Page 53 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

HIERARCHY AND
DECISION-MAKING

The Armenian Church is a hierarchical
church and its hierarchy is rooted in the
tradition of the apostolic church. According
to Acts (15), the apostles and elders admi-
nistered the life and witness of the early
church. When the early Christian commu-
nities were created and the church grew and
became institutionalized, a hierarchy, com-
prising deacons, presbyters, and bishops, was
developed. In Armenia, bishops governed
the Church until Christianity was adopted as
the state religion, at which time St. Gregory
the Illuminator became its first catholicos.

Hierarchy
The hierarchy of the Armenian Church
consists of the following orders:
Catholicos
The catholicos (kat‘ołikos) is the head of
the Armenian Church. He is also referred to
as chief-priest (k‘ahanayapet), chief-bishop
(episkoposapet), and head of the nation (az-
gapet). The catholicos is elected for life by
the National Representative Assembly, con-
sisting of two-thirds lay and one-third clergy