In Christianity, minor orders are ranks of church ministry. In the Catholic Church, the predominating Latin Church formerly distinguished between the major orders —priest, deacon and subdeacon—and four minor orders—acolyte, exorcist, lector, and porter. In 1972, the Vatican re-titled the minor orders as "ministries", with those of lector and acolyte being kept throughout the Latin Church.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the three minor orders in use are those of subdeacon, reader and chanter.
Confirmation and Conferring of Minor Orders (school of Rogier van der Weyden, 15th century)
Orthodox layman, wearing a cassock, is tonsured in preparation for being ordained to the minor orders of candle-bearer and reader.
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role or office of the bishop is called episcopacy. Organizationally, several Christian denominations utilize ecclesiastical structures that call for the position of bishops, while other denominations have dispensed with this office, seeing it as a symbol of power. Bishops have also exercised political authority within their dioceses.
A 6th-century image of Saint Augustine, bishop of Hippo Regius
Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, student of John the Apostle
A bishop with other officials on an 11th-century grave in Sweden
Johann Otto von Gemmingen, Prince-Bishop of Augsburg