My sister's husband has been very frustrated because he wasn't appointed to MS or Elder. In their cong, they had too many elders, all older men, who just wouldn't die. They even had an "elder at large" because there were no jobs left to assign to him. Now my sister's husband has lost his health and is unable to do anything and so will never be appointed to anything. However, my brother Mike who is borderline mentally retarded is an elder in his congregation, the next one north of my sister's cong. he he he (My brother really isn't highly functioning enough to be considered normal; he can't even write a check. But he's an elder!)