Tandika Ortiz of LaFayette, (TN) has been sharing the good news of God’s Kingdom since her baptism in 1997. In 2020, Ortiz was balancing her time in the ministry with a secular job at a school in Nashville, (TN). However, everything changed when the COVID 19 pandemic impacted her work and her ministry. “My husband and I decided to move to the Westmoreland, (TN) area when the pandemic hit. I quit my job and became self-employed running my own business,” she recalls.  

Two years later, Ortiz is busier than ever. “The provisions of virtual meetings have really helped me expand my ministry. When the pandemic started, I took the opportunity to increase my time in the ministry, sharing the word of God with my neighbors via letter writing.”

With this historic change, the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses grew 3% in the United States in 2021 alone, matching the most significant increase for the organization over the past decade and the second-largest percentage increase since 1990.

“Staying active in our ministry while remaining safe has had a powerful preserving effect on our congregants and communities,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “The wise decision not to prematurely resume in-person activities has united us and protected lives while comforting many people in great need. The results speak for themselves.”

For congregants like Tandika Ortiz, the virtual pivot has meant adapting to a new way of communicating with her congregation and her community. She regularly shares scriptures with dozens of community members.

Last year, the international organization reported all-time peaks in the number of people participating in their volunteer preaching work, increased attendance in Zoom meetings and more than 171,000 new believers baptized. In the past two years, more than 400,000 have been baptized worldwide.

“The pandemic hit us hard financially, but my increase in the ministry has really helped me to strengthen my relationship with Jehovah God and seeing how he supports us, and takes care of every one of our needs, even the small things, had been very faith strengthening,” says Ortiz

The official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses, translated into more than 1,000 languages, has also leveraged the organization’s outreach. To start an online Bible study course, receive a visit or attend a virtual meeting locally, visit jw.org.