Classifications

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="043d05a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>American Pantheist Society</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="American Pantheist Society"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="044d2123.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Classifications</I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Church Member </B></div> <div> <B>Classifications</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Purpose of Classifications:</B></div> <div> All church members are important and essential to the growth and well being of the society and most benefits are readily open and available to all members in good standing.  However, in every organization, there are diverse areas of activity and responsibility that appeal to some individuals more than others and our society has and will continue to address those needs and desires in a fair and objective manner.  For those reasons, the society has elected to offer all qualified members with a variety of opportunities to participate in church and society activities.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Lay Members</B>:</div> <div> Church members who do not elect to become ordained as formal religious leaders are classified as "Lay Members" however; any qualified lay member may advance to a more responsible role in the society.  </div> <bR> <div> <B>Guides</B>:</div> <div> A guide is an experienced lay church member who desires to participate as a "mentor" to other members who feel the need for personal counseling or advice in terms of understanding pantheism and how our philosophy and way of life might benefit them.  The society considers the position of "guide" as the most important responsibility that a qualified member can assume.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Lay Pastors or Lay Ministers</B>:</div> <div> The society is currently considering adding the role of lay pastors and lay ministers to the organizational structure. <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Lay Ministers and Lay Pastors would be authorized to assist an ordained pastor, minister or chaplain in any way that they can, in order to begin to get experience and exposure to the demands of ordained life.  However, such lay positions would not be authorized to perform marriage ceremonies and certain other legal or religious rituals.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Deacons:</B></div> <div> A Deacon is a senior church lay person who takes care of church members' practical needs and may serve on a local congregation's governing board. Some of the practical needs are:  Finance, Building and Occupancy requirements, Volunteer Work Assignments and similar issues that must be addressed and solved by local church members who have a vested interested in maintaining and improving the common good.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Elder</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >:</FONT></div> <div> A Elder is a senior church lay member <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >who oversees the Board of Deacons and materially contributes to establishing local church policy and finance.  Most local churches will have both a board of deacons and a board of elders.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Ordained Minister, Pastors and Chaplin's:</B></div> <div> Ordained ministers, pastors and chaplains of the American Pantheist Church are senior church members who have fulfilled certain requirements that authorize them to conduct a variety of religious and social services that lay church members may not feel qualified to conduct.  There are also several very important legal reasons why our society has created such positions.  Please refer to the section about Ordained Members.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Monsignors:</B></div> <div> A Monsignor is a title of honor given to certain senior ordained ministers, pastors and chaplains in recognition of educational, professional and service contributions.  Senior ministers, pastors or chaplains who desire to advance to the level of Bishop or Archbishop must first earn the title of Monsignor.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Bishops</B>:</div> <div> A Bishop is the first of four senior ordained minister ranks specifically charged with the general administration of church business.  Bishop is an order of <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >chief minister or chief pastor </FONT>rank or grade in the order of the American Pantheist Church organization<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. Pastors, Ministers and  Chaplin's (lay and ordained) of the American Pantheist Church serve under the direction of a bishop</FONT>. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Archbishops:</B></div> <div> An Archbishop is the second of four senior ordained minister ranks specifically charged with the general administration of church business.  Bishops <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >of the American Pantheist Church serve under the direction of a archbishop </FONT>. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Patriarchs:</B></div> <div> A Patriarch is the third of four senior ordained minister ranks specifically charged with the general administration of church business.  Archbishops <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >of the American Pantheist Church serve under the direction of a Patriarch</FONT>. (In the American Pantheist Church, a patriarch is a senior member who has been elected to service in a position of authority for the common good of the society.)</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Prime Patriarch:</B></div> <div> The Prime Patriarch is the fourth of four senior ordained minister ranks specifically charged with the general administration of church business.  Patriarchs <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >of the American Pantheist Church serve under the direction of The Prime Patriarch</FONT>.  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>