by jehovaxx 42 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
For the last 25 years or so the Watchtower Organization has been fighting an enemy it never saw coming ... the internet ... and it is losing badly.
The Organization has declined in the past but recovered. However, the internet puts information, even very old information, at peoples' fingertips. I think that in the next 10 years the situation will be much worse than it is today, the only Witnesses being left in will be the absolute non-thinkers. It's almost that way now.
DOC, already happening: 3 at Janesville WI Assembly Hall.
Conventions will be smaller to make use of Assembly Halls (already happening) so as to avoid paying rent to outside facilities.
The Great Tribulation.
For the last 25 years or so the Watchtower Organization has been fighting an enemy it never saw coming ... the internet ... and it is losing badly.
Number of JWs 25 years ago - 6 million
Number of JWs now - 9 million
If that’s losing then it’s a kind of losing most churches would give their right arm for.
Number of members of the Church of Scotland 25 years ago - 600,000
Number of members of the Church of Scotland now - 240,000
Recently I spent quite a bit of time reading the 2020 US Religion Census.
Posted about it here:
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5152073910321152/2020-us-religion-census
A lengthy read, but it has made me more aware of the effect of immigration on the religious landscape of the US, including JWs. From what I see where I live in the midwest US the JWs appear to be stagnating, if not declining. But with the overall numbers continuing to increase, it is apparent that there are areas of growth, with immigration being the driving force.
Thanks dropoffyourkeylee
I think I spotted a mistake on that report. It gives the number of JW congregations in the US in 2010 as 5000. That’s not correct. It also results in an inaccurate figure for the increase in JW congregations between 2010 and 2020. The reason for the mistake seems to be that the 2010 relies on a different source for the number of congregations than the 2020 report. The 2020 report gives the official JW number of congregations. I do not know where the 2010 figure was derived. Perhaps it’s the number of Kingdom Halls?
2010 No. of congregations (USA) : 5,769 (2010 US Religion Census)
2020 No. of congregations (USA) : 12,285 (2020 US Religion Census)
2010 No. of congregations (USA) : 12,995 (2011 Yearbook)
2020 No. of congregations (USA) : 12,355 (2020 Service Year Report)
2010 No. of congregations (Worldwide) : 107,210 (2011 Yearbook)
2020 No. of congregations (Worldwide) : 120,387 (2020 Service Year Report)
@Ernest
you may wish to edit the numbers in your 1st row.
The 2020 Religion census was apparently the first one the WT actually participated in. The 2010 report had one and only one metric for JWs, the supposed number of congregations, but it was obviously wrong in that it is a majorly understated number. The 2020 Religion census document is really an interesting read; I found it has caused me to rethink my understanding, not only of JWs, but of the changing religious landscape of the US.
