2019 service report is out

by slimboyfat 48 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  asp59

  Been looking at JWs from Africa Facebook groups. They mostly talk abouth getting married. Seems like a person from USA and Europe are the first choice. Its strange. They have a lot of children so i can understand the number going up there. Question if they are being bless why in africa and not in other places? This organisation feels very 'shaky' this days
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  Corney

  nowwhat? All the growth is in Africa.

  And in Latin America, yes.

  Interestingly, 28% of JWs live in Northern America and Western Europe but only 17% of those baptized this year live there too.

  Also, Eastern Europe (especially Ukraine) apears to be a champion of decline.
• 

  slimboyfat

  Are JWs doing well or not? It depends on your perspective.

  In terms of their own history, their current growth rates are very poor and have been trending down for decades now. Congregations in western countries are getting older, less zealous, have fewer baptisms, and have lower meeting attendance. So it’s all pretty bad from a historical perspective.

  However religion in general is in decline in western countries. So as well as a historical comparison, it’s also worthwhile asking how JWs compare with other groups.

  Take Scotland for example, where churches have been in decline since the 1950s. Here are some examples, comparing membership figures in 1960 with 2020.

  Church of Scotland 1,315,000 down to 325,000 which is a -75% decline (astonishing decline of the national church, reaching critical levels)

  Episcopal Church 56,000 down to 31,000 which is a -45% decline

  Methodist Church 13,000 down to 1600 which is an -88% decline (many Methodist congregations in Scotland are critically small; this once large denomination may not last another decade in Scotland)

  Baptist Union 20,000 down to 12,000 which is a -40% decline (Baptists are actually doing better than some churches in Scotland but still affected by decline)

  Free Church of Scotland 24,000 down to 9,000 which is a -63% decline (The Free Church is especially affected by splits, so some, but not all of the decline will be breakaways)

  Church of the New Jerusalem 380 down to 10 which is a -97% decline (unfortunately almost extinct as I can personally attest, but friendly)

  Christadelphians 420 down to 180 which is a -57% decline (despite valiant efforts at preaching and holding their own, Scottish Christadelphians have been getting older and fewer in number for decades)

  Unitarians 565 down to 140 which is a -75% decline (long term decline, two of the four Scottish Unitarian churches are near the point of closing down)

  Seventh-day Adventists 500 up to1000 which is a 100% increase (this increase consists almost entirely of African immigrants; few white Scottish SDAs remain in Scotland, mainly in Crieff congregation)
  

  Jehovah’s Witnesses 2,800 up to 9000 which is a 221% increase

  So despite clear signs of getting older, lower meeting attendance, and less zeal, nevetheless JWs are at or near their all time peak in Scotland. They are doing poor in terms of their own historic growth, but they are doing well compared with many other groups in secularising societies.
  
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  LV101

  Why are the JWs and SDAs increasing in Scotland? Hope JWs aren't increasing in other areas of western Europe but may have read they're doing good in France - really!!
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  slimboyfat

  Most of the SDA increase in Scotland has come from immigrants, mainly from Africa, and a few from the Caribbean, Philippines and Eastern Europe. I think only around 10% of SDAs in Scotland are white, and some of those are English rather than Scottish, mainly in Crieff congregation. Another church that has grown due to immigration is the Iglesia Ni Cristo. They have two churches and around 100 members in Scotland.

  I don’t think JWs are increasing in Scotland at the moment. They are probably treading water, like Britain as a whole for the past 20 or 30 years. There have been around 9000 JWs in around 115 congregations for years. There have been a handful Polish congregations added in recent years, which may mask a small decline in the existing congregations.

  The figures above show the difference between 1960 and 2020 for JWs and some other groups to put JW trends into perspective. Most of the JW increase occurred in the 1970s, and the decline of most others groups has accelerated in recent years.

  So it’s true that JWs are getting older and beginning to decline in western countries. At the same time it’s worth remembering that most churches have much older members than JWs and have been declining far longer and more precipitously than JWs. Many churches are discussing ways to avoid closing altogether within the next few decades. The Methodists and Swedenborgians are probably close to extinction in Scotland, but even the national church has ongoing discussions about how to avoid closure in the medium term.
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  LV101

  Was most of the JW 221% increase in Scotland because of African immigrants like the SDA religion? Thx
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  slimboyfat

  I think most of the JW increase in Scotland occurred leading up to 1975, and most JWs in Scotland are white Scottish, with a few English “need greaters” and their decendents in each congregation. There are some black (African decent) and other ethnic minorities in the city congregations, but not huge numbers. There has been a small boost from Polish immigration in the last 20 years, with around 3 new congregations formed. So a small part of JW membership in Scotland may be explained by immigration, but most comes from long-standing membership and their children.

  JWs are probably a bit better at keeping their children in the religion than other groups, which is a key factor. Don’t get me wrong, most of those born into JWs in Scotland leave in adulthood and most congregations in Scotland remember lots of JW children who left and only see the KH at the Memorial, if at all.

  But if we are comparing with other groups in Scotland, we have to bear in mind just how poor other groups are at maintaining the faith down the generations. Many churches consist almost entirely of pensioners with few if any of their children or grandchildren in attendance. It’s not just some children who don’t join the church, but probably over 90% for many denominations. This is particularly acute among Methodists, Swedenborgians, Unitarians, Episcopalians and so on. Membership retention across generations is not just poor, in some chuches it’s becoming extremely rare.
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  asp59

  Service reports are a waste of space this days.

  Only religion getting bigger this days are the one with lots of children.

  https://www.globalresearch.ca/why-is-islam-the-fastest-growing-religion-of-the-modern-era/5667893

  https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/
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  Diogenesister

  Drop off your key lee have a family member living in an African nation, and their description is very different. A lot of it has to do with the abject poverty people are in, and they think that becoming JWs will make them rich, or at least more financially secure. The ones that get to Bethel there and get their monthly $100 allotment or whatever it is and a free place to live with healthcare think they have really hit it big. They even send money home to their family in the bush. Its a different world.

  I agree. I don’t have personal experience here but my feeling is they like the connection to an American religion, they also see Jehovah’s witnesses in these really poor areas living a relatively stable life and being as comfortable as is possible. This is because JWs don’t tend to gamble, drink to excess, get into fights or spend money on destructive relationships. They will also help each other out in terms of providing employment for each other first, before they will employ “worldly” people. Of course we know it’s an illusion but to the “underclass”(horrible term) they do portray a sort of safety in an otherwise dangerous world.

  edit yes Asp59 another reason for growth; as you say many will hope to bag a western mate through becoming a witness. Many are already Christian so it’s not too much of a hardship to get baptised j-dub.
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  hybridous

  Of course we know it’s an illusion but to the “underclass”(horrible term) they do portray a sort of safety in an otherwise dangerous world.

  This is a very astute observation. Indeed, this very deception is what sunk my family into the religion's grasp in the first place.

  Seen from the miserable vantage of barely literate, destitute alcoholics, the Jehovah's Witnesses might look like people who have their shit together.

  And success looks very attainable, because all ya gotta do is believe the right stuff...