R the jws increasely desperate 4 converts,do U think?
I f so ,they might attract the wrong sort of crowd!
R the jws desperate 4 recruits?
by badboy 9 Replies latest jw friends
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DanTheMan
In an organization such as JW's where there is such an extreme emphasis on making converts, the trickle of person's coming into the org is a source of discomfort and 'cognitive dissonance' among many dubs. Especially in western countries where the amount of hours spent in service for each convert made has got to be some ridiculously high number.
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Holey_Cheeses*King_of_the juice.
I don't know what kind of recruits they could expect to gain by campaigning here.
Oh yes I do! Steadfast, loyal, trustworthy, honest, with just a hint of wickedness.
cheeses (of the-quick-sign-me-up-before-I-change-my-mind-class) and part of The Great Wrong Crowd.
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benext
With 5 meetings a week, 4 mags a month, 2 CO visits a year, 1 District Convention, 1 Circuit Assembly, and 1 SAD someone's got to be there.
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Francois
Well look at how slack they've become in their definition of what constitutes a "publisher" in the last few months. Remember the 15-minute publisher? How about the little kids? If they're with it enough to hand over the WT to the householder at the appropriate point in their mother's presentation, hey, she's a publisher. If the Kingdom Hall is in an urban setting, and a wine-o comes in out of the cold during a meeting, hey, he's a publisher.
They're doing everything they can to count everyone they can as a publisher. I'm sure you remember all the changes.
Desperate for recruits? Hell's bell's they're desperately squeezing everything they can out of the publisher's they've managed to hold on to in the face of their failed prophecies, their harboring pedophiles, their doctrinal flip-flops, their theological U-turns and a slew of other absurdities.
The society has made one key mistake that has led to the current situation. The society has allowed itself to actually believe that the rank and file is as dumb as a matter of fact, as the society has assumed they are as a matter of imagination. The rank and file has never been as dumb as the society has assumed they are; many of the rank and file are sitting there in the KH for reasons other than the religious "instruction" they receive from the WTBTS.
And as more and more of the JWs predictions and prophecies fail, the society's excuses and explanations become wilder and wilder - - - and more and more insulting to the normal minded. You can only insult the intelligence of a thinking person just so much. After you've strained the credulity of the rank and file to the maximum of frequency and unbelieveability, you are automatically re-defined in their minds from being religious instructors to the status of religious frauds, and the congregation begins to vote with their feet as they head for the door.
Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of cultists.
francois
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elumn8
francois is right
BIG THUMBS UP
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Matty
Agreed elumn8 - excellent points as usual Francois.
Badboy, I understand that you have never been a Witness. Do you appreciate the motivation Witnesses have for obtaining new recruits? I can only speak for myself by saying that I GENUINELY believed that Armageddon was around the corner, I GENUINELY wanted everyone to be a Jehovah's Witness so that they could be saved and live in a paradise earth. It's a simple as that - to say I was desperate for recruits is accurate, but to imply anything sinister in the mind of individual Witnesses would be missing the point.
Do they accept the wrong sort of crowd? It depends what you mean by "wrong sort", but if you mean people that subsequently create problems within the congregation, then yes. Many new people that come along have got big problems. People from the smart end of town are generally not interested, as they already have their paradise, but many others with specific troubles in their lives would find the Witness religion attractive to them. People who have been rejected by society and see the Witnesses as an oasis of love. They could be mentally ill, they could be handicapped in other ways - they could be an asylum seeker who feels lonely in a strange country, they could be someone who has a criminal background and finding it hard to start over. They could be a single mum on income support with many children. All these people are prime targets for Witnesses, but could be described as "the wrong sort".
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ballistic
Francois, I agree. In essence they have manipulated the figures. But at the end of the day, they are digging their own grave. By counting non-publishers as publishers to make it look like there is a net increase, they will run out of options as the downward trend continues.
Also someone mentioned number of hours it takes to find one convert. Well they are embarassingly huge numbers, especially when you consider most new ones are the children. I think that is possibly why average hours have dropped from 11 to 7 in a few years. Too many hours - not enough results.
If the organisation was run efficiently, they would stop all field service as of today except existing bible studies and start up a direct marketing organisation. The main drive within the organisation would then switch to driving up contributions, particularly direct debits. They could at this stage also have a review of their education policy, telling young JWs to go get an education so they can contribute more to run the marketing campaignes. Subscriptions would go back on offer again via the direct marketing, and bible studies would be offered via literature and leaflets enclosed with these.
Is this a bit radical>? Yes, it would never happen.
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Beanie
I agree with Matty's comments. I thought I was saving people (including myself) by witnessing. I never looked at it as simply "getting new recruits." It is amazing how many people do not like witnessing and are embarresed by it, but believe that it is necessary to survive armaggedon. I don't think I could ever do that again. Only those who have been JW's can truly appreciate this subject I think.
Beanie
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Hamas
Beanie you speak the truth man.
I didn't go out just to get converts, I went because I knew I'd burn if I didn't. I HAD to preach, otherwise God would ZAP me.