# Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Shun Family Members? Disfellowshipping and the Bible > Jehovah’s Witnesses stop socializing with someone removed from the congregation. A 2024 article allows a simple greeting. Scripture’s limit differs. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/disfellowshipping-and-shunning - Religions: Jehovah's Witnesses - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: jehovahs-witnesses, practice - Updated: 2026-10-15 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Jehovah’s Witnesses stop ordinary social contact with a person who has been removed from the congregation, and that includes a relative who does not live in the same house. A husband or wife and young children who still share the home keep ordinary family dealings, while the religious tie changes. In August 2024 their study article said a Christian may decide, by conscience, to offer a simple greeting at a meeting. They no longer call the action disfellowshipping. They call it removal. [1 Corinthians 5:11–13](/bible/1-corinthians/5) tells a church to stop company with a named offender. [2 Thessalonians 3:14–15](/bible/2-thessalonians/3) says to have no company with a disorderly brother and still to admonish him as a brother. ## Key Points - The [jw.org FAQ](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/removed-from-the-congregation/) [(1)](#ref-1) says Christians “stop keeping company” with someone removed, “not even eating with such a man,” and that they do not socialize with him. - The same page says that when a spouse and young children remain Jehovah’s Witnesses, “blood ties remain” and “normal family affections and dealings continue” because they live in the same house. - The [August 2024 Watchtower study article](https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-august-2024/Help-for-Those-Who-Are-Removed-From-the-Congregation/) [(2)](#ref-2) says a person may use a Bible-trained conscience about inviting a removed relative to a meeting and about a greeting. It also says there is no extended conversation and no socializing. - Footnote b of that article says they will no longer say “disfellowshipped.” They will say the person has been “removed from the congregation,” after [1 Corinthians 5:13](/bible/1-corinthians/5/13). - A [Questions From Readers article still on Watchtower Online Library](https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1970410) [(3)](#ref-3) tells members to have no fellowship with a relative outside the home, and to keep unavoidable contact to a bare minimum. - [2 Thessalonians 3:14–15](/bible/2-thessalonians/3) [(5)](#ref-5) pairs “have no company with him” with “count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” ## What Removal Means on Their Pages The FAQ names the sins that can lead to removal: adultery, drunkenness, murder, domestic abuse, and theft, from [1 Corinthians 6:9–10](/bible/1-corinthians/6), [Galatians 5:19–21](/bible/galatians/5), and [1 Timothy 1:9–10](/bible/1-timothy/1). It says elders first try to readjust the person with mildness, the step in [Galatians 6:1](/bible/galatians/6/1). If he is unrepentant, the congregation hears that he is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He may still attend meetings. On contact after that announcement, the FAQ says: > The Bible says that Christians should “stop keeping company” with someone who has been removed from the congregation, “not even eating with such a man.” (1 Corinthians 5:11) 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. A footnote on that page says an extreme case, someone who undermines the congregation or promotes wrong conduct, is treated under the command in [2 John 9–11](/bible/2-john/1) not to “say a greeting.” The ordinary removed person is not placed in that footnote. ## What the August 2024 Article Changed The study article “Help for Those Who Are Removed From the Congregation” keeps the line from [1 Corinthians 5:11](/bible/1-corinthians/5/11): stop keeping company, not even eating with the person. It then draws a narrower line around [2 John 10](/bible/2-john/1). The article says that verse is about apostates and people who actively promote wrong conduct, and that Paul, in the case of sexual immorality, did not say the church must never offer a simple greeting. Paragraph 14 is the adjustment families ask about: > Does what we have considered mean that we would completely ignore a person who has been removed from the congregation? Not necessarily. Certainly, we would not socialize with him. But Christians can use their Bible-trained conscience in deciding whether to invite a person who was removed from the congregation—perhaps a relative or someone they were close to previously—to attend a congregation meeting. What if he attends? 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. The change is the greeting and the invitation to a meeting. The article does not withdraw “not even eating” or “we would not socialize.” Footnote b retires the older label: “We will no longer refer to such ones as being disfellowshipped.” The practice of staying out of the person’s social life stays. ## A Relative Who Lives Elsewhere The Questions From Readers article that Watchtower Online Library still hosts as document 1970410 was written while the organization said “disfellowshiping.” It applies the cutoff to family outside the house in plain words: > If that one is a relative living outside the home, they will try to have no fellowship with him at all. And if some unavoidable and absolutely necessary family matter comes up, they will keep contact with that one to a bare minimum, definitely not having any interchange of thoughts on spiritual matters. The same article says a removed person is no longer welcome in the home and is not a preferred companion. For a spouse in the house it appeals to [Ephesians 5:31](/bible/ephesians/5/31): the marriage remains, and spiritual fellowship does not. The 2024 article did not reprint this paragraph, and it did not say the paragraph was withdrawn. The library still offers it. A reader can hold both pages: a conscience greeting at the Kingdom Hall, and a bare minimum with a mother, father, or adult child who lives at another address. The FAQ’s household sentence matches the older article on one point. Spouse and young children under the same roof continue marital life and normal family affections. The religious tie is what changes. An adult son or daughter with a separate address is the case the Questions From Readers article describes. ## What Those Bible Chapters Say [1 Corinthians 5:11–13](/bible/1-corinthians/5) [(4)](#ref-4) tells the church not to keep company with a brother who is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, “with such an one no not to eat,” and to “put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” The person is named by his conduct. The chapter is about the church’s table, not about erasing a parent from a family that still shares a name. [2 Thessalonians 3:14–15](/bible/2-thessalonians/3) [(5)](#ref-5) is the verse that keeps the person a brother. If anyone does not obey the letter, “note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” Shame and admonition sit in the same sentence. Company stops. The relationship that can still speak a warning does not. [Galatians 6:1](/bible/galatians/6/1) [(6)](#ref-6) says those who are spiritual should restore a person overtaken in a fault, “in the spirit of meekness.” [Matthew 18:15–17](/bible/matthew/18) [(7)](#ref-7) sets the order Jesus gave: tell him his fault alone, then take one or two more, then tell it to the church, and only then “let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” A heathen and a publican, in that Gospel, are people Jesus still eats with and calls. They are not people a son is told never to telephone. [2 John 10–11](/bible/2-john/1) [(8)](#ref-8) says not to receive into the house, or greet, a teacher who does not bring the teaching of Christ, because greeting him shares in his evil deeds. The verse is about a false teacher at the door. The August 2024 article says the same limit: the withheld greeting belongs to the person who promotes a different teaching, not to every removed member. That reading of 2 John is narrower than the Questions From Readers article, which used the verse for family contact in general. The Christian confession is that Jesus is God, and that a church may refuse its table to an unrepentant offender. The chapters above do not tell a child to treat a living parent as if the parent had died. [What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?](/jehovahs-witnesses/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe) is their wider teaching. [How Have Watchtower Teachings Changed?](/jehovahs-witnesses/how-have-watchtower-teachings-changed) is where other dated adjustments are quoted. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Do They Still Use the Word Disfellowshipped? The August 2024 study article says no. Footnote b says the public word is now “removed from the congregation,” in line with [1 Corinthians 5:13](/bible/1-corinthians/5/13). The FAQ says the same. Older articles on their library, including the Questions From Readers page cited here, still print “disfellowshiping.” ### What About a Spouse in the Same House? The FAQ says the religious tie changes and the blood tie remains. Because they live in the same house, the marital relationship and normal family affections and dealings continue. The Questions From Readers article says the same about the marriage and refuses spiritual fellowship in that house. ### Does the 2024 Article End Family Shunning? It allows a conscience decision to invite a removed relative to a meeting and to greet that person there, without an extended conversation. It still says “we would not socialize with him.” The library article on relatives outside the home still says no fellowship at all, and a bare minimum when contact cannot be avoided. ### What Does 1 Corinthians 5 Require? It requires the church to stop company with a brother who practices the sins the chapter names, including at the meal, and to remove that person. [2 Thessalonians 3:15](/bible/2-thessalonians/3/15) adds that he is not counted an enemy. [Matthew 18:17](/bible/matthew/18/17) ends with the standing of an outsider, which in the Gospels is still a neighbor. ## Keep Reading - [What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?](/jehovahs-witnesses/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe) - [How Have Watchtower Teachings Changed?](/jehovahs-witnesses/how-have-watchtower-teachings-changed) - [Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Take Blood?](/jehovahs-witnesses/why-dont-jehovahs-witnesses-take-blood) - [Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays and Christmas?](/jehovahs-witnesses/do-jehovahs-witnesses-celebrate-birthdays-and-christmas) - [1 Corinthians 5](/bible/1-corinthians/5) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### 1 Corinthians 5:11–13 King James Version. > [5:11] But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. [5:12] For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? [5:13] But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. ### 2 Thessalonians 3:14–15 King James Version. > [3:14] And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. [3:15] Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. ### 1 Corinthians 5:13 King James Version. > But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. ### 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 King James Version. > [6:9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [6:10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. ### Galatians 5:19–21 King James Version. > [5:19] Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, [5:20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, [5:21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. ### 1 Timothy 1:9–10 King James Version. > [1:9] Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, [1:10] For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; ### Galatians 6:1 King James Version. > Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. ### 1 Corinthians 5:11 King James Version. > But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. ### Ephesians 5:31 King James Version. > For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. ### Matthew 18:15–17 King James Version. > [18:15] Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. [18:16] But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. [18:17] And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. ### Matthew 18:17 King James Version. > And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [How Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Treat Those Who Used to Belong to Their Religion?](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/removed-from-the-congregation/) (jw.org FAQ. Removal, the household, and the greeting reserved for someone who undermines the congregation.) 2. [Help for Those Who Are Removed From the Congregation](https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-august-2024/Help-for-Those-Who-Are-Removed-From-the-Congregation/) (Watchtower study edition, August 2024. Paragraph 14 is the conscience greeting. Footnote b retires the word disfellowshipped.) 3. [Questions From Readers](https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1970410) (Watchtower Online Library document 1970410. A relative outside the home is kept to a bare minimum of contact. The page header does not print a month.) 4. [First Letter to the Corinthians, 5:11–13](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-corinthians/5). King James Version 5. [Second Letter to the Thessalonians, 3:14–15](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/2-thessalonians/3). King James Version 6. [Letter to the Galatians, 6:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/galatians/6/1). King James Version 7. [Gospel of Matthew, 18:15–17](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/18). King James Version 8. [Second Letter of John, 1:10–11](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/2-john/1). King James Version ## See Also - [Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Drink Alcohol?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/do-jehovahs-witnesses-drink-alcohol) — Jehovah’s Witnesses say it is not a sin to drink alcohol in moderation. Their Bible-questions page calls wine a gift, says Jesus drank wine, and condemns drunkenness. It names times when a Christian should not drink at all. - [Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/are-jehovahs-witnesses-christians) — Jehovah’s Witnesses say yes: they follow Jesus, baptize in his name, and pray in his name. They also say he is not Almighty God and not part of a Trinity. The Nicene confession is that Jesus is God. - [Did Jesus Die on a Cross or a Stake?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/cross-or-torture-stake) — Jehovah’s Witnesses say Jesus died on an upright stake. John speaks of nails in his hands, and Justin Martyr describes two beams. - [Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays and Christmas?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/do-jehovahs-witnesses-celebrate-birthdays-and-christmas) — No. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas. They say birthday parties have pagan roots and that the only birthday feasts in the Bible end in death, and they keep the Memorial of Jesus’ death instead. - [Do the Dead Cease to Exist?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/do-the-dead-cease-to-exist) — Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that death ends the person. The dead are conscious of nothing, and no soul lives on apart from the body. The King James has the dead with Christ, and a judgment after death.