If you could categorise Jehovah’s Witnesses into their various groups, i.e. Publisher, Auxiliary Pioneer, Regular Pioneer, Special Pioneer, Missionary, CO, DO, Bethel Worker, Born-ins, etc etc, (and you can subdivide into as many groups as you wish) what group do you think has the highest drop out rate? I remember an ex NY Bethellite saying that Bethel cured him of the Watchtower, and after reading the thread http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/160509/1/Warren-Schroeder-from-Bethel-on-Freddy-Kline-and-the-apostate-books my guess is that it would be NY Bethellites, but I am interested to know if there is a consensus on this, or on any other group, or no group at all.
What group within the Witnesses has the highest drop out rate?
by Ultimate Axiom 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
jgnat
How do you bell the cat? The WTS does not publish this sort of statistics on itself, and it warns members from contributing to such studies. Rather than "status", I am betting there are trends based on age group. There would be an exodus of young adults, a return of some young parents, and another exodus of empty nesters and burnout cases.
-
jgnat
I follow barna studies, who survey for the evangelical community. I am betting that there are correlations between the evangelical crowd and Jehovah's Witnesses.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/november/mass-exodus-how-the-church-is-losing-the-youth/
-
respectful_observer
Born-ins that go to (4-year) college/university.
Why else would they be harping on it so much?
-
vajeni82
Most of the people I've seen leave are born-ins or at least raised-ins. Especially the ones who were never actually baptized. When somebody else chooses your religion for you, it's harder to make it stick.
-
konceptual99
Definately those born/raised in. No stats to back it up but just look at how many people exit around 14-25. Have to agree that the educated ones are likely a big proportion.
-
jgnat
Am I right that at least in the past the WTS allowed for a little rumspringa? That is, a youth could sow his wild oats for a while as long as he came back. At least historically, couples would come back after they started having children. I know my daughter returned to her roots after my granddaughter came of educable age.
Perhaps college-educated couples don't bother coming back? The barna statistics suggests also that the needs of the twentysomethings are not being met.
-
jgnat
I also see empty nesters coming here. Children are grown, it's a natural time to re-evaluate priorities. I could imagine someone in their late forties and early fifties beginning to wonder what all that work was for?
-
Gayle
Bethelites would be high also. Initially, most called are 19 yrs old males, and raised in. Now moving away from home, often controlling JW parents, they have to grow up and many now get a chance to think on their own, without Mom & Dad influence. Also, they get the insider experience of the "control" and leadership demands and contradictions and 'no love' reality.
Back in '71 or so, at Bethel, word was that most were not completing their 4-yr vow anyway and not just leaving Bethel but the whole works (Organization.) Not sure when, but Bethel dropped their 4-year sign-up down to one year requirement.
Auxillary Pioneers, signup has been dropping dramatically also in recent years, thus the 'bar" dropped to 30 hr. requirement.
-
FlyingHighNow
People with the highest sex drives.