40 Publishers

by Nosferatu 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  Nosferatu

  Heh, publishers....

  Was talking with my mother the other day. In the 17 years I've been out, my old congregation's publishers have drastically dropped. When I was going , we were in the high 80s for publishers. Now they're hovering around 40. My mother is attributing this to one asshole elder in the congregation. I was in when this elder arrived, and everyone was excited for him to come because he held a lot of fun get togethers, and in the beginning he did. I guess the fun has run out of steam and the power has gone to his head. Apparently everyone hates him.

  Anyone else have drops like this in their congregations? I'm also wondering how few publishers it takes before a congregation is disbanded?
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  slimboyfat

  I know congregations with less than 20 publishers. The number of elders is probably more important than the number of publishers in terms of keeping a congregation going. Less than 3 and they are going to struggle.
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  slimboyfat

  My congregation has had around 45 publishers for the last 20 years or so. But it used to be bigger in the 1980s, I think the peak was around 90 publishers.
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  DesirousOfChange

  At least 5 congregations that had gotten smaller and smaller closed and merged with others in the 50-100 mile radius here.
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  Calebs Airplane

  I'm surprised that elder hasn't been removed...

  Half the publishers means half the money which is unacceptable performance in any corporation.

  I can only assume that contibutions have somehow increased (unless the bean counter in the Manitoba bethel branch is sleeping on the job)
• 

  Designer Stubble

  Hasn't Jehovah resolved the situation with this elder yet?

  This elder has pestered 40 people away from everlasting life!
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  nugget

  When I got married my congregation was in the process of splitting into 2 as the hall was too small for the number of publishers. Numbers in the new congregations have dropped dramatically and 25 years later they are thinking of merging. What is holding them back is that none of the key elders want to give up their key jobs.
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  Crazyguy

  I'm wondering if there really is as many publishers in the world as they say, since so many halls are losing population. Maybe thier membership count is also a Lie.
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  Black Sheep

  One of the very first congregations in New Zealand has shut the doors and sold the KH
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  Nosferatu

  I'm wondering if there really is as many publishers in the world as they say, since so many halls are losing population. Maybe thier membership count is also a Lie.

  Maybe every window they wash counts as a baptism