TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS
Re: Notification of Disfellowshipping or Disassociation
Dear Brothers:
This is to inform you that a revised Notification of Disfellowshipping or Disassociation
(S-77) form has been prepared. Please note the following significant adjustments from the previous
version of the form:
In most cases, it will not be necessary to provide a summary of the case. If anything of
significance regarding the case needs to be shared with the branch office, it should be
provided in a separate letter. If an individual appeals a judicial decision, a brief summary
should be sent to the Service Department only when (1) the two committees disagree or
(2) the individual does not accept the decision.
It will no longer be necessary to provide the individual’s judicial history.
It will no longer be necessary for the committee members to sign the form. Rather, their
names should simply be entered in the appropriate fields.
The branch office will no longer return a copy of the S-77 form to the congregation.
On reinstatement, the chairman of the committee should write the date of reinstatement
on the congregation’s copy of the S-77 form. He should then send a message to
the Service Department including the person’s (1) full name; (2) date of birth; and (3)
date of baptism; along with (4) the date the reinstatement was announced. (The S-77
form itself should not be sent.) The same information should be provided by a member
of the committee if the individual dies, except that the date of death should be
provided rather than the date of reinstatement.
In view of the adjustments described in this letter, each elder should make the following notations
in his copy of the Shepherding textbook:
In chapter 8, paragraph 10, cross out the last two sentences and write in the margin: “If
the original committee agrees with the new grounds, they should adjust the S-77
form, announce the disfellowshipping, and submit the form to the branch office. The
appeal committee’s brief summary should be retained in the confidential file along
with a copy of the S-77 form and the brief summary of the original committee.”
In chapter 8, paragraph 13, cross out the existing sentences and replace with the following:
“The original committee should submit the completed S-77 form to the branch office.
The appeal committee’s brief summary should be retained in the confidential
file along with a copy of the S-77 form and the brief summary of the original committee.”
In chapter 8, paragraph 18, cross out the last four sentences and write in the margin: “On
the other hand, if both committees now agree not to disfellowship the individual, the appeal
committee should inform him of the final decision in the presence of the judicial
Re: Notification of Disfellowshipping or Disassociation
June 26, 2014
Page 2
committee. The appeal committee’s brief summary should be retained in the confidential
file along with the brief summary of the original committee.”