ComingOutaMyCage

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1290 JW Congregations have been deleted since 4th Dec 2022

I have a full map so you can explore Active/Deleted congs, and also orphaned halls https://analytics.jws-library.one/ViewMap.html

Many of the deletions in the USA appear to be foreign language groups

Per CountryAngola: 119, Argentina: 24, Armenia: 2, Australia: 6, Austria: 3, Azerbaijan: 1, Belgium: 7, Benin: 2, Bolivia: 5, Botswana: 1, Brazil: 80, Cameroon: 8, Canada: 13, Chad: 1, Chile: 7, China: 1, Colombia: 15, Congo: 37, Costa Rica: 2, Cyprus: 2, Czech Republic: 3, Côte d'Ivoire: 2, Denmark: 1, Dominican Republic: 1, Ecuador: 12, El Salvador: 28, Estonia: 2, Ethiopia: 3, Finland: 3, France: 25, French Guiana: 2, Germany: 50, Ghana: 20, Greece: 8, Guatemala: 10, Guyana: 1, Haiti: 8, Honduras: 8, Hungary: 3, India: 4, Indonesia: 14, Ireland: 2, Israel: 2, Italy: 59, Jamaica: 3, Japan: 9, Kazakhstan: 1, Kenya: 9, Kyrgyzstan: 2, Latvia: 4, Lesotho: 2, Liberia: 4, Lithuania: 1, Luxembourg: 2, Macedonia: 1, Madagascar: 2, Malawi: 2, Malaysia: 1, Malta: 2, Mexico: 88, Mozambique: 21, Myanmar: 2, Netherlands: 2, New Caledonia: 2, Nicaragua: 3, Nigeria: 47, Pakistan: 1, Panama: 4, Paraguay: 13, Peru: 33, Philippines: 15, Poland: 14, Portugal: 3, Republic of Korea: 3, Republic of Moldova: 3, Romania: 5, Senegal: 2, Serbia: 2, South Africa: 38, Spain: 14, Sri Lanka: 1, Swaziland: 1, Sweden: 1, Switzerland: 5, Thailand: 2, Togo: 3, Turkey: 5, Uganda: 3, Ukraine: 45, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: 16, United Republic of Tanzania: 7, United States of America: 125, Uruguay: 4, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of): 14, Viet Nam: 1, Zambia: 6, Zimbabwe: 47

Journeyman

Interesting. That looks like a roughly 1% decrease worldwide in congregations and groups within just six months. Admittedly, many are probably smaller language groups and congregations, but that still represents a big change compared to the growth of the org 10-20 years ago.

As born out by the recent annual stats, there appears to have been a big decline in congregations in Central Europe, the USA, South America and Central and Southern Africa.

All the most recent deletions in the UK appear to be foreign language groups also. In particular, Tagalog, Mandarin Chinese and Polish. Certainly there are a lot of Polish people in the UK, but it appears they're no longer buying into what the org has to offer.

slimboyfat

They did announce a few years ago that they were scaling back “foreign language” because it wasn’t as productive as they hoped.

Does a foreign language “group” count as a congregation in the figures?

Is the possible to name the 16 congregations that have closed in Britain?

ComingOutaMyCage

You can browse the full map in my link above.
here are the deleted congs in the UK
CONG Wallsend - Deleted
Language: E

GROUP Newcastle Upon Tyne, Benwell Slovak Group - Newcastle Upon Tyne, Benwell - Deleted
Language: V
CONG Newcastle Upon Tyne, Gosforth - Deleted
Language: E
CONG Prudhoe - Deleted
Language: E

GROUP St Andrews Chinese (Mandarin) Group - St Andrews - Deleted
CONG Edinburgh, Sign Language - Deleted
GROUP Middlesbrough, North Ormesby Polish Group - Middlesbrough, North Ormesby - Deleted
GROUP York, Heworth Chinese (Mandarin) Group - York, Heworth - Deleted
GROUP Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Cross Heath Tagalog Group - Newcastle Under Lyme, Cross Heath - Deleted
CONG King's Lynn, Polish - Deleted
GROUP Bedford, Fenlake Italian Group - Bedford, Fenlake - Deleted
GROUP Oxford, Cherwell Chinese (Mandarin) Group - Oxford, Cherwell - Deleted
GROUP Reading, Prospect Park Nepali Group - Reading, Prospect Park - Deleted
Language: NP
GROUP Colchester, Highwoods Polish Pregroup - Colchester, Highwoods - Deleted
CONG London, Bulgarian - Deleted
CONG London, Tagalog South - Deleted

RULES & REGULATIONS

ComingOutaMyCage

That is one fantastic find! I just started a post :

My old congregation is being shuttered

My old congregation is being dissolved. My brother's congregation is being dissolved. My cousin's congregation is being dissolved. Close to 1300 congregations are being dissolved. Is anyone awake yet?

Earnest

slimboyfat : Is the possible to name the 16 congregations that have closed in Britain?

According to the interactive map seven congregations have been deleted : Edinburgh (Sign Language), Gosforth (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), King's Lynn (Polish), London (Bulgarian), London (Tagalog South), Prudhoe and Wallsend.

There are also eight deleted language groups : Bedford (Italian), Middlesbrough (Polish), Newcastle-under-Lyme (Tagalog), Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Slovak), Oxford (Mandarin), Reading (Nepali) and St Andrews (Mandarin).

And one Polish Pregroup in Colchester.

Beth Sarim

Maybe this is the beginning of the end of the Borg as we know it.

Being totally shuttered down and going online.

Journeyman

Is the possible to name the 16 congregations that have closed in Britain?

Just to add, that only includes closures since Dec 2022.

I happen to know of two London English congregations that were disbanded and their members dispersed to other neighbouring congregations, and another foreign language group that was deleted, for the start of the current service year (beginning Sept 2022). There were no doubt others.

So goodness knows how many in total have been removed since, say, this time last year. The org usually makes changes at the start of a service year, which for them runs from September to August.

FedUpJW

They did announce a few years ago that they were scaling back “foreign language” because it wasn’t as productive as they hoped.

I wonder where in their Bible Jesus said to, ". . .Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, but only if it is as productive as YOU hope it should be."

LV101

What is an "Orphaned Hall?" One that is boarded up waiting to be sold?

1290 JW Congregations have been deleted since 4th Dec 2022

My old congregation is being shuttered

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