Jehovah's Witnesses' practices are based on the biblical interpretations of Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), founder ( 1881) of the Bible Student movement, and of successive presidents of the Watch Tower Society, Joseph Franklin Rutherford (from 1917 to 1942) and Nathan Homer Knorr (from 1942 to 1977). Since 1976, practices have also been based on decisions made at closed meetings of the group's Governing Body.. The group disseminates instructions regarding activities and acceptable behavior through The Watchtower magazine and through other official publications, and at conventions and congregation meetings.
Jehovah's Witnesses endeavor to remain "separate from the world", which they regard as a place of moral contamination and under the control of Satan. Witnesses refuse to participate in any political and military activity and are told to limit social contact with non-Witnesses.. The denomination requires adherence to a strict moral code, which forbids premarital sex, homosexuality, gender transitioning, adultery, smoking, drunkenness and drug abuse, and blood transfusions..
Elder committees maintain discipline within congregations, exercising the power to expel members who breach the denomination's rules and to demand their shunning by other Witnesses.. The threat of shunning also serves to deter members from dissident behavior..
Members are expected to participate regularly in evangelizing work and to attend congregation meetings and conventions that present material based on Watch Tower Society publications..
Worship
Meetings for worship and study are held at Kingdom Halls, and are open to the public. Witnesses are assigned to a congregation in which "territory" they reside. They are expected to attend weekly meetings as scheduled by the Watch Tower Society and congregation elders. The meetings are largely devoted to study of the Bible and Witness doctrines.. During meetings and in other formal circumstances, Witnesses refer to one another as "Brother" and "Sister".
Sociologist Andrew Holden claims meetings create an atmosphere of uniformity for Witnesses, intensify their sense of belonging to a religious community, and reinforce the plausibility of the organization's belief system. Holden states that they are also important in helping new converts adopt a different way of life. According to The Watchtower, one role of the frequency and length of meetings is to protect Witnesses from becoming "involved in the affairs of the world"."Exert Yourselves Vigorously!", The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, page 206, "They do much private Bible study, attend five weekly congregation meetings and spend much time each month in preaching the good news of God's kingdom and making disciples of people, besides providing support for themselves and their families.[...] Being busy serves as a protection from many of the temptations and snares of the world, the flesh and the Devil." Witnesses are told they "should never miss a meeting unless there is a serious reason".
The form and content of the meetings is established by the denomination's New York headquarters, generally involving a consideration of the same subject matter worldwide each week. Two meetings each week are divided into five distinct sections, lasting a total of three and one half hours. Meetings are opened and closed with hymns, which they refer to as Kingdom songs, and brief prayers delivered from the platform. Witnesses are urged to prepare for all meetings by studying Watch Tower Society literature from which the content is drawn and looking up the scriptures cited in the articles."Benefit Fully From the Service Meetings", Our Kingdom Ministry, January 1989, page 7.
Kingdom Halls are typically functional in character, and do not contain religious symbols. Each year, Witnesses from several congregations, which form a "circuit", gather for two one-day assemblies. Several circuits meet once a year for a three-day "regional convention". Every few years the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses hold "international conventions" in selected cities around the world. These larger gatherings are usually held at rented stadiums or auditoriums. Their most important and solemn event is the celebration of the "Lord's Evening Meal", or "Memorial of Christ's Death".
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jehovah's Witnesses' conventions and meetings in many areas were held virtually, using videoconferencing software and video presentations.
Weekend meeting The weekend meeting, usually held on Sunday, comprises a 30-minute public talk by a congregation elder or ministerial servant and a one-hour question-and-answer study of a Bible-based article from The Watchtower magazine, with questions prepared by the Watch Tower Society and the answers provided in the magazine.. Members may use their own words to express the ideas in the printed material, though personal ideas derived from independent study are discouraged.
Midweek meeting The midweek meeting, typically held in the evening, includes a question-and-answer session based on Watch Tower Society publications, Bible reading, sample presentations about how to use Watch Tower Society literature for Bible studies and public preaching, and a "Congregation Bible Study" in the format of a question-and-answer session based on a Watch Tower Society publication.
Family Worship evening
In addition to the two weekly scheduled meetings, the Watch Tower Society recommends that Witnesses maintain a weekly "Family Worship evening"—using the time previously allocated for a third weekly meeting—for family and personal study. No specific format for the Family Worship evening is provided, but the Society recommends that members consider Watch Tower Society publications during this time.
Memorial of Christ's death
Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Christ's death as a ransom or "propitiatory sacrifice" by observing the Lord's Evening Meal, or Memorial. They celebrate it once per year, noting that it was instituted on the Passover, an annual festival.Reasoning From The Scriptures, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1989, p. 265. They observe it on Nisan 14 according to the ancient Jewish lunisolar calendar. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that this is the only celebration the Bible commands Christians to observe. In the days leading up to the Memorial, Bible reading is assigned from chapters about the days leading up to Jesus' death.
Of those who attend the Memorial, a small minority worldwide partake of the unleavened bread and wine. This is because Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the majority of the faithful have an earthly hope. Only those who believe they have a heavenly hope, the "remnant" (those still living) of the 144,000 "anointed", partake of the bread and wine. In , approximately people attended, and about members partook.
The Memorial, held after sunset, includes a talk on the meaning of the celebration and the circulation among the audience of unadulterated red wine and unleavened bread. Jehovah's Witnesses believe the bread symbolizes Jesus' body which he gave on behalf of mankind, and that the wine symbolizes his blood which redeems from sin. They do not believe in transubstantiation or consubstantiation. Because many congregations have no members who claim to be anointed, it is common for no one to partake of the bread and wine.
Assemblies and conventions
Each year, Jehovah's Witnesses hold two one-day "Circuit Assemblies", held in each circuit worldwide. Each circuit comprises several congregations in a geographical area. These are held either in Assembly Halls owned by Jehovah's Witnesses, or in rented facilities, such as public auditoriums. Once a year, Jehovah's Witnesses gather at larger assemblies called "Regional Conventions" which are usually three days long, Friday to Sunday. These conventions consist primarily of Bible-based talks, dramatizations, and videos, including demonstrations and experiences of their preaching work.
Conventions feature a baptism talk followed by the baptism of new members. Every few years, "International Conventions" are held in selected cities, with visiting delegates from other countries. Attendance at some of these international conventions has exceeded one hundred thousand. The 1958 international convention in New York at Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds had a peak attendance exceeding 253,000.
Evangelism
Jehovah's Witnesses believe they are under obligation to God to "give witness" by participating in organized and spontaneous evangelizing and proselytizing work.. Prospective members are told they have a moral obligation to serve as "publishers" by "regular and zealous" participation in the Witnesses' organised preaching work, disseminating Watch Tower doctrines as evangelists of "the Truth". Qualifying as an "unbaptized publisher" is a requirement for baptism, and baptism is regarded as an automatic ordination as a minister.
Watch Tower publications describe house-to-house visitations as the primary work of Jehovah's Witnesses in obedience to a "divine command" to preach "the Kingdom good news in all the earth and (make) disciples of people of all the nations". Children usually accompany their parents and participate in the public ministry. In addition to taking part in organized door-to-door preaching, Witnesses are taught that they should seek opportunities to "witness informally" by starting conversations with people they meet during routine activities such as shopping or on public transport, and directing the conversation towards their beliefs.
Witnesses are told that they should put the interests of "God's Kingdom" first in their lives and that other secular and recreational pursuits should remain secondary to spiritual matters. Witnesses are frequently instructed through Watch Tower Society publications, and at meetings and conventions, to increase the quality and quantity of their preaching efforts.. Watch Tower Society publications suggest that endurance in public preaching is a requirement for Witnesses to attain salvation.
Members who commit themselves to evangelize for 600 hours per year, an average of 50 hours per month, are called regular pioneers. Those who commit themselves to evangelize for 30 hours for one month are called auxiliary pioneers, which they may do for consecutive months. Some Witnesses volunteer for missionary service, and may be invited to receive specialized training at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. These individuals dedicate, on average, more than 120 hours per month to their work. Members who are not able to 'pioneer' are told they may maintain the "pioneer spirit", by spending as much time as they can in preaching and by supporting the efforts of pioneers.
Specialized "territory" maps of residential and commercial areas are prepared within the boundaries of each congregation's territory and distributed to publishers who are responsible for preaching within that area. Witnesses are instructed to fill out monthly report slips about their preaching activity. For many years, these reports included the number of hours spent preaching, along with the amount of literature placed and the number of Bible studies conducted. As of November 2023, most members are only required to report that they engaged in any preaching activity for the month as well as the number of Bible studies conducted; members who have agreed to a specific hour requirement—for example, pioneers—still report the number of hours. The reports are used to help measure the spirituality of individuals. and to establish the eligibility of men as congregation elders and ministerial servants.. A Witness who fails to report for a month is termed an "irregular publisher". One who has not turned in a field service report for six months consecutively is termed an "inactive publisher".