canned" arguments.
*smiles*
NanaR
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willyloman
Ever notice when you buy a new car and you drive down the highway, you start to notice how many of them there are? So if you buy a Honda Accord, for example, suddenly you see them everywhere. Whereas, before, you hardly noticed.
I think the same phenomenon occurs when you leave the dubbs. When you were part of the group, you saw dubs everywhere. You were more aware. You were actually looking. Now that you're not a JW, your focus has shifted.
I sorted that all out one day because I, like you, noticed there didn't seem to be many dubs around. Yet, it hadn't been that long since I walked away, so I knew the number of dubs must still be about the same.
It's all about the fact that, in the cosmic scheme of things, dubs are unimportant. When you are one of them, you're told they are at the center of the universe and "a theatrical spectacle" on the world stage. Turns out they are just a small, inconsequential group of people with a set of fringe beliefs, way outside the mainstream.