Hey guys, I'm working on a paper about exploitation amongst Jehovah's Witnesses ( I'm also preparing a book about Jehovah's Witnesses and interaction ritual theory, and another paper about Jehovah's Witnesses and discrimination against women). I'm trying to calculate as exact figures as I can concerning how much Bethelites are paid. Does anyone know the monthly stipend as of now? If I recall its somewhere between $200 and $300 but I don't know exactly where it falls. Can anyone link me to a document or site which provides this amount? Or does anyone know the exact amount?
Bethelite statistics
by john.prestor 30 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Splash
Why not include Special Pioneers too?
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scratchme1010
I never knew about that, but I'd be very interested in reading what you write. Please keep us posted.
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john.prestor
I make mention of them but because the movement sacked them I didn't include them in my analysis, which looks at exploitation in the movement based on figures from 2016 (i.e., figures from the movement's 2017 Yearbook). I include Circuit Overseers, Elders, and Pioneers in addition to Bethelites.
Thank you for the interest, scratchme1010!
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Giordano
I do remember that back in the day......... late 1950's early 1960's Bethelites were paid a $14 a month stipend for a 5 and 1/2 day week. That worked out to 35 cents per hour. Of course they had room and board but no one was really making it with a 14 dollar stipend that was needed for subway tolls to get to their assigned congregation.
When I toured Bethel trying to decide between pioneering or Bethel service after High School.......... I literally recoiled at Bethel service.
I finally opted to serve as a pioneer where the need was great. In order of importance I met my wife to be, learned to fly fish, and appreciated that I was the master of my life.
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john.prestor
It was that bad back then? Jesus. 14 a month? I would have recoiled too.
I'm going off the 200-300 figure because that's what a Circuit Overseer told me in 2014 at a rural congregation when he visited; I was surprised he was so forthcoming, frankly. But that might not apply to Bethelites, of course.
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waton
I do remember that back in the day......... late 1950's early 1960's Bethelites were paid a $14 a month stipend for a 5 and 1/2 day week. That worked out to 35 cents per hour.
That was generous of wt.
During that time special pioneers were paid $ 45.- a month for 150 hours of "service" aka work*. worked out to 30 cents Canadian, out of that you had to pay all, food, shelter, transportation. The late figures now are skewed, because social contribution issues are starting to come into play in many jurisdictions.* not counting meeting preparation, normal JW grind.
wt remember, 30 cents an hour, to people in their prime earning age, never to come back, while a billion $ real estate empire was being assembled.
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fulano
In 1999 the allowance was $200,00 per person, in the USA, in other countries it was higher or lower. as missionaries (the forgetting group but most exploited sometimes), we started with $44,00 in 1991. We were 20+ missionaries in the country. Some of us complained about it and the answer was that they needed all the money for the building of the branch facilities. Anyway, when we left to work at the HQ it was around $150,00 in local currency of course. A strange thing is that we received "travelmoney" when we left from our foreign assignment to Brooklyn. $70,00 on top of the ticket expenses.
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smiddy3
Interesting thread keep us informed ,I only knew about the 14 dollar a month stipend but that`s going back to the 50`s- 60`s .
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sir82
As of 10 or so years ago, the "special pioneer" stipend was $600 per month in the USA.
I have no idea if it has increased since then or not. It might vary by location too - expenses in, say, Hawaii, would be higher than expenses in South Dakota.
There are other "perks" for SPs, they typically get reimbursed for gasoline spent in "theocratic activities", they get some small $X "clothing allowance" per year, and of course their medical expenses are 100% covered.
I heard, and can well believe, that upon reaching age 62, if a SP qualifies for US Social Security (had to have worked secularly for 10 or more years), if they are to continue as a SP, they must apply for Social Security benefits and their stipend is offset by whatever SS amount they get.