as a JW?
Do they count publishers as JWs or do you have to be baptised to be counted
by cognac 5 Replies latest jw friends
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jwfacts
Interesting question. The number of JWs is generally quoted as the number of publishers, a figure which includes unbaptised publishers. However, theoretically it should not include unbaptised publishers, as you need to be baptised to survive Armageddon and even do not have freedom of prayers if you are not baptised.
"Fearers of Jehovah have made a dedication to God in prayer and symbolized this by undergoing water baptism. ... only baptized believers have an unrestricted privilege of approaching the King Eternal in prayer." Wathctower 1990 May 15 pp.11-12
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yknot
Annual Worldwide Statistics Attendance at the annual Memorial of Christ’s death
17,672,443
Total volunteer hours spent in public Bible educational work
1.4 billion
Average weekly home Bible courses taught
6,561,426
Practicing members*
6,957,852
New members baptized
298,304
Increase over 2006
3.1 percent
Branch offices
113
Congregations
101,376
* While other religious groups count their membership by occasional or annual attendance, this figure reflects only those who are actively involved in the public Bible educational work.
YEP......
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cognac
So, I'd bet a lot of those are 6 year old kids being counted...
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WTWizard
Anyone that turns in a field circus slip is counted in those numbers, regardless of age. If you are not baptized but turn in a slip (which is approved; it will be if you are an unbaptized publisher), they count that as a publisher. (Of course, if someone turns in a slip that should not be, it's their job to weed those bad slips out.)
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Robert7
Slightly off topic, but from the stats above, I see the following:
An increase of 3.1% means that the actual growth was from 6,748,644 to 6,957,852 which is a net increase of 209,208 publishers.
If total baptised was 298,304, and total increase was 209,208, does that mean 89,096 (298,304-209,208) have left the faith (or died)? If so, that's a staggering 30% loss!