Readers in Christian Science churches

Christian Science church services are conducted by readers instead of individuals serving as pastors or ministers, as had been the case before 1895. The readers read from the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which Eddy ordained as Pastor of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, in December 1894. Beginning in January 1895, this was implemented in The Mother Church and took its final form with a “First Reader” conducting the Sunday services and reading from Eddy’s book, and a “Second Reader” reading from the Bible. Septimus J. Hanna and Eldora O. Gragg were the first to fill these roles at The Mother Church. In April 1895 Eddy ordained the books as pastor for all branch churches of The Mother Church around the world. (See the article, “Church and School,” from the April 1895 issue of The Christian Science Journal for more detail.)

All Christian Science churches read the same citations from these books. The citations read are selected by the Bible Lesson Committee and and constitute a “Lesson-Sermon.” They are published in the Christian Science Quarterly by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Eddy designated 26 topics covering various aspects of Christian theology, and these are repeated twice yearly. Even though the topics covered never vary, the citations used to illustrate them are different for each Lesson-Sermon. For Wednesday testimony meetings, each First Reader compiles selections from the Bible and Science and Health and conducts the meetings. The readings are followed by testimonies of Christian Science healings, and remarks, all from members of the congregation.

Readers in The Mother Church are elected by The Christian Science Board of Directors for terms of three years, while in branch churches Readers are elected by the members of those churches and the length of their terms are also set by the members. Christian Science services are conducted this way to the present day, and the official provision for Readers is found in Articles II and III of the Church Manual by Eddy on pages 29-33, as well as in Article XIV on page 58. Details regarding the order of church services can also be found in the Church Manual on pages 120-126.