In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons, i.e. non- ] clergy [Latin: the disused ), are the 4 minor orders (ostiary, lectorate, order of exorcists, order of acolytes), the 3 major orders (subdiaconate, diaconate, and presbyterate) and finally the episcopate, which is defined in Catholic doctrine as the fullness of Holy Orders. Minor orders are today mainly a symbolic passage and... clergy, collectively. In recent centuries, the term is often used more generally, in the context of any specialized A profession is a specialized work function within society, generally performed by a professional. For the monastic sense, see Profession (religious). Definitions In a more restrictive sense, profession often refers specifically to fields that require extensive study and mastery of specialized knowledge, such as law, medicine, the military, nursing, the... profession, to refer to those who are not members of that profession.

Episcopal Church

In the The Episcopal Church may refer to several members of the Anglican Communion, including: Episcopal Church in the United States of America Scottish Episcopal Church Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East Episcopal Church of Cuba idk of the Sudan Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church ... Episcopal Church the laity can have say in legislation. At The General Convention of The Episcopal Church takes place every three years, and it the way legislation is passed in the Episcopal Church. It is comprised of two houses. The House of Bishops, comprised of the bishops of bishops from each diocese. The House of Deputies is comprised of up... General Convention up to four lay persons from each In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a from a Greek term meaning administration). The Catholic Church directly inherited this Roman structure of authority during the 5th and 6th centuries, as bishops fully assumed the former roles... diocese is elected to represent the diocese in the House of Deputies, one of the two governmental houses in the Episcopal Church. On the local A parish is a subdivision of a diocese or bishopric within the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, and of some other churches. In Roman Catholicism, each parish has the services of a parish priest, who acts as the chaplain to the... parish level, lay persons are elected to a church council called a vestry.

Roman Catholicism

In previous years the laity had a much smaller role in the work of the The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. It maintains the claim that it is both organisationally and... Catholic church. In the past, church leaders felt that the role of the laity was little more than to "Pray, Pay, and Obey."

In the years following the The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. However, a small minority of Catholics do not accept it. Some attribute to it a lesser binding authority than... Second Vatican Council the role of the laity in the Church has been greatly expanded to include Unlike in several Protestant churches, in the Roman Catholic Church the term used as a form of address in speaking to them. In the United States, and to a lesser extent in other countries, Catholic deacons, priests, and bishops are sometimes called ordained ministers. The other kind of minister in... lay ministers of various kinds. Also, as a result of the Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. Priests have been known since the earliest times and in the simplest societies (see shaman and oracle). There are priests... priest shortage, members of the laity have had to take on some of the roles previously performed by priests.

The Lay Preacher in the Wesleyan / Methodist tradition

A very early tradition of preaching in the Wesleyan / Methodist churches was for a Lay Preacher to be appointed to lead services of worship and preach in a group (called a 'circuit') of meeting places or churches. The lay preacher walked or rode on horseback in a prescribed circuit of the preaching places according to an agreed pattern and timing, and people came to the meetings. After the appointment of ministers and pastors, this lay preaching tradition continued with these people being appointed by individual churches, and in turn approved and invited by nearby churches, as an adjunct to the minister or during their planned absences.

In the a church with an The national Assembly meets every three years, and is chaired by a national President. The 10th triennial Assembly met in Melbourne in July 2003. The current President is Rev Dr Dean Drayton. The President-elect is Rev Gregor Henderson, formerly General Secretary of the UCA. Between... Uniting Church in Australia, that was constitued in part from the The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination, and the second-largest Protestant one, in the United States. In 2004 worldwide membership was about 11 million members: 8.6 million in the United States, 2.4 million in Africa, Asia and Europe. ® Used with permission*. The United Methodist Church... Methodist Church, persons can be appointed:

• by the congregation as a Lay Preacher; and/or
• by the regional Presbytery to conduct The Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. The term Eucharist is used mainly in Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutheran traditions, and is based upon the Greek word ευχαριστω, Historical roots of... Communion.

Arguably the most famous Wesleyan Lay Preacher currently active is King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga.

The comparable term in the Anglican / Episcopal churches is "Lay Reader".

Buddhist lay persons

In Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 563 and 483 BCE. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually... Buddhism there is also a dichotomy between laity and monastic/clergy. The structures and dynamics of this situation should provide interesting and instructive commentary on the Christian phenomena of the clergy/laity split/organization.

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