2004 Worlwide Report (page 2)

Cygnus

I see a lot of people leaving, such as in Germany, Poland, Phillipines, Nigeria and Britain. And the real whopper was USA, with about 26,000 people leaving last year. Funny, we get a lot of JW chatters from Phillipines and Nigeria in the JW Yahoo room.

Elsewhere

And the real whopper was USA, with about 26,000 people leaving last year

This is major because most of the JW growth normally comes from the US.

steve2

Hey frogit! Many thanks for scanning the latest worldwide figures on active JWs. My eyes always go straight to Denmark, my mother's home country. Is there a more dramatic indication of JW stagnation in a Western democracy than in Denmark? Look at the comparison between the 1984 and 2004:

Year Peak Average Baptisms Pioneers No. of congs Memorial

1984 14,337 13,903 391 790 234 23,539

2004 14,442 14,309 201 1093 205 22,539

Does Denmark take the growth stagnation prize or what?

Note the pattern: A small, but gorwing core of "full-timers" (i.e., pioneers), surrounded by a stagnating larger pool. All that hard work and such poor results! Perhaps I'm being unfair; after all, in twenty years, peak publishers grew by 105!

I could be accused of being gleeful, but I have to say I learnt my gleefulness when I was a JW when we used to look at the declining and weak attendances at all the other churches and herald the decline in Christendom as proof that Jehovah was not blessing them. Ouch! It hurts when the same argument is used against oneself.

Steve2

ozziepost

Interesting news, Steve. It truly is a "happifying report", eh?

JustTickledPink

I was thinking about the growth in the smaller and 3rd world countries.. and thinking how it related to Maslow's Hierarchy of needs

1. Physiological Needs 2. Safety Needs 3. Love Needs 4. Esteem Needs 5. Self-Actualization

I think a lot of the 3rd world countries contain people that are still most concerned with where their next meal will come from, a roof over their heads, and also their safety. A lot of these countries are plagued with disease. Now I am not discounting the need for God just thinking about how dedicated are these people to Jehovah and the JW cause, how much preaching work is really being done? It seems like having a religion, although important, would be not as important as their basic needs. So, I am really curious about those figures, how many are really die hard JW's??? I remember hearing how 3rd world countries were easy converts for Christian movements because they also fed them, so where they there for the food or for Christianity. I am just thinking, maybe they have a few bible studies and just go ahead and baptize these people... who really would know what is happening there, no one would ever verify those stats.

jgnat

The third world interest is no surprise to me. First of all, the Catholic church remains dominant in many of these former colonies, often involving themselves in the culture and politics of the land. Also, government is often hopelessly corrupt, burdening the people. Also, when a person loses half their family to war, disease and famine, it is not a big stretch to believe that Armageddon is just around the corner. Many of these cultures are firmly conservative. They are not interested in the liberal reforms of the West, they regard us as decadent. Finally, paradisic pictures in the Watchtower literature must appear like a beautiful North American mirage, very tempting to those who are living in a parched and used land. The growth in the third world worries me, because spectacular growth can be hard to control. It would be easy for any of these groups to spin off in a radical, millenialist, militaristic version of JW'ism. If Brooklyin is not sleeping, they should be concerned as well. A popular leader from a rapidly expanding group may make a bid for leadership.

What is most ironic is that there was an Awake article which profiled this disparity between the third world and western church in one of their articles, and tsk'd tsk'd it as an example of the confusing disunity in Christendom's churches.

ozziepost

jgnat:

LOL!!!! Good job the R&F have short memories - or is it just that they wear blinkers??

lazyslob

We are doing well in Sweden

Av, pubs %inc. no. of Congs

2004 22178 - 1 327

2003 22409 1 330

2002 22284 0 329

2001 22222 - 1 332

2000 22533 - 1 336

1999 22869 - 2 344

1998 23366 - 1 353

1997 23692 - 1 362

1996 23896 0 363

I don´t have more yearbooks. But I guess before that it was + or 0 instead of - .

Lazy

drwtsn32

I love how the number of memorial partakers barely fluctuates over the years. Twenty years ago it was about 9,000. Now it's 8,570. lol

DireStraitJacket

thanks for the stats

btw does anyone know the link for the website that show the current number of witness, and a few other churches using a real time counter thingy?
I think it also shows world population etc..

2004 Worlwide Report

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