Whilst the major orders of bishop, priest and deacon have survived within the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican tradition, the minor orders have only survived in the Orthodox church. The Roman Catholic church disbanded the minor order as a result of the second Vatican Council and the Church of England only used them for a short period after the reformation after which they died out from a lack of use.

There is significant evidence in the Church Fathers which suggests that the lectors of the early church were the oldest of the church's minor orders and that the ministry was used by the early church as a training and testing ground for the higher orders. This is supported by Cyprian's (d. 258) statement that the office of lector was either a ministry in its own right or a training ground for the priesthood, the ordination of Aurelius and Celerinus whom Cyprian considered too young to be ordained presbyter and by the Council of Sardicia's decision that bishops elect should pass through the degrees of Reader, deacon and presbyter.

The function of the Readers in the early church was to read and recite and their duties included responsibility for reciting the lessons and the gospel from the pulpit at the Mass of the Catechumens, reading before the president gave the address and working with other minor-orders such as the catechists who were responsible for instruction.