The members of the clergy in some religious group have little or no special training. Most religious group, however, require a diploma from a professional school of theology, which is often called a seminary. In some Protestant seminaries, the course of study covers three years after college graduation.

Most members of the clergy live in the general community are engaged in pastoral or administrative work. Some clergy belong to religious order and live with members of that order, either in a monastery or in the general community. Clergy in religious orders devote themselves to meditation, prayers, scholarly research, charity works and care of the sick.

Different Religious Groups:

• Roman Catholic clergy is required to be celibate (unmarried), with an exception to a former Anglican clergy who were married prior to being ordained as Roman Catholic clergy. Celibacy is also required in the Eastern Orthodox Church, but married priests are permitted if they were married prior to ordination. Eastern Orthodox bishop must not be married. In Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox seminaries, the normal course covers seven or eight years of study after high school. The Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox churches, and Mormon Church exclude women from the ordained clergy. Most Protestant religious group allows women into the clergy.

• Jewish Clergy, the spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation is called a rabbi. Rabbis have the power to decide question of Jewish law and ritual. They conduct worship services, delivers sermons, provide pastoral guidance, give religious instruction, perform marriages, and conduct funeral services. Orthodox rabbis supervise the slaughtering of animals for kosher meat and the manufacture of other kosher food products. Rabbis are ordained upon graduation from professional school of Hebrew theology. The Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist seminaries require a college degree for admission while Orthodox seminaries do not. The course of study takes from four to six years. Rabbis are allowed to marry. The Orthodox branch of Judaism is the only one that does not permit women to become rabbis.

• Buddhist Clergy, in Buddhism, the Clergy consist of monks, who spend most of their time in meditation and teaching, and priests, who conduct ceremonies in the temples. The monks and the priest can both perform pastoral services for laypersons like as conducting funerals and giving religious instruction to the young. Monks, who live in monasteries and serve as pastors; and wandering holy men, called sashes or sannyasis, who also serve as pastors.

• Hindu Clergy, consists of priests, called gurus, who conduct temple ceremonies and teach religion.