Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Call Their Meeting Place a Church?

Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Call Their Meeting Place a Church?

In the Bible, the Greek term that is sometimes translated “church” refers to a group of worshippers, not to the building they meet in.

Note this example: When the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, he sent greetings to a couple named Aquila and Priscilla and added: “Greet the church that meets in their home.” (Romans 16:5, Contemporary English Version) Paul didn’t intend for his greetings to be conveyed to a building. Rather, he was sending his greetings to people​—the congregation that met in that home. a

So instead of calling our place of worship a church, we use the term “Kingdom Hall.”

Why “Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses”?

This term is fitting for a number of reasons:

You are welcome to visit a Kingdom Hall near you and see for yourself how Jehovah’s Witnesses conduct their meetings.

a Similar expressions occur at 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; and Philemon 2.