The congregation announcement for both disfellowshipping (now removal) and disassociation is the single sentence '[Name of person] is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses'; reinstatement is announced as '[Name of person] is reinstated as one of Jehovah's Witnesses'; the elders' handbook (April 2021 text) states the removal 'takes effect at the time of making the announcement', that a seven-day appeal period must elapse first, and that a 'Notification of Disfellowshipping or Disassociation (S-77)' form is sent to the branch.
Claim ID claim-shunning-announcement-wordingConcerns 1 April 2021Explicit statement
The organisation’s position or later explanation: August 2024: 'The purpose of that announcement is not to humiliate the wrongdoer. Rather, it is made so that the congregation can follow the Scriptural admonition to "stop keeping company"'.
2019 · pp.141-156 · par. 24-40 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“When it is necessary to disfellowship an unrepentant wrongdoer from the congregation, a brief announcement is made, stating: “[Name of person] is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” This will alert faithful ones in the congregation to stop associating with that person.—1 Cor. 5:11.”
Provenance and verification note for Organized to Do Jehovah’s Will (od), Chapter 14, Maintaining the Peace and Cleanness of the Congregation
Confidence note. Raw WOL HTML fetched; wording and page markers 141-156 confirmed; publishers' page (doc 1102014949) opened for edition data. Still uses 'disfellowshipped' as at access date.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-od-2019-organized-ch14
April 2021 · ch. 12 par. 17, 44-46; ch. 16 par. 27-31 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (published as inquiry evidence by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, New Zealand)
“If a publisher in the congregation is known to have unnecessary association with disfellowshipped or disassociated relatives who are not in the household, elders should use the Scriptures to counsel and reason with him. ... He would not be dealt with judicially unless there is persistent spiritual association or he persists in openly criticizing the disfellowshipping decision.”
Par. 17(1): wilful association with disfellowshipped or disassociated non-relatives 'would warrant judicial action'; par. 44-46 on persons inactive for many years; ch. 16 par. 29-31: announcement 'It should read as follows: "[Name of person] is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses."', takes effect at the announcement, S-77 form sent to the Service Department.
Provenance and verification note for “Shepherd the Flock of God”—1 Peter 5:2 (ks), April 2021 revision, chapters 12, 14, 16 and 22, as produced to the New Zealand Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care (document JHV0000012), Chapter 12 par. 17(1) and 44-46; Chapter 16 par. 27-31
Confidence note. PDF (35 pages) downloaded from the inquiry's evidence library and text-extracted; wording confirmed. Cited as a public-inquiry exhibit, not from any leaked copy. The Norwegian Supreme Court quotes the identical par. 17 text from the 2019 edition (para 127).
Scan provenance. Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care (New Zealand) evidence library; copyright Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
August 2024 · pp.26-31 · par. 3-6, 10-15; footnote b; box · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“In the past, we would not greet such a person. Here again, each Christian needs to use his Bible-trained conscience in this matter. Some may feel comfortable with greeting or welcoming the person to the meeting. However, we would not have an extended conversation or socialize with the individual.”
Footnote b retires 'disfellowshipped' for 'removed from the congregation'; par. 4 keeps the announcement 'no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses'; par. 13 keeps 'stop keeping company ... not even eating'; par. 15 and the box restrict 2 John 9-11 to 'apostates and others who actively promote wrong conduct'; par. 6, 10-12 on follow-up visits and reinstatement. No revised guidance on relatives outside the household.
18 September 2026 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“So we do not socialize with someone who has been removed. However, we do not ignore him completely. We treat him with respect. He is welcome to attend our religious services, where he may be greeted by Jehovah’s Witnesses. He may also request spiritual assistance from the elders.”
Current official statement. Also: 'we reach out' to those who 'slowed down or stopped'; 'The elders simply announce to the congregation that the person is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses'; spouse and young children in the same house keep 'normal family affections and dealings'; footnote b on terminology; footnote d applies 2 John 9-11 to those who 'actively try to undermine' the congregation. Says nothing about relatives outside the household. Quotes the High Court of England and Wales (7 June 2019) and former ECtHR judge Pinto de Albuquerque.
Provenance and verification note for jw.org, Frequently Asked Questions, How Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Treat Those Who Used to Belong to Their Religion?
Confidence note. Full page opened at both URLs on 2026-09-19. The old URL https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/shunning/ returns HTTP 301 to this URL (curl -I; server Last-Modified 18 Sep 2026). Earlier titles: 2022 version 'Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Shun Those Who Used to Belong to Their Religion?' is quoted by the Norwegian Supreme Court (para 125); the still-earlier title 'Do You Shun Former Members of Your Religion?' is attested only by discovery sources (unverified).
Notes. Blocked original: https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/shunning/ (now redirects). web.archive.org and archive.ph blocked in this environment.
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID.src-jworg-2026-faq-removed-from-the-congregation
A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-shunning-announcement-wording/. 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.