What is an adjutant?

What is the origin of the Adjutancy?
What is the mission of the Adjutancy?
What is the purview of the Adjutancy?
What are the positions within the Adjutancy?
 
Q  What is an adjutant?
A  Adjutant, comes from the Latin word Adiutans, meaning “to help”.  The later definition used in the military means “a staff officer who assists the Commanding officer; the Officer-In-Charge of administrative affairs for the commanding office.”  In the ecclesiastical sense, an Adjutant is “a servant (preferably an ordained Elder) who assists and advises a bishop or overseer on all liturgical, ceremonial and protocol matters and administratively organizes and executes ceremonies, services and directives of the bishop.”  The Adjutancy is the group of men and women who are charged with the task of standardizing and enacting the fundamentals of our ceremonial, liturgical and protocol traditions.
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Q 

What is the origin of the Adjutancy?
A  The ministry of service and protocol known to us today as the Adjutancy, finds its origins in the episcopacy of the Church of God in Christ. In the year Nineteen Seventy-One, while serving as an Elder in the Church of God in Christ, Archbishop J. Delano Ellis, II, prepared a job description for a position that would lend great support and service to the Presiding Bishop of the church partnered with a proposal for a dress code for the leaders of the Church of God in Christ. Bishop Ellis’ first assignment was vesting the members of the General Board for their Quadrennial Installation in April of Nineteen Seventy-One.

At that first gathering of the Presidium and Board of Bishops in uniform dress, the church celebrated the election of the Presiding Bishop and General officers in an organized service, where the message preached by Bishop Ithiel Conrad Clemons was, “Stewards of God’s Mysteries.” It was from this moment in time that the order of servants we know today as Adjutants were forever instituted into the structure of the episcopacy of the Pentecostal High-Church.

As the corps of Adjutants grew within the Church of God in Christ, so did it’s structure. In Nineteen Seventy-three, the presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Bishop James Oglethorpe Patterson, appointed the First Chief Adjutant (before it was known as Adjutant General) of the Church of God in Christ, the newly consecrated Bishop Phillip Aquilla Brooks. During that season J. Delano Ellis, II, served as the Adjutant-Apostolic to the Presiding Bishop, and later ascended to the office of Chief Adjutant.

Today Archbishop Ellis, the father of ecclesiastical adjutancy, continues to set the standard for church protocol and order in the adjutancy and the Anglican Apostolic Pentecostal church as a whole.  Through the Adjutancy, Archbishop Ellis has been able to establish a standard for the churches in the Anglican Apostolic Pentecostal tradition, that not only allows said churches to operate with a greater level of sacred dignity, but also attain a measure of respect and legitimacy with the worldwide communion of believers, including the Roman rite and Eastern Orthodoxy.
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Q  What is the mission of the Adjutancy?
A  THE MISSION:

The Mission of the Adjutancy is very widespread, but can be characterized in a singular statement; “to sanctify the leader in the eyes of the people.”(Bishop Ellis) Through dignified and reverent ceremonial decorum we unveil the sacredness of the Office of the Presiding Bishop and the entire priesthood of Christ. We labor to produce an atmosphere of reverence and holiness that is conducive for the full expression, manifestation and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Adjutancy endeavors to arrange a divine encounter between God and his people through preserving the sacred mysteries and Holy things of God and the rich traditions of our faith and present priesthood. We further strive to serve the successors of Christ’s apostolic ministry in their faithful execution of their ministry.
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Q  What is the purview of the Adjutancy?
A 
THE PURVIEW:  
                The Adjutancy as a whole is the Chief Office of Protocol for the reformation. This office is “chiefest” among the servants of the non-Episcopally consecrated servants of Christ. Archbishop J. Delano Ellis, II, describes Adjutants as “managers of Apostolic Leaders.”   The Adjutancy is an extension of the Office of the Presiding Bishop. All that the Adjutancy is responsible for can be categorized in three areas; Protocol, Order and Worship. The Adjutancy must be prepared to provide information, instruction and technical assistance to every branch and segment of the reformation as it pertains to proper conduct. Additionally, in all situations where protocol does not exist, it is the responsibility of the Adjutant General and the Corps of Adjutants to develop, implement and preserve it. 
 The Adjutants have oversight of the bishop’s image and public relations when going before the people as priest, prophet and governor. When in the church the Adjutants have charge of the processionals, habit, vesture, and crowd movement. The Adjutant ensures the following:
-          The proper care and selection of Episcopal Vestments,
-          The selection of vestments or attire for all clergy at deliberate gatherings,
-          Color coordination with the Ecclesiastical year,
-          The care and safe-guarding of Episcopal Insignia (rings, crosses, chains, seals, etc.),
-          Directing Worship Leaders or Masters of Ceremonies in preparing/executing ceremonies,
-          Organizing and directing processionals,
-          Maintaining the Episcopal Chamber and keeping an inventory of the Bishop’s Episcopal belongings (i.e. appointments, appendia, reference books and manuals, vestments, etc.). 
This above is only a short list of some of the many responsibilities of the Adjutancy. It is important to note here that an Adjutants position is administrative and they do not necessarily have to personally execute the task they are responsible for seeing completed, and in some cases have a staff to assist them or will oversee others as they execute the work. While most Adjutants will be assigned to positions that have concentrations in specific areas within Adjutancy, every adjutant must be well versed in every area of Adjutancy and prepared to execute those responsibilities at any given time.
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Q  What are the positions within the Adjutancy?
A 
National Adjutancy:
Adjutant General:
 The Adjutant General is appointed by the Presiding Bishop of the Reformation.  This person may or may not be a bishop in rank (if a bishop the title Adjutant-Bishop is also appropriate), but by the nature of appointment becomes of the highest order of this Servant-Ministry.  Every Adjutant within the reformation is responsible to this leader.  This person has oversight of the Adjutancy and servant ministries for the reformation including the establishment of standards, training and training materials, establishment of protocols and dress codes and other directives as delivered by the Presiding Bishop.
Adjutant-Apostolic:
This person is the Adjutant who directly serves the Presiding Bishop on a daily basis.  This adjutant’s purview is the Bishop’s personal needs.  This person works closely with the Adjutant General on an ongoing basis.  This person may take the place and responsibilities of a Vice-Adjutant General (if the Presiding Bishop and or Adjutant General so choose), though that is not the standard for this position.  This rank is more of a mark of distinction for the one whom personally serves the Presiding Bishop.  However, at the temporary absence of the Adjutant General, the Adjutant-Apostolic performs all of the duties of the Adjutant General, under the direct supervision of the Presiding Bishop.
Ceremonial Adjutant:
This Adjutant comes from the local church and is a trained and appointed Adjutant well versed in all areas of specialty that concern the Adjutancy.  During the annual National Services of the Reformation these Adjutants assist the Adjutant General in facilitating the gathering in a multitude of ways.
Local Adjutancy:
Chief Adjutant:
This Adjutant is an Adjutant who has been appointed by their respective subordinate bishop to serve them in their local church by overseeing that bishop’s local Apostolic Cabinet.  This person works closely with the bishop’s Episcopal Administrator to stay apprised of the bishop’s itinerary and ongoing needs and concerns, as well as to make the necessary arrangements for travel, accommodation, scheduling of Adjutants/Armorbearers, etc.  This person may also take the place of the Chaplain from time to time and serve the bishop directly.  This person is responsible for making assignments and the daily operations of the local Adjutancy, as well as advising their respective bishop on all matters of protocol, order and worship.
 
Adjutant-Chaplain:
This person is responsible for directly serving the subordinate bishop.  This is the local version of the Adjutant-Apostolic.  Their purview is the personal needs of the bishop.  The non-ordained and/or non-administrative version of this position is an Armorbearer.  There could be one Chaplain with other Armorbearers working under them, or a bishop could appoint more than one person to be an Adjutant Chaplain and they could all rotate their service.
Adjutant-Chamberlain:
This Adjutant is the one who handles and maintains the bishop’s vestments, civics and anything else the bishop wears during their ministration of duties and assists the bishop with dressing and undressing.  This person has the responsibility to keep the clothing properly cleaned, pressed and available.  This Adjutant is also responsible for selecting the appropriate vesture based on the occasion, the liturgical calendar and the dress code disseminated by the Adjutant General.  This person also maintains the Episcopal Chamber and/or Suite.
Adjutant-Verger:
This Adjutant has the responsibility of maintaining the Episcopal Appointments, the sanctuary, and the altar & communion appointments.  This person keeps the altar coordinated with the liturgical calendar.  This Adjutant also trains and supervises the corps of Acolytes and their use.  This Adjutant is also responsible for coordinating the flow of events and movements of the people and clergy under the direction of the Adjutant General (or Chief Adjutant) during services.
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