Editing Evangelist (Latter Day Saints) (section)

==Community of Christ==
{{Further|Presiding Patriarch}}
In the [[Community of Christ]], which was formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church), an evangelist is an office in the Melchizedec Order of the [[Priesthood (Community of Christ)|priesthood]].

An evangelist-patriarch's primary responsibility was to provide special blessings to members of the church; these blessings were considered one of the eight [[Sacraments (Community of Christ)|sacraments]] in the RLDS Church. The local evangelist-patriarchs of the church were governed by an individual with church-wide authority known as the [[Presiding Patriarch]].

In 1984, when the first women began to be ordained to the office of evangelist-patriarch, the RLDS Church changed the title of the evangelist-patriarchs to simply "evangelist". Similarly, it changed the title of the Presiding Patriarch to the "Presiding Evangelist". To be an evangelist, a person must also be a [[High priest (Latter Day Saints)|high priest]] of the Melchizedec Order of the priesthood.

The primary duty of an evangelist in the Community of Christ remains the giving of sacramental "evangelist's blessings"; it is for this reason that evangelists are often referred to as "ministers of blessing". Ideally, an evangelist is free from administrative responsibilities in the church in order to allow them to be fully responsive to the [[Holy Spirit]]. The blessings—which are given by the [[laying on of hands]]—provide counsel and advice and confer spiritual blessings upon the recipient(s). Not only individuals, but also couples, families, households, groups and congregations may receive an evangelist's blessing.<ref>Sharing in Community of Christ: ''Exploring Identity, Mission, Message, and Beliefs'' Fourth Edition, 2018 (Herald Publishing House, Independence, Missouri, USA) p. 50.</ref> Any person, including nonmembers, eight years of age or older can receive a blessing, although the blessing is rarely offered for someone who has not reached adolescence.<ref>''The Sacraments: Symbol, Meaning, & Discipleship'' edited by Andrew Bolton and Jane Gardner 2005 (Herald Publishing House, Independence, Missouri, USA) p. 48.</ref> A recipient may receive multiple evangelist's blessings in their life. Evangelist's blessings may or may not be recorded. If it is recorded in written form, a copy is stored in the church archives at [[Independence, Missouri]].

All evangelists belong to the Order of Evangelists, which is led by the Presiding Evangelist (currently Jane M. Gardner, since 2016).