Do you think the Tsunami will be used as a "sign" and bring in more emotionally destressed people?
After 1998 Japan lost 638 Congs and 5,357 Publishers will Tsunami reverse this?
by Witness 007 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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steve2
I don't buy the apostate theory. Japanese do not have reputations for opposing the belief systems they have earlier embraced. Fade away maybe. I have spent some time in Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto in recent years - although not in any capacity as a JW (but, yes, whilst living in those cities, I heard from friends about the Japanese JWs.
I'd heard that around about 1998 there was an economic downturn in Japan and that many Japanese workers had to work longer hours to retain the same salary or face as significant drop in salary. This possibly would have resulted in Japanese JWs needing to focus more on secular workand correspondingly put fewer hours into the ministry.
I'd also heard that there is a signficiantly higher ratio of female to male witnesses in Japan than any other country in the world - one estimate said that as high as 80 to 85% of the average Japanese congregations were female. Hence, when the JWs were burgeoning in Japan it was only a matter of time before they'd be seriously short of males to fill elder and ministerial servant positions. That would probably leave the congregations vulnerable to attrition among other things.
These are guesses - but in the absence of a more considered analysis I guess we'll just have to guess. But the continuing shrinkage must be of concern to the Watchtower Society who at one time heralded the Japanese JWs as among the fastest growing congregations in the world. It's a bit embarrassing when your star performers start slackening off.
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cantleave
I remember when the Japanese FS was the example for us all to follow. I always thought it was just a cultural reflection of the work ethic demonstrated by people there generally. I am sure that witnesses there are still extremely zealous and hard working, the decrease is simply because of the information now freely available.
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Witness 007
They are working hard with no progress for over 10 years......in the 1970's - 1990's publishers would rise by 10,000 or more a year.