2004 Natinal Council of Churches Yearbook

by Amazing1914 34 Replies latest jw friends

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  blondie

  I don't belong to a church, Logansrun, never have and never will. Rather I am an inactive JW.
  

  Yes, the WTS requires that people count time on a report slip every month in order to be counted in the numbers as a JW. If a JW goes 12 months without turning in a slip with at least 1 hour (15 minutes if elderly), they will not show up on the year's end report that the WTS puts out. You are not counted as a publisher. My husband kept the time records in 2 congregations and it was just that, inactive JWs were not counted as publishers. If they started turning in time, then they were counted as publishers again.

  The WTS sets the requirements as to what constitutes an active member. As to demanding organizational preaching and then being "too lenient," inconsistent or hypocrital is more. Rather than the numbers representing a group of people that truly go in the ministry because of love of neighbor, it has proven to be a means of earning personal everlasting life. I think my 40 years in several congregations, in several US states and countries, has given me a good overview.

  I find the WTS to be inconsistent and hypocritical at least the areas I have been in.

  Blondie
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  Undaunted Danny

  The biggest problem I have with promoting my apostate Jehovah's Witness countercult website:Watchtower Whistle Blower www.DannyHaszard.com

  IS LACK OF INTEREST I tell you the truth, 90% of the general population already knows that JW's and the WT are a wacko cult.
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  blacksheep

  Most DFd people go back to the organization (unfortunately). In my personal experience I've found that it's very difficult to break free from the Society. Hence, most people stay in. What are your alleged numbers for their turnover rate?

  I recall the 50% from a lot of sources. I did a quick search, and the "angelfire" site says the same thing: (didn't have time to find out exactly where). :

  Why are Jehovah's Witnesses so fearful of Armageddon? ... According to the Watchtower's
  own records, the organization has almost a 50% turnover rate in the past ...

  www.angelfire.com/oh/jude3and4homepage/jwitnesses.htm

  What stats do you have supporting that most DF'd people go back? Regardless, even if they do (which I'm not convinced they do), the disfellowshipping return rate doesn't tell the entire story. I was never disfellowshipped, and I'm definatly not going back. Many people just "fall away" and don't return; they are never formally disfellowshipped.
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  blacksheep

  Barbara Grazutti Harrison also wrote in "Visions of Glory":

  "My own observations tell me that the "survival rate" among ex-Witnesses (both those who are disfellowshipped and those who leave of their own accord) is relatively low. (And the turnover rate, according to one ex-Witness who had access to headquarters records, is extraordinarily high.)"

  http://www.exjws.net/vg5.htm
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  blacksheep

  Logansrun: here's an interesting site. Scroll down to Exhibit 7, and you'll see relative convert in, and convert out for 2001.

  Note: The JW's showed a 39% of new converts, but also 32% people transfered out. (Interestingly the authors noted that the people who I'D themselves as JWs (1.3mil) exceed the society's own reported members of 900 thousand (can't remember the exact figure).

  Clearly, the JW's (along with Mormon's have a very high conversion rate, but a corresponding losing rate.

  http://www.gc.cuny.edu/studies/key_findings.htm