• Why Jehovah’s Witnesses Leave the Watchtower - There are a number of reasons why Jehovah’s Witnesses leave the Watchtower religion. If the departure is voluntary, it often occurs over a period of time. The initial separation is usually mental, as the person realizes they no longer believe some of the key Watchtower teachings and instead are coming to believe something else. Knowing the reasons of the person you are dealing with can be very helpful in assessing their current spiritual needs and their willingness (or unwillingness) to discuss spiritual matters with you.
  • How Jehovah’s Witnesses Leave the Watchtower - Just as knowing why a person stopped being a Jehovah’s Witness can be helpful to you in getting through to them with the real gospel, so knowing how they left the Watchtower can help you understand their spiritual journey and current spiritual needs. There are a number of different methods by which Jehovah’s Witnesses leave the Watchtower religion.
  • Terminology - Today’s post deals with online terminology which is used when discussing Jehovah’s Witnesses and ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses. My purpose isn’t to teach you how to pin labels on people. Rather, it’s to expand your thinking when you encounter a Jehovah’s Witness or someone with a Watchtower background.
  • Assessing the Jehovah’s Witnesses You Encounter - 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?
  • Getting Through to Physically In Mentally In Witnesses - Most of my book and blog posts have been written to talk about how to get through to Jehovah’s Witnesses who are PIMI (Physically In Mentally In). That’s because those are the Witnesses you are most likely to encounter. They believe most—if not all—of the current Watchtower teachings. They are active in the religion, especially in the door to door and literature cart ministries. This gives you several advantages.
  • Getting Through to Witness Trainees - In general, the Watchtower has a good system for getting “unbaptized publishers” and newly baptized Jehovah’s Witnesses into the door-to-door field service ministry. They partner them with experienced Witnesses, often with elders. At first, the trainees tag along and observe. Then they are involved gradually in breaking the ice at the door and in getting discussions going. As time goes by, they take over more and more of the witnessing work while their mentor observes and stands ready to take over if the trainee gets in over his or her head. Knowing this process gives us several advantages.
  • Getting Through to Physically Out Mentally In Witnesses - Why would a person who is physically out of the Watchtower still be mentally in (POMI)? They may have left the Watchtower, not because they disagreed with its teachings and practices, but because they couldn’t meet organizational expectations and demands. They may have left involuntarily through being disfellowshipped. They may be trying to get reinstated, or they may have given up and assume that Jehovah will not deem them worthy of a resurrection. Their situation gives us several advantages.
  • Getting Through to Physically In Mentally Out Witnesses - Jehovah’s Witnesses who are PIMO—Physically In Mentally Out—have serious doubts about Watchtower doctrine and practices. This may be because of encounters with Christians or other non-Witnesses or former Witnesses, or because of their own thinking, studying, and experiences. But in spite of that, they stay involved in the religion, at least to some degree. Why?
  • Getting Through to Physically Out Mentally Out Witnesses - Former Witnesses who are POMO—Physically Out Mentally Out—have left the Watchtower organization both physically and mentally. Be aware, however, that this does not mean that they are free from the indoctrination of the Watchtower. In dealing with former Jehovah’s Witnesses who are POMO, we have a number of advantages.
  • Helping Jehovah’s Witness Children - We expect other people to respect our rights when it comes to the religious upbringing of our own children, and we need to show that same respect to Jehovah’s Witness parents as well. But if you have contact with Jehovah’s Witness children, your heart will go out to them.