Jehovah's Witnesses
Began in the Bible Student movement of Charles Taze Russell and is headquartered in Warwick, New York.
Note: this body describes itself as Christian but rejects the doctrine of the Trinity as defined by the Nicene Creed, so most Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches do not consider it part of historic creedal Christianity.
- U.S. size
- ≈ 1.2 million publishers (U.S.) (Service year report, 2023 (approx))
- Founded
- 1870s, Pennsylvania
- Church government
- Hierarchical, led by a Governing Body
- Ordains women as pastors
- No
- Official website
- www.jw.org
- Statement of faith
- Beliefs
Core beliefs
| Topic | What they teach | Scripture they cite |
|---|---|---|
| Scripture & authority | The Bible (the New World Translation), as explained by the Governing Body. | 2 Tim 3:16 |
| Salvation | Through faith in Christ's ransom and obedience. A 'little flock' of 144,000 rule in heaven, and others hope for life on a paradise earth. | Rev 7:4,9; Luke 12:32 |
| Baptism | Immersion of dedicated believers. | Matt 28:19 |
| Lord's Supper | An annual Memorial. Only those claiming the heavenly hope partake. | Luke 22:19 |
| Worship | Kingdom Hall meetings and door-to-door witnessing. | Acts 20:20 |
| Mary & saints | Mary is not venerated. | — |
| Spiritual gifts | The miraculous gifts are believed to have ceased. | 1 Cor 13:8 |
About these numbers: figures are approximate and come from each body's own most recent report or the National Council of Churches' Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. Bodies count members differently (baptized, confirmed, adherents, publishers), and some historically Black denominations have not published new figures in years. See also the Pew Religious Landscape Study and the ARDA. Belief summaries are our own short descriptions. Please read each church's own confession.