This is not a stripped-down version of something that should be more complex. It is the pattern Christ established, described in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon, and practiced in The Church of Jesus Christ today.
Here is what we will examine:
- The Scriptural Pattern — why simplicity is faithfulness, not deficiency
- The Six Ordained Offices — what they are, what they do, and their scriptural basis
- Why There Is No Office of High Priest or Prophet in The Church
- The Principle of Unpaid Ministry
- How Ordination Works — the laying on of hands using oil
- A Structure That Serves
The Scriptural Pattern
Paul described the offices God established in the church: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–12). And again: “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers” (1 Corinthians 12:28).
The Book of Mormon describes the same structure with characteristic plainness. Moroni records the method of ordination: “The manner which the disciples, who were called the elders of the church, ordained priests and teachers — after they had prayed unto the Father in the name of Christ, they laid their hands upon them, and ordained them” (Moroni 3:1–3). And the church described in Moroni 6 consisted of members who were baptized, numbered among the people, nourished by the good word of God, and who met together often to fast, pray, and partake of the sacrament — led by elders, priests, and teachers.
David Whitmer observed that the Book of Mormon sets forth everything pertaining to the church of Christ in plainness: the manner of baptism, the laying on of hands, ordaining officers, administering the Lord’s Supper (sacrament), how meetings should be conducted, how to address members who fall away, and everything else the church needs. Elders, priests, and teachers are the spiritual offices described there, and their duties are plainly given.
The Church of Jesus Christ follows this pattern. It does not add offices scripture does not prescribe. It does not create administrative layers beyond what is needed to serve the body. It follows the model Christ established — lean, functional, relational, and dependent on the Spirit. The scriptural pattern for church officers is found in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ follows that pattern.
The Six Ordained Offices
Apostles
The Quorum of Twelve Apostles provides spiritual oversight for the church as a whole. The word “apostle” means “one sent out” — these are men called by revelation, ordained through the laying on of hands, and commissioned to bear witness to Christ, oversee the ministry, and ensure that doctrine remains faithful to scripture.
Jesus chose twelve (Mark 3:14). Christ appointed twelve among the Nephites (3 Nephi 19:4). The Church of Jesus Christ maintains this pattern — twelve apostles, serving collectively, with no single apostle holding supreme authority over the others.
The apostles provide spiritual oversight for congregations worldwide, confirm ordinations, bear witness to Christ’s resurrection and the Restoration, and counsel together on matters affecting the whole church.
Apostles administer ordinances – baptism, confirmation, the Lord’s Supper), anoint the sick with oil and pray for healing (James 5:14), etc.
They serve without financial compensation.
Evangelists
The Quorum of Seventy Evangelists — often called “the Seventy” after Jesus’ appointment of seventy disciples and sending them out to preach (Luke 10:1) — have a specific mission: proclaim the gospel, establish new congregations, strengthen existing ones, and extend the church into new territories.
This is a missionary office. The evangelist is sent out — to preach, to teach, to baptize, and to bring new believers into the body of Christ. The evangelists of The Church of Jesus Christ are active ministers of the gospel whose primary calling is proclamation and spiritual expansion.
Evangelists – administer ordinances – baptism, confirmation, the Lord’s Supper, anoint the sick with oil and pray for healing, etc., teach the gospel with clarity and power, and help build the church wherever God sends them.
They serve without financial compensation.
Elders
The elder is the shepherd of the local flock — the officer who presides over a congregation or branch and provides pastoral care to the members.
Paul specified the qualifications: “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: if any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children” (Titus 1:5–6). Elders are to be people of proven character — faithful, blameless, capable of leading their own families well.
An important clarification: the terms pastor, bishop, and elder in the New Testament refer to the same office just as the term priest in the Book of Mormon . The Greek word for pastor means “shepherd.” The Greek word for bishop means “overseer.” Both describe what an elder does — shepherding the flock, overseeing the congregation. The Church of Jesus Christ recognizes this biblical equivalence. A presiding elder functions as the pastor and bishop of a local congregation. These are not three separate offices — they are three descriptions of one calling.
Elders administer ordinances – baptism, confirmation, the Lord’s Supper, anoint the sick with oil and pray for healing , etc., provide pastoral care and spiritual guidance, counsel with teachers, deacons, and deaconesses on congregational needs, and work to support their own families. They are not paid by the church.
The elder knows his people. He prays for them. He carries their burdens. He is a shepherd who knows the names and needs of his sheep.
Apostles, Evangelists and Elders serve in the priesthood after the holy order of the son of God (Alma 4, Alma 13) having the same priesthood authority to administer the ordinances yet having specific roles and responsibility as defined by their office.
They serve without financial compensation.
Teachers
Paul lists teachers alongside apostles and prophets as a foundational gift in the church: “God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers” (1 Corinthians 12:28). The Book of Mormon likewise describes teachers as an essential office — ordained alongside priests by the laying on of hands (Moroni 3).
Teachers in The Church of Jesus Christ assist in spiritual ministry, prepare and teach lessons from scripture, visit members in their homes to teach and encourage them, and help maintain doctrinal clarity among the membership. They carry the word of God into homes and hearts. They ensure that what is taught in the congregation is faithful to the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Like all officers, teachers work to support themselves and their families. Teaching is a calling, not a profession and they serve without financial compensation.
Deacons
When the apostles in Jerusalem were overwhelmed by the practical needs of the growing church — distributing food to widows and caring for members in need — they directed the congregation to choose “seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom” to take charge of this service, so that the apostles could focus on prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:1–7). These were the first deacons.
The deacon’s calling is service — practical, hands-on ministry that frees the elders and teachers to focus on spiritual matters. Deacons in The Church of Jesus Christ care for the physical needs of members, help maintain meeting spaces, visit those who are ill or in need, and coordinate practical service such as food, repairs, and assistance for families in distress. While physical in many respects, this is a spiritual office of service of love and support.
The heart of the calling remains what Jesus described: “Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister” (Matthew 20:26). Greatness in the kingdom of God is measured by service — and deacons embody this principle.
They serve without financial compensation.
Deaconesses
Women are ordained as deaconesses in The Church of Jesus Christ. This is not a secondary or “support” role — it is a distinct ordained office with specific responsibilities and spiritual authority, conferred through the laying on of hands just as all other ordinations are and is the female parallel to a Deacon.
The scriptural basis is clear. Paul commended Phoebe: “I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea” (Romans 16:1). The Greek word translated “servant” is diakonos — the same word used for male deacons. Phoebe was not merely a helpful church member. She was a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, commended by an apostle, and entrusted with carrying Paul’s letter to the Romans — one of the most important documents in Christian history.
Other women served in similar capacities in the early church. Paul mentions Priscilla and Aquila, who labored with him in ministry (Romans 16:3; Acts 18:26), and Euodias and Syntyche, whom he described as women who “laboured with me in the gospel” (Philippians 4:2–3).
Deaconesses in The Church of Jesus Christ are ordained by the laying on of hands, prepare and assist in serving communion, visit the sick and pray for them, care for families in distress, and organize women’s outreach and service.
Scripture bears witness that women are filled with the Holy Ghost, prophesy, teach, and serve in God’s power (Joel 2:28–29; Acts 2:17–18; Acts 21:9). The Church of Jesus Christ honors this reality by ordaining women to genuine responsibility within the body.
They serve without financial compensation.
These six ordained offices — apostles, evangelists, elders, teachers, deacons, and deaconesses — are each grounded in the scriptures. Each serves a specific function in the body of Christ.
Why There Is No Office of High Priest or Prophet
In The Church of Jesus Christ, there is no ordained office of high priest or prophet. The reason for both is scriptural.
High priest: Jesus Christ is the great and last High Priest (Hebrews 7:24–25). The office of high priest among men was fulfilled when Christ took that role upon Himself. There is no instance in the New Testament or the Book of Mormon of a high priest serving as an officer in the church of Christ after His ministry. The introduction of high priests into the Restoration church at the June 1831 Kirtland conference was an innovation — not a recovery of something the original church had practiced. Elders/ priests, and teachers are the spiritual offices the scriptures describe. There is no need for any more.
Prophet: Prophecy is a spiritual gift, not an ordained office. God gives the gift of prophecy to whomever He chooses, by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10–11). There is no scriptural record of a prophet being formally ordained to that position by the New Testament era church in Palestine or the Promise Land. The Quorum of Twelve Apostles provides spiritual leadership, and prophetic gifts operate throughout the body — in apostles, elders, teachers, and members alike. The church does not require a prophet to lead it. It needs the Spirit of God—of which prophecy is a gift—exercised through many voices, tested against scripture.
With no scriptural support for ordaining prophets as an office, it is not a practice of the church. And the terms pastor and bishop, when properly understood, align with the office of elder — they are not additional positions requiring separate ordinations. There is no office of high priest (Christ holds that role) or prophet (prophecy is a gift, not an office) in The Church of Jesus Christ. Both absences are grounded in scripture, not in oversight.
The Principle of Unpaid Ministry
The Church of Jesus Christ does not compensate its ministry (unpaid ministry) or any of its ordained officers. This is not a practical convenience — it is a principle rooted in scripture.
Jesus commanded: “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). The gospel is not a commodity to be sold, and ministry is not a profession to be compensated.
The Book of Mormon reinforces this with particular force. Alma established the principle for the Nephite church: “The priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God” (Mosiah 18:26). The priests worked with their own hands.. Their compensation was the grace of God.
Alma 1 describes Nehor, who introduced the practice of “priestcraft” — teaching for money, building a church around paid clergy, and making ministry a profession. The Book of Mormon treats this as a corruption, not a model: “He began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel… and this he did, for he was teaching them for the sake of riches and honor” (Alma 1:6). The warning is direct: when ministry becomes a profession, motivation shifts. The calling becomes a career. The servant becomes a professional.
Every officer in The Church of Jesus Christ — apostles, evangelists, teachers, deacons and deaconesses — work to support themselves and their families. The church may provide financial assistance to any member or visitor in need, but there is no expectation of payment or compensation for any ordained office, no stipends, no living allowances. Ministry is a calling, supported by one’s own labor and sustained by God’s grace.
How Ordination Works
All ordinations in The Church of Jesus Christ are public and performed by setting them apart through washing the feet of the candidate and afterwards ordaining them with oil on their head — following the scriptural pattern described in both the New Testament and the Book of Mormon.
Moroni records the method: “After they had prayed unto the Father in the name of Christ, they laid their hands upon them, and ordained them” (Moroni 3:3). The author of Hebrews lists the laying on of hands among the foundational principles of the doctrine of Christ (Hebrews 6:1–2). Paul reminded Timothy of the gift conferred through ordination: “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery” (1 Timothy 4:14).
When hands are laid upon someone using oil and being ordained, the calling is formally conferred, a blessing is pronounced concerning the person’s office and responsibilities, the power and authority of God is invoked, and the person is set apart by the church and the Spirit for this specific service. This is not ceremonial — it is a real spiritual transaction in which God confirms what the Spirit has already called.
Ordination is not self-appointed. It flows through the body of the church — from those who already hold authority to those being newly called. Every ordination in The Church of Jesus Christ connects backward through an unbroken chain to the authority restored in 1829 by an angel sent by the Lord and confirmed through the demonstration of the power and Spirit of God .
A Structure That Serves
The structure of The Church of Jesus Christ can be described in five words: scriptural, simple, relational, servant-hearted, and inclusive.
Scriptural. Every office is grounded in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. No office has been added that scripture does not prescribe. No administrative layers exists that scripture does not support.
Simple. Six ordained offices — apostles, evangelists, elders, teachers, deacons, and deaconesses. No layers between the members and their leaders.
Relational. The elder knows his flock. The teacher visits homes. The deacon and deaconesses serve practical needs. There is no separation between leadership and membership. Leadership in The Church of Jesus Christ is personal, present, and pastoral.
Servant-hearted. The goal of every office is service, not advancement. Jesus made this the defining principle of His kingdom: “Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26–27). The structure exists to build up the body of Christ — to perfect the saints, to do the work of ministry, to edify (Ephesians 4:12). It does not exist to accumulate power, reward loyalty, or create a professional class.
Inclusive. Women are ordained as deaconesses. Women serve with the full weight of scriptural support and the full dignity of ordination through the laying on of hands using oil. The gifts of the Spirit do not recognize gender barriers (Joel 2:28–29), and the structure of the church reflects this.
This is a structure that exists to serve the gospel message of Jesus Christ to the world — not to replace it, not to complicate it, and not to stand between the believer and Christ. It is the pattern the New Testament and the Book of Mormon describe. And it works.
Conclusion
The offices of the church are not complicated. They are not mysterious. They are the same offices described in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon — given by God, conferred through the laying on of hands using oil, exercised in humility, and designed to serve the body of Christ. Nothing more is needed. Nothing less will do.
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” — Ephesians 4:11–12
