Question #391

What about an unbaptized teenager leading in worship?

I am from a very small rural town in Alaska. When we first started we didn’t have many men in the church and we allowed our children to read scripture and say opening or closing prayer. Our membership has increased by several families and some of the teens have been baptized. My problem lies with my unbaptized 14yr old son, as I am now questioning whether the men should allow him to continue in his participation in the worship service until he is baptized, which he has told me he is not ready to do that at this time in his life and I respect his decision. I know I should start with our local preacher, or other men, but I honestly would like to have something more concrete to approach them with other than “I feel” or “The way I have always understood it”. I hope this makes sense to you, and someone can help me in my dilemma, and give me scriptural guidance on how to approach this. I searched through your site at length and didn’t seem to find the answer to my question; I hope I didn’t miss it. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

The Answer:

There is no scripture of which I am aware that speaks directly to the question raised. There are, however, some factors that should be taken into consideration in arriving at a decision. Those who have not reached the age of accountability have not sinned; therefore, they are not lost. Since they are not and have never been lost, they are safe and do not need to be saved. However, when they have reached the age of accountability they are no longer safe because of innocence; they are lost because of sin. They have become accountable to God. When children are not accountable, parents teach them to pray. This involves not only having them hear you pray, it involves your hearing them as they learn to say their own prayers. Even after children become accountable, we urge them to remember to pray daily and may have home devotionals in which they take part. These activities often go from the home to the children’s bible classes. There comes a time, however, when all of this changes.

The question is, “What do we then do?” The answer to Question 49 under “Questions and Answers” may give some insight here even though it deals with when Bible classes should be taught by men. The point is that there is a line when, when crossed, requires a male teacher. There is also a line which, when crossed, requires that leaders in worship be faithful Christians males. Different sets of elders (or men of the congregation in the absence of elders) may draw that line at different places. However, to draw the line past the point of accountability is to have a lost sinner leading in the worship. When speaking of our children it is difficult to place them in that category, but by the time they are fourteen they know the difference between right and wrong, they know that that which they do that is wrong is sin, and having been raised in the Lord’s church, the know that they are lost should they die in that condition. We don’t want to think of them as having rejected Christ, but that is precisely how the scripture describes accountable people who are in that state. We would not permit an older person in that state to lead in worship. Why is it any different with our children? I submit that it is not and that unbaptized teenagers should not lead in worship.