I exist, yet I don't exist: How I left the Jehovah's Witnesses
Hi everyone!
I want to share how I managed to neutralize a judicial committee and leave the organization on my own terms, using their own legal and administrative loopholes. I was an elder until recently, although I had been PIMO (physically in, mentally out) for several years, looking for the right time and way to walk away for good.
A month ago, the local body of elders received some supposed screenshots from someone who isn't even a Witness, attempting to implicate me in a "sin." They tried to interrogate my family behind my back to gather evidence, but they didn't get anything. I knew a judicial committee was imminent, so I decided to go on the offensive.
Instead of waiting for them to call me, I requested a meeting with the coordinator and another elder. They were expecting a confession; instead, I handed them a 10-page document that included my formal resignation as an elder and a Revocation of Consent for the handling of my personal data, demanding the deletion of all my information from the congregation's files and the legal entity.
It was clear that the elders have no training in risk management. They tried to emotionally manipulate me into confessing, making serious mistakes that violate even the instructions in the Shepherd book. In the end, the Branch had to intervene.
The result: After a polite email response from the Branch, I was notified of the following:
- The congregation was ordered to destroy my Publisher Record Card and delete any contact information (phone number, address, etc.).
- The elders are forbidden from mentioning my name in internal processes.
- The Branch only retains my name and date of birth under the argument of "religious freedom" (to prevent re-baptism or for future "spiritual purposes").
There was no committee, no announcement of disfellowshipping or disassociation; they simply announced that I was no longer an elder.
Legally, the congregation and the Branch admitted in writing that they have destroyed the means to contact me. If they wanted to start a committee now, they have no legal basis to process the contact data they have officially admitted to deleting.
Basically, I am in a limbo where "I exist, but I don't exist." The correspondence from the Branch still addresses me as "brother." If I wanted to, I could continue attending meetings and preaching, but they have no way to put me through a committee without processing personal data that they have admitted in writing to have removed.
For those who want to hear the details of how that meeting went and how the legal document was handled, I’m sharing this video detailing the experience (it’s in Spanish, but you can use the auto-translate or dubbing features):
Posted Mar 14, 2026, 6:13 AM UTC