Letter to All Bodies of Elders in the USA, 2000-01-03: New instructions for reporting disfellowshippings or disassociations
January 3,2000
TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS IN THE UNITED STATES
Dear Brothers:
Some adjustments have been made in the procedure to follow when notifying the Society of disfellowshippings, disassociations, and reinstatements. Enclosed you will find a supply of revised Notification of Disfellowshipping or Disassociation (S-77) forms. This adjusted form will eliminate use of the Record of Disfellowshipping or Disassociation (S-79a and S-79b) cards. Therefore, please destroy your supply of all blank S-79a and S-79b cards, as well as blank S-77 forms with a print date prior to 11/99 in the lower left-hand corner. Do not destroy forms that have already been filled out for past cases.
The new procedure does not apply to the handling of reinstatements in cases in which a Record of Disfellowshipping or Disassociation (S-79b) card or an old Disfellowshipped or Disassociated Person (S-78) card already exists in the congregation's file. In such cases, if a person is reinstated or dies, the secretary should sign and date the card and mail it to the Society in a special blue envelope. If there is an S-77 form made out for that person, the same information should be recorded on that form, which is retained in the confidential file.
Complete instructions for filling out the revised S-77 form are located on the form itself. These instructions should carefully be read and followed each time a committee is formed and also when preparing to notify the Society of a case of disfellowshipping or disassociation.
In the future, when the Society returns an S-77 form to the congregation following a disfellowshipping or disassociation, a set of three blank S-77 forms will be included. This will keep the congregation's supply replenished. If more S-77 forms or blue envelopes are needed, they may be borrowed from a nearby congregation and later replaced. Furthermore, at your request, the Society will be glad to send a reasonable amount.
We believe that this new procedure for notifying the Society of disfellowshippings, disassociations, and reinstatements will simplify matters. Your conscientiousness in filling out the forms carefully and completely will be very much appreciated. Be assured of our warm love and Christian greetings.
Your brothers,
Wachtower B. D. Jocuty
OF NEW YORK, INC.
NOTIFICATION OF DISFELLOWSHIPPING OR DISASSOCIATION (Please type or print neatly in ink)
Last
First(Individual's full name)
Middle
Date of Birth
Date of announcement of disfellowshipping or disassociation
Congregation Number
Congregation Name
Town
County
Check if applicable:ElderMinisterial Servant(If so include S-202 with this form)Special PioneerListed with the Society as a person to receive literature and/or magazine shipments to congregation.
For office useonly
PRE-COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION
a. Did the individual disassociate himself? Yes No If so: Did he submit a signed letter of resignation? Resigned only
b. Was the individual invited to meet with the committee? _Yes No
c. Was the individual informed of the nature of the allegations? _Yes No N/A
d. Was the allegation denied?Yes No N/A If so, was the individual invited to present witnesses on his behalf? Yes No
e. Did the individual have any objections those who were to sit on the committee? _Yes No N/A
If yes, was the person or persons to whom the individual objected replaced? _Yes No
THE COMMITTEE HEARING
f. Did the individual meet with the committee? Yes No If no did he explicitly decline to meet? Yes No If no meeting with the individual was held, how many invitations were given, how many attempts were made___
g. At any point, did the individual confess to the committee? Yes No N/A If no, were there at least two eye witnesses to the wrong conduct or his confession? Yes No N/A Was the individual invited to question the witnesses through to chairman? Yes No N/A
h. Was the individual invited to present evidence and call his witnesses? Yes No N/A
i. did the individual present witnesses? Yes No If yes, how many___
THE DECISION
j. Was there sufficient evidence of wrongdoing? Yes No N/A
k. Were the Society guidelines followed in determining whether repentance existed? Yes No N/A
l. Was the individual informed of the procedure to appeal? Yes No N/A
m. Was the individual informed of the steps needed for reinstatement? Yes NO
n. Did the individual appeal your decision? Yes No N/A (If so, follow the instructions on the reverse side regarding appeals.)
If the individual was previously disfellowshipped or disassociated show:
Date of previous action___
Person 's full name at that time___
Date of previous reinstatement___
Congregation that took the action___
Each member of the appointed committee should sign this form, the S-77a and any additional sheets. (Type names below each signature.)
CHAIRMAN
THE APPEAL HEARING (If applicable, this section is to be completed by appeal committee)
o. Do you agree with the decision to disfellowship? Yes No
CHAIRMAN
Reinstated
(Day, Month, Year)
(signature of secretary) POINTS TO REVIEW BEFORE HANDLING EACH CASE
How body of elders selects qualified brothers to serve on judicial committee.—See ks91 109, 149-50.
Procedure for judicial committee to follow.-Review ks91 Units 5 (a), 5 (b), and 5 (c); ks91 101.
Latest information on how to identify true repentance and appropriate works that befit repentance.—See ks91 111-6; it-2771, par.5; w95 1/1 27-31; w81 9/1 24-7.
Direction on how appeal is to be handled, if disfellowshipping is appealed.—See below and ks91 121-2, 124-8.
REPORTING DISFELLOWSHIPPINGS OR DISASSOCIATIONS
The S-77 form is to be used by the appointed committee to provide information to the Society when cases of disfellowshipping and disassociation are handled. The S-77 form and special blue envelopes will be used as follows:
Notification of Disfellowshipping or Disassociation (S-77): Fill out an original and make two carbon copies. Retain one copy for the congregation's confidential file and send the original and one copy to the Society in a special blue envelope. The branch office will stamp one copy of the S-77 form and return it to the congregation. After it is returned, place this stamped copy of the S-77 form with the congregation's copy of the S-77 form in a sealed envelope in the congregation's confidential file. The secretary does not sign and date the bottom of the S-77 forms until the named person is reinstated or dies.—See below.
Special blue envelopes: These are to be used when sending S-77 forms forms to the Society or when sending correspondence to the Society regarding judicial or child abuse matters. Please do not use the special blue envelopes for any other correspondence.
REPORTING DISFELLOWSHIPPING APPEALS
When an individual appeals his disfellowshipping, the chairman of the judicial committee should promptly contact the circuit overseer, who will then designate elders to serve on the appeal committee. The judicial committee should complete the S-77 forms (except for the date of announcement of disfellowshipping) and give them, along with whatever written records it has from the judicial hearing(s), to the chairman of the appeal committee prior to the appeal hearing. (See ks91 125.) When the appeal case has been concluded, all written records from both the original and appeal committees should be placed in a sealed envelope in the congregation's confidential file.
The appeal committee's report is to be in the form of a letter addressed to the Society, using the appeal committee chairman's mailing address for the return address. It is to be signed by all the members of the appeal committee, with each one's name and the name of his congregation typed below his signature: The letter should provide a detailed summation of the appeal hearing, and should include comments that directly address the following questions: (1) Was the offense for which the person was disfellowshipped serious enough to provide a Scriptural basis for disfellowshipping? (2) Was there acceptable evidence to establish the wrongdoing? Explain. (3) Was the wrongdoer unrepentant at the time of the hearing by the original judicial committee? What convinces the appeal committee of this?
If the appeal committee upholds the original committee's decision to disfellowship the individual, the appeal committee should make certain that the S-77 forms are filled out completely, including the date of announcement of disfellowshipping, and then mail the original and one copy of the S-77 form to the branch office in the same special blue envelope with their letter.
If the original basis for disfellowshipping was invalid, but other valid grounds for disfellowshipping exist, new S-77 forms should be made out by the original committee, giving the proper information. The original and one copy of the new S-77 form along with the initial S-77 form and appeal committee's letter should be sent to the branch office.
If both committees agree that the person should not be disfellowshipped, the individual should not be told this. Rather, the appeal committee should send the branch office the original and one copy of the S-77 form along with separate letters from both the original committee and appeal committee that supply sufficient details to give a clear picture of the reason(s) for their conclusions. Thereafter, the branch office will provide its comments.
If the appeal committee and the original committee are in disagreement, the appeal committee should send the original and one copy of the S-77 form to the branch office with a letter giving the reasons for its conclusion and should include a letter from the original committee that expresses that committee's reasons for disagreement.
REPORTING REINSTATEMENTS AND DEATHS
If the individual is reinstated or dies, the secretary should sign and date the bottom of the stamped copy of the S-77 form, check the appropriate box, and mail this copy to the Society in a special blue envelope. The same information should also be recorded on the congregation's copy of the S-77 form, which should be retained in the congregation's confidential file.