How Often Will Jehovah's Witnesses Visit You if You Let Them In?

Seemingly infinite.

Going door to door, I met a woman who said her brother was an elder in another state. Her parents, she mentioned, had a regular discussion with Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) when she was a child. She said she liked the magazines and wanted to read them. For seven years, I tried to bring her every magazine she could request. When her mother died, her father stayed with her for a while. I visited with her father while she was at work to check on him and share the ‘resurrection hope’—a seductive phrase, I would later learn.

The Visitor's Perspective

The number of times visitors show up typically depends on the one who calls on you. But most of us won't call on you extensively. Time is a precious commodity for those who believe in reaching as many people as possible. I used to call on people for years because they enjoyed my visits and we became friends. They never came to a meeting. Just had to stop calling because there are too many people who will accept Jehovah and his teachings. It's a worldwide work.

Worldwide Reach

Apart from the urgency, the visits are driven by a sense of mission. According to Matthew 24:14, the good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth, a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. This means that every visit, every encounter, can be crucial.

Local Visits and Congregations

Depending on how many congregations meet at the local Kingdom Hall, you might be part of a map territory that gets worked over and over. If you have three congregations at the same Kingdom Hall, you can expect to be visited three times within a few months. These visits aren’t blacklisted regardless of your decision to join or not. The visits are intended to keep the religious horde moving, ensuring they cover all their territory as efficiently as possible.

An Inside Look

At my dentist's surgery, a perfectly normal encounter turned into a lesson on witnessing. My dentist, a lovely old man of Greek heritage with a big belly, mentioned that he’s visited by a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses every couple weeks. He told me they have been coming for years and we saw them chatting with him in his waiting room. I tactfully explained that the only reason they keep coming back is to count the time they spend with him.

In city territory, the more time they spend chatting with him means less time they need to spend gingerly entering shops and trying to start conversations with store owners and staff. Most of them resent their presence and regard them as a nuisance. I mentioned, gleefully, if the JWs didn’t have to turn in a monthly report, they’d never see them again.

But it's not just about the visits. Jehovah’s Witnesses are people too. They too have a vague warm feeling that they are helping you. However, the truth is, in the end, you are just a 'call,' a 'return visit,' a name on a card. You’re the one helping them.

They are fulfilling their witnessing obligation with you, keeping them on 'God’s good side.' Isn’t that so unfair? Despite being the ones who stay friendly and interested, Armageddon will see you slaughtered while they are saved. What a twisted paradigm.

Conclusion

The visits from Jehovah's Witnesses are significant. They are driven by a deep-seated need to spread their beliefs, which is understandable but ultimately flawed. The frequency of their visits depends on the territory they cover and the urgency of their mission. You, as an individual, are a small part of their grand plan, a flustered name on a card in their ledger of souls saved.

So, if you choose to let them in, be prepared for visits that could be as frequent as every few weeks or even more. Remember, while their intentions may be noble, the reality is far more complex and sometimes, just unfair.