Is your former congregation still attracting converts?

by badboy 24 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  95stormfront

  Or Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston Tx?

  Damn.....that's for sure. I am familiar with the area Lakewood Church sits in, grew up in the area. The property sits in the middle of one of the poorest area in Houston, yet when they have services, it's almost impossible to get around within a couple of miles of the place. they're renovating the summit, the venue that the Houston rockets used to play in and he's now touring the country on speaking engagements.

  I'd guess that the number of people listening to and attending services by them have eclipsed the total number of dubs long ago.

  Af course, hear them tell it, it is only because he's tickling peoples ears.
• 

  integ

  No.
• 

  Honesty

  No, I have helped them lose a few 'studies' who were about to be entangled in the WT snare. On another note...

  The WTS has always noted that Jehovah's blessing and approval is seen in the increase of numbers. Therefore, Jehovah must be blessing other religions. Has anyone seen Charles Stanley Congregation in Atlanta Ga? They are Baptists. Or Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston Tx? Boy, these people fill out stadiums! And the numbers keep on growing.

  Wednesday night a fellow from the Southern Baptist Convention talked with my church and said that 2758 people (the number enrolled in our SS classes) is about all we can accomodate in uor present buildings and we are either going to plateau at that number or build/acquire more space. Our sanctuary will only accomodate around 3000 people and it is usually overflowing on Sunday mornings. Yes indeed, Yahweh will speed it up in His own time.

  JW's, wake up and compare your half empty KHs with the churches of Christendom. And 'Joe Hoba is closing the door of the ark' does not jive with what the scriptures say. You JW's are in a Spiritual Desert which has lost any water it may have once held.
• 

  Joker10

  Wednesday night a fellow from the Southern Baptist Convention talked with my church and said that 2758 people (the number enrolled in our SS classes) is about all we can accomodate in uor present buildings and we are either going to plateau at that number or build/acquire more space. Our sanctuary will only accomodate around 3000 people and it is usually overflowing on Sunday mornings.

  The Southern Baptist Convention is one of the slowest-growing churches in America. 50% of the members don't step in that church for at least a year.
• 

  iiz2cool

  In the 20 years I was a JW I've seen 5 people convert. Only 2 of them were still in when I left.

  Walter
• 

  willyloman

  Someone wrote that the lack of real growth (converts) in the org was the thing that got her husband thinking. It got me thinking, too.

  It's really interesting that the WTS constantly beats the drum about how fast they are growing and how they need more and more KH's built, and more money coming in, when the average rank and file dub knows full well there's no growth in HIS congo (unless he lives in certain undeveloped parts of the world).

  The Society has done a great job of deflecting this with their "Well, there's a lot of growth SOMEWHERE" approach, getting the friends to think their own reality must be false simply because they aren't in position to see the big picture. They just can't comprehend that the WTS would lie to them or fudge the figures.
• 

  Country_Woman

  I don't know: have'nt been there for 2,5 years....
• 

  blondie

  Though we no longer attend, the "faithful" keep us advised of the statistics in the local area.

  Except for children of JWs, in the last 10 years only one person had been baptized in the congregation and they had been DF'd the year before. This admitted by the PO was during a service meeting talk trying to get the rank and file to make return visits and be willing to buy out the time for Bible students. If it weren't for the increase in the Spanish-speaking congregations, there would be no growth and that has been tapering off.

  Just as another thread points out that few if any of the general public attend the public talk, little attention is gven to following up on magazine and book placements. If some do, it is only to place more publications, not to start a Bible study. My goodness, they had a talk already this year about parents not studying with their children; at least they aren't turning it in on their slip.

  For every JW that says they brought in 50 or 60 people, they are 50 or 60 JWs who never conducted a Bible study, even JWs who have been in for 20 years.

  Even the children of JWs if they get baptized, few stay JWs. The attrition rate is high, about one in 5 stay in, either drifting away or being DF'd. In one congregation alone, 2 JW mothers with 10 children total, have only 1 who still attends and they are shaky at best. It doesn't matter if these are single parent families or 2 JW parent families.

  Blondie
• 

  Black Sheep

  It's never been my cong. coz I was out long before I moved here. They have had a substantial increase from 'move ins' and 'born ins' but I only know of two conversions (one courtesy of my wife) in over a decade.

  Some of the young ones have opted out.

  I am kept pretty much in the dark when it comes to drifters, but I know of one that no longer attends.

  They lost their best brother and sister that kept the Cong. alive and entertained with picnics, dances etc. through sheer pigheadedness. They moved to another cong, out of their designated area, and then moved town. A great loss to the cong. and the community at large.
• 

  badboy

  tHANKS EVERYONE for your replies.