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K
L
LAY
Also "Laity." Opposite of "Clergy." This word
means "not ordained." A lay person, or layman, is one
who is not a priest or deacon. A lay society is one whose members
do not take holy orders.
M
N
NATIONAL CHURCH
Technically a National Church is a Province,
but in the Anglican church the word "Province" has a meaning
that is both unusual and ambiguous. The Anglican
Communion consists of about 40 Autonomous Churches, most of which
are associated with a particular country. In conversation that requires
one to speak about this concept, most people use the phrase "national
church" to describe an independent (autonomous)
member of the Anglican Communion. Many national churches are subdivided
into provinces, but those
provinces are not autonomous (they are part of, and governed by, a
national church). Some national churches are not divided into provinces,
with the result that the church in its entirety is often referred
to as a province.
O
ORDAIN, ORDINATION
To "ordain" a person means to have that person participate
in a special ceremony in which someone with the correct authority
gives them new status. The ordination must follow the requirements
set down in the church canons.
In our church, the ceremony in which a person is ordained is called
an "ordination," and it is performed by a bishop,
by prayer for the Holy Spirit and by the laying of hands upon the
candidate. Until a person is ordained, that person is called "lay,"
or a member of the "laity".
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