From Michael Ruse:

We arrive now at the last characteristic of the Church in our seminar – its Apostolicity. How does apostolic succession work so that we understand what the true Church is or what it is not? Metropolitan Hilarion discusses the theme of apostolic authority and how successors were chosen according to tradition. We also explore the specific responsibility of the priest as healer as well as the deacons and deaconesses.

The bishop (episcopikos = he who watches over in Greek) plays a key role in the Church as the spiritual center and head of each Eucharistic community. This episcopal “office” isn’t like running for a political office, although there is leadership structure in the Church like in other areas of life. A bishop’s responsibility is to watch over spiritually the communities that partake of the Eucharist in the liturgy. An important image we have to help us understand our leadership is the Good Shepherd. Join us this Saturday evening to learn about the development and structure of the Church that finds its "source in the Holy Trinity" (Dionysius the Areopagite).