Honesty
The first Circuit Assembly I attended had over 3,000 attendees. The last Circuit Assembly I attended had just a little over 1800 attendees. The first District Assembly I attended had over 13,000 attendees. The last District Assembly I attended had about 3500 attendees. The reason I was given for the difference is that the circuits and districts were smaller because of the huge increases in the brotherhood. I bought it until I started looking at the yearly Service Reports and wondered why no real increases in the numbers of active JW's.
Likewise my experience here in Britain. I remember the Circuit Assembly having 2-3000 attending in fact we had to split it into two weekends. Because not all would fit into the 1800 seater assembly hall. So they split the Circuit into two, because of the "huge increase of those finding the truth". That was late 80's if I recall right.
Also at our District Convention we would get 18-20,000 over the 3-4 days. I think the peak was 22,000 in early 90's.
From what I have been told now, Circuit Assemblies are making 900-1000 in attendance and this years District Convention had 14,000 attending.
At the beginning of the year when I left I recall seeing in a Kingdom Ministry a 125,000 JW's in Britain, with peak of 132,000. Then when I left at the end of the year this had dropped to 120,000. I used to think, where have 12,000 witnesses gone?
I think they are up to 125,000 now mainly through getting "inactive" ones back in. Certainly can't be through anything else. Because a Circuit Assembly last year for the first time ever, had no one to baptise.
The WT is running scared. More and more information is getting through to its members. Things that at one time they could keep quiet they no longer can, UN, peadophiles, etc. Plus the falseness of their teachings. They also shoot themselves in the foot over changes in teachings like the "1914 generation" in 1995. It makes their own members question whats going on. Now they have two new GB members "young" guys in their 50's. Yet its not all that long ago they were saying ones of such an age could not be of the "anointed" those that claim to be must be mistaken.
Also those of us who have left are no longer frightened to make such things known to family and friends who are still JW's. Which is why they try to cracked down on the shunning policy and enforce it strictly.
Its slow process but eventually the WT will become a shadow of its self. Not quite disappearing, there will always be the die hards who will cling on to the beliefs. Just as the Bible Students who hung on to Russells teachings have done.
