Glossary

Acolyte

An acolyte is a lay person, often a child or a teenager, who performs minor duties during the worship service to assist the ministers, such as lighting candles, carrying books, directing traffic during communion, and so forth. Acolyte comes from a Greek word for follower.

 

Anthem

An ‘anthem’ is a hymn whose lyrics come from scripture. Historically, anthems were sung responsively.

 

Archbishop

 The word archbishop is Greek for chief overseer. Therefore, archbishop is not a separate order of clergy, it  is just a bishop who has administrative duties over fellow bishops in a geographical region. In some areas, bishops elect one of their number to be the archbishop; in other areas, the bishops rotate the office. The head of the Episcopal Church of the USA is called a presiding bishop rather than an archbishop, but the meaning is the same.

 

Bishop

 Bishop is the English version of the Greek word episkopos, which means overseer or supervisor. (Note the progression from episkopos to piskop to bishop.) The qualifications for bishops are given in 1 Timothy 3, but there is no scriptural description of their duties. In the first century, the local church was headed by a bishop and the priests served as a board of advisors who also functioned as clergy under the bishop’s direction. By the time of Ignatius at the end of the first century, the Church had grown. By that time, bishops had territorial supervision over several churches, while the presbyters were responsible for pastoral care of individual churches. Ignatius describes a system identical to the modern practice, well in accord with Titus 1:5 and the situation in the seven letters in Revelation.

In the historic church, a bishop is a regional minister, a priest with administrative duties over a group of churches in a territory called a diocese. Only bishops can preside at the rite of ordination. An individual bishop can ordain a deacon or a priest, but it takes three bishops to consecrate a new bishop. A Roman Catholic bishop must remain unmarried. An Anglican, Lutheran, or Methodist bishop can be married. In the eastern Church, only unmarried priests can become bishops, and bishops are not permitted to marry.

 

Cardinal

 Cardinals have a long history in the western Church, but today they are peculiar to the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinals are bishops who serve as advisers to the pope. The pope can make any priest or bishop a cardinal; however, when a priest becomes a cardinal, he is consecrated a bishop. Upon the death of the pope, they administer the affairs of the Roman Catholic Church and elect the new pope. Cardinals are the only clergy in the Roman Catholic Church who wear red vestments.

 

Catechumen

Catechumen is an ancient term, not often used today, for a person who is taking instruction in Christianity, but is not yet baptized. In the ancient Church, catechumens were dismissed from the service between the Service of the Word and the Eucharist. (In the Western Church, announcements are made at this point.)

 

Celebrant

 A term for the minister who is the moderator of a worship service that includes communion. In most cases, only a member of the ordained clergy can be a celebrant.

 

Chalice

A chalice is a drinking cup with a bowl, a single stem, and a foot, as in the illustration on the right. The stem usually has a knob to make it easier to grasp. Chalices are generally made of silver, gold, or ceramics. The chalice can be used two ways in the Eucharist. Either everyone drinks from it, in which case it is called taking Communion from a common cup, or worshippers dip the bread into the cup, in which case it is called Communion by intinction. (Intinction is just a fancy word for dipping.) If the common cup is used, the server wipes the cup with a napkin and rotates it for each communicant. I am not aware of any documented cases of disease being spread by the common cup.

 

Choir Robes

A term for the vestments worn by members of the choir. In some churches, no other vestments are used.

 

Chant

To some people, the word ‘chant’ refers to mindless repetitions of the same words and phrases. But ‘chant’ is actually a technical term for a specific musical form—a simple melody in which you sing a number of words or syllables on the same note. Or you might say that a song is words set to music, but a chant is music set to words. The most well-known chant is the musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer, which is more elaborate than most chants. Chants were invented to encourage congregational singing, since they require less musical skill than songs. The advantage of chanting is that most any text can be chanted to any tune without modifying either the tune or the text, and that makes it an ideal way to put scripture to music.

Ciborium

A ciborium looks like a chalice with a lid. It is used to store the bread for Communion.

 

Collect

A collect (pronounced CALL-ect) is a short prayer that summarizes a foregoing series of prayers or a worship service. A collect is usually one sentence long and consists of three parts: an invocation, a petition, and a doxology. The following is an example of a simple collect:

O God, who gave your only Son to die for our sins, give us grateful hearts to live worthily before you; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. AMEN.

 

Colors

Since fabrics, such as banners and vestments, have to be some color or the other, the historic Church has taken advantage of this fact and has used color to set the theme of worship. Color usage was more diverse in the past, mainly because dyes were expensive and it wasn’t as easy as it is today to get fabric in any color. In modern times, we’ve developed the following general consensus:
 

Green

You might say that green is the default color. Green is the color of vegetation, therefore it is the color of life. Green is the color for the Season of Epiphany and the Season After Pentecost. These two seasons are also called ‘Ordinary Time’ because the Sundays have no names, just ordinal numbers.

 

Purple

In antiquity, purple dye was very expensive, so purple came to signify wealth, power, and royalty. Therefore purple is the color for the seasons of Advent and Lent, which celebrate the coming of the King. Since as Christians we prepare for our King through reflection and repentance, purple has also become a penitential color.

 

White

Angels announced Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:8-15) and His Resurrection (Luke 24:1-8). The New Testament consistently uses white to describe angels and the risen Lord (see Matthew 17:2 and 28:3, Mark 9:3 and 16:5, John 20:12, Acts 1:10, and throughout Revelation.) In the ancient Church, people were given white robes as soon as they emerged from the waters of baptism. Therefore, white is the color for the seasons of Easter and Christmas. White is also used for secular holidays that are observed in the church and for funerals, since it is the color of the Resurrection.

 

Red

Red is the color of blood, and therefore also of martyrdom. Red is the color for any service that commemorates the death of a martyr. It is also an alternative color for the last week of Lent, which is called Holy Week. Red is the color for Pentecost Sunday and for ordinations, because it is the color of fire and therefore also of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:3).

 

Black

Before the advent of modern dyes, all dress clothes were black—just look at any photograph taken in the 19th century. The main historical connotation of black is formality. Because we don’t wear black as often today, it has survived as a formal color only at extremely solemn occasions, such as funerals. For some people today, black immediately connotes a funeral. Black is sometimes, but rarely, the color for funeral services or Good Friday.

 

Rose

Rose is sometimes used on the third Sunday in Advent, to signify joy.

 

Gold

Gold is an alternative to white.

 

Blue

Blue is an alternative to purple during Advent. Blue represents the Virgin Mary, because she is known as the Queen of Heaven and the sky is blue. Some churches just use blue during Advent to avoid the penitential connotation of purple.

 

Congregation

Literally, the people who have gathered for worship. The term has two meanings:

·         Those presently assembled for worship.

·         All of the people who make up the local church’s constituency.

In many churches the word congregation is only used in the first meaning, and the word parish is used for the second meaning.

 

Crucifer

Crucifer is a Latin word meaning cross-bearer, used for the acolyte who carries the cross in a church procession. It is an ancient custom for the clergy and the other ministers to enter the church after the worshipers have already assembled. When this is done in a procession, the procession is led by the crucifer, usually a young person, bearing the cross. The crucifer is followed by the choir, the acolytes, the lay ministers, and finally the clergy; the highest-ranking clergy last.

 

Curate

Curate is an Anglican term for assistant pastor. The word cure is related to the word care. A curate is a person who takes care of a cure, that is, the congregation, viewed as a spiritual charge. Assistant pastors are usually assigned the duty of routinely visiting the members of the congregation who are sick, shut-in, or in distress; hence the term. The word curator (as in a museum) is related. See also rector and vicar.

 

Deacon

The word deacon comes from the Greek word diakonos, which means servant. The New Testament records the appointment of the first deacons in Acts 6 and lists their qualifications for office in 1 Timothy 3. The New Testament describes the function of the first deacons, but it does not lay down a general charter for the function of deacons in the church. Up through the fourth century, deacons had administrative functions, and because even the largest churches limited themselves to seven deacons, they often had more power and prestige than the presbyters, who nominally outranked them. This situation was corrected by the Council of Constantinople in AD 381 and by allowing larger churches to have as many deacons as they needed. Today, depending on the church, a deacon can be any of the following: a low-ranking member of the clergy; a lay minister; or a lay administrator.

 

Dean

 The word dean has many uses throughout Christendom. Most often the term is used for the bishop’s assistant who actually runs the cathedral.

 

Elder

Elder is the English word which translates the Greek word presbuteros (or presbyter), which came down to us in English as priest.

 

Father

 In Roman Catholicism, in Orthodoxy, and to some degree in Anglicanism, people often address priests as father. In general usage, if John Smith is a priest, he is called Father John, but if he is an Anglican priest, he might be called Father Smith. Protestants do not call their clergy father, based on Matthew 23:9, but they do not use the same reasoning to ban the term teacher (Matthew 23:10), so the prohibition is mainly a reaction against Roman Catholic practice. Groups who do use this term argue that the context (Matthew 23:1-12) only forbids Christian leaders to use titles such as father and teacher hypocritically or for self-promotion. They use 1 Corinthians 4:15 as an example of how the term father can rightly be applied to a Christian leader. However, if you are writing a letter to Father John, the address on the envelope should say The Reverend John

 
 Hymn

Technically, a hymn is a song in which the singers praise, worship, or thank God. However, many church songs that are called hymns today are not directed to God at all, but to the congregation (as a testimony), to newcomers (as an invitation), or the congregation even sings to itself (as self-congratulation).

 

Lay Reader

A lay reader is a lay person who is authorized to read the scripture lessons and lead the congregation in certain parts of the worship service. In many circumstances, a lay reader can be authorized to conduct worship or administer sacraments under strict instructions from the clergy. The lay reader is essentially the Christian continuation of the lay reader in the synagogue.

 

Liturgy

The word liturgy, which is a Greek word, has several different meanings in common use. For many people, a liturgy is a pre-planned worship service with all the parts written out. People who say that they have a non-liturgical church have this meaning in mind. Orthodox Christians, however, use the word liturgy to refer to the Eucharistic part of the service, so if a Baptist tells an Orthodox Christian, “we have a non-liturgical worship service,” the Orthodox Christian might go away thinking that Baptists never have Communion. Technically, however, if you have a printed bulletin or a preset order of worship, that is a liturgy. The only Christians who have a truly non-liturgical worship are the Quakers. (They sit in silence and wait to see if anyone says anything, and it is possible for a complete Sunday service to pass in silence.) The literal meaning of the word is the work of the lay people. In other words, worship is something you do, not something you watch.

In the era of the New Testament, a liturgy was a public activity that arose out of civic duty. For this reason, when the New Testament uses the word liturgeia (λιτυργεια) in the original Greek, it is generally translated ministry or service, such as in Luke 1:23, 2 Corinthians 9:12, Philippians 2:17, as well as Hebrews 8:6 and 9:21.

 

Minister

Minister is the Latin word for doer of little deeds, as opposed to a magistrate, who is a doer of great deeds. In some churches, the word minister denotes a person who is charged with the spiritual care of a church. In most churches, minister is a generic term that includes all who assist in worship, whether clergy or lay. All of the following are ministers: bishops, priests, deacons, acolyte, lay readers, crucifers, and even the congregation.

 

Officiant

A term for the minister who is the moderator of a worship service. This term is most often used when the service does not include communion. Depending on circumstances, the officiant may be an ordained minister, a lay minister, or a lay person.

  

Offering

Originally, members of the congregation produced the bread and wine for Communion and presented it to the celebrant in the middle of the worship service, right before the Eucharist. This presentation of the bread and wine is called the offering, because it parallels Jesus’ offering of His flesh and blood for our sin. In the United States, where churches are financed through donations rather than tax money and most of them are in a perpetual state of financial distress, it has become customary to collect donations at this point in the service. Therefore, the term offering has come to refer to the money.

 

Ordinary Time

 The Season of Epiphany and the Season After Pentecost are called ordinary time in some churches, because historically, the Sundays in those seasons have no names, just ordinal numbers (the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, and so on.)

 

Parish

In some churches, the geographical territory of a local church. In general, the constituency of a local church; that is, all the people who are members or who informally consider it to be their church. In many churches, congregation is used for this term.

 

Pastor

Pastor is the Latin word for shepherd. This word refers to the ordained minister who is charged with the primary spiritual care of a local church.

 

Paten

A paten is the small circular plate that holds the Communion bread. It is used with a chalice and is made of the same material as the chalice.

 

Pope

The term pope or papa originated as a term of endearment for bishops and sometimes even priests. It is a form of the word father. To this day, the eastern Orthodox sometimes give their bishops the title pope. In 1073, Pope Gregory restricted the use of the term in the western Church to the bishops of Rome and their successors in office. He also instituted a number of reforms called the Dictatus Papae that strengthened the papacy. Therefore in western Christian usage, the term pope refers exclusively to the bishop of Rome. The pope is the only member of the Roman Catholic clergy who wears white vestments. Bear in mind, however, that if you read Orthodox documents, or documents written before 1073, the term pope may simply be a courtesy title without reference to the papacy.

 

Presbyter

The Greek word presbuteros is used in the New Testament for people who perform the functions of clergy in the Church. It means elder. The English word that developed over time from presbyter is priest. (Note the progression from presbyter to prester to priest.) The qualifications for presbyters are given in 1 Timothy 5, but their duties are not listed in scripture. The office, function, and name came into the Church from the ancient synagogue.

 

Priest

 Priest is the English word that originated from the Greek word presbyteros, which means elder. (Note the progression from presbyter to prester to priest.) Originally, this was the normal word for Christian clergy. Over time it took over the meaning of hierarch and was extended by way of analogy to Jewish and then pagan clergy. Some groups avoid priest as if it were pagan, when it is in fact entirely Christian and scriptural in origin. The Greek word for a temple functionary is hierarch.

In many New Testament translations, the word priest is used to translate both presbyter and hierarch, which can confuse the reader. It gives the false impression that the Church has no clergy or that all Christians are clergy. The Greek New Testament teaches a hierarchy of all believers, not a presbytery of all believers—meaning that all Christians have direct access to God, but not all have administrative, supervisory, or sacramental duties in the Church. (See 1 Peter 2:1-10 in the original Greek.)

Roman Catholic priests must be unmarried at the time of their ordination and they must remain that way. In the Eastern Church, a priest must remain in the state in which he was ordained. If he was single when he was ordained a priest, he must remain unmarried. If he was married when he was ordained a priest, he may remained married, but he is not permitted to remarry if he is widowed. Anglican and Lutheran priests can marry after ordination. (Lutheran clergy in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries are called priests.) If an Anglican or eastern priest becomes a Roman Catholic priest, his marital status is not a barrier. This means that there are a few married priests in the Roman Catholic Church.

 

Procession

Until quite recently, there were no accurate timepieces, so worship services did not have a precise starting time. After the people gathered, the clergy and other ministers would enter the church in a procession to begin the service. This custom is still continued in most churches today, though in some churches it only survives in the wedding service. The first person in the procession is usually the crucifer, followed by other acolytes who light the candles and carry service books, then the choir, followed by lay ministers and then the clergy, with the highest ranking clergy last.

 

Pyx (or Pyxis)

A pyx (or pyxis) is a storage container for Communion wafers, which is often stored in a tabernacle. There is another type of pyx that is used to hold the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service.

 

Readings

Most churches are faithful to 1 Timothy 4:13 and incorporate the public reading of Holy Scripture in the worship service. Traditionally, there are up to four Bible readings during the Synaxis (the Service of the Word), which are taken from the Sunday lectionary.

 

The Old Testament Reading

The Old Testament Reading is taken from any part of the Old Testament except from the Psalms.

 

The Psalm

The Psalm is either an excerpt from a psalm or an entire psalm. Normally, the congregation participates in the psalm reading, either by reading it responsively or in unison, or by chanting it.

 

The Epistle Reading

The epistle reading is taken from any book in the New Testament other than a gospel. That is, for the purpose of the lectionary, readings from Acts and Revelation are considered epistle readings—with the exception that Orthodox Christians never take readings from Revelation.

 

The Gospel Reading

The gospel reading is an excerpt from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, just as you would suspect. Pews were invented by Roman Catholicism during the late middle ages for the comfort of the worshipers. Therefore, many congregations continue to stand during the gospel reading to show respect.

Rector

 Rector is the Anglican word for the elected pastor of a financially self-supporting congregation. The term derives from the fact that if there are multiple clergy on staff in a church, the pastor has primary responsibility for directing the worship. See also vicar.

 

Reverend

The term reverend is an adjective that simply indicates that a person is a member of the clergy. In the United States, it is abbreviated Rev; outside the United States, it is abbreviated Revd. If John Smith is a member of the clergy, you can refer to him in writing as The Rev. John Smith, or The Rev. Smith. If he has a doctorate degree, you can refer to him as The Rev. Dr. John Smith, or The Rev. Dr. Smith.

 

When you are talking to him, you can address him as Reverend Smith, but it is usually considered impolite to call him just Reverend. If John Smith is clergy in another church, and you are unsure what to call him or you are uncomfortable with his customary title, call him Reverend Smith and no one will be offended. If, for example, you are a Protestant and you are speaking to a Roman Catholic priest who refers to himself as Father John, he will not be offended if you call him Reverend John, because it is actually correct. Nevertheless, most members of the clergy are humble and are not offended if you get their titles wrong.

 

See

The word see comes from a Latin word meaning seat. It refers to the city in which the bishop’s home church (cathedral) is located.

Tabernacle

A tabernacle is an ornamental box for storing the bread and wine of Communion. The tabernacle contains a pyx with the bread and cruets with the water and wine.

 

Thurifer

A thurifer is a person who carries and swings the thurible in a worship service. In case that doesn’t clear it up for you, a thurible (or censer) is the device in which incense is burnt.

 

Vestry 

In the Anglican Communion, the vestry corresponds to the board of directors of a secular organization. The vestry elects the rector of the church and conducts its secular business. George Washington, the first president of the United States, was a member of the vestry of the Falls Church in the city of the same name in Fairfax County, Virginia. Before the American Revoluation, the Falls Church fell under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London in the Church of England; it is now in the Diocese of Virginia of the US Episcopal Church.  

 

Vicar 

In the Anglican Communion in the United States, if a church is not financially self-supporting and is unable to pay a full-time pastor, the bishop is nominally the pastor. The bishop appoints a priest to do the actual work. Since this priest is only functioning as a stand-in for the bishop, he or she is called a vicar from the Latin word for stand-in. When the church becomes self-supporting, it forms a vestry, which calls and elects a rector to take the place of the vicar.