# The Church Manual (Church of the Brethren)/Chapter 11

CHAPTER XI
CHURCH OFFICERS.
Bishop or Elder.— The elder, in addition to his ministerial duties, has the general oversight of the church in which he resides; he is to call council-meetings when necessary, outside of the regular monthly or quarterly meetings; to act as Moderator in church and business meetings; to administer the ordinances of the Gospel, or to see that it is done by the other ministers, and to anoint the sick when called to do so. The elder receives his official position by request of the church in which he resides, and by approval of the elders that have been called for this special purpose.
A late decision of Annual Meeting requires that all ministers before being installed, forwarded or ordained, are to be asked if they are addicted to the use of tobacco, and if so, to stop using it.
​The elders present take the voice of each member, one by one, to determine whether they are all satisfied to have him ordained, and if no serious objections are found, the ordination is proceeded with in the following order, or after the following form:
Dear brother A. B., the church having called you to the ministry of the Word, and, on trial, found you faithful in your calling, now proposes to advance you to the full ministry by ordaining you an elder, or bishop, by the laying on of hands by the presbytery. In ordaining you an elder, the church gives you all the rights and authority belonging to the ministry, such as presiding in council-meetings in which official members are tried, at home or abroad, if you are called to do so, in District or Annual Meetings; to give the charge to deacons, or ministers, and install them into their respective offices. In short, the church now invests you with all the rights and authority belonging to the eldership, you being equal with all the elders; this phrase nevertheless, in the apostolic injunction, "Ye younger, submit yourselves to the elder," still applies to you; and should you manifest an arbitrary, self-willed and domineering spirit, the church will hold you subject to her councils, and suspend you, and take from you all the authority she now gives you, and again reduce you to the laity, or even expel you from membership, if necessary.
​It will be your duty to faithfully preach the Word, and to care for the wants of all the membership, being yourself an example to the church in all holiness and purity of heart, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. It will be your duty in all the affairs of the church to counsel with your official brethren and with the church; taking the oversight not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, and in no way to lord it over God's heritage. The church will not allow you to depart from the order of the general Brotherhood in faith and practice; but will hold you to the faith and practice of the Scriptures as defined by the Brethren in Annual Meeting assembled.
Now, dear brother A. B., do you willingly accept the position into which the church now proposes to put you? And do you, in good faith, without any mental reservation, accept and adopt all the order and practice of the general Brotherhood, in her plainness of dress and non-conformity to the world? And do you promise to unite your labors with all your faithful brethren, everywhere, to observe and enforce all the faith and practice of the general Brotherhood?
MINISTER IN THE SECOND DEGREE.
A minister is forwarded from the first to the second degree by the request of the church in which he resides, and by the assistance of adjoining elders called for this purpose. He is advanced or installed according to the following form, in which will also be found his added duties:
Dear brother [calling his name], the church having called you into the first degree of the ministry, and on trial has confidence in your fidelity and integrity, now proposes to advance you into the second degree, and thereby your labors will be increased and your duties will become more onerous, and will require a greater sacrifice on your part. The church now authorizes you to appoint meetings for preaching, according to the general order of the Brethren, to administer the ordinance of baptism, and, in the absence of an elder, to take the counsel of the church on the admission of an applicant for baptism, to serve the Communion in the absence of any elder, or at his or their request, if present; to solemnize the rite of marriage according to the laws of the State and the usages of the church; in brief, to perform all the duties of an ordained elder, except that you have no authority to install officers in the church, neither by giving a charge, as I am now doing, nor by laying on hands in ordaining a brother into the full degree of ​the ministry. You have also no authority to preside in the council-meetings of the church in which official members of the church are to be dealt with. You have no authority to go into the acknowledged territory of any organized church to make appointments for preaching, unless called by the elder or council of said church. It is an assumption of authority for an ordained elder to do so. But let it be understood that while the church now invests you with these rights and privileges, she still holds you to the apostolic injunction: "Ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder; yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble" (1 Pet. 5: 5), and will hold you amenable to her councils; and if you manifest an arbitrary self-will and domineering spirit, the same authority which now gives you these privileges will, if need requires it, suspend you, and take from you all the authority she now gives you.
MINISTERS OF THE FIRST DEGREE.
Election and Installation. — According to the faith and usages of the church of the Brethren, its ministers are chosen from its membership at such times as individual churches determine that such help or ministers are needed. This is determined by taking the voice of the membership of the church when ​such help is supposed to be needed. After it is decided that an election shall be held, a meeting for this purpose is appointed and the adjoining elders are called to assist in holding the election. On the assembling of the church for this purpose, the elders present state to the membership the qualifications that a brother should have to fill so important a position, and other necessary instruction, that the most suitable person may be selected. After this the elders, and those chosen to assist in the election, repair to a private room, and there each member goes, separately, before this board, and gives his or her vote for the brother that he or she, after prayerful consideration, believes to be the most suitable person to fill the position. After the votes are all taken, the membership is again called together, and the name of the one having received the largest number of votes is announced and declared elected. The brother thus elected is now called forward and interrogated as to his willingness to accept the position and to conform to the general usages of the church. ​If he answers in the affirmative, he is then installed after the following form:
Dear brother, your duties, while in the first degree of the ministry, are not very onerous. The church authorizes you to exhort and to preach as an assistant to the elder and older ministers, as they may give you liberty to do. It is your duty, however, faithfully to attend the meetings of the church, and, when liberty is given, to exhort or preach, and do it humbly, and willingly, and faithfully, as the Lord will afford you grace to do. But should it happen that none of the older ministering brethren should come to the regular appointment, then it will be your duty, and you are hereby authorized, to conduct the meeting according to the usual order of the Brethren, to the best of your ability, and to announce the regular appointments; but you have no authority to make or announce any appointments on your own or private account. In case, however, you are called to preach on a funeral occasion, you are at liberty, and are hereby authorized, to go and conduct the services according to the usual order of the Brethren. And it is thought good that the elder and older ministering brethren should be liberal in giving you liberty to preach, and not always confine you to the closing services, or you may not soon learn to be a "workman of God, that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth."
He is then received by the membership the same as in the second and third degree.
DEACONS.
Deacons are elected in the same way as are the ministers, and are installed after the following form: ​1. Dear brother, it is your duty to visit and oversee the poor in the church. Also to assist and attend to the annual general visit, made from house to house prior to Communion occasions.
2. When things of importance are to be investigated, it is your duty, when requested, to accompany the minister, or you may be sent alone to investigate the matter and report to the minister.
3. It is your duty to visit the sick, the poor and distressed, and report their condition, that their wants may be attended to. In all their administrations a correct account should be kept and a report made to the church.
4. It is your duty to assist the minister, when called upon, by reading the Scriptures, leading in prayer, and in bearing testimony to what has been said by the minister. When no minister is present, it is your duty to take charge of the meeting by singing, prayer, reading the Scriptures, and also to exhort, if it can be done to the edification of the congregation.
5. It is your duty, at times of Communions, to see that the necessary preparations are made, that the tables are served, and that everything is attended to in proper time and order.
OTHER OFFICERS.
In addition to the above-named officers, every organized church should have Trustees — five or seven — a Treasurer, a Clerk, and a Sexton.
Trustees.— The duties of the trustees are, to have a general oversight of all church property, attend to its incorporation, and ​see that the deeds are properly made and preserved.
The Treasurer shall receive all moneys and pay all orders drawn upon him by order of the church. He shall keep a true and fair book of accounts, and as often as called for, shall lay before the church a statement of moneys so received and paid.
The Clerk, or Secretary, shall keep a true record of the proceedings of the church in her meetings for business, fill out certificates for membership, sign orders on the treasury passed by the church, take charge of all records, and keep a register of the members of the church.
The Sexton shall have charge of the meeting-house, see that it is kept clean, have it comfortably heated and properly ventilated, and see to the general comfort of the congregation.