Within the angelic hierarchy, they are '''C-rank''', above [[angel|angels]] and [[pterolykos|pterolykoi]], placing them at the same level as [[guardian angel|guardian angels]] and [[feathered serpent|feathered serpents]], and under [[seraph|seraphim]] and [[colossus|colossi]].
The process on of how humans a human can become a shrine maidens maiden is explained in the [[Shrine maiden#Becoming a shrine maiden|section below]].
Shrine maiden work is classified into one of two broad categories; shrine management and missionary duties. Any shrine maiden can be reassigned to one or the other at any given time, and personnel are constantly rotated to keep them moving between assignments. Each shrine maiden is assigned to a 'home' shrine, which in turn means that the corresponding town becomes their town of residence.
==== Becoming a shrine maiden ====
To become a shrine maiden, a human must first be recognized by a shrine or an angelic creature as truly pious and devoted to Angelic values. Sufficient piousness is defined by the amount number of years spent practicing and upholding the faction's core tenets and values, and staying out of Demonic influence, or committing acts considered impure or harmful to Angelics. The background or upbringing of the human does not actually matter - only their devotion to Heaven does. Contrary to popular belief, being female is not part of the requirements.
If the candidate human is considered to meet the requirements, they must officially state their wish to abandon their humanity in the service of Heaven. This process is known as ''ascension'', as it is implied that becoming angelic is to be above being human. The process is extensive and deeply changing, transforming the human's body, mind, and capabilities to such a point that they are no longer recognizable as humans. All potential candidates are informed of the exact changes that will occur should they ascend.
The first changes are physical ; regardless of the age and biological sex of the applicant, their body will be transformed, taking on the general shape of a young, female human, regardless of what they previously were (If they already were young and female, their traits will be modified anyway, so they resemble a different person). Smaller details, such as skin tone, eye and hair color, and other miscellanea are usually retained. The new body is what Heaven refers to as ''"permanent purity"''; shrine maidens become permanently sterile, but in exchange, they also cease visibly aging. The life expectancy of a shrine maiden is not unlimited, but is over double that of an average human, at roughly 150 years. This, however, only explains half of the meaning behind the word ''maiden''.
The second set of changes are is mental; shrine maidens partially lose their sense of self, and are hardwired to see themselves as an extension of Heaven as an entity more than as individuals. Some have debated whether this constituted losing free will, but this question is considered taboo; bringing the subject up is a great way to be thrown out of an Angelic town. As part of this loss of "sense of self", there is also a sense that their identity is "Angelic". Though it is customary and polite to refer to all shrine maidens as female, using female pronouns, evidence suggests that they may really be neither male, female, nor anything in between, and that their "true" gender is some Angelic form of non-binary; thus explaining the other half of the meaning behind the word ''maiden''.
The last, and by far the most visible and recognizable changes, are the bestowing of Angelic powers. Shrine maidens can perform no less than five powers; the three abilities that can be performed by [[guardian angel|guardian angels]] (''light shield'', ''healing beam'' and ''light ball''), an exclusive ''Charge gohei'' ability which does exactly what it says on the tin, and by far the most powerful of all angelic powers, ''divine-gating'', which instantly summons a small squad of angelic creatures by the shrine maiden's side, to assist in her defense and duties.