Minors and Baptism

In this article: Why don't Jehovah’s Getuigen baptize babies? What is an unbaptized publisher and what does that role mean for a child? When can a child become an unbaptized publisher? What happens if a minor unbaptized publisher commits serious wrongdoing? What can guilt, shame, and social judgment do to a child? Is there a minimum age for baptism? What does a young person actually promise at dedication and baptism? How is it determined whether a minor is ready? What does developmental psychology say about young people and major decisions? Can a child sufficiently grasp the lifelong consequences of a decision? Is waiting to be baptized the same as rejecting Jehovah? Jehovah’s Getuigen do not baptize babies. There is a understandable idea behind that: a religious decision must be personal. According to the official explanation, someone must be able to hear, believe, understand, and decide for themselves. A baby cannot do that. JG literature therefore describes baptism as a serious decision and states that someone must be at least old enough to make that decision consciously. So when is a child old enough for that? And perhaps age is not even the most important question. The more important question is: What must a minor be able to understand and take in before we can truly call a religious choice voluntary and well-considered? Before baptism: unbaptized publisher Between ‘child of Jehovah’s Getuigen’ and ‘baptized Jehovah’s Getuigen’ there can be another important step: becoming an unbaptized publisher. This is important, because it gives a minor a more formal position within the congregation even before baptism. According to the official literature, there are requirements and discussions with elders before someone can be recognized as an unbaptized publisher. The Watchtower Online Library even has separate references to children as unbaptized publishers and mentions historical examples of very young children, including a five-year-old and a six-year-old. That does not mean such ages are average or common, but it does show that there is no simple cutoff such as twelve or sixteen years old. That distinction matters. What does it mean psychologically when a child receives an official religious role at a young age? From ‘my parents believe this’ to ‘this is my responsibility too’ For a child, becoming an unbaptized publisher can mean something very positive. It can be a source of pride. Mom and dad can be proud. The child may take part in preaching and may feel that they are making spiritual progress. There does not have to be anything negative about that at all. But psychologically, something can also change. A child moves, as it were, from: ‘My parents are Jehovah’s Getuigen and I go along with them’ to: ‘I am an unbaptized publisher myself, and I am expected to live by these standards.’ That makes religious norms increasingly into personal responsibilities. The official youth literature goes quite far in this. It explains that even someone who is not yet baptized still bears responsibility before Jehovah for what they do once they know what is right and wrong according to the faith. That raises an interesting developmental question. When is a child old enough to experience responsibility toward God for their behavior? And does that same child also understand what the formal and social consequences can be if they later no longer meet the requirements? What if an unbaptized publisher commits serious wrongdoing? According to Jehovah’s Getuigen’s own rules, an unbaptized publisher cannot be removed from the congregation in the same way as someone who is baptized. But that does not mean there is no procedure. In Organized to Do Jehovah’s Will , it says that when an unbaptized publisher becomes involved in serious wrongdoing, two elders meet with them and try to help them. If they determine that the person is not repentant and no longer meets the requirements, they are no longer recognized as an unbaptized publisher. The congregation is then informed of this with a brief announcement from the platform that names the person. That emphatically does not mean that every mistake a child makes results in their name being announced from the platform. It concerns serious wrongdoing, discussions with elders, and the conclusion that the person is not repentant. That distinction matters. But when the person involved is a minor, there remains a psychological question that, in my view, deserves attention: What does such a procedure mean for a child? Suppose you are twelve Try looking at the procedure not from the elder’s or parent’s perspective, but from the child’s perspective. You are for example twelve or thirteen. You know almost everyone in the congregation. Your parents are there. Maybe your grandfather and grandmother. Your best friend. Your friends’ parents. People who have known you since you were a baby. You were an unbaptized publisher. Something serious happened. Two elders spoke with you about it. And eventually it is announced in the congregation that you are no longer recognized as an unbaptized publisher. The announcement does not tell the congregation exactly what you did. But you know: everyone has heard my name. What happens then in a child’s mind? What do they think of me now? Does everyone know I did something wrong? Do my friends think I’m bad? Are my parents disappointed? Is Jehovah angry with me? Do I dare go to the meeting? Why is that brother looking at me? Does he know what happened? Not every child will react like that. But these are reasonable questions to examine. Guilt and shame are not the same Here a psychological distinction becomes important. Guilt is about behavior: ‘I did something wrong.’ Shame cuts more deeply to the person themself: ‘Something is wrong with me.’ Guilt can be useful. If someone hurts another person, guilt can help them take responsibility, apologize, and change behavior. But shame can go much further. A child may not only think: ‘What I did was wrong.’ but: ‘I am bad.’ And when a social component is added — others know there is something going on with me — that experience can become much heavier. That is why, in religious correction of minors, the question should not only be asked: ‘Is the child repentant?’ but also: ‘How does this child experience what is happening here?’ And then there is God on top of that For a religious child, there is also a dimension that is absent in, for example, breaking a school rule. The child may believe that Jehovah has seen everything . So it may be dealing with several forms of pressure at once: I did something wrong. My parents know. The elders know. The congregation knows that my position has changed. And Jehovah knows exactly what I did. For an adult, religious ideas about repentance, forgiveness, and restoration can be comforting. But a child may process these concepts differently. That is why we must be careful about assuming that a procedure designed for adults will automatically have the same effect on a child. Correction or public shame? From the perspective of Jehovah’s Getuigen, such an announcement is not described as a means of publicly humiliating someone. It is an organizational announcement by which the congregation is informed of someone’s changed status. In the case of removed baptized persons, the current official explanation likewise explicitly states that an announcement is not intended to humiliate someone. That perspective must be represented honestly. But the intention of a measure and the experience of the person undergoing it are two different things. An elder may think: ‘We are following the congregation procedure.’ A parent may think: ‘Hopefully this will help my child.’ And a twelve-year-old may at the same time experience: ‘Everyone now knows I failed.’ Those three experiences can exist side by side. That is why the psychological question is not only: Was the procedure carried out according to the rules? But also: What effect can such a procedure have when the person the announcement concerns is still a child? And what if the child is simply doubting? Here we must again make a careful distinction. Doubt is not the same as serious wrongdoing. A child who says: ‘I’m not sure anymore if this is the truth’ is not automatically a unrepentant wrongdoer. We must not confuse those two situations. But psychologically, tension can still arise. Suppose a child first received a lot of positive attention because it was making spiritual progress. It became an unbaptized publisher. It preached. Mom and dad were proud. And a year later that same child thinks: ‘I actually don’t know anymore whether I believe all this.’ How easy is it then to say that out loud? Can it say without fear: ‘I doubt’? ‘I don’t want to preach for now’? ‘I first want to find out whether this is really my faith’? Or does it feel as if it is not only questioning a belief, but also disappointing its parents, its friends, its status in the congregation, and its relationship with Jehovah? That brings us back to free will. Freedom does not exist only when a child can safely say yes . It must also be safe for them to say: ‘I don’t know.’ Unbaptized publisher as an intermediate step toward baptism The role of unbaptized publisher is therefore not a minor detail. We actually get a progression: growing up as a child of JG parents → unbaptized publisher → dedication and baptism. At each step, a person’s religious identity becomes stronger. And therefore, at each step, a similar question could be asked: Does this child understand not only the attractive aspects and privileges that come with this step, but also the responsibilities and possible consequences attached to it? When a child is considered old enough to carry an official religious responsibility, then in my view they should also be old enough to receive understandable information about what happens if they later have doubts, make a serious mistake, or no longer meet the requirements. Otherwise, they are only shown one side of the decision. And then comes baptism The next step is much bigger. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not have a fixed minimum age for baptism. Their official youth material explicitly says that the ability to make that decision does not simply depend on someone’s age. The organization has, for example, published about a twelve-year-old who wanted to get baptized. At the same time, the organization itself acknowledges that young people are not all ready at the same age. A Watchtower from 2024 says that someone who is not yet ready may need more time and should not be pressured. I think that is an important starting point. Because a decision of this magnitude should never be rushed. What is a young person actually promising? Baptism within Jehovah’s Witnesses is not simply joining an association. The decision is presented as a very serious religious commitment. In the official youth literature, the decision to dedicate yourself to God and get baptized is even described as the most important decision a person can make. That creates a meaningful difference between two questions: ‘Do you understand what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe?’ and: ‘Can you sufficiently foresee what this decision may mean throughout the rest of your life?’ A twelve-year-old can be entirely sincere. A fourteen-year-old can believe deeply. A sixteen-year-old can know more Bible information than many adults. None of that needs to be diminished. The question is not: Is their faith real? The question is: Is sincerity at a young age the same as being able to foresee a lifelong decision? How is it determined whether someone is ready? Jehovah’s Witnesses do not baptize someone without preparation. That should be said honestly too. In the youth material, a person is encouraged to use their reasoning ability and convince themselves that what they believe is true. In addition, parents and elders play a role in assessing spiritual development. The official JG literature even explicitly acknowledges the question of whether a child is old enough to understand the meaning and seriousness of baptism. According to that same publication, the Bible does not give a specific minimum age. That means an assessment takes place. And precisely because of that, this question becomes important: What are we using to judge whether someone is “ready”? Bible knowledge is not the same as life experience A child who has been raised as a Jehovah’s Witness from birth can know an enormous amount about their faith. They can look up Bible verses. They know the language of the congregation. They can explain what paradise is, why they preach, and what Jehovah expects of people. They can sincerely love Jehovah. But religious knowledge is not the same as life experience. A fourteen-year-old does not yet know what it is like to be thirty. They have probably never lived independently. Maybe never had a long-term adult relationship. Raised no children. Worked for twenty years. They do not know what people they will meet later on. Which books they will read. Which events they will experience. And above all, they do not know: what will I believe in twenty years? No one knows that completely — not even an adult. But with a minor, something else is added to that. The young brain is still developing We should not exaggerate here. A teenager does not have a “half brain.” Young people can reason intelligently, understand complex subjects, and make very serious decisions. At the same time, adolescence is indeed an important developmental period. The American National Institute of Mental Health describes how the brain continues to mature into the mid-to-late twenties. The prefrontal cortex, which is involved among other things in planning, prioritizing, and decision-making, is among the last brain regions to mature. Social experiences and relationships also play an important role during adolescence. That does not mean: ‘A sixteen-year-old doesn’t know what he believes.’ It means: when we let a minor make a decision with long-term consequences, their development and social environment are relevant factors. Who evaluates that maturity? That is where a difficult question arises. Elders can be experienced, caring, and wise men. But being an elder does not automatically make someone an expert in developmental psychology. That is not an attack on elders. It is a question about the system. When adults assess whether a twelve-, fourteen-, or sixteen-year-old is ready for a very important religious commitment, which aspects of maturity are being assessed? Bible knowledge? Conduct? Preaching? Love for Jehovah? Being able to explain what baptism means? From a religious perspective, those are understandable criteria. But how do you assess: can this young person imagine what their decision means when, twenty years from now, they have become a different person? That is much more difficult. Ask a different question before baptism Suppose a fourteen-year-old says: ‘I want to serve Jehovah forever.’ Then do not ask only why he wants to get baptized. Also ask: ‘Suppose that at 34, after years of serious study, you sincerely conclude that Jehovah’s Witnesses are not God’s organization. Can you imagine what your decision today would mean for your life then?’ That is not an attempt to make him doubt. It is a test of what overseeing a decision for life actually means. A fourteen-year-old does not know who he will be at 34. Who his partner is. Whether he has children. Where he lives. What beliefs he holds. Who his best friends are. And yet his decision today may still matter twenty years later. ‘But adults change their minds too’ Absolutely. Someone may get baptized at 35 and believe differently at 50. Adulthood certainly does not guarantee that beliefs never change. That is why the argument is not: ‘Minors cannot make religious decisions.’ That would be too simple. The question is: how heavily may a decision from youth continue to weigh when the adult who emerged from that child later sincerely thinks differently? That will become the central topic of the next article. But precisely before baptism, that possibility should be discussed. What if there is no ‘godless life’ at all? I think this is one of the most important questions to discuss with a young person. Suppose he does not go off the rails later. He does not become a criminal. He does not cheat anyone. He does not abuse anyone. He does not become an alcoholic. He does not live a life in which he constantly harms others. He simply becomes a kind, responsible adult. But after years of reading, Bible study, and reflection, he concludes: ‘I no longer believe this is the truth.’ Before his baptism, has the fourteen-year-old been taught that that too is a possible future? Not only: ‘What if I later sin?’ but: ‘What if I later simply believe something different?’ Those are two completely different situations. Waiting is not the same as rejecting Jehovah This may well be the most important practical point. A young person can deeply love Jehovah and still wait to get baptized. Current JG literature itself acknowledges that young people are not all ready at the same age and that someone may need more time. A thirteen-year-old who says: ‘I believe it, but I want to wait’ is therefore not necessarily saying: ‘I reject Jehovah.’ Perhaps he is saying the opposite: ‘I think this decision is so important that I do not want to rush it.’ Why would that be spiritually weak? You could also call it responsible. An interesting comparison Jehovah’s Witnesses reject infant baptism because a baby cannot understand what decision is being made. That naturally raises a follow-up question: So where is the line? Not at zero. But why perhaps at twelve? Fourteen? Sixteen? The answer cannot be solely: ‘Because this young person understands what we believe.’ Because understanding what a religion teaches is not the same as understanding what a religious commitment can mean over an entire human lifetime. Maybe that is why we should not only ask: Is he old enough to say yes? But: Is he old enough to understand what his yes means if he later may think no? Voluntary also means being able to say ‘not yet’ A young person should be able to say without shame: ‘I’m not ready yet.’ He should be able to say: ‘I want to do more research first.’ ‘I’m not sure yet whether this is my conviction or mainly that of my surroundings.’ Or simply: ‘I want to wait.’ The own JW literature emphasizes that baptism should be a personal decision and not something you do because friends are doing it or because others expect it. That is a strong principle. But perhaps true voluntariness can not only be recognized by the freedom to say yes . You also recognize it by the safety to say: ‘not yet’ . A question for Jehovah's Witness parents Suppose your daughter is fourteen. She is doing well in the congregation. She preaches. She loves Jehovah. And she says: ‘Mom, I believe this is the truth. But I don’t want to get baptized until I’m eighteen. I want to get older first and continue to research for myself.’ What do you feel then? Disappointment? Concern? Or can you say: ‘Fine. This is your decision and your relationship with Jehovah. If you want to wait, I respect that.’ Maybe that is precisely a good test of voluntariness. Not only being able to be happy when your child says yes . But giving them the same emotional safety when they say: ‘Not yet.’ A question for elders When a minor indicates that he wants to become an unbaptized publisher or wants to get baptized, alongside all the Bible questions a developmental question would also be interesting: Does this young person understand not only why he wants this now, but has he also had enough room to research independently, doubt, and wait? And when there is uncertainty about that: why hurry? If something is true when a child is fourteen, it should still be true four years later. A question for young people If you are young and thinking about becoming an unbaptized publisher or getting baptized, this article does not mean you should not do it. But ask yourself a few questions. Would I also want this if nobody complimented me for it? Would I make the same choice if my parents reacted completely neutrally? Have I researched why I believe what I believe? Can I say without fear that I don’t understand something? Am I allowed to research information that contradicts my belief? Do I feel that I am allowed to say ‘not yet’ without guilt? And maybe the hardest: If I believe differently in twenty years, would I still think that my younger self could adequately judge this decision? Maybe you do not know the answer. And that is fine too. Maybe waiting can actually be mature We often associate certainty with maturity and doubt with weakness. But doubt can also mean: ‘I understand that this decision is a big one.’ A young person who says: ‘I want to do more research.’ ‘I want to get older first.’ ‘I want to discover who I am myself.’ ‘I want to be sure that this really is my conviction.’ does not have to be less sincere than a young person who does get baptized. Maybe he is taking it very seriously precisely because of that. That is why the question is not whether a minor can sincerely love Jehovah. Of course they can. The harder question is: When is a child old enough to understand not only what it is choosing today, but also what that choice may mean for the adult it later becomes? And in my view, that same care should already begin with a child becoming an unbaptized publisher. Because when a child is given responsibility for a religious position, it should not only be prepared for success, compliments, and spiritual progress. It should also be able to doubt safely. It should be able to discuss mistakes without starting to see itself as a bad person. It should understand what can happen when it no longer meets the requirements. And above all it should know: ‘I am allowed to think. I am allowed to ask questions. I am allowed to need time.’ A decision does not become less valuable because someone thinks about it longer. Maybe that is precisely what makes it more their own. Join the discussion How old were you when you became an unbaptized publisher? Do you still remember how that felt? Were you proud? Did you understand what would happen when you no longer met the requirements later on? How old were you when you got baptized? Did you feel that waiting was truly an equal option? And for parents and elders: What information do you think a child should understand before becoming an unbaptized publisher — and what information should it understand before making a religious vow that is intended to last a lifetime?