"We have NO idea how many in our congregation were baptized last year."

by NeverKnew 11 years ago 20 Replies latest 11 years ago watchtower scandals

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  NeverKnew 11 years ago

  Was I lied to?

  Are the members of a congregation even mildly aware of how many people who belong to their very own congregation were recently baptized?

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  Pams girl 11 years ago

  Generally, if the numbers are decent, they shout from the rooftops. If the numbers are not so good, they take a different stance "we do not keep records of baptisms", or/and "numbers aren't really that important". I have heared both these conversations in the same KH. Coming out of the mouth of the same Elder.

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  Aunt Fancy 11 years ago

  I haven't been to a meeting in 19 months but they always announced "we have a new brother or sister...". I do know that the numbers have gone down. You use to be able to count on 1% of the attendance getting baptized, not so in our area which is the NE.

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  blondie 11 years ago

  If you attend the baptisms in your area's assemblies and conventions and go down and see...you'd know. Many congregations have a part on the service meeting after a assembly/convention and will announce who was baptized (remember their status and degree of responsibility has changed).

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  Londo111 11 years ago

  They have records on all publishers. The Secretary could easily check. The Coordinator has to arrange elders to go over baptism questions with individuals. Not every elder will keep track of this, but it is not unknowable.

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  SafeAtHome 11 years ago

  Man, have things changed that much since I've been out? I mean, it was always announced at the next meeting, everybody knew everybody, and the average congregation was around 125 or so. Are they so huge now that an elder wouldn't possibly know if anyone was baptized, really, is a new brother or sister that unimportant to them?

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  NeverKnew 11 years ago

  This congregation, I'm told, is right around 100.

  Is there no celebration of one's baptism? How about an acknowledgement?

  ....congratulatory handshake? Anything?

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  Londo111 11 years ago

  Maybe my memory is sketchy, but if someone is baptized, it likely would be announced at the Service Meeting. Everything else, celebrations, ect would be handled by individuals, if at all.

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  Apognophos 11 years ago

  A few friends will congratulate them and shake their hand at the next meeting after the assembly. That's... about it. Many of the friends do not watch the baptisms at the assembly because they're hungry and there's a lunch waiting for them with their name on it, so they don't know if someone got baptized until they hear an announcement at the mid-week meeting. But keeping track of how many were baptized in a year? I haven't seen that done.

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  Londo111 11 years ago

  This is an organization full of forms and obsessed with numbers, even over trivial matters. You best be sure if the CO comes and asks how many were baptized, they’d have the answer in a jiffy.

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