Ex Elder Friend Tells Me There Are Now Only 45 Persons That Attend (page 2)

greendawn

This reduction also shows in their yearly statistics overall they are on their way down in the developped world and only have increases in the less enlightened third world and ex communist countries. Perhaps things are worse than they admit in their statistics.

Despite all their boastings over the years they remain just a small denomination.

stillajwexelder

LOL at gumby

fullofdoubtnow

We hit a peak in my old cong in the mid 90's, when there were regularly over 130 in attendance on Sundays. When I left, it was under 100, and sometimes even less than 80. I doubt it's improved much either, in fact it's probably got worse.

AuldSoul

stillajwexelder,

Keep this up and you will have to change your screen name to stillajwelder soon. LOL

AuldSoul

blondie

Kinda off topic but.......have ya ever thought about tellin them you might have Parkinsons disease and the next meeting when a butthole elder wants to comment at the Watchtower study....you take the mic to him and when you get it real close to his mouth you start shakin real hard and accidently chip his toofie

Wonderful idea, stilla (thanks gumby)

Actually, in this area, the elders were told to do the mikes when no brothers qualified. I guess many elders think that is beneath them.

Blondie

willyloman

Four years ago I was secretary in my old congo and there were 133 publisher cards in the file. A year later, I became the WT conductor and handed the file over to a new secretary -- there were then 84 cards in the file. A little more than a year later, when I resigned and started to fade, there were many Sundays when attendance was in the mid-50's or low 60's. And this is in an area with phenomenal population growth.

I heard from a JW that the CO moved several families from one congo that had benefited from this explosive growth (all the new subdivisions are in their territory). He disbursed most of them to my old congo. This was, of course, heralded as a sign of much growth in the territory, but the truth is there are the same number or fewer dubs attending the four KHs in this area as 10 years ago. Meanwhile, the population here has more than doubled.

In a former congo, which was also in a high-growth area, we watched (and helped) a small congo (19 pubs) grow in less than a decade to 165 publishers and then split into two congos that five years later numbered 320 (180 and 140). Most of this growth was from move-ins, but it's still dramatic growth and gave the impression we were on a roll.

Talking recently to a dub from that area, they still have the two congos, and their numbers total about 150 and 100 (so they are down a combined 50-60 pubs). This despite the fact that the population in the area has since doubled (in the last 10 years).

This and the other ancedotal evidence in this thread convinces me that that the WTS is making up some numbers in order to maintain the appearance of 'growth' (if that's what a 0% increase is called in dubland). No there simply no question that the growth rate of the 30 years from 1965-94 has evaporated.

What this all means will be much clearer in the next couple of years.

minimus

The Watchtower lies about everything else....Why not their "growth"?

lonelysheep

That is such a LOW number! Great!

Sunnygal41

a few years ago - you would need to get at least greater than 8 hours per month to be used the way they are using me - so they are getting more desperate

In our Cong. in New Britain Central, CT, hmmm, how long have I been DF'd...........5 plus years...........anyways, being married to an elder, it was expected of the Servants in our Congregation to get at least 10 hours a month.

aniron

When I left getting on for 5 years ago. The average attendance for a Sunday Public Talk and Watchtower was 120-130. Thursday Service meetings was about 100. Average publishers 80-85

Recently heard from family who still attend. That the average for a Sunday is now 90-100.for Service meetings its 80-90. Average publishers 70-75.

Also two congregations share the same Kingdom Hall. Because approx 20 years ago the then one congregation was really growing. So it was decided we needed new place. We built a Kingdom Hall that could hold up to 300. Ready for the big increase. The congregation was split into two. So we had potential for two congregations of 300 each.

In the last 10 years especially since 1995, numbers have fallen. As shown above. At one time there was talk that the two congregations should again become one. I believe the CO put an end to that idea.

Those that have left have included, 4 Elders, 3 Min. Servants, plus others who had been JW's as long as I had been, 20-30 years.

Many children of JW families are just not following the Watchtower line, and refusing to be become JW's. The young generation of today has the tendancy to question. They are taught in schools to question no longer to just accept what they are taught. This is then carried over into their JW family life. They have access to computers and the internet, at home, school and many local places. They also come up against fellow students who will challenge them on what they believe. So now the doubts about the WT begin at an early age.

The WT organisation still is a strong force. But bit by bit its influence is waning. We hear of brothers asking questions they would never have dared years ago. Questions which can no longer be fobbed off with the "wait on Jehovah to answer it".

Time is the greatest enemy the Watchtower has. Soon it will be 2014, a hundred years, since Christ according to them set up His kingdom invisibly. How many JW's will there be at that time?

Ex Elder Friend Tells Me There Are Now Only 45 Persons That Attend

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