2024 GB update #2

Mark Sanderson

How did the 2023 Annual Meeting affect you? Remember the information that highlighted Jehovah as the merciful “Judge of all the earth”? We were thrilled to learn that individuals who died in the Flood of Noah’s day, in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and even some who might repent during the great tribulation could benefit from Jehovah’s mercy. Since hearing that information, have you found yourself thinking a lot about Jehovah’s mercy? Well, sohas the Governing Body. In our prayerful study, meditation, and discussions, we’ve focused our attention on how Jehovah has dealt with people who engaged in serious sin.

In this update, we’ll briefly consider the pattern Jehovah set in the Bible record. Then, we’ll discuss some new information regarding the way we’ll handle cases of wrongdoing in the Christian congregation.

2 Peter 3:9 tells us that Jehovah “does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” What does that teach us? It helps us understand that Jehovah wants people to repent and gain life. When the first human couple rebelled, they condemned the human race to sin and death. What did Jehovah do? He took immediate steps to help as many of their descendants as possible to gain life. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, Jehovah arranged to cover the sins of all who would exercise faith and repent. Such ones can live forever. So it’s not surprising that throughout the Bible record, we find Jehovah appealing to sinners to repent. He urges those who have strayed from true worship to return.

This is in harmony with Romans 2:4, which says: “Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, because you do not know that God in his kindness is trying to lead you to repentance?”

Consider some examples in which we see Jehovah trying to lead sinners to repentance.

● Cain showed murderous hatred for his brother Abel, but Jehovah reached out to Cain and tried to reason with him.

● When David sinned, Jehovah used the prophet Nathan to lead David to repentance.

● And what about the nation of Israel? Jehovah kept appealing to them, even when they showed no desire to repent. At Ezekiel 33:11, Jehovah appeals to the nation of Israel: “As surely as I am alive, . . . I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that someone wicked changes his way and keeps living. Turn back, turn back from your bad ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?”

What does this teach us? That while Jehovah doesn't force anyone to repent of his sins, he has demonstrated great compassion for imperfect humans. He's gone to great lengths to make forgiveness possible, to appeal to sinners, and to lead them to repentance if at all possible. What a compassionate and merciful God we worship!

The Governing Body has prayerfully considered how Jehovah's mercy could be better reflected when dealing with wrongdoers in the congregation. And that's led to a clearer understanding of three scriptures.

Let's consider the first. It's 2 Timothy 2:24, 25. There Paul said: “For a slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be gentle toward all, qualified to teach, showing restraint when wronged, instructing with mildness those not favorably disposed. Perhaps God may give them repentance leading to an accurate knowledge of truth.”

To whom was Paul referring when he mentioned “those not favorably disposed”? A study note on 2 Timothy 2:25 explains: “Paul uses a Greek word that in this context refers to people who resist Christian teachings or who place themselves in opposition to them. Paul may have had in mind, among others, those in the congregation in Ephesus who had a negative attitude toward following Scriptural counsel or heeding admonition from brothers taking the lead.”

Today, this could include brothers and sisters in the congregation who disregard Scriptural counsel and become involved in serious wrongdoing. Someone who gets involved in serious wrongdoing needs help from the elders, so a committee of elders meets with the wrongdoer. The goal of these elders isn't merely to judge whether the wrongdoer is repentant but also to act in harmony with 2 Timothy 2:24, 25. The elders must correct and instruct the wrongdoer with mildness.

What is their goal? Notice what another study note on 2 Timothy 2:25 says. “When a Christian elder mildly corrects or instructs ‘those not favorably disposed,' the good result may be repentance, or ‘a change of mind.' The credit for such a change in thinking and attitude goes, not to any human, but to Jehovah, who helps the wayward Christian make this vital change. Paul goes on to mention some of the beautiful results of such repentance —it leads the sinner to a more accurate knowledge of the truth, it helps him come back to his proper senses, and it enables him to escape from Satan's snares.”

So the elders have the goal of leading the wrongdoer to repentance. How does a clearer understanding of 2 Timothy 2:24, 25 adjust our current arrangement?

Presently, a committee of elders normally meets with a wrongdoer only one time. However, the Governing Body has decided that the committee may decide to meet with the person more than once.

Why? At Revelation 2:21, regarding “that woman Jezebel,” Jesus said: “I gave her time to repent.” We hope that through the loving efforts of the elders, Jehovah will help a wayward Christian to come back to his proper senses and repent. If he repents, the committee will provide shepherding so that the person can escape from Satan's snares and keep making straight paths for his feet. This arrangement reflects the same effort that Jehovah personally made to help David and the nation of Israel to repent.

What about baptized minors —those under 18 years of age— who engage in serious wrongdoing? Under our current arrangement, such a baptized minor along with his Christian parents must meet with a committee of elders. Under our new arrangement, two elders will meet with the minor and his Christian parents. The elders will find out what steps the parents have already taken to help their child come to repentance. If the minor has a good attitude and the parents are reaching him, the two elders might decide that it isn't necessary to take the matter any further. Of course, the elders will occasionally check with the parents to make sure that the minor is getting the help he needs.

However, what if a baptized minor unrepentantly persists in a wrong course? In that case, a committee of elders would meet with him along with his Christian parents. The Governing Body is confident that these adjustments reflect Jehovah's desire to lead sinners to repentance. He wants them to “come to their senses and escape from the snare of the Devil.” “He does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.”

Let's move on to our second scripture. It's 1 Corinthians 5:13, which says: “Remove the wicked person from among yourselves.” The Bible clearly teaches that an unrepentant wrongdoer should be removed from the congregation. And really, it's a consequence that the wrongdoer has chosen. Why so? Because he refuses to respond to repeated loving attempts by the elders to lead him to repentance. Even when the elders inform a person that he's being removed from the congregation, he won't be left hopeless.

The committee will not simply explain what steps he can take to be welcomed back into the congregation. What else will they do? The elders will explain that they'd like to meet with the individual again after a few months to see if he's had a change of heart. If the individual is willing to meet, the elders will make a warm appeal for him to repent and return.

What about individuals who were disfellowshipped in the past, perhaps even many years ago? In some cases, they may not even recall the reason they were disfellowshipped. They may have abandoned their wrong course years ago. The Governing Body has decided that the elders should visit such ones, pray with them, and make a warm appeal for them to return to the congregation. If a person has been away from the congregation for many years, he would no doubt be very weak spiritually. Therefore, if such a person is willing, the elders could arrange for him to have a Bible study even before he's reinstated. Of course, the individual would have to want to return to the congregation, and the elders would always be the ones to arrange for such a study.

In imitation of Jehovah's mercy toward imperfect sinners, we want to reach out and help as many as possible to know that the door is open for them to come back to the congregation. If you are a disfellowshipped person listening to this update, we urge you to accept the efforts of the elders to help you return to the congregation. If you're living in an area where you don't know the local elders, please feel free to call or visit the local Kingdom Hall and request spiritual assistance. Jehovah wants you to come home, and we do too.

In keeping with the Scriptural admonition at 1 Corinthians 5:11, when a person has been removed from the congregation, we “stop keeping company” with that person, “not even eating with such a man.” That means we don't socialize with those who are removed from the congregation. However, that does not mean that a Christian could not invite a disfellowshipped person to attend a congregation meeting. That disfellowshipped person could be a relative, a former Bible student, or someone we were close to in the past.

How appropriate this adjustment is at this time, as we're preparing for the most important meeting of the year, the Memorial, which will be held on Sunday, March 24!

What if a disfellowshipped person comes to a congregation meeting? Under our current arrangement, we don't say a greeting to individuals who've been removed from the congregation. However, the Governing Body has decided that publishers can use their Bible-trained conscience to decide whether to give a simple greeting and welcome a disfellowshipped individual who attends a congregation meeting.

Hi. It's so good to see you here.

Thank you.

While we wouldn't have an extended conversation or socialize with such a person, we do not need to ignore him completely.

That brings us to our third scripture. It's 2 John 9-11. There we read: “Everyone who pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God. The one who does remain in this teaching is the one who has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, donot receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him. For the one who says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.”

But doesn't 2 John 9-11 tell us not to say a greeting to anyone who's been removed from the congregation? In examining the context of those verses, the Governing Body has concluded that the apostle John was really describing apostates and others who actively promoted wrong conduct. For good reason, John strongly directed Christians not even to greet such a person because of his contaminating influence.

Therefore, if a disfellowshipped individual is a known apostate or someone who actively promotes wrongdoing, the elders would not visit him. Neither would individual Christians greet such a person or invite him to attend a congregation meeting.

In this update, we've examined Jehovah's desire to lead sinners to repentance and we've received clarification on three scriptures that relate to how wrongdoers should be dealt with.

● In harmony with 2 Timothy 2:24, 25, a committee of elders will lovingly correct and instruct a wrongdoer with the goal of leading him to repentance.

● As outlined at 1 Corinthians 5:13, a person who refuses to repent must be removed from the congregation.

● However, the committee will still try to help him see the need to repent and return and will arrange for a follow-up meeting in a few months.

● We also clarified our understanding of 2 John 9-11, which we learned applies specifically to apostates and others who actively promote wrong conduct, not to all those who have been removed from the congregation.

Ever since the first human couple sinned, Jehovah has been working to rescue repentant humans. Of course, Jehovah isn't permissive, and he doesn't shield unrepentant wrongdoers from the consequences of their actions. Still, in his love, Jehovah wants sinners to become reconciled to him if at all possible. He doesn't want anyone to be destroyed, so he appeals to them to repent.

Elders are privileged to be fellow workers with Jehovah as they work to help sinners come to repentance. Our love for Jehovah continues to deepen as we meditate on his love, mercy, and compassion. We know you'll be happy to hear that the information contained in this update will be published in a series of articles that will appear in the study edition of The Watchtower. In addition, the elders will receive direction on how to apply this information. May Jehovah bless us as we work to implement these arrangements that reflect his love and mercy.

Before we conclude, the Governing Body has asked me to read the following announcement:

“The Governing Body has decided that sisters may choose to wear slacks when participating in the ministry and when attending Christian meetings, assemblies, and conventions. If a sister chooses to wear slacks on such occasions, they should not be casual but dignified, modest, and appropriate. When a sister has a part on the program, she should wear a skirt or a dress if that is the standard of dress in that land. Of course, some sisters may choose to wear a skirt or a dress even when they do not have a part on the program.

In addition, brothers may choose not to wear a tie or a jacket when participating in the ministry and when attending Christian meetings, assemblies, and conventions. If a brother chooses not to wear a tie or a jacket on such occasions, he should dress in a manner that is appropriate, modest, and dignified —not casual.

When a brother has a part on the program, he should wear a tie and a jacket if that is the standard of dress in that land. Of course, some brothers may choose to wear a tie or a jacket even when they do not have a part on the program.

When a brother has a part on the program, he should wear a tie and a jacket if that is the standard of dress in that land. Of course, some brothers may choose to wear a tie or a jacket even when they do not have a part on the program.

When visiting Bethel, it would be appropriate for brothers to wear a tie and a jacket and for sisters to wear a skirt or a dress if that is the standard of dress in that land.”

We love you all very much! From the World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses, this is JW Broadcasting.