Editing Presbyterian polity (section)

==Offices==

===Elder===
[[File:Lorimer, Ordination.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Ordination of Elders in a [[Church of Scotland|Scottish Kirk]], by [[John Henry Lorimer]], 1891. [[National Gallery of Scotland]].]]
There are two types of elder; the ''teaching elder'' (see ''[[#Minister|Minister]]'' below) and the ''ruling elder''.
An excerpt from Miller (1831) expands this.{{sfn|Miller|1842}}{{rp|at=Chapter 1}}

{{blockquote|In every Church completely organized, that is, furnished with all the officers which Christ has instituted and which are necessary for carrying into full effect the laws of his kingdom, there ought to be three classes of officers, viz: at least one Teaching Elder, Bishop, or Pastor — a bench of Ruling Elders — and Deacons. The first to "minister in the Word and Doctrine", and to dispense the sacraments; — the second to assist in the inspection and government of the Church; — and the third to "serve tables"; that is, to take care of the Church's funds destined for the support of the poor, and sometimes to manage whatever relates to the temporal support of the gospel and its ministers.}}

Depending upon the specific denomination, teaching elders may also be referred to with terms such as "Minister of Word and Sacrament".<ref name="PCUSABOO">Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 2007. "Book of Order"</ref>

The elders are persons chosen from among the congregation and ordained for this service. Beyond that, practices vary: sometimes elders are elected by the congregation,{{sfn|McHugh|1911}} sometimes appointed by the session, in some denominations elders serve for life, others have fixed terms, and some churches appoint elders on a rotation from among willing members in good standing in the church.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}} However, in many churches, ruling elders retain their ordination for life, even though they serve fixed terms. Even after the end of their terms, they may be active in presbyteries or other bodies, and may serve communion.<ref name="qualdut">Presbyterian Publications Office, London, 1884, "The Qualifications and Duties of Elders", in Matthews, George D. ed "Alliance of the Reformed Church Holding the Presbyterian System, Minutes and Proceedings of the Third General Council, Belfast, 1884"</ref>

In addition to sitting on the session and other church courts, ruling elders have duties as individuals. Again, Miller (1831) explains,
{{sfn|Miller|1842}}{{rp|at=Chapter 9}}

{{blockquote|It is their duty to have an eye of inspection and care over all the members of the congregation; and, for this purpose, to cultivate a universal and intimate acquaintance, as far as may be, with every family in the flock of which they are made "overseers".}}

===Minister<!--'Presbyterian minister' redirects here-->===
{{See also|Holy Orders#Presbyterian churches}}

In some denominations they are called ''Ministers of Word and Sacrament'', and in others they are called ''Teaching Elders''. Ministers called to a particular congregation are called ''[[pastor]]s'', and serve a function analogous to [[clergy]] in other denominations.<ref name="form1645">Westminster Assembly, 1645A ''"[[The Form of Presbyterial Church Government|The Form of Presbyterial Church-Government]]"'' (ASSEMBLY AT EDINBURGH, February 10, 1645, Sess. 16.
ACT of the GENERAL ASSEMBLY of the KIRK of SCOTLAND, approving the Propositions
concerning Kirk-government, and Ordination of Ministers). Online at [http://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_standards/index.html?mainframe=/documents/wcf_standards/p395-form_presby_gov.html CRTA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406133712/https://reformed.org/documents/wcf_standards/index.html?mainframe=%2Fdocuments%2Fwcf_standards%2Fp395-form_presby_gov.html |date=2019-04-06 }}, retrieved on September 6, 2006.</ref> (Because ruling elders are often ordained in a fashion nearly identical to teaching elders, the distinction between lay and clergy is not as clear under the Presbyterian system as in others).{{sfn|Miller|1842}} The terms 'lay' and 'clergy' are not properly used in presbyterian polity.

Ministers may be considered equal in status with the other elders, but they have a distinct ordination and distinct function. They are the primary preachers and teachers, celebrants of sacraments. There are sometimes further distinctions between the minister and the other elders. Some Presbyterian denominations enroll ministers as members of their respective congregations, while others enroll the minister as a member of the regional presbytery. The presbyteries are responsible for the ordination of the ministers.

Until the 20th century, only men had been eligible for ordination as elders or ministers of the word and sacrament.
This is widely not the case any longer, although it is usually considered a demarcation issue, distinguishing "liberal" from "conservative" Presbyterian denominations. In North America, the [[Reformed Church in America]], [[Christian Reformed Church in North America]] (both of Dutch Reformed heritage), [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]], [[ECO (denomination)|ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians]], [[Evangelical Presbyterian Church (United States)|Evangelical Presbyterian Church]], [[Presbyterian Church in Canada]], and [[Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)]] are denominations with presbyterian polity which allow for the ordination of women.

The general assembly of a denomination often decides on what grounds a person may be ordained, but the ordination of ministers is the right of the presbytery or classis, and the right to extend a call to a minister is the privilege of the members of the parish or congregation.<ref name="form1645" />{{sfn|McHugh|1911}}<ref group=notes>As an example of qualifications for office as teaching elder, many denominations require a period of theological education at university level.</ref>

===Deacon===

The office of [[deacon]] has different meanings among different presbyterian churches. In some churches, deacons exercise responsibility for practical matters of finance and fabric, either separately or together with the elders.
In some cases deacons administer the welfare matters of the congregation, while a separate board of management or [[trustee]]s administers the other material business ([[temporalities]]) of the congregation, such as its endowments, salaries and buildings.