Editing Ordination (section)

==Christianity==

===Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican churches===
{{Main|Holy Orders}}
[[Image:Priestly ordination.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Ordination of a [[Priesthood (Catholic Church)|Catholic priest]] (pre-1968 form of the [[Roman Rite]]).]]

In Catholicism and Orthodoxy, ordination is one of the seven [[sacraments]], variously called [[holy orders]] or ''[[Christian laying on of hands|cheirotonia]]'' ("[[Laying on of Hands]]").

[[Apostolic succession]] is considered an essential and necessary concept for ordination in the Catholic, Orthodox, High Church Lutheran, Moravian, and Anglican traditions, with the belief that all ordained clergy are ordained by bishops who were ordained by other bishops tracing back to bishops ordained by the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]] who were ordained by [[Christ]], the great High Priest ({{Bibleverse||Hebrews|7:26}}, {{Bibleverse||Hebrews|8:2}}), who conferred his priesthood upon his Apostles ({{Bibleverse||John|20:21–23}}, {{Bibleverse||Matthew|28:19–20}}, {{Bibleverse||Mark|16:15–18}}, and {{Bibleverse||Acts|2:33}}).<ref name=SB>{{cite web |url=http://www.saintbarbara.org/faith/sacraments/priesthood/sac_priesthood.cfm |title=Sacrament of the Holy Priesthood |access-date=3 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051217213246/http://www.saintbarbara.org/faith/sacraments/priesthood/sac_priesthood.cfm |archive-date=17 December 2005 }} "The Orthodox Faith — The Sacrament of the Holy Priesthood", Retrieved 3 August 2011</ref><ref name="König2010">{{cite book|last=König|first=Andrea|title=Mission, Dialog und friedliche Koexistenz: Zusammenleben in einer multireligiösen und säkularen Gesellschaft: Situation, Initiativen und Perspektiven für die Zukunft|year=2010|publisher=Peter Lang|isbn=9783631609453|page=205|quote=Having said that, Lutheran bishops in Sweden or Finland, which retained apostolic succession, or other parts of the world, such as Africa or Asia, which gained it from Scandinavia, could easily be engaged to do something similar in Australia, as has been done in the United States, without reliance on Anglicans.}}</ref><ref name="GuidryCrossing2001">{{cite book|last1=Guidry|first1=Christopher R. |last2=Crossing|first2=Peter F.|title=World Christian Trends, AD 30 – AD 2200: Interpreting the Annual Christian Megacensus|date=1 January 2001 |publisher=William Carey Library|isbn=9780878086085|page=307|quote=A number of large episcopal churches (e.g. United Methodist Church, USA) have maintained a succession over 200 years but are not concerned to claim that the succession goes back in unbroken line to the time of the first Apostles. Very many other major episcopal churches, such as the Catholic, Orthodox, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Scandinavian Lutheran, make this claim and contend that a bishop cannot have regular or valid orders unless he has been consecrated in this apostolic succession.}}</ref>

There are three ordinations in Holy Orders: [[deacon]], [[presbyter]], and [[bishop]].  Both bishops and presbyters are [[priest#Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy|priest]]s and have authority to celebrate the Eucharist. In [[Presbyter#Modern usage|common use]], however, the term ''priest'', when unqualified, refers to the order of presbyter, whereas ''presbyter'' is mainly used in rites of ordination and other places where a technical and precise term is required.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

Ordination of a bishop is performed by several bishops; ordination of a priest or deacon is performed by a single bishop.  The ordination of a new bishop is also called a [[consecration]].  Many ancient sources specify that at least three bishops are necessary to consecrate another, e.g., the 13th Canon of the Council of Carthage (AD 394) states, "A bishop should not be ordained except by many bishops, but if there should be necessity he may be ordained by three,"<ref>[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers2/NPNF2-14/Npnf2-14-146.htm#P8134_1642585] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314125940/http://www.tertullian.org/fathers2/NPNF2-14/Npnf2-14-146.htm|date=14 March 2012}}, "Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers — The Seven Ecumenical Councils, p641", Retrieved 3 August 2011</ref> and the first of "The Canons of the Holy and Altogether August Apostles" states, "Let a bishop be ordained by two or three bishops," while the second canon thereof states, "Let a presbyter, deacon, and the rest of the clergy, be ordained by one bishop";<ref>[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers2/NPNF2-14/Npnf2-14-178.htm#P10875_2117776] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314125947/http://www.tertullian.org/fathers2/NPNF2-14/Npnf2-14-178.htm|date=14 March 2012}}, "Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers — The Seven Ecumenical Councils, p839", Retrieved 3 August 2011</ref> the latter canons, whatever their origin, were imposed on the universal church by the Seventh [[Ecumenical Council]], the [[Second Council of Nicaea]], in its first canon.<ref>[http://www.tertullian.org/fathers2/NPNF2-14/Npnf2-14-167.htm#P10346_1983930] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905150322/http://www.tertullian.org/fathers2/NPNF2-14/Npnf2-14-167.htm|date=5 September 2011}}, "Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers — The Seven Ecumenical Councils, P790", Retrieved 3 August 2011</ref>

<!-- Commented out: [[Image:Russian Orthodox Episcopal Ordination.jpg|thumb|right|[[Consecration]] of an [[Eastern Orthodox|Orthodox]] [[bishop]].  The priest being ordained is kneeling with the Gospel Book on his head while the ordaining bishops lay their right hands over his head]] -->
[[Image:Cheirotonia Presbyter 3.jpeg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|Ordination of an Orthodox. The deacon being ordained is kneeling with the bishop's [[omophorion]] over his head as the bishop blesses him immediately before the [[Christian laying on of hands|Cheirotonia]].]]
[[Image:Kheirotonia.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|Eastern Orthodox [[subdeacon]] being ordained to the [[diaconate]]. The bishop has placed his omophorion and right hand on the candidate's head and is reading the ''Prayer of Cheirotonia''.]]

====Details peculiar to the various denominations====
The [[Catholic Church]] teaches that one bishop is sufficient to consecrate a new bishop validly (that is, for an episcopal ordination actually to take place). In most Christian denominations that retain the practice of ordination, only an already ordained (consecrated) bishop or the equivalent may ordain bishops, priests, and deacons.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pius XII|title=Episcopali consecrationis|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-xii_apc_19441130_episcopali-consecrationis_lt.html|access-date=20 September 2013|quote=Episcopalis Consecrationis Ministrum esse Episcopum et ad huius Consecrationis validitatem unum solum sufficere Episcopum, qui cum debita mentis intentione essentiales ritus perficiat, extra omne dubium est diuturnaque praxi comprobatum. [That the minister of episcopal consecration is a bishop, and that only one bishop–who performs the act with the necessary intention of the mind performs the essential rites—is necessary for the validity of that consecration, is proved beyond all doubt and by long practice.]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302231641/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-xii_apc_19441130_episcopali-consecrationis_lt.html|archive-date=2 March 2013}}</ref> However, Canon Law requires that bishops always be consecrated with the mandate (approval) of the [[Pope]], as the guarantor of the Church's unity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Code of Canon Law – IntraText|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3O.HTM|work=Code of Canon Law|location=Canon 1014|quote=No bishop is permitted to consecrate anyone a bishop unless it is first evident that there is a pontifical mandate.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070402021547/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3O.HTM|archive-date=2 April 2007}}</ref> Moreover, at least three bishops are to perform the consecration, although the Apostolic See may dispense from this requirement in extraordinary circumstances (for example, in missionary settings or times of persecution).<ref>{{cite web|title=Code of Canon Law – IntraText|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3O.HTM|work=Code of Canon Law|location=Canon 1014|quote=Unless the Apostolic See has granted a dispensation, the principal bishop consecrator in an episcopal consecration is to be joined by at least two consecrating bishops; it is especially appropriate, however, that all the bishops present consecrate the elect together with the bishops mentioned.|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070402021547/https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3O.HTM|archive-date=2 April 2007}}</ref>

In the Catholic Church, those deacons destined to be ordained priests are often termed ''transitional deacons''; those deacons who are married before being ordained, as well as any unmarried deacons who chose not to be ordained priests, are called ''permanent deacons''. Those married deacons who become widowers have the possibility of seeking ordination to the priesthood in exceptional cases.<ref>{{cite book|title=National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States|publisher=United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|location=Chapter 2, No. 77|page=37|url=http://old.usccb.org/deacon/DeaconDirectory.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711045955/http://old.usccb.org/deacon/DeaconDirectory.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 July 2012}}</ref>

While some Eastern churches have in the past recognized [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] ordinations as valid,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://orthodoxanglican.net/downloads/alexandria.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723233345/http://orthodoxanglican.net/downloads/alexandria.pdf|url-status=dead|title="Orthodox Statements on Anglican Orders"|archivedate=23 July 2011}}</ref> the current Anglican practice, in many provinces, of [[Ordination of women|ordaining women to the priesthood]]—and, in some cases, to the episcopate—has caused the Orthodox generally to question earlier declarations of validity and hopes for union.<ref>[http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/ecumenical/dialogues/orthodox/docs/the_dublin_statement.cfm#s2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131083118/http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/ecumenical/dialogues/orthodox/docs/the_dublin_statement.cfm|date=31 January 2011}}"Unity Faith and Order – Dialogues – Anglican Orthodox," Introduction, par. 2 ("From Moscow to Lambeth (1976–8)</ref>  Anglicanism recognizes Catholic and Orthodox ordinations; hence, clergy converting to Anglicanism are not "re-ordained". In 1896, [[Pope Leo XIII]] issued the papal bull Apostolicae Curae, which declared Anglican orders "absolutely null and utterly void."<ref>{{Cite web |title=CATHOLIC LIBRARY: Apostolicae Curae (1896) |url=https://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_le13ac.htm |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref> While the Vatican has not officially retracted the statement, Roman Catholic actions after the issuance of the bull imply varying positions on the matter. In modern times, the Pope has on several occasions gifted to the Archbishop of Canterbury signs of ecclesiastical office, including a crozier,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pope Francis gave Archbishop Justin Welby a replica of the Crozier of St. Gregory the Great ~ IARCCUM.org |url=https://iarccum.org/gallery/?g=259#:~:text=Pope%20Francis%20gave%20Archbishop%20Justin,Gregory%20the%20Great%20~%20IARCCUM.org |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=iarccum.org}}</ref> an episcopal ring,<ref>{{Cite web |title=World: Pope Paul's gift marked moving moment of ecumenical drama |url=https://www.natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2003d/101703/101703e.htm |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=www.natcath.org}}</ref> and a Eucharistic chalice,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Fr Gerald E. |date=2017-05-18 |title=The Truth Is Real, Not Rigid |url=https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2017/05/18/the-truth-is-real-not-rigid/ |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=The Catholic Thing |language=en-US}}</ref> signaling a softening on the Roman view of Anglican orders. In addition, under Pope Francis' tenure, an Anglican bishop was allowed to celebrate mass on the altar of the Archbasilica of [[Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran|Saint John Lateran]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-20 |title=Over 50 Anglicans celebrate liturgy at Pope Francis’ cathedral after “breakdown in communication” |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2023/04/20/rome-basilica-apologizes-anglicans-celebrate-mass-245154 |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=America Magazine |language=en}}</ref> the seat of the Pope's own bishopric.

With respect to [[Lutheranism]], "the Catholic Church has never officially expressed its judgement on the validity of orders as they have been handed down by episcopal succession in these two national Lutheran churches" (the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden]] and the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland]]) though it does "question how the ecclesiastical break in the 16th century has affected the apostolicity of the churches of the Reformation and thus the apostolicity of their ministry".<ref>{{cite book|last=Sullivan|first=Francis Aloysius|title=From Apostles to Bishops: The Development of the Episcopacy in the Early Church |year=2001|publisher=Paulist Press|isbn=0809105349|page=4|quote=To my knowledge, the Catholic Church has never officially expressed its judgement on the validity of orders as they have been handed down by episcopal succession in these two national Lutheran churches.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sakasti.evl.fi/sakasti.nsf/0/DA1B501CC09E109FC22577AE002A3DD8/$FILE/Report%20Justification%20in%20the%20Life%20of%20the%20Church.pdf|title=Roman Catholic – Lutheran Dialogue Group for Sweden and Finland, ''Justification in the Life of the Church'', section 297, page 101}}</ref>

Some [[Eastern Orthodox]] churches recognize Catholic ordinations while others "re-ordain" Catholic clergy (as well as Anglicans) who convert.  However, both the Catholic and Anglican churches recognize Orthodox ordinations.

In the Catholic and Anglican churches, ordinations have traditionally been held on [[Ember Days]], though there is no limit to the number of clergy who may be ordained at the same service.  In the Eastern Orthodox Church, ordinations may be performed any day of the year on which the [[Divine Liturgy]] may be celebrated (and deacons may also be ordained at the [[Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts|Presanctified Liturgy]]), but only one person may be ordained to each order at any given service, that is, at most one bishop, one presbyter, and one deacon may be ordained at the same liturgy.<ref name="DS">{{Citation
 |last             = Sokolof
 |first            = Archpriest Dimitrii
 |year             = 1899
 |publication-date = 2001
 |title            = Manual of the Orthodox Church's Divine Services
 |pages            = 132–136
 |place            = [[Jordanville, New York]]
 |publisher        = [[Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)|Holy Trinity Monastery]]
 |isbn             = 0-88465-067-7
 |url              = http://www.ccel.org/ccel/sokolof/services.toc.html
 |url-status          = live
 |archive-url       = https://web.archive.org/web/20170702051031/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/sokolof/services.toc.html
 |archive-date      = 2 July 2017
}}</ref>

====Notes====
[[File:Kurtley Knight ordination to the Anglican Priesthood 01.jpg|thumb|In an outdoor Anglican ordination service, a deacon being ordained to the priesthood prostrates himself before the seated bishop.]]
* There have long existed orders of clergy below that of deacon.  In the Eastern Orthodox and [[Oriental Orthodox]] churches (and, until 1970, in the Catholic Church), a person has to be [[tonsure]]d a cleric and be ordained to sundry [[minor order]]s prior to being ordained a deacon.  Although a person may be said to be ordained to these orders, such ordinations are not reckoned as part of the sacrament of Holy Orders; in the Eastern Orthodox, the term ''[[Cheirothesia]]'' ("imposition of hands")<ref name=DS/> is used for such ordinations in contrast to ''Cheirotonia'' ("laying on of hands") for ordinations of deacons, presbyters, and bishops.
* The following are positions that are not acquired by ordination:
** Becoming a [[monk]] or [[nun]] or, generally, a member of a [[religious order#Christian tradition|religious order]], which is open to men and women; men in religious orders may or may not be ordained. Anglican nuns may, like their male counterparts, be ordained as well. 
** Offices and titles such as [[pope]], [[patriarch]], [[archbishop]], [[archpriest]], [[archimandrite]], [[archdeacon]], etc., which are given to ordained persons for sundry reasons, e.g., to rank them or honor them.
** [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]]s are simply a large collegiate body who are electors of and the senior-most counselors to the Pope, and are not a fourth order beyond bishop. At presently nearly all cardinals are bishops, although [[Cardinal (Catholicism)#Cardinals who are not bishops|several are priests]], having been granted a dispensation from being ordained a bishop by the Pope (most of these were elevated by the Pope for services to the Church, and are over 80, thus not having the right to elect a pope or have active voting memberships in Vatican departments). As recently as 1899 there was a [[lay cardinal|cardinal who was a deacon]] when he died, having been a cardinal for 41 years ([[Teodolfo Mertel]]). There have even been noble lay men, or men who only possessed minor orders (now called ministries, and carried out by seminarians and laypeople) who at one time were made cardinals. Cardinals are considered princes in diplomatic protocol and by the Church, and even if they are not ordained bishops and cannot perform episcopal functions such as ordination, they have both real and ceremonial precedence over all non-cardinal patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops. Some have discussed the possibility in Catholicism of having women serve as cardinals or, more realistically in the short-term, as sub-deacons, since they cannot be ordained{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}}.
*{{anchor|DDO}}In the [[Church of England]], the priest of the diocese who oversees the process of discernment, selection and training of ordinands is usually called the "Diocesan Director of Ordinands", commonly shortened to "DDO". He or she may have a team of assistants, who may be called Assistant DDOs or Vocations Advisers.

{{anchor|Methodism}}{{Anchor|Reformed}}

===Reformed, Methodist and Pentecostal churches===
[[File:Presbyterian licentiate making his vows.jpg|thumb|A [[Presbyterian]] ordinand making his ordination vows]]
[[File:OrdinationMCC.JPG|thumb|Ordination by [[laying on of hands]] in a [[Metropolitan Community Church]]]]
In most [[Protestantism|Protestant]] churches, ordination is the [[ritual|rite]] by which their various churches:
* recognize and confirm that an individual has been called by God to ministry,
* acknowledge that the individual has gone through a period of discernment and training related to this call (e.g. having graduated from a [[seminary]]), and
* authorize that individual to take on the [[Minister (Christianity)|office of ministry]].
For the sake of authorization and church order, and not for reason of 'powers' or 'ability', individuals in most [[mainline (Protestant)|mainline]] Protestant churches must be ordained in order to preside at the sacraments ([[Baptism]] and [[Holy Communion]]), and to be installed as a called [[pastor]] of a congregation or parish.

Some Protestant traditions have additional offices of ministry to which persons can be ordained. For instance:
* most [[Presbyterian]] and [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] churches maintain a threefold order of ministry of [[pastor]], [[Elder (religious)|elder]], and [[deacon]]. The order of Pastor, the only one of the three orders considered "clergy", is comparable to most other denominations' pastoral office or ordained ministry.  The order of [[Elder (religious)|elder]] comprises lay persons ordained to the ministries of church order and spiritual care (for example, elders form the governing bodies of congregations and are responsible for a congregation's worship life). In many Presbyterian churches, the pastor or minister is seen as a "teaching elder" and is equal to the other elders in the [[Session (Presbyterianism)|session]]. The order of [[deacon]] comprises lay persons ordained to ministries of service and pastoral care. Those who fill this position may be known as "ruling elders".
* Deacons are also ordained in the [[Lutheran]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livinglutheran.org/2019/10/assembly-recap-a-new-entrance-rite-for-deacons/|title = Assembly recap: A new entrance rite for deacons|date = 3 October 2019}}</ref> [[Methodist]]<ref>[http://nat.uca.org.au/TD/worship/Orders_of_Service/ordination_mow.doc Order of Service: Ordination of a Deacon and Ordination of a Minister of the Word] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626050010/http://nat.uca.org.au/TD/worship/Orders_of_Service/ordination_mow.doc |date=26 June 2008 }}, [[Uniting Church in Australia]],</ref> and in most of the [[Baptist]] traditions.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Deacon ordination | url=http://sanjacintobaptist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Deacon-Ordination.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421060502/http://sanjacintobaptist.com:80/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Deacon-Ordination.pdf | archive-date=2015-04-21}}</ref>

For most Protestant denominations that have an office of [[bishop]], including certain Lutheran and many Methodist churches, this is not viewed as a separate ordination or order of ministry. Rather, bishops are [[ordained minister]]s of the same order as other pastors, simply having been "consecrated" or installed into the "office" (that is, the role) of bishop. However, some Lutheran churches also claim valid [[apostolic succession]].<ref>Tjørhom, Ola. "The Church and its Apostolicity: The [[Porvoo communion|Porvoo]] Common Statement as a Challenge to Lutheran Ecclesiology and the Nordic Lutheran Churches." ''The Ecumenical Review'' 52.2 (2000): 195–203.</ref>

Some Protestant churches – especially [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] ones – have an informal tier of ministers. Those who graduate from a [[bible college]] or take a year of prescribed courses are licensed ministers. Licensed ministers are addressed as "Minister" and ordained ministers as "Reverend." They, and also [[Evangelical]] pastors, are generally ordained at a ceremony called "pastoral consecration".<ref>Sébastien Fath, ''Une autre manière d'être chrétien en France: socio-histoire de l'implantation baptiste, 1810–1950'', Editions Labor et Fides, Genève, 2001, p. 578</ref><ref>William H. Brackney, ''Historical Dictionary of the Baptists'', Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 431</ref><ref>Shane Clifton, ''Pentecostal Churches in Transition: Analysing the Developing Ecclesiology of the Assemblies of God in Australia'', BRILL, Netherlands, 2009, p. 134</ref>

===Jehovah's Witnesses===
Jehovah's Witnesses consider an adherent's [[Baptism#Jehovah's Witnesses|baptism]] to constitute ordination as a [[minister (Christianity)|minister]].<ref>"Beliefs—Membership and Organization", ''Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses'', [http://jw-media.org/beliefs/membership.htm As Retrieved 2009-09-01] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826010609/http://www.jw-media.org/beliefs/membership.htm |date=26 August 2012 }}, "Jehovah's Witnesses have no clergy-laity division. All baptized members are ordained ministers"</ref> Governments have generally recognized that Jehovah's Witnesses' full-time appointees (such as their "[[Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses#Regular pioneers|regular pioneers]]") qualify as ministers<ref>For example, the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] case [[Dickinson v. United States]] found that Dickinson should have been considered a minister by his draft board because of his ordination by baptism as a Jehovah's Witness and his continued service as a Jehovah's Witness "pioneer". [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=CASE&court=US&vol=346&page=389 Online] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010528013058/http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=CASE%26court=US%26vol=346%26page=389 |date=28 May 2001 }}</ref> regardless of sex or appointment as an [[Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses#Elders|elder]] or [[Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses#Ministerial servants|deacon ("ministerial servant")]]. The religion asserts [[ecclesiastical privilege]] only for its appointed elders,<ref>"Russian Federation Federal Law", Chapter 1, Article 3, Paragraph 7, as cited by ''Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses'', [http://www.jw-media.org/region/europe/russia/english/moscow/e_law.htm As Retrieved 2009-09-01] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107040201/http://www.jw-media.org/region/europe/russia/english/moscow/e_law.htm |date=7 January 2009 }}, "Ecclesiastical privilege is protected by the law. A clergyman may not be prosecuted for refusal to testify on circumstances that became known to him during confession."</ref><ref>"Who Are Jehovah's Witnesses?", ''Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses'', [http://www.jw-media.org/people/who.htm As Retrieved 2009-09-01] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228211205/http://jw-media.org/people/who.htm |date=28 February 2009 }}, "Who Are Jehovah's Witnesses?...The worldwide organization is directed by an unpaid, ecclesiastical governing body serving at the international offices in Brooklyn, New York."</ref> but the religion permits any baptized adult male in good standing to officiate at a baptism, wedding, or funeral.<ref>"Question Box", ''Our Kingdom Ministry'', November 1973, page 8, "Weddings and funerals may be conducted by any dedicated, baptized brother as permitted by law."</ref>

===The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints===
{{main|Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)}}
In [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], a rite of ordination is performed to bestow either the [[Aaronic priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|Aaronic]] or [[Melchizedek priesthood (Latter Day Saints)|Melchizedek priesthood]] (Hebrews 5:4–6) upon a worthy male member. As in the Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox traditions, great care is taken to assure that the candidate for priesthood is ordained by those with proper authority and ordained properly and validly; thorough records of priesthood ordination are kept by the church. Ordination is performed by the [[laying on of hands]]. Ordination to the office of [[Priest (Latter Day Saints)|priest]] in the Aaronic priesthood gives the ordained person the authority to:
* baptize converts and children over the age of 8 into the church
* bless and administer the [[Sacrament (LDS Church)|sacrament]] (the Lord's Supper)
* participate in, or perform, ordinations of others to the Aaronic Priesthood or its offices
* collect [[fast offerings]] for the [[Bishop (Latter Day Saints)|Bishop]] (usually ordained [[Deacon (Latter Day Saints)|Deacons]] and [[Teacher (Latter Day Saints)|Teachers]] perform this)

Ordination to the Melchizedek priesthood includes the authority to perform all the duties of the Aaronic priesthood, as well as ordain others to the Melchizedek or Aaronic priesthood, perform [[Confirmation (Latter Day Saints)|confirmations]], bless and anoint the sick with oil, bless and dedicate graves, and other such rites. There are five offices within the Melchizedek Priesthood to which one could potentially be ordained:
* [[Elder (Latter Day Saints)|Elder]]
* [[High priest (Latter Day Saints)|High Priest]]
* [[Patriarch (Latter Day Saints)|Patriarch]]
* [[Seventy (LDS Church)|Seventy]]
* [[Apostle (Latter Day Saints)|Apostle]]
"Ordination to an office in the Aaronic Priesthood is done by or under the direction of the bishop or branch president. Ordination to an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood is done by or under the direction of the stake or mission president. To perform a priesthood ordination, one or more authorized priesthood holders place their hands lightly on the person's head."<ref>''Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood'' Part B Lesson 5></ref>

Latter-day Saints believe in a line of priesthood authority that traces back to Jesus Christ and his [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]].  LDS adherents believe the church's founder, [[Joseph Smith]], was ordained under the hands of apostles [[St. Peter|Peter]], [[James, son of Zebedee|James]], and [[John the Apostle|John]], who appeared to Smith as angelic messengers in 1829.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/melchizedek-priesthood?lang=eng&letter=m |title=Melchizedek Priesthood |work=[[Bible Dictionary (LDS Church)|Bible Dictionary]], [[LDS edition of the Bible|KJV (LDS)]] |publisher=LDS Church |year=1979 }}</ref>