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Doctrine changes · Claim record

In December 2023 the Governing Body announced that whether a brother wears a beard 'is a personal decision', that appointment as an elder or ministerial servant does not depend on it, and that 'neither the elders nor any other Christian should feel compelled to judge a brother who chooses to wear a beard'.

Claim ID claim-doctrine-beards-2023-personal-decisionConcerns 15 December 2023Explicit statement
Explicit statement · 15 December 2023 Verified

In December 2023 the Governing Body announced that whether a brother wears a beard 'is a personal decision', that appointment as an elder or ministerial servant does not depend on it, and that 'neither the elders nor any other Christian should feel compelled to judge a brother who chooses to wear a beard'. JW Broadcasting — 2023 Governing Body Update #8, 15 December 2023

The organisation’s position or later explanation: Reason given: 'the Scriptures do not condemn the wearing of beards' and beards are now acceptable for 'men who hold responsible positions in business and government' in many lands.

Show the evidence (1 source)
Primary JW publication Verified

JW Broadcasting — 2023 Governing Body Update #8, “2023 Governing Body Update #8 (official English subtitles)”

15 December 2023 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

“The Governing Body does not have an issue with brothers wearing beards. Why not? Because the Scriptures do not condemn the wearing of beards. … Thus, whether a brother wears a beard is a personal decision. A brother's qualifications to serve as an elder or ministerial servant are based on his spirituality, not on whether he chooses to wear a beard. … In harmony with Romans 14:4, neither the elders nor any other Christian should feel compelled to judge a brother who chooses to wear a beard.”

Read as an announcement from the Governing Body. The programme also says: 'For some years, based on the conclusions of certain archaeologists, our publications most often portrayed Jesus as clean-shaven. But in 1968, The Watchtower considered more reliable evidence'.

Official source Scan of original

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. jw.org news page opened (dated 15 Dec 2023; description: dress and grooming choices) and official subtitle text read.

Scan provenance. Official subtitle file (naturalKey docid-702023024_E_1_VIDEO) listed by the jw.org mediator API.

Corroborated by. src-w-2016-0900-dress-beards, src-gbu-2024-0503-update3-dress-standards

Notes. Grooming guidance, not doctrine. Third-party reports say the video was shown in congregations the week of 1 Jan 2024 (not verified).

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-gbu-2023-1215-update8-beards

Claim page

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