Presiding Ministers: Elders and Licensed Local Pastors

Principle:
An ordained elder or a person authorized under the provisions of the Book of Discipline presides at all celebrations of Holy Communion.

Background:
In accord with the practice of the church throughout Christian history, God calls and the church sets apart certain people for leadership within the body of Christians. We believe that the Holy Spirit gives to such people the grace and gifts they need for leadership in obedience to their call. The meaning and purpose of ordination are described in ¶¶ 301-303 in the Book of Discipline.

Elders are ordained to a lifetime ministry of service, word, sacrament, and order (BOD; ¶ 323) and charged to "administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper and all the other means of grace" (BOD; ¶ 331).

John Wesley drew a sharp distinction between the preaching ministry, which was open to lay men and women, and the priestly ministry of administering the sacraments, which was to be exercisednonly by those ordained as elders. Recounting the 1744 preachers' conference, Wesley wrote, "None of them dreamed, that the being called to preach gave them any right to administer sacraments. . . . 'You are to do that part of the work which we appoint.' But what work was this? Did we ever appoint you to administer sacraments; to exercise the priestly office? Such a design never entered into our mind; it was the farthest from our thoughts" ("The Ministerial Office"). Wesley insisted that there could be no sacramental ministry without ordination as elder. This conviction ultimately determined his decision to perform "extraordinary" ordinations himself.

"The authority of the ordained minister," according to Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry (World Council of Churches, 1982), "is rooted in Jesus Christ who has received it from the Father (Matt.28:18), and who confers it by the Holy Spirit through the act of ordination. This act takes place within a community which accords public recognition to a particular person" (page 22). Elders administer the sacraments as authorized representatives of the church.

Under the terms of the Book of Discipline, several groups of people are authorized to preside at Eucharist in the charges to which they are appointed. These include associate member deacons, deacons ordained under the provisions of the 1992 Book of Discipline, licensed local pastors, and commissioned ministers licensed for pastoral ministry (BOD; ¶¶ 330, 331, 340, 341). Some of these provisions have been in effect since 1976 in order to enable the sacraments to be served regularly in many small congregations that do not have elders as their pastors. The church continues to seek the best ways to meet this need and still uphold the historic linkage of ordination and administration of the sacraments.

Practice:
Bishops and district superintendents are elders who are assigned and appointed to exercise the ministry of superintending (BOD; ¶¶ 403 and 404) as an expression of the connectional nature of The United Methodist Church. To embody the connectional nature of the church and its sacramental life, a bishop or district superintendent who is present may be invited to preside at Holy Communion.

An elder or a person authorized under the provisions of the Book of Discipline presides at all celebrations of Holy Communion. While some portions of the order of worship may be led by others, an elder or authorized pastor leads the congregation in praying the Great Thanksgiving, in which the whole assembly takes an active role. (See the Sanctus, the memorial acclamation, and the Amen, all printed in bold type, in UMH, pages 9-10.)

Elders who are in extension ministries and retired elders may be asked to preside when they are needed in local churches or on other sacramental occasions. "All conference members who are elders in full connection, including those in extension ministries, shall be available and on call to administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper as required by the Discipline (¶ 331.1b) and requested by the district superintendent of the district in which the appointment is held" (BOD; ¶ 335.3.a). Those in the Order of Elders are encouraged to make every effort to be available for presiding when Holy Communion is needed or desired.

All elders or deacons who are present may be invited to participate in leadership of the service, stand with the presider at the table, and assist in distributing the elements.

All who lead Holy Communion should be knowledgeable and prepared in Eucharistic theology, spirituality, and practice, including the roles of those assisting. This ministry is under the supervision of district superintendents and pastoral mentors (BOD; ¶ 341.4).

Assisting Ministers: Deacons and Laity

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