#for instance bishop is more or less equivalent to preacher because he runs the congregation but also he only rarely preaches

[songofsunset]

Wait what does elder in the LDS church mean? What do people think it means? I am so ignorant of it all but I feel like it's important to know since they're so influential in certain places

I think the line I was referring to was "He’d also been an elder in the LDS church but was excommunicated"

To someone unfamiliar, "He'd also been an elder" might sound like he was 'high ranking', but it really just means he spent two years of his life away from home preaching the gospel that would never love him back.

Elder is the honorific you use for a boy who is serving a mission! These are generally teenage boys (18 and 19 and 20ish. The mission lasts for two years and is pretty damn culturally mandatory for boys) So it's a term of respect, but also doesn't imply age or wisdom. Like, for serious, I was taught to look up to the missionaries my whole childhood, but from this end of time I'm like 'oh god they're babies why are we sending them out to represent us they've never even done their own laundry' whoops

Everyday members refer to each other as Brother and Sister Lastname. Men get called by different titles based on the roles they're serving, like Elder for missionaries, Bishop for Bishops, and President for a variety of things from the president of the local group of congregations (a stake) to the actual Prophet and First Presidency of the church.

Women never really get any titles other than Sister, even the ones who are active missionaries. Something something sexism something something a woman's highest honor isn't priesthood it's MOTHERHOOD (unless you're gay in which case you don't need a family it's fine suck it up......)

The role and title associated with age and wisdom that Elder might seem to imply- to someone doesn't know it generally applies to teenagers- is Patriarch.

#Patriarchs are the old guys who give you a Patriarchal blessing that is supposed to guide your life with Prophecy- this is an Actual Thing #lori chat #ask #anon #i used to be mormon #the mormon church has a lot of management levels and also a lot of specific terminology lmao #for instance bishop is more or less equivalent to preacher because he runs the congregation but also he only rarely preaches #usually members give talks #and it is by NO MEANS related to the catholic meaning of bishop lmao #fun fact my parents lived in a ward (congregation) for a while that had a Bishop Bishop and lmao #MAYBE women serving in the temple get a title? but lmao I've forgotten I love that for me #don't even know who the prophet is rn god bless #they lowered the girl mission age from 21 to 19 a while back and im so glad they waited until I left the church or I mighta done it #not serving a mission is one of the best choices I've made right up with not going to BYU lmao #for the record adults can go on missions too as senior missionaries usually when they retire but usually its the teenagers #okay im done hahaha I tried to keep this minimally salty but some snuck through