Hello everyone,
as the title states there is a ...problem. Allow me to explain.
I'll start with a letter from the President of the WTBS Inc in 1974
*** yb74 254-6 Is Your Faith Dead or Alive? ***
James said, “Faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself.” (Jas. 2:17) Having now read the Yearbook, can you say that Jehovah’s Christian witnesses world wide have faith that led them into action? Their faith is certainly not a lifeless thing. All true Christians must show that their faith is a live faith, because “faith without works is dead.” (Jas. 2:26) One’s faith must show up through work in some way. How? Look at the results with 193,990 persons being baptized last year. Jehovah’s witnesses were doing what Christ Jesus directed his disciples to do, make more disciples! So their faith shown by works has been productive.
It is very interesting to note that in the last seven years 949,842 persons were baptized; and in the last 26 years, 2,084,398. These figures say something to us. At the close of the year 1966 there were 1,118,665 publishers who were sharing in the Kingdom service, and since then there have been another 949,842 persons baptized. So today, if we make allowance for those who have died, which normally runs to about one percent per year, still we should have nearly two million persons who could be preaching the good news.
The Yearbook report shows there was a peak in publishers of 1,758,429 out in the field in 1973. So that is approximately 250,000 short of two million.
Think of James’ words again: “Of what benefit is it, my brothers, if a certain one says he has faith but he does not have works?” (Jas. 2:14) Remember, he is talking to those who have dedicated their lives to God and are baptized. He is addressing his words to “my brothers.” Are we to assume that about 250,000 of our brothers and sisters are trying to show faith without any works? It is something to ponder over.
The Society’s records show that 2,084,398 persons were baptized in the last 26 years. Add to that the publishers who were in the field service the previous year, 1947, namely, 207,552, and that gives you a total of 2,291,950 persons.
Allowing for the death of about 225,000 persons, at the usual rate of one percent each year, are we to say that since 1947 there have been over three hundred thousand brothers and sisters who have gone out in the field service at some time or other since their dedication and baptism and are now trying to show Jehovah and others their faith without works? James says: “Faith divorced from deeds is lifeless as a corpse.”—Jas. 2:26, NE.
44 years later :
“Missing Publishers “ update 2018
James said, “Faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself.” (Jas. 2:17) Having now read the Yearbook, can you say that Jehovah’s Christian witnesses world wide have faith that led them into action? Their faith is certainly not a lifeless thing. All true Christians must show that their faith is a live faith, because “faith without works is dead.” (Jas. 2:26) One’s faith must show up through work in some way. How? Look at the results with 281.744 persons being baptized last year. Jehovah’s witnesses were doing what Christ Jesus directed his disciples to do, make more disciples! So their faith shown by works has been productive.
It is very interesting to note that in the last 7 years 1.893.853 persons were baptized; and in the last 41 years, 11.221.436
These figures say something to us. At the close of the year 1969 there were 1.336.112 publishers who were sharing in the Kingdom service, and since then there have been another 12.060.921 persons baptized. So today, if we make allowance for those who have died, which normally runs to about one percent per year, still we should have over twelve millions persons who could be preaching the good news.
The Yearbook report shows there was an average of 8.360.594 publishers out in the field in 2018 . So that is approximately 140.000 short of 8.500.000
Think of James’ words again: “Of what benefit is it, my brothers, if a certain one says he has faith but he does not have works?” (Jas. 2:14)
Remember, he is talking to those who have dedicated their lives to God and are baptized.
He is addressing his words to “my brothers.” Are we to assume that about 3.696.736 of our brothers and sisters are trying to show faith without any works? It is something to ponder over.
The Society’s records show that 12.060.921 persons were baptized in the last 48 years. Add to that the publishers who were in the field service the previous year, 1969, namely, 1.336.112, and that gives you a total of 13.397.033 persons.
Allowing for the death of about 1.339.703 persons, at the usual rate of one percent each year, are we to say that since 1969 there have been over 3.696.736 brothers and sisters who have gone out in the field service at some time or other since their dedication and baptism and are now trying to show Jehovah and others their faith without works?
James says: “Faith divorced from deeds is lifeless as a corpse.”—Jas. 2:26, NE.
Sources:
WTBS Inc Yearbooks from 1969 to 2017 and 2018 Annual Report
End note: 3.696.736 (a) baptized b& s
are now ….missing publishers or like the Society
wrote ”are now trying to show Jehovah and
others their faith without works? “
Since the Average Publishers 2018 were 8.360.594
the total (a) correspond to a loss of 44,22% baptized
publishers from the year 1969 to 2018 i.e. 49 years.-
In other terms the above total (a) is equivalent to 75.444 publishers missing/year
6287 publishers missing/day
210 publishers missing/day
9 publishers missing/hour
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Greetings to all,
TW