by ISP 8 Replies latest jw friends
Here's the figures the from the other thread.
Czech RepublicUltimate decline there! Its at a virtual standstill! What happened ...is happening?! Come on we need to know! Anyone out there with info?
1992 Service Year Report
Av. Pubs-24884
Ratio-612
No. Bapzd-2585
No. Congs-430
Av. Pions-1524
Total hrs-4624248
Av.B.Stds-20724
Mem.Att-540822001 Service Year Report
Av. Pubs-15558
Ratio-651
No. Bapzd-326
No. Congs-236
Av. Pions-1094
Total hrs-2252776
Av.B.Stds-5658
Mem.Att.-30283
ISP
Hi ISP,
This might have something to do with the 1992 numbers probably included the Witnesses in Slovakia. On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. They are now two nations.
You better check the figures for Slovakia, you might find the "missing" publishers.
Norm
Thanks Norm...I thought the decline was more than expected! Here are the figures for 2001 for Slovakia...
2001 Service Year Report
Av. Pubs-12132
Ratio-441
No. Bapzd-284
No. Congs-170
Av. Pions-510
Total hrs-1458538
Av.B.Stds-3573
Mem.Att.-23957
ISP
Don't be fooled by numbers + or -. In any case, my good buddy just got back from the Czech rep. and this is sure, they are on their heads upside down There's alot of problems there.
You see, in those parts of Europe, the "witnesses" were a far different "breed" that your North American breed. They loved and studied the Bible. When, for instance, some immigrate to the US or Canada, they find "the truth" to be a different animal than the one they lived with back home.
They come here with the Bible under their arm, and when they arrive at the Kingdong hall, an alder comes right up and takes the Bible out from under their arm and puts a Watchtower magazine in their hand.
This is the best way I can describe it.
With the move in these countries to more "organization" and organizational control (with less and less Bible) these "publishers feel alienated and disconnected. The "truth" they had come to know is replaced with another animal.
So, as the Watchtower corporation, with all it's false prophecy and baggage move in to the European countries, there's no room for the Europeans.
ISP,
What an idiot!
Biblexaminer,
I have to disagree with you on the Bible statement you made. It has been my experience that you were looked down on at the Kingdom Hall if you didn't always have a Bible sitting on your lap, looking up every scripture that was quoted from the podium. Of course, that's not to say that they didn't always put their own slant on the scripture.
I bet one big difference though, between the witnesses here compared to the witnesses there is the amount of materialism here. I saw so many witnesses with big extravagant houses, expensive cars, always name brand clothes, the women's faces painted up with lots of makeup, big huge diamond rings on their fingers. I even had an acquantance mention to me that the PO's wife who used to study with her seemed very "adorned", and wasn't that wrong? Evidently she missed that scripture.
Duped
"Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug." Mary Chapin-Carpentar
FH,
"....,and whoever says, You cursed fool! - You empty-headed idiot! shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire." Matthew 5:22 Amplified Bible
Borgfree
"You can fool some of the people all of the time" especially if you are a member of the WT GB
THE BIBLE ITSELF, not Watchtower magazine article talking some about it, was the primary study source during Communism's reign over Czechoslovakia. Now that has changed and as some have pointed out, outsiders are pouring in to "take the lead" or, more truthfully, to take over and mor closely whatever Brooklyn tells them.
This is also true in Poland etc. Poland has competiting Bible Student groups. Romania has the True Faith JWs. So there is also competition in East Europe. Even Japan has a new group called the Church of Jehovah.
NOW FOR A REAL SHOCKER! Go to the Watchtowers with statistics for the first year or two that the USSR or Russia and the Ukraine were able to give those, and contrast the growth rates back then with 2001. At one time growth was running something like 24% in Russia but has now dropped to, I believe, about 4%. Or is it 6%...all the same it's nose-diving! Imagine as their policy of covering up pedophilia is increasingly discovered by East Europeans, Asians, Africans!
A quick analysis of the numbers indicates that something fairly
dramatic has happened to the reporting country.
In 1992, the population of the reporting country was 15,229,008.
This is derived by multiplying the publishers (24884) by the ratio (612).
In 2001 the population of the reporting country was 10,128,258.
There has been a decrease in ratio (from 651 to 612). As well, the
ratio of baptisms per publisher has dropped from 1:9 to 1:47, and the
bible studies per publisher has dropped from .83 to .36.
So, the work really has dramatically slowed down in this country. But,
don't forget to take out the effects of the different reporting country.
