January Watchtower sets ambitious target for growth!

by slimboyfat 36 Replies latest jw friends

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  JWFreak

  I love irony......thanks slim......just cracks me up how the americans don't get it
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  slimboyfat

  I cheated a little. In fact this was a January Watchtower article, but not from January 2011. It was written in 1951. I think it's amazing because it shows you just how much Jehovah's Witnesses have scaled back their expectations for growth in the last 60 years. Can you even imagine a new Watchtower article suggesting a target for every Witness to make one new convert during the year? It's also very interesting just how much the 'theocratic' language has changed as well.

  This is the original article (January 1st 1951) with the parts I changed to make it sound up to date in bold.

  INDIVIDUAL ACTION TOWARD INCREASE

  7

  When we look at our task and the results thus far, the 18 per cent increase for all nations on the average is splendid; but if we are going to see Theocracy’s increase as we have never seen it before, what must we do during the year 1951? Individually, we cannot bring in a half a publisher or a third of a publisher, but we can, as publishers of the new world, aid another creature to understand God’s purposes, help him in going out in the work, grounding him well in the truth, and letting him see his privilege of being a minister of the Most High to join in this great shout like that of thunder and sing praises that Jehovah is King. By Jehovah’s undeserved kindness a far greater crowd will sing these praises before Armageddon, and Jehovah’s witnesses will share in gathering them. Would it not be well, then, for every one of Jehovah’s witnesses today to try to help at least one person to gain sufficient knowledge of the truth during the coming year so as to aid him to become a regular publisher? We may have to conduct many studies to gain one for the Lord; but if we are able to do this and everyone made it his goal, regardless of in what land, territory, city, village or countryside he lives, the number of publishers would be doubled by the end of the service year.

  8

  Every company will continue to strive for the quota of a 10 per cent increase as it has in previous years, but it should not stop at that. Why not, in addition, have every company, by the Lord’s grace, strive for at least a 34 per cent increase on its peak number of publishers? In other words, let every company take the peak of publishers that it had during last year and add 34 per cent to that and make that your quota for your peak to be reached during your 1951 service year. If every organization, company, country or branch, can accomplish this, it will mean that by the end of 1951 we will have over a half million ministers interested in preaching this good news of the Kingdom. That will mean 500,396 persons, to be exact; surely a great crowd whose voice will sound like many waters and like heavy thunder, proclaiming that “Jehovah our God, the Almighty, has begun to rule as king”.
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  eyeslice

  It is interesting just how focused they were on figures in thise days. My earliest recollection of going to the Kingdom Hall includes seeing the big board that they used to have at the front with all the congregation's stats (for the year I think). Does anyone else remember that. I think the in your face stats must have been phased out some time in the sixties.
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  compound complex

  Yes, eyeslice, I remember the big board and how, as regular pioneers, we HAD to have 7 studies, 100 hours, 35 [?] backcalls, 100 magazine placements. We were anxious to get to the 3rd doorstep study so as to count that householder as a regular study.

  It's so easy now to pioneer I think I'll sign up.

  CC
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  bohm

  haha . I think its a pity they changed the word "company"!
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  WTWizard

  I would like to know how they expect everyone to start a study and get them to the point of becoming another witless. It might have been that easy before the internet started narcing on them, but now that we have apostate forums and web sites available for research, they are lucky if they even get one person to start studying long enough to count the study at all. And, if they are going to use out of date methods that worked during the 1980s, this is simply going to be one of their biggest fiascos, right up there with their setting off the Great Tribulation with the 2006 Waste of Paper Distribution Campaign.

  As for the increase, I hope they are looking at a 97% decrease. Hopefully, most of the witlesses are going to keep dogging their calls, and wasting more time dallying than preaching. And I hope there are fewer than ever out in field circus, so the number of real hours is close to zero. And I hope virtually everyone that they do reach goes online and starts researching the religious cancer, and that kills off most of the calls before they even see the inside of the Kingdumb Hell. One thing is dead certain: I will NOT be trying to increase the size of the cancer.
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  besty

  nice one SBF.....
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  Gayle

  I remember the monthly quota chart. It was in two parts - pubs and pioneers. For several months I was the only reg. pio. so just my stats showed on the pio. part - talking about pressure.

  Well, now, I do think it quite possible, we could have a 34% increase here on JWN in 2011.
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  Mall Cop

  CC. Backcalls= Return Visits The best part of counting time out in the field.

  That was nice householder, same time next week, I'll bring the cake, you make a fresh pot of coffee.
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  baltar447

  Wow, nice way to pull one over on us with that article. Turns out is WAS a WT article, with a few modifications.