PEOPLE AND POSITIONS

1. Acolyte: This is a person who typically lights the altar candles and assists during the Offertory and Eucharist. Acolytes are often young people, from the sixth grade on up, but can be adults.
2. Bishop: A bishop is a clergy person, so ordained through a succession of bishops, all the way back to the Apostles, through the laying on of hands. The bishop is the supervisor of all the priests within his diocese. The Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina is The Rt. Reverend Mark Lawrence.
3. Clergy: This word simply refers to people who are ordained ministers (deacons, priests, bishops, etc.)
4. Crucifer: This is the person who typically carries the cross into the church during the processional hymn, for the Gospel procession, and out of the church at the end of the service.
5. Deacon: This is the first stage of ordained ministry. Deacons assist priests and bishops in the administration of sacraments. Some deacons go on to be ordained as priests, while others remain deacons indefinitely.
6. Disciple: A disciple is a student, a follower; a Christian disciple is a student and follower of Jesus.
7. Lay, laity: The laity are people who are not ordained ministers. Lay ministers are non-ordained people who serve God and His Church.
8. Minister, ministry: Ministry is the act of serving God and His Church. The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.
9. Priests: These people are ordained ministers who serve the church through various forms of leadership as the Senior Pastor or Associate Pastors.
10. Rector: The Rector serves as the senior pastor of the parish. The associate rectors….
11. Vestry: The Vestry is the governing body of a parish. Its members are elected from the congregation by the members of the parish at an annual congregational meeting, for a term of three years. Its officers are the Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Secretary and Treasurer.
12. Primate: These people are the leaders of the individual autonomous Anglican churches. There are 34 in the world. For example, the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church in the United States is one of the Primates.
13. Archbishop of Canterbury: The convener of all Bishops, including Primates, throughout the world. He invites them to Lambeth, England periodically for a conference and has no other authority over the worldwide Anglican Communion.
14. Warden
    1. Senior Warden (Rector’s Warden): The lay leader and member of the Vestry. This person assists the Rector in leadership of the  Vestry.
    2. Junior Warden (People’s Warden): A lay leader who is responsible for the building and grounds.