Jehovah’s Witnesses resume knocking on doors after 30-month pandemic pause

Jehovah’s Witnesses will resume their trademark door-to-door ministry beginning
Sept. 1 after a 30-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At this time they are also beginning a global campaign featuring a new interactive Bible study program.

All pre-pandemic in-person activities have been restored for the 1.3 million Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 13,000 congregations in the United States.

Houses of worship (called Kingdom Halls) were reopened April 1, witnessing in public places resumed May 31 and in-person conventions are once again being planned for 2023.

“Visiting our neighbors face to face was a highlight in our week before the pandemic
started,” said volunteer Ciara Gannett. “We are so happy to be able to see them again in person.”

The suspension of the public ministry was a proactive response by the organization to
keep communities and congregants safe. The move was also unprecedented.
Jehovah’s Witnesses had been preaching from house to house without interruption for
more than 100 years through an economic depression, two world wars and global
unrest. But COVID-19 demanded a different response.

“We believe that the early decision to shut down all in-person activities for more than
two years has saved many lives,” said Robert Hendriks, US spokesperson for
Jehovah’s Witnesses. “We’re now ready and eager to reconnect with our neighbors
once again – person to person, face to face. It’s not the only way that we preach, but it
has historically been the most effective way to deliver our message of comfort and
hope.”

The move coincides with a global campaign to distribute a new interactive Bible study
program available in hundreds of languages at no cost. The program comes in the form
of a book, online publication or as an embedded feature within the organization’s free
mobile application, JW Library.

Released in late 2020, the interactive study platform combines text, video, illustrations and digital worksheets to help learners of all ages.

“This new study program is designed to match the learning needs of the 21st-century
student,” Hendriks said. “We’re excited to begin sharing it with our neighbors as we
return to making personal visits.”

The pandemic forced Jehovah’s Witnesses to quickly pivot to virtual meetings and
conventions, while conducting their ministry exclusively through letters, phone calls and
virtual Bible studies. This has led to growth in meeting attendance and the number of
congregants, with more than 400,000 newly baptized witnesses joining the ranks of
120,000 congregations globally in just the first two years of the pandemic.

For more information about Jehovah’s Witnesses, their history, beliefs and activities, vis-
it their official website, jw.org, with content available in more than 1,000 languages. For more information, call 718-560-5600.