Elders
Ordained to Word, Sacrament, and Order
The elder has primary responsibility for Word, the apostolic task of the faithful transmission of the faith and proclamation of the Word of God.
For the elder, this includes primary responsibility for the preaching and teaching ministry. The unique focus of the elder is the responsibility for administration of the sacraments and the ordering of the ministry of the church.
Because elders have been ordained to ordering the ministry of the church and administering the Discipline, bishops and district superintendents are chosen from ordained elders.
For more than 200 years, the distinguishing mark of elders in the United Methodist tradition has been the willingness to offer themselves "without reserve to be appointed and to serve" (par. 333) wherever they are needed for the sake of the mission of the church.