by Georgiegirl 13 Replies latest jw friends
Have you ever read that riddle that asks if you would rather have a million dollars or a penny doubled every day for 30 days? It shows how the penny eventually adds up over $5 million dollars in the course of month.
I think that's what's happening with the WTBS - it's not (OBVIOUSLY!!!) holy spirit or anything other than simple incremental increase. Here's the link to the penny thing:
http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/would-you-rather-have-a-million-dollars-or-a-penny/
Simply put, they have 7 million members knocking on doors every month. And preaching to their non-witness families. And informal witnesses. And on the streets.
It's just a numbers game. When they find a person in the right frame of mind - depressed, distressed, sad, lonely, etc - they walk them right into the organization.
-mentallyfree31-
The increase over the last few years is total b.s. if you ask me.
After 1995, many JW's saw that the end wasn't so imminent and many had children. Those kids are the majority of the ones getting baptized over the years. I know they only count "active" ones, so many are still active, but I think they really peaked at 6.9 to 7.0 million. They switched to allowing "15-minutes-a-month" elderly ones and a few others. I can imagine the hounders begging every senior citizen to consider whether they "preached" at all in the last month. Add that to the number of faders that don't actually put their time in recruiting, but report at least one hour to keep hounders away. There's also parents that count time with their children but don't actually do the time at all, or go door-to-door.
I think you will find that they peaked about two years ago or so and are actually on the way down. They had a boost from Sept. 11th, 2001 but that was so long ago now that many of those faded again or walked away again.
If they are actually going up, it's hardly from door-to-door work, but from family witnessing and the likes.
I have been in sales much of my life. It was always a dilemna in my mind realizing that the ministry could be compared to sales. Its a numbers game, you can expect a certain percentage of return in direct relation to effort. Its all about knowing your product, asking the right questions, finding out what your customer needs or wants are so you can provide the solution that makes them fell good. Thing is, the percentage of return on sharing the Watchtower message is quite low. But the Theocratic Ministry School is all about sales.
Numbers of what, exactly? Contributors who actually open their wallets? Nope! People who actually report honest time spent in the ministry? Nope! Moral people who don't divorce, download porn, take drugs, cover up molesters, defraud each other, or lead double lives? Nope
Their 7 million is a paper Tiger. An edifice. A false front. A Potemkin village.
metatron
I'm sorry. I don't actually remember the source, but I read a while back that their reports of their numbers increasing actually means nothing, if taken into comparison with the increasing population of the world.
That in actuality, their numbers are decreasing when taken as a percentage alongside the world population.
Tammy
When you think about it the JWS is an absolute failure of a religion, since they have been proselytizing now for over a century ,
going door to door, putting out numerous books and literature and all they've got to show for all this work
worldwide mind you, is a measly 7 million.
OTWO - i surely hope you are right. I'm not quite as optimistic as you, but I really do hope that you are completely correct. I'm very curious to observe the numbers over the next 2-3 years.
-mentallyfree31-
Recent report of "Outstanding growth" in Russia.
Jehovah is really speeding up the work!
~Sue
Most if any increase is going to come from third world countries where poverty and poor education is the norm.
