A Reader in a Christian Science church is a member responsible for conducting services and reading from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
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The principal responsibilities of Readers in Christian Science services were established by Mary Baker Eddy and written into the Manual of The Mother Church. The Mother Church and every branch church each have two Readers who are referred to as a First Reader and a Second Reader.
Sunday church services are conducted primarily by the First Reader, who selects hymns, reads a selection from the Scriptures, makes announcements, and reads about half of the sermon from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. The Second Reader reads the other half of the sermon from the Bible.
Wednesday evening meetings are conducted by the First Reader, who reads from both books. The Second Reader has no role in the meeting, but is likely to attend in the same manner as any other member or guest.
Readers in The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts (more simply termed The Mother Church) are appointed by its governing panel, The Christian Science Board of Directors. Readers in The Mother Church serve a three year term.
Readers in branch churches are elected by the members of each branch. The term of office depends on the by-laws adopted by the branch church in question.
Christian Science churches have no ordained clergy; the Readers in these churches are ordinary members and are treated as such. The only potential distinction is that all Readers in branches of The Mother Church are required to be members of The Mother Church. Other members of branch churches might or might not also be Mother Church members.
Because Readers in Christian Science churches are not clergy, they are not authorized to officiate over weddings in most jurisdictions. This presents a unique situation for Mother Church members who get married, as a rule in their Church Manual requires a "clergyman who is legally authorized". A member of another denomination's clergy can fulfill this requirement. This clergyman might in fact be a woman, as Christian Scientists frequently use the term "man" without implying any gender.
The Christian Science faith has no specific requirement to have funeral services or how they might be conducted. As such, Readers have no funeral duties per se, although a Reader or any other Christian Scientist might choose to conduct a meeting of this type if requested to do so.
In 1894, Mary Baker Eddy added the following ordination to the Manual of the Mother Church:
In Christian Science churches worldwide, an explanatory note is read concerning the role of the Readers, the Bible, and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which begins with the sentence
Specifically, Readers in Christian Science churches are neither pastors nor preachers.
Eddy, Mary Baker, Church Manual of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass., 1908, pp. 26, 31-33, 49, 58.
Eddy, Mary Baker, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 1906.
Various authors, The Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version, 1611.