by slimboyfat 74 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Canada: 0% growth (actually down from 108 409 to 108 012)
The number of publishers is lower in Canada now than what it was 10 years ago....10 years!!
The partakers are really not that many especially seeing that Ireland has over 4000 that partake...they tell them its Guinness.
The report shows a 30% increase for Eastasia and a 20% increase for Oceana.
What about USA??
Canada: 0% growth (actually down from 108 409 to 108 012)
I remember when I joined in 1987, there were 86,000 in Canada.
Philippines up 1%
I think that's pretty modest growth for a country that is like 85% Catholic AND is a third world nation...prime WTS targets.
After 1975 nearly half of all the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Philippines at that time defected. This country had one of the worst fall outs from the 1975 expectation build-up anywhere in the world (other bad reactions were in African countries like the Congo and in the Netherlands, as has been documented by Singelenberg).
THe problem was so bad post-1975 in the Philippines that the Yearbook dealing with the history of the Philippines actually makes mention of the great disappointment at that time (usually such histories of countries in the yearbooks do not mention the dejection of members following 1975).
So perhaps those in the Philippines are reacting post-1995 (generation change) the same way they did in the 70s and 80s.
Plus, the Philippines has no shortage of their own home grown JW-like cults to take up the slack.
Whenever I peruse these figures, I can't help be reminded of a comment made by the DO in our "elder's school" two years ago, talking about implementing the new "15 minute" for counting field service time. He said the WTS had "tested" this in certain countries and it yielded a 2.6% increase in publishers!
So now I just subtract 2.6% from every number they publish, in order to be comparing apples to apples in terms of prior year figures.
Unofficial results, when compared to prior years: Publisher count in U.S., other developed countries: MINUS 2 to 3% Worldwide: Minus .6% (that's point-six).
Willyoman,
Good point about the 15 minute rule. But do remember, that was not introduced during the service year covered in the new report. It was introduced in the service year covered in last year's repost. What is my point?
Well, since the addition of those submitting 15 minute reports inflated the figures last year already, then it cannot do so again this year. In other words, 2.6% may have been artificially added to the make the 2.2% increase last year (actually a decrease of 0.4% if we accept your proposal), but it cannot logically be said to have inflated the new figures relative to last year, since the 15 minute rule was operational in both years.
In short, while the validity of last year's 2.2% increase over the year previous to that may be questioned, the 2.0% increase in the new service report is not affected one way or the other by the 15 minute rule relative to last year.
When comparing this year and future years with years previosu to 2003, then you are correct, the difference in counting method brought on by the 15 minute rule should be taken into account.
A question for willyoman. You mentioned being in Elders School two years ago. Are you still an elder or have you left the WTS. Just curious, I always enjoy reading your posts.
FM
