Why was Anthony Morris III removed from the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses?  (2024)

On February 22, 2023, Anthony Morris III was officially removed from the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses. The organization made the announcement via a short notice on its website and said that the news of his departure was announced at the World Headquarters.

Reports suggest that this is the first removal of a Jehovah's Witnesses governing member since 1980, when Raymond Franz’s departure as a member of the governing body and of the Brooklyn Bethel family was announced on the second page of Our Kingdom Service.

No exact cause of Morris III’s removal has been announced at the time of writing. However, the reason behind his departure has been subject to major speculation.

According to Jehovah's Witnesses member and writer Jason Wynne's article for AvoidJW.org (Assisting Victims of Ostracism, Injustice and Deceit in Jehovah's Witnesses), some of the speculation includes allegations of alcohol abuse, alleged implications in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury investigation into child abuse within Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Morris III’s possible public disagreement with another governing body member about “ecclesiastical matters relating to prophecy.”

Wynne also pointed out in his AvoidJW story that there is a “clear indication” that Morris III’s removal from the governing body was “the result of a judicial action” because of the rapid changes made in the “What is the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses?” page.

Shortly after the announcement, the page changed the cover visual of Anthony Morris III shaking hands with Geoffrey W. Jackson to a more generic image. His name was also immediately deleted from the list of governing body members and the audio clip was also revised to match the textual changes within a day.

Twitter user @/JW_PIMO also shared similar claims in a post speculating about the reason behind Anthony Morris III’s removal. They wrote about Morris III’s alleged alcoholism and claimed that a “reliable source” in Bethel said that one of the daughter-in-laws accused him of getting drunk in family gatherings.

They also alleged that Morris III’s two sons are also being investigated for allegedly covering his addiction issues.

In another theory, the user alleged that Morris III reportedly had a disagreement with another governing body member about “the time of the end and not speculating” during a broadcast that “did not go well.”

Despite the ongoing speculations, it remains unknown if any of the aforementioned theories are true. So far, no official announcement about his departure has been made available to the public.

What is known about Anthony Morris III?

Anthony Morris III was reportedly born around 1950. He was just 19 years old when he served in the Vietnam War in July 1969 and worked “in an army hospital in the Mekong Delta” as well as a “technician in an operating room during the war.”

His service in the war reportedly lasted less than a year as he was admitted to a Pennsylvania hospital for suffering from a serious infectious illness. Following his service, Morris III bagged a job at a hospital in Boca Raton, Florida.

Morris III’s association with Jehovah’s Witnesses began after he started attending meetings at a Kingdom Hall in February 1971 in Delray Beach, Florida. He was baptized into the organization in July 1971 and eventually became a full-time preacher that same year.

After moving to Rhode Island, Morris III met his future wife Susan, and the duo tied the knot in December 1971. The pair had two sons together and serviced in the state for 16 years.

The family moved to North Carolina in 1987 and Morris III was appointed a substitute travel overseer, and eventually a regular travel overseer. He and his wife serviced another 15 years in North Carolina.

The couple was eventually invited to serve at the World Headquarters in Patterson, New York, in 2002. Morris III worked in the service department, while Susan was in the laundry section. Nearly three years later, he was asked to serve as a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses Governing Body.

He served in the role for more than 17 years, starting in 2005 and continuing until his removal on February 22, 2023.

Netizens reacts to Anthony Morris III’s removal from Jehovah's Witnesses governing body

The news of Anthony Morris III’s sudden removal from Jehovah's Witnesses governing body left followers of the organization as well as the general public shocked.

Several social media users also took to Twitter to share their reaction to the sudden announcement:

As reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if Jehovah's Witnesses will share the reason behind Anthony Morris III’s removal or if the latter will share his story in the days to come.

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