Amid rising coronavirus cases and ongoing restrictions, the annual convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses will not meet in person this year for the first time since 1897. Rather than being a stumbling block, the new online format is providing increased accessibility to those otherwise excluded due to language, location, disability or family circumstances. 

The annual convention is a central part of the religious calendar for Witnesses and normally takes place worldwide over the course of six months, beginning in the third week of May. Jam-packed stadiums and overflowing halls gather all over the world in a series of three-day conferences beginning in the United States and spreading to the Western Hemisphere through December.  Each convention centers around a religious theme and is composed of three days of lectures, Bible dramas, discussion groups and prayer. 

Read: How The Jehovah’s Witnesses Paved The Road To Deaf Inclusion

According to internal data, there are over 8 million Jehovah’s Witnesses in 240 sovereign lands. Last year, approximately 14 million people attended conference meetings. The logistical demands of such an operation are taxing under normal circumstances, and planning begins at least five years prior to the event. 

In early March, as the reality of the coronavirus set in, the question of convention immediately surfaced. Readapting an event for millions in a matter of months was a “herculean task,” Robert Hendriks, U.S. Spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses said. 

The Witnesses are often known for their emphasis on evangelism and a door-to-door approach but are perhaps lesser-known for their demonstrated emphasis on multilingualism. The Jehovah’s Witnesses recently passed the 1,000th language mark for Bible translations. This is a stark increase from Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians, whose Bible exists in 698 languages according to the Bible translation society Wycliffe Global Alliance. 

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have their own translation of the Bible and believe that Jesus is inferior to God the Father and created by him. 

While some religious leaders have pushed for reopenings or challenged government lockdowns restricting religious services, the Jehovah’s Witnesses were among the first to close their doors. In the third week of March, before several states imposed restrictions, the Witnesses suspended all in-person gatherings and began grappling with how to maintain an emphasis on wide-sweeping ministry amid a pandemic. 

Canceling the event in full was not an option, Hendriks said, but the challenges of adapting content for an online format, finding a server able to support the operation, and filming and translating teachings into a multitude of languages before July was a difficult undertaking. However, the abrupt shift had an unexpected benefit: it drew attention to ministry deserts and people who would not normally be able to participate in full. 

While one district in Miami has a circuit with 20 congregations in one square block, a territory in remote Alaska spans 200 miles. One family lives 170 miles away from the Kingdom Hall, is seldom able to join in worship, and would not normally be able to attend a convention. However, the online format has allowed them to participate in Zoom conversations with distant neighbors and experience a faith community otherwise unavailable. 

Some Witnesses, debilitated by injury or chronic illness, have found this unorthodox convention to be a breath of fresh air.  

Chris Swinson from the Skyline Congregation in Cape Coral, Florida suffers from an extreme form of spinal arthritis and has been unable to attend a convention in three years. His wife and two daughters normally have to participate in the program alone. 

“I can actually be there in a way I never could. We can pause if I’m in pain, we can do it at our pace,” Swinson said. Before his condition worsened, he was able to attend a few lectures out of the weekend, but always had to skip portions to rest. 

This sentiment was echoed by Jennifer Kubiak from the Fishkill congregation in New York. Kubiak has severe lupus and advanced rheumatoid arthritis and currently undergoes dialysis three times a week. Attending the convention is normally a massive undertaking due to her health conditions and limited mobility.  The virtual adaptation has actually allowed Kubiak to be more socially involved. 

After the lectures, congregations break into Zoom rooms to discuss the content in small groups. “Normally, I am in pain, and mentally checked out, and kind of in a hurry to get home,” Kubiak said. “But, with the slower pace and doing it from my living room, I feel like I can actually invest in conversations.” 

Some Witnesses would normally have to travel long distances to attend a conference in their language. However, online lectures have been translated into 511 languages, including 58 sign languages. 

In order to attend a conference in ASL, Smith August typically has to devote a full day to travel. While he misses the camaraderie of having several Deaf in one room, the virtual platform has allowed him to eliminate travel costs and connect with Deaf Witnesses who would not otherwise be able to attend. 

While the conference normally makes its way through 240 sovereign lands over the course of six months, this year Witnesses all across the globe will receive the conference content in unison over the course of six weeks. The three full days of content will be dispersed lecture by lecture and congregations will stream them in place of typical Kingdom Hall talks.

“There is something powerful about million Witnesses from every land and every language uniting at the same time,” Hendriks said. 

According to Hendriks, this convention has drawn attention to people who normally struggle to participate in worship and forced the organization to discover new ways to serve its community. 

“This crisis has given us a blessing,” he said. “Once we are able to meet in person, we will make sure everyone is included in the same way. We know how to do that now, and we won’t stop.”

Liza Vandenboom is a student at The King’s College, an intern at Religion Unplugged, and a religion columnist for the Empire State Tribune. She is also a finalist for the 2020 Religion News Association Russell Chandler award in student reporting.