Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

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Formation	February 16, 1881; 144 years ago (1881-02-16) (incorporated December 15, 1884; 140 years ago (1884-12-15))
Founder	Charles Taze Russell
Founded at	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Legal status	501(c)(3) church
Headquarters	Warwick, New York, U.S.
President	Robert Ciranko
Subsidiaries	Various
Formerly called	Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society (1881–1896) Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (1896–1955)

The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a special kind of company that doesn't have shareholders who own parts of it. It's a not-for-profit organization based in Warwick, New York. This organization is the main group used by Jehovah's Witnesses around the world. It helps guide them, manage their activities, and share their beliefs. Many Jehovah's Witnesses simply call it "the Society."

This organization is the main one for several other Watch Tower groups, like the Watchtower Society of New York. Only a small number of "mature, active, and faithful" male Jehovah's Witnesses can vote in the organization. Thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses volunteer their time without pay. They work as part of a religious order at the Watch Tower Society's facilities in New York and around the world.

The organization started in 1881 as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society. Its goal was to hand out religious leaflets. It officially became a company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 15, 1884. In 1896, its name changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. After some disagreements among early Bible Students, the society stayed with the group that became known as Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1955, the company was renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Since 1976, all the Watch Tower Society's work has been guided by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.

History of the Watch Tower Society

On February 16, 1881, the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was created in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Its main purpose was to print and give out religious leaflets. William Henry Conley, a businessman from Pittsburgh, was the president. Charles Taze Russell was the secretary-treasurer. The society's main magazine was Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence. Russell, who started the Bible Student movement, first published this magazine in 1879. The society announced its formation in the April 1881 issue of Zion's Watch Tower. That year, the society received over $35,000 in donations.

Becoming an Official Company

On December 15, 1884, the society officially became a company called Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in Pennsylvania. It was set up as a non-profit organization, and Russell became its president. The company was located in Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

Russell wrote the company's rules, which stated its goal was to help people improve their minds, morals, and religion. This was done by teaching the Bible through books, papers, and other literature. They also offered free talks to people. The rules said there would be a board of seven directors. Three of these directors would be officers: a president, a vice-president, and a secretary-treasurer.

The rules also said that officers would be chosen from the directors and elected every year. Board members would usually stay in their roles for life. However, they could be removed by a two-thirds vote from the voting members.

At first, anyone who donated $10 or more to the society became a voting member. They got one vote for every $10 they donated. Russell explained that even with a board and voting members, he and his wife, Maria, mostly directed the society. He said that by December 1893, they controlled more than half of the voting shares.

Russell also said that the society was not a "religious society" in the usual sense. He called it a "business association" that helped spread the truth. Becoming an official company meant that the society would continue its work even after Russell passed away. On September 19, 1896, the company's name changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

Charles Taze Russell, who was president from 1884 to 1916. He started the Bible Student movement.

From 1908, Russell asked directors to sign resignation letters when they were appointed. This allowed him to remove them easily by filling in the date. In 1909, Russell asked his lawyer, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, if the Watch Tower Society's main office could move to Brooklyn, New York. Rutherford found that the Pennsylvania company couldn't be registered in New York. So, he suggested creating a new company there to do the society's work. Rutherford then helped create the People's Pulpit Association, which became a company on February 23, 1909. This new company's rules gave its president "absolute power and control" over its activities in New York.

The society sold its buildings in Pittsburgh and moved its staff to Brooklyn. Even though all property in New York was bought by the new New York company, Russell insisted on using the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society name on all letters and publications.

In 1914, the International Bible Students Association was formed in Britain. It managed the society's work in that country. Both this group and the People's Pulpit Association were part of the main Pennsylvania organization. The Watchtower magazine explained that the editor of the magazine was the president of all three societies. It also said that the Pennsylvania company was responsible for all the money related to the work.

Changes in Leadership

Russell passed away on October 31, 1916. On January 6, 1917, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, who was a board member and lawyer for the Watch Tower Society, was elected president. He was 47 years old. Under his leadership, the Watch Tower Society's role changed a lot. New rules gave the president full control over the society's work worldwide.

By June 1917, four of the seven Watch Tower Society directors felt they had made a mistake by giving Rutherford so much power. They believed he had become too controlling. These directors tried to take back some of the management powers from the president. Rutherford, however, claimed they were trying to take over the society. In July, Rutherford got a legal opinion that said his opponents were not legally directors of the society.

On July 12, 1917, Rutherford appointed four new directors. Between August and November, both sides published pamphlets, accusing each other of being too ambitious. The former directors also said Rutherford made all headquarters workers sign a paper supporting him, threatening to fire anyone who refused. The former directors left the Brooklyn headquarters on August 8, 1917. On January 5, 1918, Rutherford was re-elected president.

In May 1918, Rutherford and seven other Watch Tower Society directors were arrested. They were accused of breaking laws during wartime. On June 21, 1918, they were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Rutherford worried his opponents would take control of the society while he was away. However, on January 2, 1919, he learned he had been re-elected president. By mid-1919, about one in seven Bible Students left the organization because they didn't agree with Rutherford's leadership. They formed new groups.

Even though the society started as a "business convenience" for publishing Bible literature, it began to change in the 1920s. It became more like a "religious society," as Russell had said it was not. It started to control and organize Bible Student congregations around the world. In 1938, Rutherford used the word "theocracy" to describe the way Jehovah's Witnesses were led. This meant a leadership structure where the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, led by Rutherford, managed everything. The society appointed "zone servants" to oversee congregations. Rutherford stated that congregations needed to follow the new structure.

Changes to the Rules

After Rutherford passed away in 1942, Nathan H. Knorr became president of the Watch Tower Society. He made more changes to the society's role. On September 30, 1944, it was announced that the original rules from 1884 would be updated. These changes would make the rules more in line with their "theocratic principles." The new rules, which started on January 1, 1945, changed how people became members. They also stated for the first time that the society's goals included preaching about God's kingdom. It also included acting as a servant and governing agency for Jehovah's Witnesses. They would also send missionaries and teachers for the public worship of God and Jesus Christ.

Key changes in the new rules included:

• A more detailed explanation of the society's purpose. This included preaching the good news of God's kingdom to all nations. It also involved printing and giving out Bibles and other literature. They would also appoint people to preach Bible truths door-to-door and conduct Bible studies. The society would also establish Bible schools and train people as ministers and missionaries.
• New rules for who could be a member. Before, donating $10 gave you a vote. Now, only "mature, active and faithful witnesses of Jehovah" could be members. These were men who spent full-time or part-time serving the society or congregations. The number of members was limited to between 300 and 500. There was also a rule for removing members who didn't follow the society's rules.
• Changes to how the board of directors governed the society.
• Changes to how officers and directors were appointed. The rule that board members would serve for life was removed. New rules said board members could serve for a maximum of three years and could be re-elected.

Governing Body Takes Control

In 1976, the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses took over the direction of the Watch Tower Society. This reduced the power of the society's president. The society called this change "one of the most significant organizational readjustments" in their modern history. Since 2000, the president of the Watch Tower Society has been someone who helps the Governing Body.

Presidents of the Society

How the Society Works

The Watch Tower Society is a major publisher of religious materials. This includes books, leaflets, magazines, and Bibles. By 1979, the society had 39 printing locations around the world. In 1990, it was reported that in one year, the society printed hundreds of millions of its magazines, The Watchtower and Awake!. They also printed millions of other pieces of literature. Jehovah's Witnesses offer these materials to people door-to-door. As of 2013, the society prints over 43 million copies of these magazines every month.

The Watch Tower Society calls its headquarters and branch office staff volunteers, not employees. They are part of the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses. These workers receive a small monthly payment. The society also provides them with meals and a place to live. At the Brooklyn headquarters, the "Bethel family" included hairdressers, dentists, doctors, and carpenters. They also had shops for repairing personal items for free.

The Watch Tower Society does not share its financial records publicly. However, in 2011, it reported spending over $173 million that year. This money was used to support special pioneers, missionaries, and traveling overseers in their work. Donations from distributing literature are a major source of income. Most of this money is used to support their preaching activities.

Properties of the Society

United States Properties

The Watch Tower Society first had its office at 44 Federal Street in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. In 1889, it moved to a new building called "Bible House" at 56–60 Arch Street, Allegheny. This building had a meeting hall, printing facilities, and living areas for staff. In April 1898, the building was officially transferred to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

In 1909, the Watch Tower Society moved its main base to Brooklyn, New York. A four-story house at 124 Columbia Heights became a home for about 30 headquarters staff. A former church building at 13–17 Hicks Street was bought and turned into the Watch Tower headquarters. It had space for 350 staff, an 800-seat meeting hall, and printing facilities.

The Watch Tower magazine announced that the new home would be called 'Bethel'. The new office and meeting hall would be called 'The Brooklyn Tabernacle'. In October 1909, a nearby building at 122 Columbia Heights was bought. In 1911, a new nine-story residential building was built behind the headquarters. The Brooklyn Tabernacle was sold in 1918 or 1919.

Printing facilities were set up in Myrtle Street, Brooklyn, in 1920. The February 1, 1920, issue of The Watch Tower was printed there. Two months later, the plant started printing The Golden Age magazine. In 1922, the printing factory moved to a six-story building at 18 Concord Street, Brooklyn. In 1926, it moved to a larger, new eight-story building at 117 Adams Street, Brooklyn. At this time, the society's headquarters was rebuilt and made larger. In December 1926, a building at 126 Columbia Heights was bought. A month later, three buildings from 122–126 Columbia Heights were torn down and rebuilt for housing and offices.

In 1946, the land around the Adams Street factory was bought to make printing operations bigger. By 1949, the factory covered an entire city block. More properties near 124 Columbia Heights were bought for a 10-story building. In the late 1950s, a property at 107 Columbia Heights was bought. In 1960, a residential building for staff was built there. More homes were built at 119 Columbia Heights in 1969.

The Watchtower described more growth in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1956, a 13-story building was built at 77 Sands Street. Then, another 10-story building was bought across the street in 1958. In 1968, an 11-story new printing factory was finished. These factories, along with the one at 117 Adams Street, filled four city blocks and were connected by overhead bridges. In November 1969, the Squibb complex, a few blocks away, was purchased.

The Watch Tower Society bought the Towers Hotel in 1974 for housing. This hotel was connected to the society's other Columbia Heights properties by tunnels. In 1978, a property at 25 Columbia Heights was renovated for offices. In the early 1980s, properties were bought at 175 Pearl Street and 360 Furman Street for factory and office use. A building at 360 Furman Street was bought in March 1983 and renovated. It provided a large amount of space for shipping, carpentry, and construction. The Bossert Hotel at 98 Montague Street was bought in 1983 for housing.

97 Columbia Heights was bought in 1986. It was next to other Watch Tower residences and could connect to the main complex by an underground tunnel. An 11-story residential building was built there to house 250 workers. A property at 90 Sands Street was bought in December 1986. A 30-story residential building for 1,000 workers was finished there in 1995. A 1996 publication listed other Watch Tower residential buildings in Brooklyn.

Two properties known as Watchtower Farms, in Wallkill, about 160 kilometers north of Brooklyn, were bought in 1963 and 1967. They covered about 1200 hectares. Factories were built there in 1973 and 1975. Between 2012 and 2014, the Watch Tower Society added an office building, a residence building, and a garage. In 1984, the society paid $2.1 million for a 270-hectare farm at Patterson, New York. This was for a development that included apartments, garages, and a hotel. Other rural purchases included farms near South Lansing, New York, and Port Murray, New Jersey.

In February 2009, the Watch Tower Society paid $11.5 million for 100 hectares of land in Ramapo, New York. This was for an administration and residential complex. The site was planned to be a base for about 850 Watch Tower workers. It would combine residential and publishing facilities that were in Brooklyn. A spokesman said that construction would be several years in the future.

A year later, the Watch Tower Society announced it planned to move its world headquarters from Brooklyn. The new headquarters would be a complex of eight buildings. It would replace the existing four-building complex on a 100-hectare Watch Tower property in Warwick, New York. This site is 1.5 kilometers from its Ramapo site. A presentation to Warwick planning authorities said the complex would house up to 850 people. In July 2012, the Warwick Planning Commission approved the environmental plan for building the Warwick site. In July 2013, Warwick approved building plans for the new headquarters. This included four residence buildings with 588 rooms for about 1,000 people.

In August 2011, a 50-acre property was bought in Tuxedo, New York, for $3.2 million. It had a large building and was six miles from the Warwick site. This was to help with storing machinery and building materials. The Watch Tower Society bought a 48-unit apartment building in Suffern, New York, near Warwick, in June 2013. This was for housing temporary construction workers. In December 2014, the society bought the 250-unit Rivercrest Luxury Apartments in Fishkill, New York. The sale price was not released, but taxes on the sale showed it was a $57 million transaction. The current leases for these apartments would not be renewed.

Selling Brooklyn Properties

In 2004, the Watch Tower Society started moving its printing operations to its Wallkill factory complex. This move led to the sale of many Brooklyn factory and residential properties. Some of these sales included:

• 360 Furman Street, sold in 2004 for $205 million.
• 67 Livingston Street, sold in 2006 for $18.6 million.
• 89 Hicks Street, sold in 2006 for $14 million.
• Standish Arms Hotel, 169 Columbia Heights, sold in 2007 for $50 million.
• 183 Columbia Heights, sold in April 2012 for $6.6 million.
• 161 Columbia Heights, sold in March 2012 for $3 million.
• 165 Columbia Heights, sold in January 2012 for $4.1 million.
• 105 Willow Street, sold in April 2012 for $3.3 million.
• 34 Orange Street, sold in November 2012 for $2,825,000.
• Bossert Hotel, 98 Montague Street, sold in 2012 for $81 million.
• 50 Orange Street, sold in December 2011 for $7.1 million.
• 67 Remsen Street, sold in 2012 for $3.25 million.
• Three properties (173 Front Street, 177 Front Street, and 200 Water Street) sold together for $30.6 million in April 2013.
• Five properties (175 Pearl Street, 55 Prospect Street, 81 Prospect Street, 117 Adams Street, and 77 Sands Street) were under contract for $375 million as of July 2013. A sixth building (90 Sands Street) was planned to be released in 2017.
• 124 Columbia Heights, sold in May 2016 for $105 million.
• In 2016, three more properties, including the headquarters building, were put up for sale. The Watch Tower Society sold the 25/30 Columbia Heights complex along with nearby sites on August 3, 2016, for $340 million.

In 2011, the Watch Tower Society was reported to still own 34 properties in Brooklyn. A 2009 report said they had "a dozen or more" properties in the Brooklyn area. In 2010, the society said it was "not actively promoting" the sale of eight Brooklyn properties still on the market. Many sold buildings were to be emptied by 2017.

Properties in Other Countries

In 1900, the Watch Tower Society opened its first office outside the US in Britain. Germany followed in 1903, and Australia in 1904. By 1979, the society had 39 printing branches around the world. Facilities were moved to farming properties in many countries, including Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and Australia. In 2011, the society had 98 branch offices worldwide that reported directly to New York. Offices in other nations reported to larger branches nearby.

Directors of the Society

The Watch Tower Society has had many directors over the years. Here are some of the key people who served as directors and presidents.

Presidents of the Watch Tower Society

See also

In Spanish: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania para niños

• Criticism of Jehovah's Witnesses
• History of Jehovah's Witnesses
• Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses