The real story: Is your congregation stagnant, dwindling or thriving?

truthseeker

With the 2007 service year stats out one could be forgiven for thinking that WT's problems are over, the child abuse settlement an itch in their Bethel backside and the blood issue a minor annoyance.

If the truth were known, it is probably that more often than not, congregations are in decline, attendance is poor and few new recruits are not already JW family members.

So, if you know how your congregation is doing, if you have the pulse of your hall, let us know.

My congregation (which shall remain nameless)

Dwindling attendance at all meetings (around 80%)

Poor attendance for ministry on Saturday (when all groups meet)

No social functions whatsoever, except for high school dubs who've graduated

Cliques and quirky groups

Very little shepherding

Sense of not belonging among a few

stillajwexelder

Stagnant - declining - publisher numbers going down

Growing a lot, but this is all african and eastern european imigrants. A lot of Africans come here seeking assylum and CLAIM to be JW to get assistance, but they really aren't. I think about 2 have come in from the field misery in the last 8 years. Leavers far outnumber joiners locally.

Dark Lord of the Evil Slave Class

I wouldn't say it's growing, but not declining either. Sheparding is good, not a whole lot of cliques (but they exist, and I imagine they do in all halls, at least in all the ones I've been in). I get the sense of not belonging, but that's because I'm creative, more "deep" thinking, artistic type, which is like the Dodo bird in the Truth.

ferret

Attendance down just merged 2 congs and deleted one.

yknot

My KH has been stagnant for decades......

I can only remember 3 who actually converted as locals since the early 80's.

All other new blood are from a recent population boom, but were JWs before moving. The "movers"pretty much just replaced the older JWs that had died.

Our number has always been about 50-75 (including children).

FS is faked by many, most of us Moms count child rearing and playdates as time.

Most Brothers just leave the pubs in the doors, or plaster laundry mats, phone booths. post offices, library free material desk, public bathrooms, and top of newspaper stands.

BTW.....the mailing of Pubs in prepaid enevelops back to companies is a BIG HIT. TY for the suggestion!

The only ones who really go in FS is the older women who have devoted their lives to the organization to the point of forgoing chidbirth.

No social functions, because some used a sister's "card game night" to hook-up (50 and 60 year olds nonetheless....) DFing followed. The only "social" now is eating-out after the Sunday meeting.

Shepherding........Nah that is just a JW fairy tale/ myth.....Elders aren't shepherds. You obviously must have heard that we have Shepherds from an Apostate!

We are all here because we are "arian" in belief and yet there is no where else to go. Even the pioneers are downhearted.

None of us are really friends with each other genuinely, we are friendly because we are all JWs and JWs aren't suppose to have "worldly" friends. We just keep saying we live in a 'spiritual paradise' hoping one day that Jehovah will fix everything, that this is more of a local problem vs a international epidemic. The Elders heavily preach "wait on Jehovah", yet many of them have serious doubts too.

The old WT conductor actually stopped the meeting a couple months back and said he "couldn't do this anymore", said not to consider him a JW from the point on, stepped of the stage, grabbed his satchel and left. (Rumor is his leaving is RBC related, but he won't spill why he left)

Times have been lean for decades

Has anyone out there really had any spiritual "meat" since pre-75? Because I feel like we have been eating vegetarian left-overs forever.

If what yall say is true about Ray Franz writing that Schroeder suggested this anointed ( I don't know what decade was mentioned) thing way back then... then now we are being fed really really old frozen vegetarian left-overs. It is all starting to make army rations look appetitizing.

The only time I feel I belong is when me and other sisters are ripping the WTS a new one during playdates. Forget gossip it is all about WTF is going on in NY. Disenchantment is at an all time high. They GB all need to take marketing classes because they don't know who there demographic is anymore in English speaking nations.

On another note....the Spanish Congo is BOOMing..

I don't know who posted it but I think there statement was dead on:

People in wealthier nations/ positions join the JWs because of conviction, while those who are in poorer nations/ positions join because of hope.

My convictions of loyalty to the GB are falling fast.

The good news is after collapsing on the floor in prayer that Jehovah remove any wicked demons that were posessing me with doubts, the Holy Spirit (I think) gave me peace by pointing out there is a difference between faith in Jehovah and religion. Talk about scales falling.

Well thats my story of my little rurally isolated KH.

OnTheWayOut

Over a year ago, they split up one other English cong. and spread them through
the other two at the same hall. Another Hall that had two English congs. now has
only one. Happening all over here. They used to be concerned that they would need
more Kingdom Halls in the city of Chicago, but it doesn't seem to be a concern
now. The Spanish are still crowded. Most of the growth is from the fact that
more Spanish are immigrating and many of them have large numbers of children.
Is that really growth if Spanish JW's leave one country to come here? It's growth
in that country to replace them, but not here. The kids- well, they will leave it.
Give them time.

Other foreign-language congregations are doing okay, expanding. I see much
of that as immigration also. English is not getting too many transplanted JW's.
The city folk move around, but that balances out more-or-less.

These are not statistics, just OTWO's personal observations.

primitivegenius

Stagnant - declining - publisher numbers going down

to bad thats the ONLY thing GOING DOWN in the congs

my old cong is contemplateing MERGEING with the cong they broke away from way back in the late 70s/ early80's ................ their excuse is........... take two half congs and make one really good cong.......... problem is the attendance is still plumenting................ no parties or get togethers........... cause they damn near banned any good ones. oh you cant have costume parties........ oh NO more formals.............. skateing................ so they are reaping what they sowed.

i cant wait untill i find out that they sold both halls and built another in the center................... which they were planning................. AND THE RBC screwed them into a huge ass mortgage that the combined halls cant pay. one hall has never been remodeled and has orginal carpet........ thanks to the multiple carpet cleaners in the hall....... and is paid for........ the other has been remodeled at least once and the carpet replaced several times...................... dont know if its paid for but it should be close............. both are in EXCELLENT LOCATIONS..................... so next thing you know.............the RBC will be makeing them build a new hall.............. and they gonna be 200k in debt........... AFTER selling two almost paid off halls....... WTF

bronzefist

Excellent comments yknot..........same old same old here.

brzfst

SirNose586

The only new people we seem to get are transplants. I think there was maybe one new couple in the hall. Our attendance is down, according to the new CO.