In Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, priesthood is God's power and authority to minister in the church and to conduct God's business on Earth. Although the church believes that all Christians are called by their gifts and talents to the ministry, priesthood is seen as a particular expression of universal ministry to which all are called. In Community of Christ, both women and men can be ordained to the priesthood. All offices are deemed equal in importance, but the duties and responsibilities of each differ.

For a person to be called to the priesthood for the first time, his or her calling is typically discerned by the pastor of the local congregation. These priesthood calls are approved after review by a Mission Center President and vote of a congregational conference. For certain calls, the discernment will come through other church officials and approval will be voted upon at a Mission Center Conference or World Conference. Once the call has been administratively processed it is presented to the individual called. If that individual accepts the call and is sustained by a conference vote, he or she will be ordained to that office.

Overview The priesthood comprises two primary orders, the Aaronic Order and the Melchisedec Order. The Aaronic priesthood includes the offices of Deacon, Teacher and Priest.

The Melchisedec Order includes the offices of Elder, Seventy, High Priest, Bishop, Apostle, President and Prophet. Elders serve in both missionary and administrative roles. Congregational pastors often hold the priesthood office of Elder, however, they may be "set apart" as a congregational pastor from almost any priesthood office.

High Priests are known today as "ministers of vision" and collectively comprise the "High Priesthood" of the church. The Evangelist, Bishop, Apostle and Prophet are specialized priesthood offices within the High Priesthood.

The names of the priesthood offices in Community of Christ are similar to those of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which it shares a common 14-year history. However, numerous differences in belief about the duties, calling, authority and organization of priesthood have developed as the two denominations have taken divergent paths since 1844.

Priesthood Offices

In Community of Christ the priesthood consists of two priesthoods, the Aaronic Order and the Melchisedec Order.

Aaronic Order

The Aaronic Order consists of three priesthood offices. These offices are deacon, teacher, and priest. They hold the "key" to angelic ministry. The ministers of the Aaronic Order are seen as ministers of presence.

Deacon

A deacon models Jesus as comforter. Part of the ministry of deacons is to watch over the church, visit the homes of members, to teach and preach, care for the physical and social well-being of the church, and to teach and advise people regarding the principles of Disciples' Generous Response. A deacon cares for members and friends in the temporal aspects of life. Deacons are to be sensitive to the spiritual, physical, and temporal needs of all individuals and families.

Teacher

The teacher models Jesus as peacemaker. Teachers are called to strengthen the membership, see that the church meets often, preach and teach, reconcile those who have taken offense either at another person or the church, and lead people into paths of discipleship. A key attribute of a teacher is the ability to create friendship and to have knowledge of the families within a congregation. A teacher is a shepherd, one who recognizes the life problems that the members face each day. A teacher's relationship with others is one of redemptive love and concern. Teachers are regarded as ministers of reconciliation with special responsibilities to share spiritual counsel and encouragement to members who are experiencing personal conflicts, however, they are not typically professional counselors or certified mediation specialists.

Priest

A priest models Jesus as friend. Priests minister to families, preach and teach. They can also perform the Sacrament of Baptism, Administer the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and Solemnize and perform the Sacrament of Marriage. They may also perform the sacrament of Ordination for those called to the office of deacon, teacher, or priest. They share with the elders the responsibility to explain all things concerning the church to those who have been baptized but yet to be confirmed.

Melchisedec Order

The Melchisedec Order consists of two main offices and several specialized offices within them. The two main offices are Elder and High Priest. At times the term elder is used to refer to all who are of the Melchisedec Order. In a more specific sense, the office of elder is sometimes viewed as an appendage to the office of high priest. The Melchisedec Order is theologically viewed (and often termed) as being the High Priesthood, but a distinction needs to be made between the High Priesthood and the Quorum of High Priests (see below). Elders (and seventies, see below) are not high priests, and therefore do not belong to the Quorum of High Priests, but are, as members of the Melchisedec priesthood, part of the High Priesthood. The President of the Church is also the President of the High Priesthood, which means that she holds presidency over elders. Other members of the High Priesthood have their own presidents, but are also under the President of the Church by virtue again of her role as President of the entire High Priesthood. Indirectly, the President of the Church also holds presidency over the entire Aaronic priesthood, through the Order of Bishops. Therefore, the President of the Church presides over the entire priesthood of the church, both administratively and spiritually. The Melchisedec Ministers are seen as ministers of mission and vision.

Elder

Elders are "ministers of mission." Their ministry expresses the mission of the church. While their ministry is direct and tangible it also expresses the deep spiritual ministry of the gospel. The ministers are called to bring people to Christ and baptize those who are ready to commit their lives to Christ. They may ordain people to the offices of the Aaronic Order and to the office of Elder. They also can perform/administer the other sacraments of the church, except for the Sacrament of the Evangelist's Blessing. Elders are called to teach and preach and watch over the church and to visit the homes of members. They may be called to serve in an elder's court.

Seventy

The priesthood office of Seventy, which alludes to the New Testament account of Jesus' commission of seventy missionaries, is also considered to be an Elder. Part of the function of the Seventy is a missionary role, and they work closely with the Apostle in charge of the field they are in to develop the strategies and resources to implement the missionary task of the church. They are organized into ten (formerly seven, see below) quorums, each quorum is presided over by a president. These presidents make up the Council of Presidents of Seventy and are collectively led by the "Senior President of Seventy," who is one of the principal missionaries and missionary education leaders of the church. The scriptures suggest that the Seventy are in some way equal to the Council of Twelve Apostles, as indicated in Doctrine and Covenants 104:11e. Even more intriguing, the Council of Twelve is sometimes said to be equal of the Presidency. The equality of the seventy to the Twelve, and by virtue of such equality, also the Presidency, is confirmed in 124:4a. The logistics of such equality to the Presidency and the Twelve (as well as the Twelve to the Presidency) is not made plain.

On January 17, 2010, the President-Prophet (see below) of Community of Christ, Stephen M. Veazey, presented a revelation to the church in which the number of quorums of seventy, and presidents of seventy (both of which had always been seven) could now be flexible, based on the needs of the church at any particular time. That revelation was approved on April 14, 2010, and shortly afterwards, it was announced that there would now be ten quorums (and thus ten presidents). This eliminates a logistical issue that existed previously, as the seventy are called to work closely with the Council of Twelve Apostles. For ministerial & missional purposes, the church divides the world into 11 apostolic "fields", each supervised by one apostle (the 12th apostle being the President of the Council and the Director of Field Ministries). The Apostles are regarded as the senior missionary team in the church, but the specific calling of the seventy and the quorums which they belong to, is also missionary work, and so, to some degree, they fall under the direction of the Apostles, however, as there were 11 fields, and seven quorums, there was always some overlap with global coverage which was not efficient. In April 2010, during the World Conference of the Church, it was decided that the church would be reorganized from 11 to 10 fields (with one apostle, in addition to the director of field ministries, having non-geographic based missional responsibilities), and, as a result of that, the quorums of seventy were increased, from seven to ten, to now perfectly align with each apostolic field.

High Priest

High Priests are regarded as "ministers of vision." They can be called to serve in any of the offices of the priesthood and there are several specialized callings within this office. Collectively the High Priests are the Quorum of the High Priests. It is desired that the pastor or presiding officer of a large well established congregation is a High Priest.

Evangelist

An Evangelist is a High Priest ordained for special ministries in evangelism and spiritual direction. The "Order of Evangelists" is presided over by the Presiding Evangelist and they are referred to as "ministers of blessing." These High Priests that have been called to this order are ideally free of administrative responsibilities and are to be responsive to the reconciling and redeeming influence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all. They give parental counsel and advice to the church and confer spiritual blessings. The Evangelist is available to offer a sacred blessing which can assist persons to recognize and touch the divine nature of God that resides within them. By responding to this divine presence, it nurtures and assures persons of their identity and ultimate and eternal worth before God. This blessing is recorded in writing and stored in the archives of the church at its World Headquarters in Independence, Missouri. The Evangelist's Blessing is founded upon a prior practice known as the "patriarchal blessing" (see Sacraments).

Previous to the 1980s, Evangelists were known both as Patriarchs and Evangelists. The name "Patriarch" was dropped when women were first ordained to this office.

Bishop

A Bishop is a High Priest ordained for special ministry. All bishops belong to the Order of Bishops which guides the church in teaching the principles of Disciples' Generous Response along with the larger understanding of stewardship. They are led by the Presiding Bishopric in providing support, training, and advocacy in empowering Aaronic ministers to respond to their call of ministry. The Presiding Bishopric also hold Presidency over the Aaronic Order. They also serve as judges in church court proceedings. Historically, the Order of Bishops included other bishoprics, particularly at stake levels. Some bishops continue to have financial responsibility for a particular area. For example, mission centers will have a bishop. Nationally, Canada is one of the few countries to have a bishop for the entire nation. There are other bishops in Canada, but they serve in a supporting role to the Bishop of Canada (and may preside over mission centers within Canada).