by slimboyfat 72 Replies latest watchtower bible
The second problem I have with the figures, is I just don't see the dubs out on the preaching work around here very often. I know that the meeting attendances have become pitifully small compared to the 1990s. Something just doesn't ring true with these figures.
Wait a minute, are you suggesting that maybe people are falsifying the amount of time they spend in field service?
Astonishing Publisher Peak in Britain for August 2006
A reasonable person would not call the numbers you describe as "astonishing." They are worthy of discussion, but that is about it.
Several congregations around here have been bolstered by immigrant additions from Africa. I get the sense the immigrants brought their JW'ism with them. And that there may be a simmering pride that they KNOW what it means to be a persecuted JW.
I note the elders are not rushing to promote the African brother. Perhaps they perceive his experience and his pride as a threat, an unknown?
My own church also is sharing the facility this year with a Sudanese Christian community. They, also, I might add, display that same simmering pride.
Think about it, is there really a surge of bodies going out in August? Not ever in my 40 year experience. What you see is the cleaning up of bookwork. The secretaries see that Brother Weak didn't turn time in in February and June and calls him and finds out that he "did" have time and puts it on the August report. Does Brother Weak count as 1 or 3 publishers that month. Can any ex-secretaries clue us in?
Blondie;
you're spot on! those reports would be counted as three publishers, not one.
This is the instruction from Service Department, the reason being that doing otherwise (showing as one publisher) would distort the averages. I think there was a KM article on it too. Can't remember when, but you may have it in your data bank.
My point is that a "Peak Publisher" figure is not the same as "The maximum number of individual publishers in a Month"
It is "the maximum number of report slips turned in in one month"
dozy,
I always thought forgotten reports handed in together were counted as two publishers - interesting. So if a publisher isn't counted twice when they hand in reports for two months - then what is done with the extra report? Are the hours added together into a combined report? (this would inflate the ave. pub. hours in KM) Strange stuff.
We had a letter read about "reaching out" to the Polish field last night, interestingly enough...
I do keep a watch on the figures and I can confirm that August remains the peak month for publishers in Britain for every year since at least the 1970s.
Various reasons have been offered on this board for this phenomenon in the past. I thought the theory about forgotten July reports due to holidays inflating the figures was a good one - but will have to revise that since you say that such double reports are not counted as two publishers. Other possible explanations for the August "bump":
1. People are so motivated by the summer Conventions in June and July that they all go out on the ministry in August. That is perhaps the most "spiritual" explanation.
2. August is the last month of the service year and pioneers are trying to "get in their hours". There may be some connection here, though quite why this should boost the publisher level in general rather than just the pioneer hours is not easy to put a finger on.
3. Maybe the branch manipulates the figures at the year end to include all those who reported for any month during the year. A bit of a controversial explanation, and somewhat unlikely since it seems a bit unethical, but it would explain the consistent mysterious bounce every year...
SBF It's certainly very difficult to make sense out of non sense.
Can any ex-secretaries clue us in?
I was Secretary for about three years. I'm afraid the mulitple-slip hypothesis is incorrect.
Individual reports aren't sent to Bethel, just the amalgamated statistics. It's the total number of Publishers that are sent each month, not the number of slips. Hence the hours might look incredible, if "Sister Irregular" puts three slips in, but she wont be counted as three Publishers.
There's usually a boost in August, though, as "Brother Forgetful" suddenly remembers it's the end of the Service year, due to an item at the meeting from the Secretary or Service Overseer.
Maybe it's due to the change in policy regarding the disabled, whereby they can report 15 mins. in field service and remain a publisher.
Any little buzz and people suddenly leap into "spiritual activity" for fear of being seen as jumping into the ark at the last moment.
I know the tract/convention this past year has had an effect here in the states, but of course that will only be temporary. It's not a lasting effect, but instead one that tends to wear off after a while. They are able to make people who really have no interest in spirituality get excited for a little while, but eventually they go back to whatever they where doing before.
