Jared Soares | The Roanoke Times

Jehovah's Witnesses Henry Casper (left) and Mike Moyer take a break Wednesday from ministering in Roanoke County.

Southwest Roanoke County resident Vera Galloway (left) speaks with Jehovah's Witnesses Karen Casper (center) and Marina Andersen during a ministering session Wednesday morning. Casper and Andersen minister with their husbands a few times a week in and around Roanoke.

Today the Jehovah's Witnesses hope people will knock on their door for a change.

The denomination best known for door-to-door proselytizing in residential neighborhoods is having its annual three-day Southwest Virginia convention this weekend at the Roanoke Civic Center.

While the public is invited to learn more about the fast-growing group, Karen Casper took the initiative Wednesday morning to spread her church's doctrine, as she has volunteered to do regularly for 38 years.

When Vera Galloway answered the door of her red brick home in the Kingston Court subdivision of Southwest Roanoke County, Casper offered to talk with her about the Bible.

"I love to discuss the Bible with anyone," Galloway said.

After a friendly five-minute conversation, Galloway accepted a pamphlet that explains some of the Jehovah's Witnesses' particular interpretations of the Bible, such as that only 144,000 people are bound for Heaven -- a number mentioned in Revelation -- but eternal life right here on Earth is possible for those who follow God's laws. After Galloway listened politely, she told Casper that she's a loyal member of Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church.

"We're not on a membership drive. We recognize that they may already have a church," said Harvey Casper, Karen's husband, who has been going on such Jehovah's Witnesses missions for 46 years. "We're just trying to give guidance to those willing to listen."

Jehovah's Witnesses endure a high rejection rate; they estimate that 25 percent of their visits find that people either aren't home or don't answer. And only one in five of those who do talk with them accept a pamphlet. The next step in their strategy is to gain an invitation to come back and discuss the Bible inside homes, hoping that will lead to a visit to one of their Kingdom Halls, modest structures where the interiors resemble lecture rooms.

For all the refusals, Jehovah's Witnesses are the fastest-growing denomination in North America. According to the National Council of Churches annual survey, Jehovah's Witnesses reported the largest growth rate -- 2.25 percent -- among the 25 largest denominations in 2007.

To be sure, they are a relatively small denomination, ranking 24th with a few more than 1 million members on this continent and another 6 million more internationally.

Even a small growth rate stands in stark contrast to the overall trend among the Top 25 denominations. All of them posted declines or were flat in 2007 except Jehovah's Witnesses, the Catholic Church, Southern Baptists, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.

"Jehovah's Witnesses are the hottest religion right now," said Gerald McDermott, professor of religion at Roanoke College. Among the reasons for their current appeal, he said, is the absence of paid ministers and church staff. At a time when the economy is dicey, Jehovah's Witnesses don't require that members tithe, nor do they even pass an offering plate.

The responsibility for evangelizing is put on every member. From teens to retirees, a dozen Jehovah's Witnesses gathered at the Kingdom Hall on Colonial Avenue on Wednesday morning before driving to various neighborhoods, where they hiked to the houses of strangers.

Henry Casper led a brief discussion: "You can't teach others what you don't know yourself," he said. He reminded them of the faith's doctrine that "the last days" are at hand doesn't mean "the end of humankind and not the end of the world." Instead, he added, God will soon institute rule over the Earth, stopping "the violent, loveless system of things and those who cling to its ways."

Todd Manning was busy with household chores when he found Henry Casper, wearing a necktie, pamphlets in hand, on his front steps. Manning patiently accepted a brochure, but said, "Look, I think it's a huge commitment to go out like he does. But it's hard for me to devote much attention right now." Manning added that he's a traveling salesman of school furniture whose time at home to catch up on domestic duties is limited.

A few houses away, the woman who answered the door was more abrupt and struggled to hold back a protective yellow Labrador retriever pressing against the glass storm door. "We go to First Baptist," she said, short of breath from wrestling the Lab.

Casper retreated with a nod and a thank you.

"I live on rejection," said Mike Moyer, another Witness making house calls Wednesday. At one home, a woman interrupted his offer of church reading materials to say, "We just live on the Bible."

That isn't good enough for the Witnesses, Moyer said, "You can read the Bible, but it's one big puzzle. Most people need guidance."

The Jehovah's Witnesses will offer that help en masse at their convention, at which they expect about 4,000 members from congregations in an area that includes West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. The Witnesses hope that several hundred nonmembers also will attend the weekend program -- including some who have received pamphlets during house calls. The gathering will include symposiums on coping with discouragement, resisting peer pressure and enduring adversity, among other everyday issues.

There will also be an abundance of Bible study. James Kauffman, a Witness volunteer and convention organizer, said, "You'll hear a lot of pages rustling."