# Lay presidency > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lay_presidency > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lay_presidency.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_presidency > Source revision: 1310524359 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{More citations needed|date=June 2021}} '''Lay presidency''' is a form of celebrating the [Lord's Supper](/source/Eucharist) (sometimes called the [Eucharist](/source/Eucharist)) whereby the person presiding over the [sacrament](/source/sacrament) is not an ordained minister of religion.{{cite book |last1=Llloyd |first1=Trevor |title=Lay Presidency at the Eucharist? |date=1977 |publisher=Grove Books |isbn=9780905422091}} Similarly, when the celebrant is a deacon rather than a presbyter, the term '''diaconal presidency''' is used. ==Use== Most independent [Christian](/source/Christianity) [churches](/source/Church_body) have a form of lay presidency as part of their communal worship. Mainstream [denomination](/source/religious_denomination)s have been less inclined to allow lay people to preside over the sacrament, preferring to use ordained ministers or priests for this role. ==Denominations which use lay presidency== In the [United Methodist Church](/source/United_Methodist_Church) lay presidency is the norm. While many are ordained as presbyters (Elders) most clergy in the UMC are commissioned or licensed local pastors. These laypersons while called clergy in the Book of Discipline are nonetheless not ordained. These lay persons are only allowed to celebrate the sacraments in their appointments. ==Theological considerations== One area of conflict for [Evangelical Christian](/source/Evangelical_Christian)s in mainline churches is that, while the sacrament is a symbolic preaching of the gospel, only authorized and [ordained](/source/ordain) [ministers](/source/minister_of_religion) may preside, whereas non-ordained people are not allowed to do this, despite being allowed to preach the [gospel](/source/gospel) in some cases. This may be seen as elevating the importance of the sacrament over the preaching of the gospel - that the symbolic preaching is more important than the literal. Evangelical elements in some mainline churches, for example the [Diocese of Sydney](/source/Sydney_Anglicans) within the [Anglican Church of Australia](/source/Anglican_Church_of_Australia), are considering introducing lay presidency due to this. ==North American Lutheran view== The [Evangelical Lutheran Church in America](/source/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_America) and [Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada](/source/Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_in_Canada) authorise lay and diaconal presidency in certain extraordinary circumstances, within a finite time period and location, and only with the approval of the synodical bishop. In some cases, individuals who have received a pastoral call are authorized to celebrate the Lord's Supper prior to their eventual ordination, although this practice is not in accord with the denomination's own worship statement, [https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/The_Use_Of_The_Means_Of_Grace.pdf The Use of the Means of Grace]. Lay presidency of any kind would seem to be in conflict with [https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/ecumenical-interreligious/agreement-of-full-communion-called-to-common-mission/ Called to Common Mission], the [full communion](/source/full_communion) agreement between the ELCA and the Episcopal Church, which prohibits the practice. Theological opinions around the appropriateness of lay presidency are not uncommon in the ELCA, which is a merger of traditions that include both quasi-sacramental and purely functional understandings of ordained ministry. While the ELCA adopted the historic episcopate as part of [Called to Common Mission](/source/Called_to_Common_Mission), Lutherans have historically not understood ordination as leaving an [indelible](/source/sacramental_character) character on the minister. Nevertheless, ordained pastors who leave the ministerial roster and are later reinstated are not re-ordained, which would seem to indicate an implicit acceptance of this sacramental character. Lay presidency would also seem to contradict [https://thebookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/article-xiv/ Article 14] of the [Augsburg Confession](/source/Augsburg_Confession), which states that "no one should publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments unless [he/she] be regularly called." ==References== {{Reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lay Presidency}} Category:Eucharist Category:Ecclesiology --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Lay presidency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_presidency) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_presidency?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.