Die wichtigsten Rechtsträger sind die Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (gegründet 1884), die Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., die Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses und Kingdom Support Services, Inc. (USA); und in Großbritannien die International Bible Students Association (Wohltätigkeitsorganisation Nr. 216647), die Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain (1077961) und The Kingdom Hall Trust (275946).
Claim ID claim-authority-principal-legal-entities-listConcerns 19. September 2026Zusammenhang
19. September 2026 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“formed in 1884 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, U.S.A. … Membership in the corporation is by invitation only and is not based on how much a person has donated. … Jehovah’s Witnesses use dozens of legal entities in various countries.”
Official description of the Pennsylvania corporation as an instrument that 'assist[s] the Governing Body'.
15. Januar 2001 · pp.28-31 · p. 29 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“The Pennsylvania corporation is not the only legal entity used by Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are others. One is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Incorporated. It facilitates our work in the United States. … The International Bible Students Association is used in Britain.”
Report of the October 2000 annual meeting at which Governing Body members stepped down as directors of the Pennsylvania corporation; explains that directors need not be Governing Body members.
Januar 2002 · p.7 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“the Governing Body has approved the formation of additional corporations to care for certain needs of Jehovah’s Witnesses here in the United States. The new corporations are as follows: Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses; Religious Order of Jehovah’s Witnesses; Kingdom Support Services, Inc.”
States these operate alongside Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
“Total gross income: 2021 £71.81m; 2022 £63.47m; 2023 £40.41m; 2024 £50.02m; 2025 £40.58m. Total expenditure: 2021 £75.50m; 2022 £48.78m; 2023 £43.84m; 2024 £57.84m; 2025 £36.77m. Activities: 'Provide serviced facilities to support religious activity of Jehovah's Witnesses. Arrange for venues to host conventions for Bible education. Pay expenses for and take care of living arrangements for members of the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses.'”
FYE 31 August 2025 total income £40,581,061; expenditure £36,770,107.
Hinweis zu Herkunft und Überprüfung for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (216647) — overview and financial history
Hinweis zur Vertrauensangabe.Fetched the register pages via curl and parsed the data table.
“Total gross income (FYE 31/08): 2021 £130.21m; 2022 £88.97m; 2023 £100.90m; 2024 £120.65m; 2025 £38.46m. Total expenditure: 2021 £61.42m; 2022 £82.01m; 2023 £133.85m; 2024 £111.08m; 2025 £78.17m. Activities: '1. Provision of facilities to assist full time ministers. 2. Producing material for Bible education … 3. Purchasing, building, and renovating properties for use by Jehovah's Witnesses as places of worship. 4. Humanitarian aid. 5. Distributing funds and goods to other entities with similar aims.'”
Register shows income from government grants/contracts as N/A in every year; FYE 2025 total income £38,463,325 and expenditure £78,172,336.
Hinweis zu Herkunft und Überprüfung for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF BRITAIN (1077961) — overview and financial history
Hinweis zur Vertrauensangabe.Fetched the register pages via curl (WebFetch was refused with 403) and parsed the financial-history data table.
Notes.Overview page: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/3966490. A Scottish registration also exists (OSCR SC046952; not opened).
Abgerufen. 19. September 2026 · Quellenkennung.src-cc-2025-0000-wtbts-britain-1077961
“Total gross income: 2021 £133.23m; 2022 £30.92m; 2023 £25.77m; 2024 £27.92m; 2025 £30.30m. Total expenditure: 2021 £27.32m; 2022 £24.83m; 2023 £29.07m; 2024 £32.46m; 2025 £30.53m. Activities: 'To advance the Christian religion as practised by Jehovah's Witnesses by providing, maintaining, and at times acting as custodian trustee for places of worship in the United Kingdom.'”
FYE 31 August 2025 total income £30,298,548; expenditure £30,525,082. The 2021 spike (£133.23m, almost all 'donations and legacies') is unexplained on the register page and should not be interpreted without the accounts.
Hinweis zu Herkunft und Überprüfung for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, THE KINGDOM HALL TRUST (275946) — overview and financial history
Hinweis zur Vertrauensangabe.Fetched the register pages via curl and parsed the data table.
Abgerufen. 19. September 2026 · Quellenkennung.src-cc-2025-0000-kingdom-hall-trust-275946
Hinweis zu Herkunft und Überprüfung for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, THE WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA - BRITISH BRANCH (241623)
Hinweis zur Vertrauensangabe.Fetched the register page via curl; removal date not captured.
Notes.The gov.uk page '[Withdrawn] Charity Inquiry: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain' (a 2014-2017 safeguarding-related inquiry) exists but was not opened; it belongs to the safeguarding topic.
Abgerufen. 19. September 2026 · Quellenkennung.src-cc-2026-0000-wtbts-pennsylvania-british-branch-241623
A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/de/evidence/claim-authority-principal-legal-entities-list/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.