Okay I have another question: Do Lissa/Maribelle or any other character that can play a healer role keep there offensive abilities while in a healing class? Like if I go war cleric with lissa and then do a second seal to do the healer on a horse will she still be able to use axes while being a healer?

I ask because I have done quite a bit of grinding and have them both maxed out (only in chapter 7) and a lot of other characters maxed but have been afraid to master seal anyone.

I'm pretty sure that characters can only use weapons specific to their classes. When I changed Frederick from Great Knight to Paladin he lost the ability to use Axes. I don't know if your weapon level will return if you switch back though.

Class changes retain weapon levels and things of that nature. You don't lose out on anything other than growth rates from the class change.

Just got home and tested. You do keep the levels in the weapon category but say for instance Lissa going from Cleric to Pegasus Knight she loses the ability to use staves and gains spears, but once you go to say Falcon Knight you would get the usage of staves back and wouldn't have to level it back up from E class.