• Public Speakers 1-5

  • Assignments 1-2

  • Reading Scriptures 3

  • Symposiums 4

  • Hospitality and Travel Expenses 5

• Memorial and Special Talk 6-12

  • Selecting a Memorial Speaker 6

  • Selecting Brothers to Offer Prayers at the Memorial 7

  • Memorial Meeting Times 8

  • Congregation Meetings the Week of the Memorial 9

  • Recordings on JW Stream 10

  • Inactive Ones 11

  • Chairman and Announcements 12

• Announcements 13

• Local Needs Parts 14-15

• Assemblies 16

• Conventions 17

• Watchtower Study 18

• Congregation Bible Study 19

• Visual Aids 20

• Songs and Videos 21-23

• Meeting Conferencing Systems 24

• JW Stream 25-27

• Sign Language 28-36

  • Seating Area 28-29

  • Use of Natural Sign Language 30-31

  • Interpreter Attire 32-34

  • Songs 35

  • Audio 36

• Disruptive Individuals 37-38

• Transportation for Disfellowshipped or Disassociated Individuals 39

1. Assignments: It is essential that only qualified elders and ministerial servants who are approved by the body of elders be assigned to give public talks. Visiting speakers should be well recommended by the body of elders in their own congregation. It is preferable that visiting speakers be elders. However, well-qualified ministerial servants may also be assigned. (See 1:2.9.) Generally, requests for speakers should be through the public talk coordinator. (See 1:2.7; 3:3.18.) A list of approved speakers and the talks they have prepared should be provided to other congregations. Speakers and talks should be chosen from this list. Since the number of approved speakers varies from congregation to congregation, it is not always necessary that an equal number of speakers be exchanged.

2. At times, the body of elders may feel that a local speaker should be assigned an outline on a particular subject in view of the needs of the congregation. Otherwise, speakers may choose which outlines they wish to prepare. (See Public Talk Titles [S-99] and Public Talk Titles-Listed by Subject [S-99a].) It is preferred that speakers not be assigned to be away from their own congregation more than once a month.

3. Reading Scriptures: Scriptures should be read by the speaker rather than requesting a volunteer from the audience. The New World Translation should be used, if available. There may be occasions when the speaker may choose to read from the New World Translation and thereafter briefly mention the way that another translation renders a phrase or verse.

4. Symposiums: The body of elders determines whether it would be beneficial for an inexperienced public speaker to be assigned the first 15 minutes of a talk and for a more experienced speaker to be assigned the remaining 15 minutes.

5. Hospitality and Travel Expenses: The body of elders should take the lead in extending hospitality to visiting speakers by asking to cover their travel expenses and by offering them a meal. (Rom. 12:13) Since circumstances vary widely, it is up to the body of elders to decide how this should be handled locally. Congregation funds may be used to cover travel expenses for visiting speakers. (See Instructions for Congregation Accounting [S-27].) However, congregation funds should not be used to cover expenses for other forms of hospitality, such as entertaining or providing meals.

6. Selecting a Memorial Speaker: The body of elders should carefully select a speaker who can present the information in a way that will be clear and understandable to all in attendance, including those who may be present for the first time. The elders should not simply take turns giving this talk each year. A capable anointed elder should be considered if he is not limited by age, health, or other factors. However, it is not necessary for him to be chosen every year. In this way, the audience can benefit from the good teaching of other capable brothers. The primary concern of the elders when selecting a speaker should be the quality of the talk.

7. Selecting Brothers to Offer Prayers at the Memorial: The body of elders should select qualified brothers to offer brief but meaningful prayers over the emblems. Those who represent the congregation in prayer should be mature baptized Christians who are known as good examples and who have the respect of the congregation. A capable, qualified, anointed brother should be considered for this privilege if he is not limited by age, health, or other factors. However, the body of elders may have reason to select other qualified brothers to offer the prayers. If an anointed brother gives the talk, it is not necessary for him to offer the prayers over the bread and wine, but he may be asked to offer the final prayer.

8. Memorial Meeting Times: The body of elders decides when the Memorial talk should begin. If more than one congregation will be using a facility, the bodies of elders should cooperate in determining the start time. Although the Memorial talk may begin before sundown, the emblems should not be passed until after sundown. If more than one observance will be held at the same facility, at least 40 minutes between the programs, where possible, should be allotted for those attending to enter and leave. Keep in mind that the overall program is about an hour, including the songs, the prayers, the passing of the emblems, and the chairman’s comments.

9. Congregation Meetings the Week of the Memorial: When the Memorial falls on a weekday, no midweek meeting will be scheduled. When the Memorial falls on a weekend, no weekend meeting will be scheduled.

10. Recordings on JW Stream: About one month before the Memorial, a prerecorded Memorial talk will be made available on JW Stream for the benefit of those congregations, groups, and pregroups that have very few qualified speakers. The section of the outline entitled “Observing the Memorial of Christ’s Death Tonight” will be omitted from the recording. The local chairman or another brother should handle this section of the talk, during which 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 will be read, the prayers will be offered, and the emblems will be passed. Thereafter, the audience should watch the concluding section of the recording. About one month prior to the special talk, a prerecorded special talk will also be made available on JW Stream. If possible, backup speakers should be assigned in case of technical problems with the recordings of the Memorial and the special talk.

11. Inactive Ones: For direction regarding assisting inactive ones during the Memorial season, see Chapter 25, paragraph 15.

12. Chairman and Announcements: In connection with the Memorial observance, the chairman should start the meeting in the usual way and then introduce the speaker. After the talk, the chairman should read the announcement provided and then announce the concluding song. In most cases, he will call on the speaker to offer the closing prayer. Following the delivery of the special talk, the chairman should read the announcement provided.

13. The coordinator of the body of elders reviews and approves all announcements made to the congregation.​—See Instructions for Our Christian Life and Ministry Meeting (S-38).

14. The body of elders decides the subjects of local needs parts, the elders who will present them, and when they will be presented. The subjects considered may include areas in which the congregation as a whole needs encouragement, commendation, or counsel. (Prov. 27:23) The part should provide sound and loving Scriptural instruction.​—See 20:16-17.

15. The body of elders should not invite Hospital Liaison Committee members or medical professionals to present or to share in a local needs part, such as regarding filling out the durable power of attorney (DPA) card or some related matter. Likewise, they should not arrange for such individuals to present special talks or programs at Kingdom Halls or other locations for this purpose.

16. Two to three months prior to each assembly, the elders should begin reminding the congregation of the upcoming assembly. The week before the assembly, the Life and Ministry Meeting chairman should briefly highlight the theme of the assembly and key talks while displaying the program on the video monitors. All in the congregation should be encouraged to download the program from jw.org and to bring the appropriate copy of The Watchtower to the assembly. Additionally, all should be encouraged to arrive on time and to be in their seats when the musical prelude begins. The elders may decide whether to use a local needs part a month or two following the assembly to review the program by means of an audience discussion, highlighting points that relate to the ministry.

17. Two to three months prior to the convention, the elders should begin reminding the congregation of the upcoming convention. During a local needs part prior to the start of the congregation’s convention invitation campaign, the Convention Reminders video should be played. Thereafter, local arrangements for the campaign, which starts three weeks before the convention, should be outlined. The theme of the convention and key talks should be highlighted while the program is displayed on the video monitors. All in the congregation should be encouraged to download the program from jw.org and to bring the appropriate copy of The Watchtower to the convention. During a local needs part a month or two following the convention, the convention excerpts video, which will be available to elders on jw.org, should be played. By means of an audience discussion, highlights of the program should be reviewed, particularly those that relate to the ministry.

18. See Chapter 6.

19. The guidelines in Chapter 6 regarding conducting the Watchtower Study also apply to conducting the Congregation Bible Study.​—See also Instructions for Our Christian Life and Ministry Meeting (S-38).

20. At congregation meetings, speakers should not project any moving video footage on screens or monitors unless directed to do so by the organization. (As an exception, speakers at sign-language meetings may make judicious use of video footage as a visual teaching aid for the special needs of deaf audiences.) However, speakers may display still pictures, graphics, or artwork. Speakers should not contact the branch office to request pictures, graphics, or artwork for use in their presentations. Speakers may show the text of selected scriptures on the monitors if this is done sparingly. However, it would not be appropriate to display the text of each scripture used.

21. It is recommended that video files be downloaded to JW Library for playback rather than being streamed from jw.org. (See Media Playback Using JW Library [S-144].) The body of elders should assign a brother the responsibility of downloading any videos that are to be viewed during the meeting each week.

22. Kingdom songs should be played before and after congregation meetings. Such music should not be allowed to drown out or overshadow the interchange of encouragement that comes from Christian association and theocratic conversation. When songs are played for singing, they should not be played so softly that it is difficult to sing in a heartfelt manner or so loudly that they overpower the voices of those singing.

23. For direction regarding songs used by foreign-language groups, see Chapter 24, paragraph 21.

24. Congregations may use conferencing systems or recordings of local meetings for the benefit of isolated or homebound publishers and those who otherwise are unable to attend in person. The body of elders decides what technology the congregation will use in this regard, such as telephone (audio) conferencing, video streaming, audio recordings, or video recordings. If the technology will be shared by multiple congregations in the same facility, the decision will be made by the combined bodies of elders. The arrangements should be in accord with the following guidelines:

1. (1) Congregation meetings should not be made available to a wide audience on the Internet. Neither should recordings of congregation meetings be distributed indiscriminately. However, it is not necessary to monitor who has access to congregation meetings.

2. (2) A conferencing system should not distract from or interfere with the quality of the meeting. Some systems allow for two-way conversation, making it possible for those on the tie-line to offer comments. Those commenting from a remote location should ensure that private conversations or sounds of other activities are not heard by other listeners.

3. (3) Attendants should record as meeting attenders the number of those tied in to the live meeting. Those benefiting from delayed streaming or recordings would not be counted.

25. Congregations having very few brothers qualified to handle meeting parts may request approval from the circuit overseer to view recorded meetings or portions of meetings, preferably using JW Stream. (See Access to Programs on JW Stream by Elders and Ministerial Servants [S-142].) The direction in Chapter 24, paragraphs 17-18, may be applied in these instances.

26. If a congregation does not have arrangements to record congregation meetings or to tie individuals in to congregation meetings using a conferencing system, the elders may provide publishers with access to recordings on JW Stream. (See Access to Programs on JW Stream by E-mail Invitation [S-143].) This provision is for the benefit of the elderly, the infirm, and those who are otherwise unable to attend in person. Additionally, a publisher may not understand the language spoken in the local congregation. He could be allowed to make use of the recordings of meetings conducted in his mother tongue while continuing to associate with the local congregation.

27. Many of our brothers and sisters have circumstances that limit their ability to attend an assembly or convention. In other instances, a publisher may desire to attend an assembly or convention that is held in his mother tongue but does not have the means to do so. For such ones, video recordings of the current circuit assembly and convention program in many languages are made available on JW Stream. A publisher who is invited to access an assembly or convention program on JW Stream should be instructed not to share the program with anyone else. Additionally, the publisher should not view the program until his congregation attends the event.​—See Chapter 24, paragraph 27, for direction on the use of JW Stream by foreign-language congregations, groups, and pregroups.

28. Seating Area: If sign-language interpretation is required for congregation meetings, all deaf attendees should be seated in an area where they will be able to see the interpreter and the main stage in the same line of sight without visual distractions. This is usually at the front of the Kingdom Hall, perhaps on one side. (w09 11/15 pp. 30-32) The seating area should give priority to those dependent on sign language along with their families.

29. Tactile interpreting may be arranged for deaf-blind attendees. Their interpreters need to be located where they can clearly see the main signer without obstruction. Deaf brothers and sisters often do well at tactile interpreting.

30. Use of Natural Sign Language: In many countries, sign language is used in two major ways. One form uses signs as a word-for-word transliteration of the spoken language. The other form is generally known as natural sign language. It is the form most commonly used by the deaf in their daily conversations. It functions separately from the spoken language and has a different grammar. It tends to put more emphasis on the use of space, facial expressions, and the inflecting of signing motions in order to achieve various shades of meaning. Even though preference for either of these two forms of sign language will vary depending on the deaf individual, the majority of deaf people converse in natural sign language and, therefore, understand it best. Thus, where possible, the most proficient signers in the natural sign language should be used for interpreting.

31. Interpreters need to understand the interpreting process. This does not mean merely matching a sign to a word while following the word order of the spoken language. Interpreting requires comprehension of thoughts. Thus, interpreters should concentrate on what is being said from the platform and endeavor to convey such thoughts clearly, accurately, and completely while keeping up with the speaker. Usually a word-for-word translation fails to convey the speaker’s thoughts faithfully. Therefore, having many years of experience is not the only qualifying factor; one must have learned the interpreting process.

32. Interpreter Attire: The interpreter’s appearance should be exemplary, measuring up to the standards set for program participants on the main stage. No distracting jewelry, watches, or clothing should be worn, and long and brightly painted fingernails should be avoided. Solid-colored clothing that contrasts with the interpreter’s skin tone should be worn. This will help eliminate distractions caused by busy patterns in the clothing. Also, clothing that clings to the body should be avoided.

33. A sister’s use of a head covering in some circumstances is not necessary, since all in attendance should be able to appreciate that she is not actually conducting the meeting. This would be the case, for example, when she interprets comments from the audience, student assignments presented by sisters, or demonstrations. However, if a well-qualified sister must be used to interpret talks given by brothers, prayers, or songs, she should wear a modest and appropriate head covering as a sign of submission to the theocratic arrangement in the Christian congregation.​—1 Tim. 2:11, 12; w09 11/15 pp. 12-13.

34. An exception to this direction can be made for a sister doing tactile interpreting for one who is both deaf and blind. Such a sister would be seated in the audience, signing into the palm of just one individual. Since she would not be situated prominently as would an interpreter for those who are deaf only, she would not need to use a head covering in this instance.

35. Songs: When the program calls for a song that is not available in a particular sign language, an alternate song that shares a similar theme or sentiment should be carefully chosen. Attention should be given to the timing of the alternate song so that it does not unduly delay the program. If no songs in the appropriate sign language are available, the group should sign the scheduled song through an interpreter, preferably a brother.

36. Audio: The audio track of sign-language videos should be made audible at the meetings held by sign-language pregroups, groups, and congregations and at sign-language assemblies and conventions. Such a provision allows hearing members of a deaf publisher’s family in attendance to benefit spiritually from the video.

37. It is best to ignore trivial or minor disturbances created by individuals. However, if someone persists in this course of action and is distracting others, he should be asked to leave. If the disruptive individual refuses to leave, he should be informed that if he does not leave and continues to distract others, the police will be contacted. If the individual does not cooperate, the police should be called. When the police arrive, inform them that the individual is causing a disturbance and that his implied invitation to attend the meeting has been revoked. The police may also be informed that we are willing to file trespassing charges if it seems prudent and necessary under the circumstances.

38. Generally, the elders should not try forcibly to remove a disruptive individual from the Kingdom Hall. If the individual is violent from the outset, the police can be called immediately; there is no need to warn the individual. In the event that a Christian is physically attacked, he has the right to defend himself from harm and the elders should do what they reasonably can to help protect him. Of course, he may be able to flee from the assailant, and that would be preferable. However, if it is not possible to flee, the Christian may try to ward off such attacks and even strike out in defense if necessary. Of course, any such defensive action would solely be to protect himself or others from the attacker until the police arrive.​—g 6/08 p. 11; g87 11/22 p. 28.

39. Disfellowshipped and disassociated ones are generally expected to make their own arrangements for transportation to and from congregation meetings. However, in some instances a disfellowshipped or disassociated individual who is making a determined effort to regain a right standing with Jehovah may be in a situation that prevents him from obtaining transportation. It may be that he has no car and that family members or others are not able to help him. Perhaps he cannot afford public transportation or it is not available in his area. It may be that the distance involved, personal safety, or severe weather make it inadvisable to walk. In cases of real need, the elders can determine whether some assistance may be provided. Such assistance would be viewed as similar to public transportation in that there should be no conversing with the disfellowshipped or disassociated person. (2 John 10, 11) The elders should monitor the situation to make sure that any arrangements made are not abused.