Alaska adding to US publisher #'s?

JWdaughter

There was a mention elsewhere of the ways that the JWs are getting their #'s to go up. One such mention was that now Alaska is counted with the rest of the US. Hasn't it always been? What about Hawaii? And how much, if any, of a difference would the numbers of JWs in AK (and or HI) affect the US numbers.

When it all comes down to it also, fudging the numbers or not, they DO have 4-5 million more members now than they did 30 years ago. They didn't have that many people to start with--so, they must really be growing in some way-right? How does one nail the "Jello" that is the WT population to the wall and come up with ANY accurate numbers?

How do other churches 'count' people?

kurtbethel

As an aside, I was showing the Proclaimers book to the study conductor, and it has lots of pages of various WT real estate. The Alaska pic was a tightly cropped front door. I laughed, because I have been there. Majestic place. Not many people. Maybe 600,000 in the whole state. It is huge so they are spread out a lot. Figuring a proportionate JW population, 4000-6000 statewide? So the headquarters was perhaps a tiny storefront and they did not want to show the whole building so they cropped it.

slimboyfat

Alaska was added to the US figures this year because it was brought under the territory of the US branch. This was taken into consideration when the 3% increase in the US was calculated, so it did not skew the bottom line.

The Witnesses are experiencing modest growth compared to their own past performance, but they are apparently doing much better than many other churches in the western world.

truthseeker

The Witnesses are experiencing modest growth compared to their own past performance, but they are apparently doing much better than many other churches in the western world.

Of what benefit is that if 63% leave?

I am counted as a publisher, but I don't go out. I hand in fake f/s reports to get the elders off my back. Does that mean "modest growth" is really modest?

Jim_TX

That brings up a question... is Hawaii considered as part of the U.S.?

I remember as a teen, a very tall and beautiful blonde (she was about 6'4" - or 6'6" - I don't remember) - who was a JW... became a Special Pioneer (or whatever they were called), and 'went to where the need was great'...

Yup. She moved to Hawaii. Life is rough there... what with all the natives, the beaches and all that sun...

I remember everyone in our KH ooooohhhing and aaaahhhhhhhing... over her 'spirituality' and doing this - going to 'where the need was great'.

*shrug* I dunno... but whenever she came home to visit her parents... she always had a really good tan.

I don't think that she ever got married... not many tall folks in Hawaii.

Regards,

Jim TX