Recrutement et candidats en puissance

Abstract

It was Bryan R. Wilson who once remarked that the Je hovah's witnesses are so much concerned with recruitment that their whole movement is organised essentially towards the work of "publishing the good news " (Wilson, 1967:15). In a sense this remark is somewhat deceptive. The work of " publishing the good news " should not be mixed up with genuine recruitment, the latter being a possible — but not a necessary — sequel to the former. All Witnesses are en gaged in publishing their message, convenient or inconvenient ; they are engaged in straight recruitment, however, only when and where they see their chance. Not all individuals outside the Watch Tower movement are, as it were, cut out for becoming serious candidates for membership, and the ordinary Witness is fully aware of this. Therefore, trying to avoid casting pearls before swine, he only proceeds to deliberate recruitment after having separated non-promising and promis ing outsiders. In this paper the latter category is examined on the basis of Dutch research data.