Baptisms decreased critical 26.9% in Mexico

by Gayle 49 Replies latest jw friends

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  steve2

  I can vaguely remember hearing as a child in the mid-1960s the phrase 'there will be a slowing down' in numbers coming into the organization immediately before Armageddon.

  The 'slowing down', so the reasoning went, would indicate the work had been done. In the mid-1960s, numbers coming into the organization began to decrease.

  However, as a result of a then-new publication in 1966 (entitled something like "Freedom of the Sons of God....") which was released at the District Assembly, speculation began to mount about the significance of 1975. In that book (written primarily by Fred Franz), cryptic comments were made about the end of 6,000 years of human existence being somewhere in the mid-1970s.

  Little wonder that as the organizationally-orchestrated speculation grew, numbers coming into the organization began to increase. No longer did we hear the phrase 'there will be a slowing down'.

  Looking back, it can be boiled down to a far more apt phrase: Suckers leading suckers.
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  mP

  has anyone ever tried to match the JW figures against what is reported for the last census in countries like USA, UK, AU, CA using the closest year book ? Do the figures match ?
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  punkofnice

  Good on Mexico!

  Nuff said.
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  Gayle

  nicolaou ,, you have a 'pm' per your request.
• 

  steve2

  has anyone ever tried to match the JW figures against what is reported for the last census in countries like USA, UK, AU, CA using the closest year book ? Do the figures match ?

  Hi mP, good question.

  Over the years, I have compared the reported publisher-numbers in New Zealand with the official NZ census figures. While there is a downward trend in the census numbers identifying themselves and their minor children as JWs, census figures are a good 30 to 40% higher than the reported publisher figures. So the Watchtower cannot on that basis be 'accused' of inflating publisher numbers.

  I do not have the figures on hand at present (I am posting from a business site away from home), but the approximate numbers during our last census (1996) were as follows:

  There were about 12,500 publishers in New Zealand compared with a census figure of about 17,000 self- and child-identified JWs. Keep in mind the census asks parents to complete forms for their minor children and the religious affiliation question does not ask if you are an active member of a religion but asks you to name the religion you are affiliated with. With such a broad question, it is no surprise that far more people identify themselves and their minor children as affiliated with the JWs than are currently active as publishers. It obviously includes inactive JWs, those who have more or less left but who continue to identify as JWs, etc. It probably also includes (some) disfellowshipped JWs because we all know of people who are booted out but keep trying to come back (but that's a different topic!)

  BTW, in an earlier census (2001) close to 20,000 were identified as JWs compared to 17,000 in 1996 - hence there is definite decrease in numbers self-identifying as JWs.

  New Zealand was due to have a census last year (2011) but it was canceled in the immediate wake of the devastating Christchurch city earthquake - so we will have to wait for a longer time before up-to-date comparisons between Watchtower figures and Census figures can be provided.
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  nicolaou

  Many thanks Gayle
• 

  Bonnie_Clyde

  Will someone give me a link to the worldwide report?
• 

  blondie

  http://www.watchtower.org/e/statistics/worldwide_report.htm

  2011
• 

  Cadellin

  While we're talking about Mexico, I've heard about a weird phenomenon. It's become quite the thing for Canadian JWs to spend time in Mexico as "need-greaters" in the English congs, esp. in resort areas--but in other less-touristy areas as well. From what I've heard from family members who have done this, they comb a neighborhood for anyone who speaks English, even if it's a native Mexican who can barely utter a few words. The Hall is filled with either Canadian ex-pats or locals who speak anywhere from badly broken to manageable English.

  Seems to me like a colossal waste of time (even more so than regular field service). In their home cong., these same JWs would be encouraging non-native English speakers to attend a cong or group in their mother tongue, would pass the call on to someone fluent in that lang., etc. Down there, by contrast, they waste hours and hours of time trying to find ANYONE who can speak Engl and then get them to come to an English KH where they might understand a tiny fraction of what is said. Is it just me or is that plain weird? Then, in the summer, the snowbirds go home and the cong. shrinks to a quarter of the size.

  And yes, there doesn't seem to be the ban on higher ed down there either--my family member was bragging that there are teachers and attorneys in the cong who are also pioneers!!!
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  Band on the Run

  Weird. A downward trend is one thing. These figures seem to be more of a rout.