An elder normally leads all the services of his church. Only two acts — baptism and marriage — are closed to him except by written conference authorization, because they create or change a status (member, spouse). Everything else belongs to his ministry.
By right
Conference authorization required
Reserved to the ordained pastor
By right The Lord's Supper
The ordained elder presides at the Lord's Supper, particularly when the pastor is absent — the most common case in small churches and shared districts. This is one of his normal functions, not an exception.
·Presides over the ordinance of humility (foot-washing) then the Communion.
·The deacons and deaconesses assist: preparing and distributing the bread and the wine.
·To be coordinated with the pastor in planning, even when the pastor does not officiate.
A correction to the site: the "Acts" page grouped the Lord's Supper with baptism and marriage as reserved to the pastor. That is inaccurate: the Manual entrusts Communion to the ordained elder. This reference is authoritative.
Authorization required Baptism
Baptism is administered by an ordained pastor. An elder baptizes only with the written authorization of the conference president. Without it, his role remains essential but upstream.
✓What he does without authorization: instruct and accompany the candidate, put the vow questions, present the examination, and ask the conference president to arrange the baptism.
✓Ensure the examination is brought to the congregation (directly, or via the board / board of elders reporting to it), and that the congregation votes acceptance.
⚠What he does not do alone: immerse the candidate, except by written conference authorization.
→ Preparing a baptism, step by step
Authorization required Marriage
The blessing of a marriage is performed by an ordained pastor (with conference authorization depending on the division). As a rule, the elder does not perform marriages.
✓His role: premarital preparation, accompanying the couple, discernment (a divorced fiancé, an unequal yoke) — then directing to the pastor and the conference.
⚠ Legal reminder (France / Réunion)
The religious blessing must follow the civil marriage. Performing a religious marriage without a prior civil one is an offense (art. 433-21 of the Penal Code). An elder preparing a couple must require proof of the civil marriage just as the pastor does.
By right Funerals
The elder may conduct a funeral service. No particular authorization is required: it is a service of the Word and of consolation, not an ordinance creating a status.
·He has no civil-registry role: the declaration of death and the burial permit are the family's / funeral directors' responsibility, beforehand.
·Coordination with the family and the funeral directors; the ceremony set after the legal formalities.
→ The "Conducting funerals" module
By right Child presentation (dedication)
The elder may conduct a child's presentation. It is not a baptism: it commits the parents and the congregation, it does not "save" the child.
·Parental consent; if separated/divorced, agreement of both holders of parental authority.
·The Manual sets no condition of the parents' marriage or membership status — welcome comes first, with pastoral discernment.
By right Anointing the sick
Anointing is precisely the act Scripture entrusts to the elders: "Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). The elder is fully legitimate here.
·Practiced as a group where possible (several elders / the pastor), not as a spectacular solo.
·Discretion, prayer, possible confession: an act of faith and fellowship, not a magic rite.
Reserved Ordination of elders and deacons
The ordination of local officers — elders, deacons, deaconesses — is conducted by an ordained pastor. An elder does not ordain another elder or a deacon.
·The serving elder may take part (laying on of hands with the ordained pastor), but does not preside over the act alone.
·Likewise, the installation and recognition of service fall under the framework set by the conference.
The dividing principle
An elder leads everything that is a service of the Word, of prayer and of communion (the Supper, funerals, dedication, anointing). What is beyond him touches the creation or change of a status that engages the whole church: bringing in a member (baptism), uniting a couple (marriage), constituting an officer (ordination). There, the ordained pastor is needed — or, for baptism and marriage, a written conference authorization.
References:
Church Manual — the elder and his functions (spiritual leader in the pastor's absence); the Lord's Supper conducted by the ordained elder; baptism and marriage under conference authorization; anointing the sick (James 5:14); ordination of local officers by an ordained pastor. Verified sources:
Church Manual 2022 (GC),
Elder's Handbook (rev. 2016). To be confirmed under your
division / conference policies, which may specify authorization of baptism or marriage by an elder. See also:
Elder — your manual,
Prerequisites & documents,
The acts.