Religious Organization Startup Advice
Starting a Jehovah's Witness Church
This advice is perfect for entrepreneurial folks who want to open a Jehovah's Witness church. This is a must-read before you open up shop.
Wondering how to start a Jehovah's Witness church? We take you step-by-step from start to success.
Overview: Jehovah's Witnesses
Local Jehovah's Witness "kingdom halls" are non-Trinitarian, Christian congregations that exist beyond the boundaries of mainstream Protestantism. These congregations fall into the restorationist or primitivist stream of Christianity and emphasize the beliefs and practices that are interpreted to be consistent with early forms of Christianity and their own translation of the Bible, the "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures".
Jehovah's Witnesses are extremely passionate about evangelism, dedicating significant resources to the publication of evangelistic literature (e.g. "The Watchtower"), door-to-door campaigns and missions. Although Jehovah's Witnesses have a hierarchical governance structure, their strong outreach component translates into a plethora of opportunities for religious entrepreneurs eager to participate in the establishment of new works.
Jehovah's Witness Ministry Launch Tips
Jehovah's Witness kingdom halls and ministries are overseen by the Governing Body based out of its world headquarters in Brooklyn, NY. From there, administrative oversight is sub-categorized into branches, districts, circuits and local kingdom halls.
Each kingdom hall is assigned a territory based on geographic and demographic mapping. From time to time, territorial realignment may be necessary, creating new opportunities for religious entrepreneurs in the area. However, new kingdom halls are typically launched in geographies that aren't currently served by an existing ministry.
Local kingdom hall leaders are exclusively male and are given the title of "elders". Elders are volunteers who share the administrative and teaching responsibilities at the local level, making it necessary for Jehovah's Witness entrepreneurs to maintain a bi-vocational career path.
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