Honoring God’s Gift of Marriage

As William Nushy settled into his assignment, he saw that some publishers were not upholding Jehovah’s standard for marriage. Some couples had common-law marriages, living together as man and wife without registering their union with the civil authorities. Others followed the local custom of putting off marriage until the woman became pregnant, thus ensuring that their union would be fruitful.

Accordingly, in May 1953, the branch office wrote to each congregation and clearly explained the Bible’s standard on marriage. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 13:1; Heb. 13:4) Couples were given time to register their marriage. If they did not do so, they would face being removed from the congregation.​—1 Cor. 5:11, 13.

Most publishers rejoiced at this refinement. Yet, some were permissive and independent. More than half the publishers in two congregations stopped associating with Jehovah’s organization. Those who stayed loyal, though, actually increased their activity, clear evidence that Jehovah was blessing them.

After much effort on the part of the brothers, the Freetown Kingdom Hall was recognized as a proper place to solemnize marriages. On September 3, 1954, the brothers performed their first official marriage ceremony. Later, the government supplied marriage registers to qualified brothers in seven districts throughout the country. This allowed more interested people to legalize their marriages and to qualify as publishers of the good news.