Based on fresh research into original documents of the era. [411][416][417][418], The group's failure to report abuse allegations to authorities has also been criticized. [80][81], Nathan Knorr was appointed as third president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1942. Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is located at 7 Creekview Rd, Willingboro, NJ 08046 Inactive ones are the most volatile group, as a sub-set of those that fade or are disfellowshipped are uncertain of their beliefs, and reactivate in times of crisis, out of fear of the imminence of Armageddon. The difference between 4000 hours in 1995 and 12,000 in 2014 is a change of 300% in just 20 years. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Matthew 28:19, 20 identifies three steps. "[259] The practice of shunning may also serve to deter other members from dissident behavior. 501 (c) (3) organization Donations are tax-deductible URL not available 3390 SE MILWAUKIE AVE Portland OR 97202-1775 Portland OR | IRS ruling year: 1948 | EIN: 93-6034513 Mission not available Rating Information Not currently rated Ratings are calculated from one or more beacon scores. As of 2022, Jehovah's Witnesses reported a monthly average membership of approximately 8.5 million actively involved in preaching, with a peak of about 8.7 million. Breakdown of Baptisms, Increases and the Number that Leave. Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.717 To be conservative, from the figures above we can estimate that by the end of the first century there were at least 65,000 Christians and in 1935 there were 52,000 Anointed Watchtower followers. These fine ministry supplies for Jehovah's Witnesses also . Jehovah's Witnesses Overview Beliefs Practices People Opposition v t e Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society publications have made a series of predictions about Christ's Second Coming and the advent of God's Kingdom, each of which has gone unfulfilled. 4 stars. [391][392], Watch Tower Society publications have claimed that God has used Jehovah's Witnesses (and formerly, the International Bible Students) to declare his will[393][394] and has provided advance knowledge about Armageddon and the establishment of God's kingdom. A combination of the growing irrelevance of 1914 and access to information on the Internet reduced growth from 15 million to just 3 million. Anderson says the policies "protect pedophiles rather than protect the children. Women are not allowed to address the congregation directly. It is not easily calculated, as birthrates vary throughout the world, and Jehovah's Witnesses birthrates may vary from the local population due to their view on the Last Days. The following figures highlight trends, which are more reliable than the specific numbers for a number of reasons. Growth dropped to an average of just 2.09% between 1996 to 2021. They believe that Satan is the ruler of the current world order,[183] that human society is influenced and misled by Satan and his demons, and that they are a cause of human suffering. Had growth remained at 5.63%, the 4,950,344 Witnesses in 1995 would have exceeded 20 million in 2021, instead of 8 million - a difference of 12 million less Jehovah's Witnesses. The format of the meetings is established by the group's headquarters, and the subject matter for most meetings is the same worldwide. ( Hebrews 10:24, 25) At these meetings, which are open to the public, we examine what the Bible says and how we can apply its teachings in our life. [183] Other angels who sided with Satan became demons. [en 4], Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible condemns the mixing of religions, on the basis that there can only be one truth from God, and therefore reject interfaith and ecumenical movements. No. Let's look at the deaths as a percentage. Publishers includes baptized Witnesses of Jehovah as well as unbaptized ones who qualify to be Kingdom preachers. Watchtower 2011 Aug 15 p.22 "An even more extreme example of what might be called "masked churn" is the relatively tiny Jehovah's Witnesses, with a turnover rate of about two-thirds. For instance, there were increases in publishers after the World Trade Centre disaster in Sep 11 2001, and after the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, as some inactive Jehovah's Witnesses are reinvigorated by Watchtower using tragedy as an indication Armageddon is immediately imminent. How Do I Become One of Jehovahs Witnesses. [54][55] The divisions between his supporters and opponents triggered a major turnover of members over the next decade. [1] Jehovah's Witnesses have an active presence in most countries, though they do not form a large part of the population of any country. There were around 6,000,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in 1995, during which time the global average birth rate was 22.4/1000. [210][211], Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ began to rule in heaven as king of God's kingdom in October 1914, and that Satan was subsequently ousted from heaven to the earth, resulting in "woe" to humanity. Today, Jehovah's Witnesses number 8.5 million worldwide, with the largest concentration, 1.2 million, in the United States. This reactivation, seen through a decrease in the rate leaving, manifest itself following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, and at the height of the CFC (Global Financial Crisis) in 2008. Start your review today. Above all, we want to honor Jehovah, the God of the Bible and the Creator of all things. Africa has about half the rate of Witnesses of Europe, which follows on from Africa being fairly evenly split between Muslims and Christians. [22][23] Congregational disciplinary actions include disfellowshipping, their term for formal expulsion and shunning, a last resort for what they consider serious offenses. This continued to be the case in 2014, as shown in the graph from Religious Switching and Intermarriage. [141] Their publications teach that doctrinal changes and refinements result from a process of progressive revelation, in which God gradually reveals his will and purpose,[142][143][144][145] and that such enlightenment or "new light"[146] results from the application of reason and study,[147] the guidance of the holy spirit, and direction from Jesus Christ and angels. Jehovah's Witnesses have received criticism from mainstream Christianity, members of the medical community, former members and commentators regarding their beliefs and practices. He identified the religious movement as "Bible Students," and more formally as the International Bible Students Association. . [3] A leadership dispute after Russell's death resulted in several groups breaking away, with Joseph Franklin Rutherford retaining control of the Watch Tower Society and its properties. [269][270][271], Witnesses are taught that association with "worldly" people presents a "danger" to their faith,[272] and are instructed to minimize social contact with non-members to better maintain their own standards of morality. [313], The official published membership statistics, such as those mentioned above, include only those who submit reports for their personal ministry;[314] official statistics do not include inactive and disfellowshipped individuals or others who might attend their meetings. Shopping. [294][295][296] Since 1961, the willing acceptance of a blood transfusion by an unrepentant member has been grounds for expulsion from the group. We count as Jehovahs Witnesses only those who are actively preaching the good news of Gods Kingdom each month. They reject Trinitarianism, inherent immortality of the soul, and hellfire, which they consider to be unscriptural doctrines. [320], Beckford identified the group's chief characteristics as historicism (identifying historical events as relating to the outworking of God's purpose), absolutism (conviction that Jehovah's Witness leaders dispense absolute truth), activism (capacity to motivate members to perform missionary tasks), rationalism (conviction that Witness doctrines have a rational basis devoid of mystery), authoritarianism (rigid presentation of regulations without the opportunity for criticism) and world indifference (rejection of certain secular requirements and medical treatments). Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus is Michael the archangel, the highest created being. Click here for a summary of the figures used, as taken from the 2011 and 2012 Yearbooks. The book, published as the posthumous work of Russell, was a compilation of his commentaries on the Bible books of Ezekiel and Revelation, plus numerous additions by Bible Students Clayton Woodworth and George Fisher. We are happy to help those interested in the Bible or in our worldwide work. [176] Jesus served as a redeemer and a ransom sacrifice to pay for the sins of humanity. By 1975, the number of active members exceeded two million. [336] Jehovah's Witnesses were interned in camps along with political dissidents and people of Chinese and Japanese descent. Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. [297][298] Members are directed to refuse blood transfusions, even in "a life-or-death situation". [8][139][140] The Governing Body does not issue any single, comprehensive "statement of faith", but prefers to express its doctrinal position in a variety of ways through publications published by the Watch Tower Society. [215] Only men are allowed to hold positions of authority. It will be interesting to monitor the numbers once Jehovah's Witnesses can freely congregate and preach again. The Witnesses' literature defines the "world" as "the mass of mankind apart from Jehovah's approved servants" and teach that it is morally contaminated and ruled by Satan. In these graphs, the number of inactive ones includes: Those that no longer believe it is the truth and stop preaching without getting disfellowshipped, usually so as to be able to keep contact with family members, are referred to by former Jehovah's Witnesses as faders. [8][9] They believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and that the establishment of God's kingdom over the earth is the only solution for all problems faced by humanity. [346] Historian Sybil Milton concludes that "their courage and defiance in the face of torture and death punctures the myth of a monolithic Nazi state ruling over docile and submissive subjects. Phone number (305) 253-6305. PRIVACY POLICY Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Halls. In 2011, 1.7 billion hours of preaching resulted in around only 130,000 conversions from preaching, or over 13,000 hours preaching per convert. [14][15][16], Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their door-to-door preaching, distributing literature such as The Watchtower and Awake!, and for refusing military service and blood transfusions. Find a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. How do you count the number of Jehovah's Witnesses? [69][72][73][74], On July 26, 1931, at a convention in Columbus, Ohio, Rutherford introduced the new name Jehovah's witnesses based on Isaiah 43:10: "'Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.'" Traveling overseers appoint local elders and ministerial servants, while branch offices may appoint regional committees for matters such as Kingdom Hall construction or disaster relief. This graph highlights the low growth rate proportional to Average Publishers. [94][95], The offices of elder and ministerial servant were restored to Witness congregations in 1972, with appointments made from headquarters[96] (and later, also by branch committees). [188] Jehovah's Witnesses believe that humanity is in a sinful state,[188] from which release is only possible by means of Jesus' shed blood as a ransom, or atonement, for the sins of humankind. Nightlife. Phone number (206) 932-2250. . [369] Other critics say that by disparaging individual decision-making, the group's leaders cultivate a system of unquestioning obedience[159][370] in which Witnesses abrogate all responsibility and rights over their personal lives. Browse Nearby. [14][15][16] In 1932, Rutherford eliminated the system of locally elected elders and in 1938, introduced what he called a "theocratic" (literally, God-ruled) organizational system, under which appointments in congregations worldwide were made from the Brooklyn headquarters. Your browser does not support the audio element. [26], The group's position regarding conscientious objection to military service and refusal to salute state symbols (like national anthems and flags) has brought it into conflict with some governments. Despite the number of studies doubling to 9 million in the 20 years from 1995 to 2014, the number of baptisms has dropped from its' 1997 peak of 375,963 to less than 304,000 each year since 2000. ", "Do You Contribute to an Accurate Report? "[125][126] Their literature emphasizes the need for members to be obedient and loyal to Jehovah and to "his organization,"[127][128][en 2] stating that individuals must remain part of it to receive God's favor and to survive Armageddon.[129][130]. were the most widely distributed magazines in the world. [399][400] Failed predictions have led to the alteration or abandonment of some doctrines. (w2020 jun p.18). Free shipping for many products! [116][117][118], Each congregation has a body of appointed unpaid male elders and ministerial servants. Other nations like Colombia, Argentina and . [232][233] They are instructed to devote as much time as possible to their ministry and are required to submit an individual monthly "Field Service Report". [205][206], Satan will subsequently use world governments to attack Jehovah's Witnesses, an action that will prompt God to begin the war of Armageddon, during which all forms of government and all people not counted as Christ's "sheep" will be destroyed. A Kingdom Hall is a place of worship used by Jehovah's Witnesses. Kingdom Hall. [199] They believe the kingdom was established in heaven in 1914,[200] and that Jehovah's Witnesses serve as representatives of the kingdom on earth. For instance, Watchtower has regularly changed its reporting criteria over the years, such as reducing the minimum time to be counted a publisher to just 15 minutes per month for some individuals and reducing the hours required to be considered a pioneer. In a major organizational overhaul in 1976, the power of the Watch Tower Society president was diminished, with authority for doctrinal and organizational decisions passed to the Governing Body. The branch sends the totals for each country or territory to our world headquarters. "[92] Sociologist Andrew Holden states that most members who join millenarian movements such as Jehovah's Witnesses have made an informed choice. [379] He also states that defectors "are seldom allowed a dignified exit",[260] and describes the administration as autocratic. ), Australian Publisher Statistics [335] Hundreds of members were prosecuted for being members of an illegal organization. However, they say it is possible for those who have been "anointed" to fall into unrepentant sin. The graphs on this page show that the increase in publishers came from inactive Witnesses starting to preach again. (Please note that this is a comparative rate, not an exact one, as it is based on "average monthly Bible studies", and some Bible Studies may extend for years, whilst others for only months.). That means Witness children could only account for at most half the number of baptisms (134,400/263,161). Whilst average figures are more accurate, as dicussed elsewhere, peak figures are still insightful. [216] In rare circumstances, women can substitute in certain capacities if there are no eligible men. In 1919, he instituted the appointment of a director in each congregation, and a year later all members were instructed to report their weekly preaching activity to the Brooklyn headquarters. (D 804.3 .H646 2003) [ Find in a library near you] Presents a debate on the Witnesses' commitment to neutrality as a response to Nazi tyranny. [1] Jehovah's Witnesses have an active presence in most countries, though they do not form a large part of the population of any country. 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