Elder (Latter Day Saints)
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In Mormonism, an elder is a priesthood and leadership position in many denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement.
An elder is one who holds the office of elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood. Brethren in the church who are at least 18 years old may be ordained as elders when determined to be worthy by their bishop and stake president. Consent of the church is required before the ordination is performed, and this is usually done at stake priesthood meetings held twice a year.
The elder's duty is to "teach, expound, exhort, baptize, and watch over the church" (Doctrine and Covenants 20:42). Elders have the authority to administer to and bless the sick and afflicted, to "confirm those who are baptized into the church, by the laying on of hands for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost" (Doctrine and Covenants 20:41), to baptize and ordain others as directed by priesthood leaders, and to take the lead in meetings as guided by the Holy Spirit (Doctrine and Covenants 46:2).
In practice, elders are responsible for many of the day-to-day operations of a ward. They are called to serve in a variety of positions throughout the ward, such as Aaronic Priesthood quorum advisors, scout leaders, ward mission leader, and in the Sunday School presidency. Elders and high priests (assisted by teachers and priests) are also responsible for home teaching in the ward.
Elders are organized into quorums that may contain no more than 96 brethren. A quorum president, along with two counselors, is called and set apart under the direction of the stake presidency, and generally serves for 1-3 years, although there is no official policy on the length of service.
All adult men in the ward, whether they are faithful or not, are assigned to either the elders quorum or the high priests group as directed by the bishop.
The title "Elder" is not normally used as a prefix (e.g. Elder Evans, Elder Johnson), except by the Church's general authorities and by serving male missionaries. Often, missionaries serving within a Ward are commonly referred to as "the elders."
