2014 Watchtower Publisher Statistics

jwfacts

The 2014 Grand Totals page has been released onto Facebook.

I have started updating the statistics and graphs at jwfacts.com/watchtower/statistics.php, and will release highlights as I work through it during the rest of the day.

jwfacts

One of my favourite graphs regards the declining conversion rate.

This must be what concerns the Governing Body most. This has dropped dramatically, with the Annual Number Baptised compared to Average Monthly Studies falling from a high of around 1 in 5 (22%) prior to 1975, to now a mere 1 in 33 (3%). During the 1980's and 1990's the conversion rate was consistently around 8%. This has steadily declined to less than 3% in 2014. (Please note that this is a comparative rate, not an exact one, as it is based on "average monthly Bible studies", and some Bible Studies may extend for years, whilst others for less than one year.)

Whilst the number of baptisms rises with the number of publishers, the number getting baptised each year is actually less than its peak in the 1990s.

coalize

What's a "bible study" now ?

When I was in, it was very difficult to start one... Your graphs seems to show than it's really more easy to start bibel studies since 2000...

OneEyedJoe

Coalize - at least where I am, the stress that you can count it as a Bible study if you read a paragraph in whatever study brochure they're using (used to be "what does good require of us" but I think it's changed) and ask them the question. Basically if you do anything beyond throwing the latest magazines in the door and running away, you can count it as a Bible study.

coalize

OneEyedJoe : Thanks for the answer! I think the charts show two things then :

1) Some have jumped on this occasion, that's why it increase so much.

2) The majority continue to note a study, when it's really a formal biblical study with regular one hour study sessions... if not, the number of studies will be 30 times higher...

kairos

Does these stats leave out that appr. 95,000 left?

jwfacts

Kairos here is the graph for the number that stopped publishing; that is, the difference between the number baptised and the increase in average publishers. Whilst the number was exactly 106,000, to be fair the number that died needs to be factored in, taking the amount that leave to 80,000.

jwfacts

One of my favourite figures is the new high, or should it be termed low, of 7060 hours preaching required to get 1 baptism.

ABibleStudent

I can hardly wait for 2016. I would guess that 7060 hrs/baptism will increase to > 10,000 hrs/baptism in 2015. I base my prediction on the WTBTS's transition to propaganda carts and using tablets, JW.org, the WTBTS's mantra of "Do more, donate more, and be blessed", the appellate court ruling for the judgment against the Watchtower in the Candace Conti case, more lawsuits, and of course more negative media coverage.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

jwfacts

ABibleStudent, it does seem that sitting in the street and not approaching anyone has not made the preaching work any more productive than wandering around knocking at empty houses.

2014 Watchtower Publisher Statistics

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