Functionaries "persons ceho are appointed to discharge any office. Thus the clergy are 'functionaries' of the particular church of which they are members, to fulfill an office and administration in the same,' in that capacity deriving their station and power from Christ, by virtue of the sanction given by him to Christian communities. Thus the authority of those officers comes direct from the society so constituted, in whose name and behalf they act as its representatives, just to that extent to which it has empowered and directed them to act. In conformity with these views, each person about to be ordained as priest in the Church of England is asked whether he thinks he is ' truly called,' both 'according to the will of Christ and the order of this Church of England.'"
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More