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| {{short description|List of corporations in use by Jehovah's Witnesses}}{{Redirect2|Watchtower Society|Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses|the parent corporation|Watch Tower Society|the Christian congregation|Jehovah's Witnesses}}{{Multiple issues| | |||
| {{Notability|1=Companies|date=April 2024}} | |||
| {{Primary sources|date=April 2024}} | |||
| }} | |||
| {{Jehovah's Witnesses}} | {{Jehovah's Witnesses}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| A number of ]s are |
A number of ]s are used by ]. They publish literature and perform other operational and administrative functions, representing the interests of the religious organization. "The Society" has been used as a collective term for these corporations. | ||
| The oldest and most prominent of their corporation names, "Watch Tower Society", has also been used synonymously with the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, even in their own literature.<ref> |
The oldest and most prominent of their corporation names, "Watch Tower Society", has also been used synonymously with the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, even in their own literature.<ref>{{cite book|oclc=15485620|pages=26–27|publisher=Watch Tower Society|quote=That momentous date had been pointed forward to since 1876 by those who became associated with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. ... In all the warring nations , the dedicated Christians who were associated with the Watch Tower Society came under tremendous pressure to abandon their resolve to keep free from bloodguilt.|title=Worldwide Security Under the "Prince of Peace"|year=1986}}</ref> Particularly since 2000, Jehovah's Witnesses have maintained a distinction between their corporations and their religious organization.<ref name=GB2001>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Watchtower|date=15 January 2001|page=29|title=How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|page=317|publisher=Watch Tower Society|title=Isaiah's Prophecy—Light for All Mankind|volume=2|year=2001}}</ref> The primary corporations are operated by Governing Body "helpers" who implement its decisions.<ref name="helpers">{{cite magazine|magazine=The Watchtower|date=October 15, 2015|page=3|title="Keep Holding Men of That Sort Dear"|quote=These helpers, from among the "other sheep," provide valuable support to the Governing Body. ... They attend the weekly meeting of the committee to which they are assigned, providing background information and offering suggestions. The Governing Body members make the final decisions, but the helpers implement the committee's direction and carry out whatever assignments they are given. The helpers accompany Governing Body members to special and international conventions. They may also be assigned to visit branch offices as headquarters representatives.}}</ref> | ||
| ==Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania== | ==Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania== | ||
| {{Main|Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania}} | {{Main|Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania}} | ||
| ⚫ | ''Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania'' is a non-stock, ]<ref> |
||
| ⚫ | ''Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania'' is a non-stock, ]<ref>{{cite web|access-date=December 31, 2012|archive-date=May 26, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120526210458/https://www.corporations.state.pa.us/corp/soskb/Corp.asp?361674|publisher=Corporations.state.pa.us|title=Pennsylvania Department of State|url-status=dead|url=https://www.corporations.state.pa.us/corp/soskb/Corp.asp?361674}}</ref> headquartered in ], United States. It is the main legal entity used worldwide by ], often referred to as "The Society". It holds the copyrights of most literature published by Jehovah's Witnesses. The society was founded in 1881 with ], a ] businessman, as the first president and ] as secretary-treasurer.<ref>{{cite book|page=576|publisher=Watch Tower Society|title=Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom|year=1993}}</ref> The society was ] as ''Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society'' in ] on December 15, 1884, with Russell as president.<ref>{{cite web|archive-date=April 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404131420/http://www.heraldmag.org/olb/Contents/history/gr8%20battle.htm|author=J. F. Rutherford|page=14|title=A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens|url=http://www.heraldmag.org/olb/Contents/history/gr8%20battle.htm|year=1915}}</ref> The corporation was officially renamed ''Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society'' in 1896; similar names had been in unofficial use since at least 1892.<ref>{{cite book|page=603|publisher=Watch Tower Society|title=Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom|year=1993}}</ref> | ||
| ===Personnel (as of September 1, 2005)=== | |||
| ⚫ | * President: |
||
| === Board of Directors=== | |||
| ⚫ | * Vice |
||
| * President: ]<ref>{{cite book|author=George D. Chryssides|page=143|title=Jehovah's Witnesses: Continuity and Change}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | * Secretary |
||
| * Vice-Presidents: Richard E. Devine, David W. Schafer<ref name=":24">{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2017 |title=Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Nonprofit Corporation Annual Report 2017 |url=https://cofs.lara.state.mi.us/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSearchRedirector.aspx?Action=PDF&Path=CORP_LEGACY/D201710/2017275/INT0002FC76.TIF |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=LARA Corporations Online Filing System}}</ref> | |||
| * Directors: Danny L. Bland, Philip D. Wilcox, John N. Wischuk | |||
| ⚫ | * Secretary-Treasurer: Danny L. Bland | ||
| * Other Directors: Enrique R. Ford, Robert V. Luccioni, Mark J. Noumair | |||
| ===Name changes=== | ===Name changes=== | ||
| Line 21: | Line 26: | ||
| == United States corporations == | == United States corporations == | ||
| === Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. === | === Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. === | ||
| ''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.'' is a corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses |
''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.'' is a corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses which is responsible for administrative matters, such as real estate, especially within the United States. This corporation is typically cited as the publisher of Jehovah's Witnesses publications, though other publishers are sometimes cited. The corporation's stated purposes are: “Charitable, benevolent, scientific, historical, literary and religious purposes; the moral and mental improvement of men and women, the dissemination of Bible truths in various languages by means of the publication of tracts, pamphlets, papers and other religious documents, and for religious missionary work.”<ref>{{cite magazine|date=March 1, 1955|magazine=The Watchtower|page=141|publisher=Watch Tower Society|title=The Warning Work (1909-1914)}}</ref> In 2001, '']'' listed the Watch Tower Society as one of ]'s forty richest corporations, with revenues exceeding $950 million.<ref>{{cite web|title=At the Top / NYC Company Profiles / NYC 40|url=http://www.newsday.com/business/technology/at-the-top-nyc-company-profiles-nyc-40-1.365255}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | Originally known as the ''Peoples Pulpit Association'', the organization was incorporated in 1909 when the Society's principal offices moved to Brooklyn, New York. In 1939, it was renamed ''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Inc.'', and in 1956, the name was changed to ''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc''.<ref>{{cite book|page=229|publisher=Watch Tower Society|title=Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom|year=1993}}</ref> Until 2000, a member of the ] was president of both the ''Watch Tower'' (Pennsylvania) and ''Watchtower'' (New York) corporations, as well as Britain's International Bible Students Association corporation; in 2001, it was decided that the corporations' directors need not be members of the Governing Body.<ref name=GB2001 /> | ||
| ===Selected Personnel (as of April 1, 2012)=== | |||
| ⚫ | * President: |
||
| * Secretary: Gerry F. Simonis | |||
| ====Board of Directors==== | |||
| ⚫ | Originally known as the ''Peoples Pulpit Association'', the organization was incorporated in 1909 when the Society's principal offices moved to Brooklyn, New York. In 1939, it was renamed ''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Inc.'', and in 1956 the name was changed to ''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc''.<ref> |
||
| ⚫ | * President: Harold L. Corken | ||
| ⚫ | * Vice-Presidents: Anthony Griffin, John D. Larson | ||
| * Secretary-Treasurer: Mark L. Questell | |||
| * Assistant Secretary-Treasurers: Kent E. Fischer, Edgar Rene Llerena, Jesse V. Morris | |||
| ===Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses=== | ===Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc.=== | ||
| ''Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc.'' was established to organize and administer the ] affairs of ] in the United States.<ref>Letter from Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., to All Bodies of Elders in the United States, dated February 27, 2001.</ref><ref> |
''Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc.'' was established to organize and administer the ] affairs of ] in the United States.<ref>Letter from Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., to All Bodies of Elders in the United States, dated February 27, 2001.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 1, 2002|magazine=Our Kingdom Ministry|page=7|publisher=Watch Tower Society|title=New Corporations Formed}}</ref> It filed for incorporation on August 21, 2000, in ] as a “] ]” in ].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 10, 2009|archive-date=August 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820231303/http://appsext8.dos.state.ny.us/corp_public/CORPSEARCH.ENTITY_INFORMATION?p_nameid=2575466&p_corpid=2544464&p_entity_name=jehovah%27s%20witnesses&p_name_type=A&p_search_type=CONTAINS&p_srch_results_page=0|title=NYS Dept of State, Division of Corporations, site retrieved March 23, 2009|url-status=dead|url=http://appsext8.dos.state.ny.us/corp_public/CORPSEARCH.ENTITY_INFORMATION?p_nameid=2575466&p_corpid=2544464&p_entity_name=jehovah%27s%20witnesses&p_name_type=A&p_search_type=CONTAINS&p_srch_results_page=0}}</ref> An incorporation record was also filed with the ] on March 3, 2006, as a "]" with an agency in ].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=December 31, 2012|publisher=Sunbiz.org|title=Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, site retrieved March 23, 2009|url=http://sunbiz.org/scripts/cordet.exe?action=DETFIL&inq_doc_number=F06000001390&inq_came_from=NAMFWD&cor_web_names_seq_number=0000&names_name_ind=N&names_cor_number=&names_name_seq=&names_name_ind=&names_comp_name=CHRISTIANCONGREGATIONJEHOVAHSW&names_filing_type=}}</ref> | ||
| http://appsext8.dos.state.ny.us/corp_public/CORPSEARCH.ENTITY_INFORMATION?p_nameid=2575466&p_corpid=2544464&p_entity_name=jehovah%27s%20witnesses&p_name_type=A&p_search_type=CONTAINS&p_srch_results_page=0</ref> An incorporation record was also filed with the ] on March 3, 2006, as a "]" with agency in ].<ref>Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, site retrieved March 23, 2009 | |||
| http://sunbiz.org/scripts/cordet.exe?action=DETFIL&inq_doc_number=F06000001390&inq_came_from=NAMFWD&cor_web_names_seq_number=0000&names_name_ind=N&names_cor_number=&names_name_seq=&names_name_ind=&names_comp_name=CHRISTIANCONGREGATIONJEHOVAHSW&names_filing_type=</ref> | |||
| As announced to congregations in January 2001, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is a corporation used by their United States |
As announced to congregations in January 2001, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is a corporation used by their United States branch committee, which oversees the preaching work of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States, ], and the ].<ref>{{cite magazine|date=September 2005|magazine=Our Kingdom Ministry|page=1|title=Branch Letter}}</ref> All branch committee members are appointed by and report to the ].<ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 15, 2001|magazine=The Watchtower|pages=14–15|title=Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=July 15, 2006|magazine=The Watchtower|page=20|title=Focus on the Goodness of Jehovah's Organization}}</ref> | ||
| As with other agencies of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses may correspond directly with any |
As with other agencies of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses may correspond directly with any circuit overseer, local ], or individual, or it may assign someone else to communicate on its behalf. Any of these persons or groups may function as an ] acting at the explicit direction of the Governing Body.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=June 1, 2006|magazine=Awake!|page=19|title=Heeding the Warnings Made a Difference}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=April 1, 2007|magazine=The Watchtower|page=25|title=Loyal to Christ and His Faithful Slave}}</ref> | ||
| ====Board of Directors==== | |||
| ⚫ | * President: Allen E. Shuster | ||
| * Vice-Presidents: Gary Breaux, Andrew Sciascia | |||
| * Secretary-Treasurer: Mark Turner | |||
| * Assistant Secretary-Treasurers: Keith Wolff, Richard L. Ashe, Jr., Thomas Jefferson, Jr. | |||
| ===Other US corporations=== | ===Other US corporations=== | ||
| Reorganization in 2000 resulted in the creation of several additional corporate entities to serve the needs of the United States branch of Jehovah's Witnesses. Since then, most written communication with congregations and individuals in the United States involves the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc; other corporations include |
Reorganization in 2000 resulted in the creation of several additional corporate entities to serve the needs of the United States branch of Jehovah's Witnesses. Since then, most written communication with congregations and individuals in the United States involves the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc.; other corporations include: | ||
| * ''Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses, New York'' |
* ''Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses, New York'', incorporated in 2000 for the administration of full-time preaching activities. | ||
| * ''Kingdom Support Services, Inc., New York'' |
* ''Kingdom Support Services, Inc., New York'', incorporated in 2000 for construction and ]. | ||
| ==Corporations outside the United States== | ==Corporations outside the United States== | ||
| ⚫ | ===International Bible Students Association=== | ||
| ''International Bible Students Association'' is a corporate ] used by ] in the ]. Some Jehovah's Witnesses publications cite this corporation as publisher or co-publisher.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} | |||
| ⚫ | ===International Bible Students Association=== | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| The ''International Bible Students Association'' (IBSA) is a corporate ] used by ] in the ] for the production and distribution of religious literature. Its stated purpose is "to promote the Christian religion by supporting congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses and others in connection with their spiritual and material welfare in Britain and abroad within the charitable purposes of the Association."<ref>{{cite web|access-date=June 6, 2013|title=Charity Commission (UK): International Bible Students Association.|url=http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/search-for-a-charity/?txt=216647}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | The IBSA was founded in 1914 as a corporation of the ] by ] in ], England, and was the first legal corporation representing Russell's ministry in ]. The Watch Tower Society stated in 1917 that the IBSA, along with its Pennsylvania and New York based corporations "were organized for identical purposes and they harmoniously work together."<ref>See “The History and Operations of Our Society,” ''Watch Tower'', 1917, pp. 327-330, as referred by ''The Watchtower'', March 1, 1955, page 141</ref> Other similarly named corporations operate in various countries to promote the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 15, 2001|magazine=The Watchtower|page=29|quote=The International Bible Students Association is used in Britain. Other legal entities are used to promote Kingdom interests in other lands.|title=How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation}}</ref> | ||
| Later corporations, such as in Canada, were similarly named. The name continues to be used for corporate entities (for example, in ]), but in 1931 the religion formally changed its name worldwide from International Bible Students to Jehovah’s Witnesses. | |||
| ===Other corporations=== | ===Other corporations=== | ||
| Since the formation of the International Bible Students Association, many other |
Since the formation of the International Bible Students Association, many other corporations sanctioned by the Governing Body have been used throughout the world to further the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses<ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 2002|magazine=Our Kingdom Ministry|page=7|title=New Corporations Formed}}</ref> by supporting the activities of their respective branch offices in different countries, for example: | ||
| * '' |
* ''Associação Torre de Vigia de Bíblias e Tratados'' (Brazil) | ||
| * ''Association culturelle des Témoins de Jéhovah de France '' | |||
| * ''Wachtturm-Gesellschaft, Selters/Taunus'', Germany | |||
| * ''Association of Jehovah's Witnesses of East Africa'' | |||
| ⚫ | * ''Watchtower Bible & Tract Society Of Australia, Inc.'' |
||
| * ''Los Testigos de Jehová en México'' | |||
| * ''Wachtturm Bibel- und Traktat-Gesellschaft der Zeugen Jehovas e. V., Selters/Taunus'' (Germany)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jehovaszeugen.de/service/wachtturm-gesellschaft/|title = Wachtturm-Gesellschaft | JEHOVAS ZEUGEN}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | * ''Watchtower Bible & Tract Society Of Australia, Inc.'' | ||
| In some countries, Jehovah's Witnesses use the corporation name ''Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses'' |
In some countries, Jehovah's Witnesses use the corporation name ''Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses'' or a similar name translated into the local language. In 2005, the branch office in ] began using this name as a separate Canadian entity for most correspondence, while retaining ''Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada'' for other matters. In ], the corporation, ''Congregación Cristiana de los Testigos de Jehová'', is used. Literature of Jehovah's Witnesses has also referred to the denomination generally as the "Christian congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses".<ref>{{cite magazine|date=August 1, 2004|magazine=The Watchtower|page=6|title=God's Kingdom Government—A Reality Today}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=January 22, 2005|magazine=Awake!|page=21|title=Young People Ask... What Should I Do When Others Tell Me Their Problems?}}</ref> | ||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
| ⚫ | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| ⚫ | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
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| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * {{Official website|http://www.jw.org/ }} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| {{Jehovah's Witnesses navbox|state=collapsed}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 09:54, 4 October 2024
List of corporations in use by Jehovah's Witnesses"Watchtower Society" and "Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses" redirect here. For the parent corporation, see Watch Tower Society. For the Christian congregation, see Jehovah's Witnesses. | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
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A number of corporations are used by Jehovah's Witnesses. They publish literature and perform other operational and administrative functions, representing the interests of the religious organization. "The Society" has been used as a collective term for these corporations.
The oldest and most prominent of their corporation names, "Watch Tower Society", has also been used synonymously with the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, even in their own literature. Particularly since 2000, Jehovah's Witnesses have maintained a distinction between their corporations and their religious organization. The primary corporations are operated by Governing Body "helpers" who implement its decisions.
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
Main article: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of PennsylvaniaWatch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization headquartered in Warwick, New York, United States. It is the main legal entity used worldwide by Jehovah's Witnesses, often referred to as "The Society". It holds the copyrights of most literature published by Jehovah's Witnesses. The society was founded in 1881 with William Henry Conley, a Pittsburgh businessman, as the first president and Charles Taze Russell as secretary-treasurer. The society was incorporated as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in Pennsylvania on December 15, 1884, with Russell as president. The corporation was officially renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1896; similar names had been in unofficial use since at least 1892.
Board of Directors
- President: Robert Louis Ciranko
- Vice-Presidents: Richard E. Devine, David W. Schafer
- Secretary-Treasurer: Danny L. Bland
- Other Directors: Enrique R. Ford, Robert V. Luccioni, Mark J. Noumair
Name changes
- Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society (1881–1896)
- Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (1896–1955)
- Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (since 1955)
United States corporations
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. is a corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses which is responsible for administrative matters, such as real estate, especially within the United States. This corporation is typically cited as the publisher of Jehovah's Witnesses publications, though other publishers are sometimes cited. The corporation's stated purposes are: “Charitable, benevolent, scientific, historical, literary and religious purposes; the moral and mental improvement of men and women, the dissemination of Bible truths in various languages by means of the publication of tracts, pamphlets, papers and other religious documents, and for religious missionary work.” In 2001, Newsday listed the Watch Tower Society as one of New York's forty richest corporations, with revenues exceeding $950 million.
Originally known as the Peoples Pulpit Association, the organization was incorporated in 1909 when the Society's principal offices moved to Brooklyn, New York. In 1939, it was renamed Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Inc., and in 1956, the name was changed to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. Until 2000, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses was president of both the Watch Tower (Pennsylvania) and Watchtower (New York) corporations, as well as Britain's International Bible Students Association corporation; in 2001, it was decided that the corporations' directors need not be members of the Governing Body.
Board of Directors
- President: Harold L. Corken
- Vice-Presidents: Anthony Griffin, John D. Larson
- Secretary-Treasurer: Mark L. Questell
- Assistant Secretary-Treasurers: Kent E. Fischer, Edgar Rene Llerena, Jesse V. Morris
Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc.
Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc. was established to organize and administer the congregational affairs of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States. It filed for incorporation on August 21, 2000, in New York State as a “domestic non-profit corporation” in Putnam County, New York. An incorporation record was also filed with the State of Florida on March 3, 2006, as a "foreign non-profit corporation" with an agency in Collier County, Florida.
As announced to congregations in January 2001, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is a corporation used by their United States branch committee, which oversees the preaching work of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States, Bermuda, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. All branch committee members are appointed by and report to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.
As with other agencies of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses may correspond directly with any circuit overseer, local body of elders, or individual, or it may assign someone else to communicate on its behalf. Any of these persons or groups may function as an agency acting at the explicit direction of the Governing Body.
Board of Directors
- President: Allen E. Shuster
- Vice-Presidents: Gary Breaux, Andrew Sciascia
- Secretary-Treasurer: Mark Turner
- Assistant Secretary-Treasurers: Keith Wolff, Richard L. Ashe, Jr., Thomas Jefferson, Jr.
Other US corporations
Reorganization in 2000 resulted in the creation of several additional corporate entities to serve the needs of the United States branch of Jehovah's Witnesses. Since then, most written communication with congregations and individuals in the United States involves the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc.; other corporations include:
- Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses, New York, incorporated in 2000 for the administration of full-time preaching activities.
- Kingdom Support Services, Inc., New York, incorporated in 2000 for construction and fleet management.
Corporations outside the United States
International Bible Students Association
The International Bible Students Association (IBSA) is a corporate not-for-profit organization used by Jehovah's Witnesses in the United Kingdom for the production and distribution of religious literature. Its stated purpose is "to promote the Christian religion by supporting congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses and others in connection with their spiritual and material welfare in Britain and abroad within the charitable purposes of the Association."
The IBSA was founded in 1914 as a corporation of the Bible Students by Charles Taze Russell in London, England, and was the first legal corporation representing Russell's ministry in Europe. The Watch Tower Society stated in 1917 that the IBSA, along with its Pennsylvania and New York based corporations "were organized for identical purposes and they harmoniously work together." Other similarly named corporations operate in various countries to promote the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Other corporations
Since the formation of the International Bible Students Association, many other corporations sanctioned by the Governing Body have been used throughout the world to further the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses by supporting the activities of their respective branch offices in different countries, for example:
- Associação Torre de Vigia de Bíblias e Tratados (Brazil)
- Association culturelle des Témoins de Jéhovah de France
- Association of Jehovah's Witnesses of East Africa
- Los Testigos de Jehová en México
- Wachtturm Bibel- und Traktat-Gesellschaft der Zeugen Jehovas e. V., Selters/Taunus (Germany)
- Watchtower Bible & Tract Society Of Australia, Inc.
In some countries, Jehovah's Witnesses use the corporation name Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses or a similar name translated into the local language. In 2005, the branch office in Canada began using this name as a separate Canadian entity for most correspondence, while retaining Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada for other matters. In Mexico, the corporation, Congregación Cristiana de los Testigos de Jehová, is used. Literature of Jehovah's Witnesses has also referred to the denomination generally as the "Christian congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses".
See also
- Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs
- Jehovah's Witnesses practices
- Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
References
- Worldwide Security Under the "Prince of Peace". Watch Tower Society. 1986. pp. 26–27. OCLC 15485620.
That momentous date had been pointed forward to since 1876 by those who became associated with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. ... In all the warring nations , the dedicated Christians who were associated with the Watch Tower Society came under tremendous pressure to abandon their resolve to keep free from bloodguilt.
- ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower. 15 January 2001. p. 29.
- Isaiah's Prophecy—Light for All Mankind. Vol. 2. Watch Tower Society. 2001. p. 317.
- ""Keep Holding Men of That Sort Dear"". The Watchtower. October 15, 2015. p. 3.
These helpers, from among the "other sheep," provide valuable support to the Governing Body. ... They attend the weekly meeting of the committee to which they are assigned, providing background information and offering suggestions. The Governing Body members make the final decisions, but the helpers implement the committee's direction and carry out whatever assignments they are given. The helpers accompany Governing Body members to special and international conventions. They may also be assigned to visit branch offices as headquarters representatives.
- "Pennsylvania Department of State". Corporations.state.pa.us. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 576.
- J. F. Rutherford (1915). "A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens". p. 14. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009.
- Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 603.
- George D. Chryssides. Jehovah's Witnesses: Continuity and Change. p. 143.
- "Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Nonprofit Corporation Annual Report 2017". LARA Corporations Online Filing System. September 29, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- "The Warning Work (1909-1914)". The Watchtower. Watch Tower Society. March 1, 1955. p. 141.
- "At the Top / NYC Company Profiles / NYC 40".
- Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 229.
- Letter from Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., to All Bodies of Elders in the United States, dated February 27, 2001.
- "New Corporations Formed". Our Kingdom Ministry. Watch Tower Society. January 1, 2002. p. 7.
- "NYS Dept of State, Division of Corporations, site retrieved March 23, 2009". Archived from the original on August 20, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
- "Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, site retrieved March 23, 2009". Sunbiz.org. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- "Branch Letter". Our Kingdom Ministry. September 2005. p. 1.
- "Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed". The Watchtower. January 15, 2001. pp. 14–15.
- "Focus on the Goodness of Jehovah's Organization". The Watchtower. July 15, 2006. p. 20.
- "Heeding the Warnings Made a Difference". Awake!. June 1, 2006. p. 19.
- "Loyal to Christ and His Faithful Slave". The Watchtower. April 1, 2007. p. 25.
- "Charity Commission (UK): International Bible Students Association". Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- See “The History and Operations of Our Society,” Watch Tower, 1917, pp. 327-330, as referred by The Watchtower, March 1, 1955, page 141
- "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower. January 15, 2001. p. 29.
The International Bible Students Association is used in Britain. Other legal entities are used to promote Kingdom interests in other lands.
- "New Corporations Formed". Our Kingdom Ministry. January 2002. p. 7.
- "Wachtturm-Gesellschaft | JEHOVAS ZEUGEN".
- "God's Kingdom Government—A Reality Today". The Watchtower. August 1, 2004. p. 6.
- "Young People Ask... What Should I Do When Others Tell Me Their Problems?". Awake!. January 22, 2005. p. 21.
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