THE AGEING OF STILL-ACTIVE WITNESSES

by steve2 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  steve2

  Several years ago I started a thread on this forum in which I asserted I had NOT seen Witnesses door-knocking in my village for at least two or so years. Years before that - in pre-trolley times - in going about my business (or pleasure), I'd catch sight of them on the streets as they shuffled in their groups from door-to-door: Sometimes there'd be contingents of Witnesses, including young couples, parents and their kids and middle-aged and older ones. In other words, a good cross-section of ages and stages in life.

  In fact, I can remember times when Witnesses were so visible in numbers when going out in their car groups, you literally couldn't escape them.

  Then, in more recent years, I've seen very, very little...if not anything (and I count myself sensitive to noting whether JWs are out and about).

  Until a few months ago....

  I can now report that TWICE in recent months JWs have been door-knocking in my locality - although so far they haven't reached my address. There are two striking things about the Witnesses I have seen in my locality:

  1. How few in number they are and 2. How old they are. In contrast to a few years ago, there is no age variability and their numbers fewer. I have not seen young couples, parents with children or even young Witnesses.

  What have you noticed in your locality? Any shift in the frequency of door-knocking, numbers door-knocking and/or age groups of those doing "the work" (excluding the trolley work)?
  
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  Landy

  It's difficult to say. We certainly don't get our door knocked on very often and I've only seen them near the carts when when we've been visting major towns. I've never seen them in our local town.

  According to family there's been a lot of reorganisation/ merging of local congs so it's even difficcult to gauge numbers (I sometimes think it's a useful side effect for them) that attend. My mother said that if I went back to my home cong (last went twenty years ago) I wouldn't recognise any of the faces.
  
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  eyeuse2badub

  I agree that the 'still-in' jw's are aging. I really think that it's a universal dilemma with all religions! The information age is killing superstition and tradition. Reality sometimes really sucks, but at least it's real!

  just saying!
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  Landy

  The information age is killing superstition...

  I'm pretty sure the availability of the internet (and sites like this) has had a massively detrimental effect on the growth stats in the west.
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  blondie

  Time they call is a factor. Young jws are most likely to be out only on Saturdays, taken by parents or having young families and working weekdays. I wonder how many young adult jws there are in each congregation. I know in Florida many congregations have few young families.

  We haven't been called on door to door and been home for years. We check with the neighbors and it is more than skipping our house.

  But the Spanish congregation is different in demographics.
  
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  schnell

  I certainly get their competition from time to time.
  
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  DesirousOfChange

  I can't comment on the door knocking as we have only had that happen once in 10 years, but they know where we live. But, at the most recent Dist Conv (Reg Conv) it was obvious that the vast majority in attendance were older people. In fact they save all floor seats and the lower 5-10 rows of the auditorium for "elderly & inform" and there are not sufficient seats there for the old folks. The JWs are graying. The youth is leaving. . . . Doc
  
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  scratchme1010

  What have you noticed in your locality? Any shift in the frequency of door-knocking, numbers door-knocking and/or age groups of those doing "the work" (excluding the trolley work)?
  

  In the past 14 years (which is the time I've been living where I live) I've seen them only twice. The first time they never knocked on my door, and the second time they wanted to know if I speak Spanish (my reply was "Parlez-vous français?").
  
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  Athanasius

  I live in northern California, and my non-JW wife and I have lived at our present address for 14 years and the JWs have been by only twice. The first time it was a JW inquiring if we had a deaf person in our household. Apparently this JW was only interested in communicating with deaf people. So when I told him that my wife and I didn't have a hearing problem, the JW promptly left.

  Then about four years ago the JWs left a tract on our doormat while we were out. My guess is that in our locality the JWs have given up the door to door work for the literature trolleys. I frequently see older couples tending the trolleys, but nobody paying any attention to them.
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  joe134cd

  In the cong that I last attended I was respondible for taking the meeting attendance. I knew TTATT and used to count by age. Basically 2/3 in attendance at any time were 40 and older while 1/3 40 and younger. There would of been 4 - 5% in the 18-25 year old bracket. Generally the congregation looked old.

  I live in one of the major cities of my country. There hasn't been a split in congregations in over 30 years. Despite the city growing quite substantially.