You are most likely to encounter Jehovah’s Witnesses in one of four places:

  1. At your doorstep during their door-to-door ministry
  2. At a literature cart (these are employed mostly in large cities where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic.)
  3. At a Kingdom Hall, if you choose to attend one of their meetings.
  4. In your daily life – at work, at school, or in your neighborhood.

Using the terminology I covered last week,  you may encounter the following types of Witnesses at the doorstep, at street carts, or at a Kingdom Hall:

  • PIMI (Physically In, Mentally In): Gung-ho Witnesses who believe in current Watchtower teachings and practices, or
  • PIMO (Physically In, Mentally Out): Jehovah’s Witnesses who engage in the witnessing ministry a sufficient amount to remain in good standing but who have serious doubts and may be searching for some way to withdraw from it altogether, or
  • POMI (Physically Out, Mentally In): People with a Jehovah’s Witness background who are getting involved in Watchtower activities again in an attempt to regain good standing in the Watchtower organization, or
  • Trainees: People who are studying with Jehovah’s Witness or are baptized Jehovah’s Witnesses who are new to the faith and inexperienced in their witnessing ministry.

If a Witness is POMO (Physically Out, Mentally Out), you won’t see them in these capacities because they are no longer participating in the witnessing activities. But you may encounter them in your daily life and should be prepared to talk with them about spiritual matters.

Why do you want to assess the status of the Watchtower-influenced person you are dealing with?

Obviously, your approach to getting through with the gospel will need to vary significantly depending on whether you are dealing with a gung-ho PIMI Witness or with an ardent and committed atheist who has thrown belief in God out along with the Watchtower religion.

So how can you assess the people you are dealing with?

When they disclose to you their Watchtower involvement (present or past), make sure you listen closely and try to build bridges by commenting on any parallels with your life. Then ask them questions like the following. Make sure you ask them in a friendly way—out of curiosity—rather than as if you were a prosecuting attorney cross-examining them.

  1. Were you born into the religion?
  2. Did you convert to the religion later in life? What religious beliefs did you convert from? What led you to make that decision?
  3. What do (or did) you enjoy most about being a Jehovah’s Witness?
  4. What do (or did) you find the most challenging aspect of being a Jehovah’s Witness?
  5. Do (did) you witness door-to-door a lot? At a cart? How often?
  6. What do (did) you enjoy about the witnessing ministry?
  7. How many meetings do (did) you attend in a given week? What are those meetings like? How are they the same as or different from services held by churches?
  8. If you have left the religion, how did that come about? Do you want to get back into the Watchtower religion or are you glad to be out? What are your current religious views and affiliations?
  9. If you are now an atheist or agnostic, is that what led you to leave the Watchtower, or did you arrive at those conclusions only after you had left the Watchtower for other reasons?

Please be aware that some ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses won’t want to answer any such questions.

They may be burned out by religion altogether.

Or perhaps they just want to lead “normal lives” and not be thought of as ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses.

In that event, I recommend that you honor their request. Don’t press them. Just be their friend and show them genuine Christian love.

Pray for an opening to talk with them about Jesus, but don’t try to force the gospel on them against their will.

Pray for God to open their minds and hearts and show you when to proceed.

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