ORGANIZATION: It is stressed by the leaders of this group that it is not an organization, religion or a denomination; that it is non-incorporated, not tax-exempt and that it has no headquarters.
CENSUS: No census records of membership are available and attempts to estimate the numbers have varied from 35,000 to 600,00 worldwide. [Recent attempts to determine the numbers have indicated 50,000 to 150,000 worldwide.] In 1987-88, the USA and Canada listed a total of 1,071 workers of which 63% were women and 37% were men. {12/97}
OUTREACH: Outreach for the purpose of recruiting new members is worldwide.
OUTREACH TO THE NEEDY: Two-By-Twos do not participate in any form of aid to the poor, needy, homeless, downtrodden or underprivileged.
PROGRAMS: The Two-By-Twos do not offer any programs within the group. For example they do not have Sunday school for the children. No group activities are offered or promoted for the adults. No courses in Bible study are offered.
MINISTRIES: Two-By-Two members do not get involved in ministries.
HIERARCHY: States, provinces or regions are controlled by a male head worker who assigns fields to workers under his authority. Each field contains various home churches, where up to 35 members meet, over which an "elder" presides. All overseers and elders are men. There are less than ten senior USA overseers, to whom the state leaders report.
CONTROLS: Characterized by rigid authoritarianism. Workers have absolute authority in all matters. Members have no representation and no means of recourse. Members exist for the belief system, rather than the belief system existing for the members. Unquestioning loyality is expected.
DISCIPLINE: Implemented with talks, threats and shunning. Not unusual for communion or baptism to be withheld; or to take away the offender's part in prayer and testimony. Meeting may be removed from an offender's home. Excommunication rarely occurs.
FINANCES: No collections are taken and no accounting is made to the congregation. They claim the ministers do not use bank accounts. Monetary contributions are made individually to individual ministers rather than collectively. They claim not to accept donations from non-members.