The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing HIV/AIDS pandemic. The Religious Institute staff work with clergy, congregations, and denominational bodies on a one-time, short-term, or long-term basis to address sexuality issues. Staff can help choose or plan curricula, develop safe congregation policies, identify local consultants or referral sources, and respond to difficult situations and circumstances around a sexuality issue. The Religious Institute provides keynote speakers and workshop leaders for congregations as well as regional and national meetings on sexuality, spirituality, and religion; sexuality education for youth, parents, and adults; building sexually healthy faith communities; and other sexuality and religion topics. Religious Institute staff assist the media in
Ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland Ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland A Church of Scotland congregation is led by its minister and elders. Both of these terms are also used in other Christian denominations: see Minister (Christianity) and Elder (Christianity). This article discusses the specific understanding of their roles and functions in the Scottish Church. The Greek term , used in the New Testament as a designation for the leaders of the Early Church (e.g. Acts 11.30), has three different equivalents in English: "elder", "presbyter" and "priest". "Priest" is the oldest, a borrowing into Old English via Latin, "elder" (first attested 1526) is