AGEING CONGREGTIONS

sieborg

Hi everyone on this forum,this is my first post but i have been lurking around here for about a year. I was at the hall this morning and as i was looking round i noticed that, if 20 years down the line i was stood a the back looking around, more than half of those at the hall i attend would be dead due to old age. If anyone still goes to a k/h ,are the ones in your k/h ageing.

St George of England

Welcome sieborg. You could have been at the same meeting as me. We are shrinking far quicker than we are expanding, the congregation is only about one third the size it used to be.

George

rip van winkle

Hello Sieborg. WELCOME!!!!! Yes, they are aging. Aren't we all? My cong was old when I started attending! But I would say there's been an equalizing- old ones dying and young ones growing up.

Maybe you can start a post to tell us a little bit about yourself?

breakfast of champions

Welcome! You must have gone to the meeting I didn't go to!

But seriously, yes, it is a pretty ageing bunch.

tresdecu

Welcome to the forum.

I am in a younger-ish city cong. But I hear ya, so many rural congos out there are at about 60 pubs with many above 45...I have visited a few. The next 15-20 years should be interesting for the org. I think they will die a slow death.

slimboyfat

I remember thinking that about ten years ago, and lot's have died since then, but other old timers seemed to come along to replace them. The constant seems to be however that it's always mainly old people there!

BluesBrother

Every congo is different - I see a lot of prams and babies......BUT the significant thing is that the Elders are definitely getting older. Very few are not grey haired. That is where their problem lies

Jazzbo

The last few congregations I visited seemed to be composed of mostly people over 50. I'd say something approcahing 80% Very few young families, if any. For a long time the Organization has depended on organic growth so I'd say this is going to become a real problem for them.

Simon Morley

Welcome!!

The aging issue will be a HUGE problem for the WTB$ that requires keeping the numbers up. Statistics Canada reported that there are now more people over the age of 65 than those under the age of 15. I doubt this is much different in other developed countries. WTB$ relies heavily on younger ones to swell the ranks and particularly young men to fill the void for MS and Elders. So demographically speaking the WTB$ is screwed.

The "exiting" population exceeds the "incoming" population, there will not be enough to fullfill the roles needed. Add to this the power the internet has had to dissuade (I wished I had the internet in 1983 when I studied) and you have a compound problem of both demographic and those becoming better informed and either saying no to a study offer or simply fading away.

Another impact will be that aging publishers will have to live with non-JW family as many of them were sucked into the 1975 debacle - left with no means of income in their senior years. Some will live with JW family - still a huge problem. They will find it very easy to say no and not go to meetings and thus not support the WTB$ at financial levels they perhaps did in former years. If that does not happen, expect the WTB$ to put pressure on those younger JW's to "look after orphans and widows" to step up and help the aging congregation.

A potential mess no matter how you look at it.

Finkelstein

During the 50's to 70's there was an over abundance of young families attending the KD halls due mostly to the baby boom population growth.

Now days the ones that stuck around have aged and yes some are elders now. The fact that in spite of the door to door proselytizing the general

public has become aware of the JW organization and its supposedly bible based trickery to get people to join. Todays generation are more cognitively

aware of religious cults, much more that lets say 50 years ago.

I would have to agree with the fact that there are more elderly people going to KD halls but that might be true to other religious organizations as well.

AGEING CONGREGTIONS

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