What exactly IS a "Publisher"??

LovesDubs

This was posted in Nov by NameWithheld: "link, yes, if a baptised JW does NOT turn in time on a slip of paper, they are not counted as a 'publisher' for that month. So indeed, it is true that there are more baptised JWs than the number of publishers reported. On the other hand, you can be counted a publisher and NOT be baptised JW. The WTBTS does not track # of baptised, they track people turning in field service slips."

This confuses me...if a person is not considered one of Jehovahs witnesses until they are BAPTIZED...how can they then count that person as a publisher? If they DO count unbaptized ones in their year end statistics, then that number CANNOT constitute the number of JWs worldwide. It must be then VERY overstated how many JWs there actually are. If they are counting every person now who turned in 15 minutes every third month to keep from becoming "inactive" (which as I understand it, happens after 6 months of consistent inactivity) then the average publishers count for the end of the year is also GROSSLY overstated to bolster the numbers. Does anyone have the link that shows the end of the year statistics for 2001? Id be interested to see what the Total Hours were compared to Total Hours this year versus number of Average Publishers. My guess is the ratio of hours per publisher went down based on the above assumptions and fluffing of the numbers.

LB

I hadn't considered if they count unbaptized publishers as witnesses in their totals. I'll bet they do. They certainly count the worldwide hours.

gumby

It's called being a "unbaptised Publisher" and yes....their time is counted.

They used to take judicial action against these ones until they ran into legal difficulty punishing some one who hadn't yet "signed the contract" aka...gotten baptised.

So hours are counted by these ones yet their are not included in the stats of how many JW's there are worldwide.

They are counted when it looks good and is legal

LovesDubs

Ok...well consider this then...if all those unbaptized publishers become baptized soon after becoming UPs, which they are required to be before being dunked but ARENT dunked as of the counting of these statistics...then the actual number of JWs is probably actually 265,000 LESS than what they show! If not a number significantly more than that because not all of those unbaptized publishers actually GET baptized. They might just as well use the number of butts in the seats at the MEMORIAL as their member count for all the accuracy they actually display. They can crow all they want to about the "growth"...it's just a perpetuation of their lying, and puffing themselves up with pride. There are many other religions growing a whole helluva a lot faster than these jamokes.

http://gatheringofisrael.com/gospelclock/

Gopher

I don't think the numbers are GROSSLY overstated. It's fairly well-known (at least inside the organization) that there is a status called "unbaptized publisher". These include children of adult JW's and also those who are nearing the end of their study course and have applied to become publishers.

The secretary in each congregation keeps all the "publisher cards" in a box. So before a person becomes a publisher (with a card in the box), they have to meet with two elders who ensure (allegedly) that the individual knows what the field ministry is about and that they meet the moral qualifications.

That publisher card also lists date of baptism (if they were baptized) and whether the person is of the anointed or other sheep (gotta keep those distinctions, don't you know??).

So no monthly time report is accepted from a non-publisher.

I would guess that a good 80% or more (depending on the numbers of children publishing and the number of studies, both of which have not been very high lately) of the publishers are baptized.

LovesDubs

Ok...so Gumby, it is your opinion that the Society takes the HOURS these UPs put in but does not count their BODIES in the "publishers" column? Dang if that isnt slavery I dont know what is.

"We will reap the benefit of your labor...but dont for a SECOND think we count you as a member."

LovesDubs

Gopher? "So no monthly time report is accepted from a non-publisher.

um....you mean somebody who hasnt been asked by the elders if they stopped smoking and shacking up? So are you saying that the numbers in the Jan WT include people who are NOT baptised JWs? And the actual number of baptized JWs is more like 80% of what they show...or 5,040,000?

benext

Yearly count is based upon averages. If a publisher turns in time from Nov. in Dec. that report goes in for December's report. There is also a yearly survey done by the Secretary and Service Overseer containing number of baptized publishers, unbaptized publishers, meeting average etc.

outoftheorg

Hey guys you are making this question/answer too complicated. Too many requirements, reports etc.

What exactly is a publisher?.

That is the question asked.

A publisher is a "door to door magazine sales man/sales woman"

As far as the gb/wbts is concerned that is what they are and that is all they are.

The requirement is to sell more magazines.

The wbts is after all, a corporation. They print magazines and they want them sold.

Outoftheorg

NameWithheld

So no monthly time report is accepted from a non-publisher.

I'm not sure how to intreprete that statement - do you mean no time report from an un-baptised person? If so I don't think that is (or was) true - every hall I went to, it's # of pubs included unbaptised children who were 'publishers'. As far as I know, the counting of pubs and time is very simple ...

If you turn in a time slip (baptised or not) you are counted as one publisher and x # of hours/books/mags/etc. (Edited to add: AND the elders have 'approved' you)

So yes, the # of pubs is more than likely higher than the # of actual baptised JWs, though I would bet that if you factor in the number of non-reporting baptised JWs (who are NOT counted in the # of pubs) then the figures may even out.

For example, one hall I went to counted 78 publishers ... I would guess that maybe 10 or so were unbaptised children.

Edited by - NameWithheld on 10 December 2002 12:20:12

What exactly IS a "Publisher"??

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