Expert: Dean Gade - 8/9/2006

Question
I haven't been to Church in a long while and I'm interested in the way the hierarchy in a church order works.  I'd like to know where nuns, priests, bishops and friars fit in this order, perhaps in the same sense the chain-of-command works in the U.S. Military.

The way I understand it a private answers to a sergeant who answers to a higher-ranking NCO who answers to a C.O. who answers to a CG who answers to a chief of staff who answers to Sec. Of Defense to the President.

Where can I get a complete diagram for this hierarchy as it applies to a church order?  

Also, I'd like to know about the steps a woman would need to take in order to become a nun.  (Assuming she's already a Christian) Is it as simple as just filling out an application to the sisterhood?  (That was flippant, I know, but that's the basic level I guess I'd like to have the process explained) Is it also possible for a nun to "advance" in the hierarchy? Even higher than a priest?

I appreciate your help.

Answer
I am a member of the Lutheran Chuch-Missouri Synod.  When this group of immigrants came to the USA, they were running from a "state church" system in Germany which was bureaucratic as well as hierarchal.   Because of the abuses of the Lutheran state church, they determined not to have a heirarchy in the church in this country.

We have no bishops nor friars. Instead of nuns we do have trained workers, both men and women called Deacons and Deaconesses.  This word in the Greek (diakona) means "worker".  They are full time church workers with the pastor (shepherd) and may also be teachers, choir directors or whatever they congregaton calls them to do .. and that they have accepted to fulfill these duties.

The titles we use are mostly descriptions of the offices to which they have been called.  

Even the congregations are independent of the main church management offices which assist with calls from congregations to pastors of their choice, pensions, insurance, opening new congregations, building church buildings, etc.  The local congregation owns their building, calls pastors as they will, and follow customs and traditions much as they would like to.

Of course as the Missouri Synod grew to millions of members and spread overseas ,a corporate hierarcy did creep in for the sake of order.  But from its inception these tendencies have been fought.  Being a denomination which puts much emphasis on the Bible as God's Word, Jesus words about forms of hierarchy are held dear:

Luke 22:24-28

24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
(from New International Version)

If some denominations have Cardinals, Bishops, priests, Elders, friars or whatever they choose to give titles and office to, we consider it their choice and do not in any way condemn them.  We have just chosen what we think is best for us.

So, you can see that I cannot tell you much about how hierarchal denominations organize.
I do know, however, that most differ from one another and you will have a difficult time finding a diagram except from EACH of these denominations.