slimboyfat, regarding churches in the USA, while nearly all of the denominational churches are declining in membership (according to polls, such as by Pew Research), in my community I get the impression that a number of so-called nondenominational churches and a number of individual 'Bible Church' nondenominational congregations are growing in the USA. Furthermore, there are news articles saying that many nondenominational churches are growing.
See https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/august/nondenominational-growth-mainline-protestant-decline-survey.html (called "Nondenominational Churches Are Adding Millions of Members. Where Are They Coming From?") which says the following.
"Over the last decade Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans,
Presbyterians, and every other Protestant family has declined except for
those who say they are nondenominational.
The 2020 US Religion Census, due out later this year,
tallied 4,000 more nondenominational churches than in 2010, and
nondenominational church attendance rose by 6.5 million during that
time.
At the same time, mainline Protestant Christianity is
collapsing following five decades of declines. In the mid-1970s, nearly a
third of Americans were affiliated with denominations like the United
Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, and the Episcopal Church.
But now, just one in ten Americans are part of the mainline tradition.
In 2021, nondenominational Protestants in the United States outnumbered
mainline Protestants. But what is causing this tremendous shift in the
church landscape?
... What is driving the growth of nondenominational churches? While in the
past it resulted from a significant portion of individuals leaving a
mainline tradition, now it looks like nondenominational congregations
are increasing by taking in people who were raised Catholic—which is
about a quarter of the general population."
The demographic in the USA of the decline of denominational churches and the rapid growth rate of nondenominational churches is a a problem for the WT since the WT's JW religion is very sectarian (claiming they are the only religion approved by God) and is very controlling (with the control being held by one governing body at a central location, rather than being held by each congregation independently).
See also https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/november/religion-census-nondenominational-church-growth-nons.html (called "Nondenominational’ Is Now the Largest Segment of American Protestant") which says the following.
'Call it the rise of the nons.
Not the “nones,” who have commanded attention for years,
as the number of Americans who don’t identify with a specific religious
tradition has grown from just 5 percent during the Cold War to around
30 percent today. This is the nons—nondenominational Christians, people
who shake off organizational affiliations, disassociate from tradition,
and free themselves from established church brands.
The number of nondenominational churches has surged by
about 9,000 congregations over the course of a decade, according to new
decennial data released by the US Religion Census. Little noticed, they have been quietly remaking the religious landscape.
There are now five times more nondenominational churches
than there are Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations. There are six
times more nondenominational churches than there are Episcopal. And
there are 3.4 million more people in nondenominational churches than
there are in Southern Baptist ones.
If “nondenominational” were a denomination, it would be
the largest Protestant one, claiming more than 13 percent of churchgoers
in America.
... Nondenominational Christians don’t show up in the polls
that sample and survey American religion, because people don’t think of
“nondenominational” as an identity. They are more likely just to say
“Christian,” or perhaps “Protestant.” If prompted, they might specify
whether or not they think of themselves as evangelical or born again.
But few if any say “nondenominational.”
The US Religion Census catches the growing number of
nondenominational Christians, however, because it is an actual census,
with teams of people counting congregations and collecting reports of
the number of people attending particular churches.
... in 2020, the US Religious Census team found 44,319 nondenominational
congregations, with an estimated 21 million adherents. That makes
nondenominational Christians the first or second largest group of
Protestants in America, depending on how one counts. The Southern
Baptists have about 7,000 more churches, but 3.4 million fewer people.'
'The lead researcher, Scott Thumma, ... one of a few experts and close observers
who have noted the nondenominational growth over the past decade, said
he thinks there are several factors driving what he describes as
“individualism at the congregational level.”
It’s an expression of “organizational individualism that
parallels personal individualism,” he said, and allows churches to slip
out from under the burden of some cultural baggage.
“It is an evangelistic advantage,” Thumma said. “A potential attender at
a nondenominational church doesn’t have cultural expectations of what
they might find inside the way they do if the brand is Episcopalian or
Assemblies of God or Southern Baptist. Rather, the visitor has to
experience the worship firsthand.”
... The growth of the nons has also been supported by an
ecosystem of publishers and parachurch organizations that produce
nondenominational religious content. Historically, denominations
supplied churches with music, Sunday school curricula, and Bible study
curricula. They also arranged mission and service trips. But that has changed, and congregations are more likely now to shop around.
Today
even some denominational churches end up being “functionally
nondenominational,” Thumma said, “defecting in place or quiet quitting …
and crafting their own local brand.”
... Whatever the explanation, it’s clear the nons are growing, just like the
nones. And in the coming years, it’s likely more Protestant churches
will leave denominational names behind.'
These days some of the devout church going Christians (especially ones attending nondenominational churches/congregations) I personally know tell me, when I ask what their religion is, they have no religion though they also say they are Christian.They also say that Christianity is not a religion (and that religion is about rule or rituals), but rather a relationship with Jesus Christ.
You are correct in saying the following. "It’s not true that you needed 10 hours to count as a publisher in 2000 - one hour was enough." The year 2001, or so, was the last year I was an active JW (except for attending the Memorial and local circuit assemblies, or local district conventions, up through the year 2007 or so). But even though, the religion had the policy (one which I think an elder told me) that if hours in a given month with less than one whole hour, then the JW could roll over the fractional hour into the following month's total. I did that during several months. Thus, if in one month I had 0.25 hours of field service time and if in the next month I had 0.75 hours of time, then I reported zero hours for one month an one whole hour for the next month.
slimboyfat, what do you think about my post (on page 15 of this topic thread) regarding how I think it would be feasible for the WT to change its disassociation policy?
