Editing Jehovah's Witnesses practices (section)

==Ministers and ordination==
Jehovah's Witnesses consider as "[[Minister (Christianity)|ministers]]" all adherents who have been approved to engage in formal evangelizing. Witnesses consider their baptisms to be [[ordination]]s; ''[[Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses#Unbaptized publishers|unbaptized publishers]]'' are considered "[[Laity#Christian laity|regular ministers]]" whereas ''[[Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses#Baptized publishers|baptized publishers]]'' are considered "ordained ministers".<ref>"Questions from Readers", ''The Watchtower'', November 1, 1951, page 671-672, "The authorities of the land generally call for some ceremony in connection with ordination for the ministry… The legal [opinion] is recognizing the two classifications made concerning ministers, namely, ordained ministers and regular unordained ministers. …[A]n unbaptized one…may still point out to the court [or other authority] that he has not as yet undergone the ordination ceremony of water immersion, and for that reason may be classed by the law of the land as a regular minister rather than an ordained minister."</ref> Witnesses recognize that many government and administrative precedents for ministers are not intended to include all active adherents.<ref>''Our Kingdom Ministry'', January 1976, page 5-6,"Since at times a request is made by officials for some evidence of “ordination” on the part of those serving in such capacities, a “Certificate for Ordained Minister” has been prepared and will be supplied on request to those elders or ministerial servants needing it. It will show the date, not of their baptism, but when they were appointed to serve in such capacities… But what of those who are engaged in full-time service as pioneers or members of Bethel families? ...Such appointment, however, does not fit the meaning of “ordination” as that term is generally understood [by non-Witnesses requesting these certificates]. …Since the Bible itself sets out only the two congregational positions of responsibility, that of elders and of ministerial servants, we limit our ''application'' of the term “ordained minister” [as used by non-Witness authorities] to those in this Scriptural arrangement.[emphasis added]"</ref> For example, only elders assert [[Priest–penitent privilege|ecclesiastical privilege]] and [[Confessional privilege (United States)|confessional privilege]].<ref>"Meeting the Challenge of Loyalty", ''The Watchtower'', March 15, 1996, page 18</ref>

Only males may be appointed as elders and ministerial servants (their term for [[Deacon#Jehovah's Witnesses|deacons]]). Only baptized males may officiate at [[wedding]]s, [[funeral]]s, and baptisms.<ref>"The General Priesthood Today", ''The Watchtower'', March 1, 1963, page 143</ref> A [[Ordination of women#Jehovah's Witnesses|female Witness minister]] may only lead congregational prayer and teaching in unusual circumstances, and must wear a [[Christian headcovering|head covering]] while doing so. Outside the congregation, a female minister wears a head covering when she leads spiritual teaching in the presence of her husband, according to the [[Complementarianism|Christian complementarian view]]. Female headcovering is not required for other forms of teaching, or when participating in congregation meetings being led by another.<ref>"Head Coverings—When and Why?", ''Keep Yourselves in God's Love'', ©2008 Watch Tower, pages 43–44 and 209–212</ref> According to the Watch Tower Society, some courts in the United States have recognized that full-time Jehovah's Witness appointees, such as "[[Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses#Regular pioneers|pioneers]]" and those in [[Religious order#Jehovah's Witnesses|the faith's religious order]], qualify for ministerial exemptions regardless of gender.<ref>"Women—May They Be “Ministers”?", ''The Watchtower'', March 15, 1981, page 19, "Several courts in the United States have recognized female Jehovah’s Witnesses, in carrying on the door-to-door evangelistic work, as ministers. For example, the Supreme Court of Vermont, in Vermont v. Greaves (1941), stated that Elva Greaves “is an ordained minister of a sect or class known and designated as ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’.”"</ref>