Their Modern Development and Growth

The modern history of Jehovah’s Witnesses shaped up a little more than a hundred years ago. In the early 1870’s, an inconspicuous Bible study group began in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., which is now a part of Pittsburgh. Charles Taze Russell was the prime mover of the group. In July 1879, the first issue of the magazine Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence appeared. By 1880 scores of congregations had spread from that one small Bible study into nearby states. In 1881 Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society was formed, and in 1884 it was incorporated, with Russell as president. The Society’s name was later changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Many were witnessing from house to house offering Bible literature. Fifty persons were doing this full time in 1888​—now the average number worldwide exceeds 450,000.

By 1909 the work had become international, and the Society’s headquarters was moved to its present location in Brooklyn, New York. Printed sermons were syndicated in newspapers, and by 1913 these were in four languages in 3,000 newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Books, booklets, and tracts had been distributed by the hundreds of millions.

In 1912 work began on the Photo-Drama of Creation. By slides and motion pictures with sound, it covered from earth’s creation to the end of Christ’s Thousand Year Reign. Showings started in 1914, with 35,000 seeing it daily. It was a pioneer in motion pictures with sound.

 THE YEAR 1914

A crucial time was drawing close. In 1876 the Bible student Charles Taze Russell contributed the article “Gentile Times: When Do They End?” to the Bible Examiner, published in Brooklyn, New York, which said on page 27 of its October issue, “The seven times will end in A.D. 1914.” The Gentile Times is the period Jesus referred to as “the appointed times of the nations.” (Luke 21:24) Not all that was expected to happen in 1914 did happen, but it did mark the end of the Gentile Times and was a year of special significance. Many historians and commentators agree that 1914 was a turning point in human history. The following quotes show this:

“The last completely ‘normal’ year in history was 1913, the year before World War I began.”​—Editorial in the Times-Herald, Washington, D.C., March 13, 1949.

“Ever since 1914, everybody conscious of trends in the world has been deeply troubled by what has seemed like a fated and predetermined march toward ever greater disaster. Many serious people have come to feel that nothing can be done to avert the plunge toward ruin.”​—Bertrand Russell, The New York Times Magazine, September 27, 1953.

“The whole world really blew up about World War I and we still don’t know why. Before then, men thought that utopia was in sight. There was peace and prosperity. Then everything blew up. We’ve been in a state of suspended animation ever since . . . More people have been killed in this century than in all of history.”​—Dr. Walker Percy, American Medical News, November 21, 1977.

More than 50 years after 1914, German statesman Konrad Adenauer wrote: “Security and quiet have disappeared from the lives of men since 1914.”​—The West Parker, Cleveland, Ohio, January 20, 1966.

The Society’s first president, C. T. Russell, died in 1916 and was succeeded the following year by Joseph F. Rutherford. Many changes took place. A companion magazine to The Watchtower, called The Golden Age, was introduced. (Now called Awake!, with a  circulation of more than 11,000,000 in over 50 languages.) Door-to-door witnessing received greater emphasis. To distinguish themselves from the denominations of Christendom, these Christians embraced the name Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931. This name is based on Isaiah 43:10-12.

The radio was used extensively in the 1920’s and 1930’s. By 1933 the Society was using 403 radio stations to broadcast Bible lectures. Later, the use of the radio was largely replaced by increased house-to-house visits by Witnesses with portable phonographs and recorded Bible talks. Home Bible studies were started where there was interest.

COURT VICTORIES

During the 1930’s and 1940’s, there were many arrests of Witnesses for doing this work and court cases were fought in the interest of preserving freedom of speech, press, assembly, and worship. In the United States, appeals from lower courts resulted in the Witnesses’ winning 43 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. Similarly, favorable judgments have been obtained from high courts in other lands. Concerning these court victories, Professor C. S. Braden, in his book These Also Believe, said of the Witnesses: “They have performed a signal service to democracy by their fight to preserve their civil rights, for in their struggle they have done much to secure those rights for every minority group in America.”

SPECIAL TRAINING PROGRAMS

J. F. Rutherford died in 1942 and was succeeded in the presidency by N. H. Knorr. A concerted program of training began. In 1943 a special training school for missionaries, called the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, was established. From that time onward, graduates from this school have been sent to over 140 lands of the earth. New congregations have sprung up in  countries where there had been none, and branches established internationally now number more than 90. From time to time, special courses have been established for training congregation elders, voluntary workers at branches, and those engaged full-time (as pioneers) in the witnessing work.

N. H. Knorr died in 1977. One of the last organizational changes in which he shared before his death was the enlargement of the Governing Body, located at the world headquarters in Brooklyn. In 1976 administrative responsibilities were divided up and assigned out to various committees made up of members of the Governing Body. Its 12 members (in 1989) have each been devoting their full time to the witnessing work for more than 45 years.

PRINTING FACILITIES EXPAND

The history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in modern times has been filled with dramatic events. From the one small Bible study in Pennsylvania back in 1870, the Witnesses by the year 1989 have grown to more than 57,000 congregations worldwide. All literature was, at first, printed by commercial firms; then, in 1920, some literature by the Witnesses was produced in rented factory buildings. But from 1927 on, much more literature began to be turned out in the eight-story factory building in Brooklyn, New York, owned by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. This has now expanded into seven factory buildings and a large office complex. There are other buildings nearby in Brooklyn to house the some 3,000 workers needed to operate the publishing facilities. In addition to this, a combination farm and factory with some one thousand workers is operated near Wallkill in upstate New York. It handles printing of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines and produces food for all 4,000 voluntary workers. Each voluntary worker receives a small monthly reimbursement to cover incidental expenses.

 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS

In 1893 the first major convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. It was attended by 360, and 70 new ones were baptized. The last big single international convention was held in New York City in 1958. It used both Yankee Stadium and the then-existing Polo Grounds. Peak attendance was 253,922; new ones baptized numbered 7,136. Since then international conventions have been held as a series of assemblies in many countries. Now international convention series involve some one thousand assemblies in more than 80 countries.

[Blurb on page 6]

Early movies with sound

[Blurb on page 7]

A turning point in human history

[Blurb on page 8]

A signal service to civil liberties

[Picture on page 6]

“The Watchtower,” from 6,000 in one language to more than 13,000,000 in over 100 languages

 [Pictures on page 10]

Printeries at Wallkill, New York,

. . . and at Brooklyn, New York