President of the Church
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In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. It is the office held by Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the movement, and the office assumed by many of Smith's claimed successors, such as Brigham Young, Joseph Smith III, Sidney Rigdon, and James Strang. Several other titles have been associated with this office, including First Elder of the church, Presiding High Priest, President of the High Priesthood, Trustee-in-Trust for the church, Prophet, Seer, Revelator, Translator, and Ruler (in Israel). The movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., the first president of the church, was known by all of these titles in his lifetime (although not necessarily with consistency).
Joseph Smith died in 1844 without having indisputably established who was to be his successor. Therefore, his death was followed by a succession crisis in which various groups followed leaders with succession claims. Years later, the office of President was reorganized in many of the resulting Latter Day Saint denominations, the largest of which are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Community of Christ,[1] and The Church of Jesus Christ.
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[edit] Joseph Smith as the President of the Church
The concept that the Church of Christ would have a single presiding officer arose in late 1831. Initially, after the church's formation on April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith referred to himself as merely "an apostle of Jesus Christ, and elder of the church."[2] However, there was one other apostle—Oliver Cowdery—and several other elders of the church, making the formal hierarchy of the church unclear.
In September 1830, after Hiram Page claimed to have received revelations for the church, a revelation to Smith stated that "no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses."[3] Thus, Smith assumed the position as the only apostle or elder with the gift of revelation for the entire church.
In early June[4] 1831, Joseph Smith was ordained to the "high priesthood", along with twenty-two other men (including prominent figures in the Latter Day Saint movement such as Hyrum Smith, Parley P. Pratt, and Martin Harris).[5][6] As "high priests", these men were higher in the priesthood hierarchy than the elders of the church. However, it was still unclear whether Smith and Cowdery's calling as apostles gave them more authority than the other high priests.
On November 11, 1831, a revelation to Smith stated that "it must needs be that one be appointed of the high priesthood to preside over the Priesthood and he shall be called President of the high priesthood of the Church ... and again the duty of the President of the high priesthood is to preside over the whole church."[7] Smith was ordained to this position and sustained by the church on January 25, 1832 at a conference in Amherst, Ohio.[8][9]
In 1835, Smith revised the Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ, changing the phrase "an ... elder of the church" to "the first elder of this Church."[10] Thus, subsequent to 1835, Smith was sometimes referred to as the First Elder of the church. The 1835 revision also added a verse referring to the office of "president of the high priesthood (or presiding elder)",[11] which had since been added to the church hierarchy.
[edit] President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The largest Latter Day Saint denomination is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the church's leader and the head of the First Presidency, the church's highest governing body. Latter-day Saints consider the president of the church to be a prophet, seer, and revelator, and refer to him particularly as the Prophet, a title originally given to Joseph Smith, Jr..
Latter-day Saints consider the president of the church to be God's spokesman to the entire world. He is considered to be the highest priesthood authority on earth, with the exclusive right to receive revelations from God on behalf of the entire church or the entire world. Modern presidents, however, have not generally continued Joseph Smith's practice of publishing written doctrinal revelations and visions, although most have stated that they have received such.[citation needed]
The President of the Church serves as the head of the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes and the head of the Council of the Church. The President of the Church also serves as the ex officio chairman of the Church Board of Education.
[edit] Establishing doctrine, infallibility, and opinion
According to the LDS Church's Doctrine and Covenants, the president of the church is the only man empowered to receive revelation for the entire church and to change or clarify doctrine.[12] Not everything the prophet says is considered to be doctrine. Joseph Smith taught "a prophet is a prophet only when he was acting as such."[13] When he declares new doctrine, "he will declare it as revelation from God, and it will be so accepted by the Council of the Twelve and sustained by the body of the church."[14] If the doctrine is not accepted by the church as the word of God, members are not bound by the doctrine,[15] even if it comes from the president of the church.[16] Although it should not be assumed that the president of the church is "infallible",[17] presidents of the church have taught that God will never allow the president to lead the Latter-day Saints astray and that God will "remove" any man who stands at the head of the church who intends to mislead its members.[18]
As such, when speaking in his capacity as president of the church, the words of the president of the church are "infallible" only in the sense that they are correct and binding on the church and its members. By following the president's teachings, members of the church are told that they are justified in their actions. However, statements of the president of the church are not infallible in the sense that they can never be changed by a future president of the church; due to the Latter-day Saint belief in "continuing revelation", it is accepted that a church president will often revise or clarify statements of past church presidents. One apostle of the church has taught, "Beware of those who would pit the dead prophets against the living prophets, for the living prophets always take precedence."[19]
However, often when the president of the church speaks, it is not in his official capacity as the president of the church. At these times, the president may offer opinion and conjecture about topics which may or may not be correct or inspired by God. It may be difficult to know when the president of the church is speaking in his capacity as such and when he is offering personal opinion. Most Latter-day Saints would likely assume that statements made by the president in sermons at a general conference of the church or other formal church meeting would constitute statements made in the capacity of church president. However, even then, the president of the church may explicitly indicate that he is only expressing a personal opinion.[20]
[edit] Counselors to the President
When a new president of the church is selected, he chooses counselors to assist him. Most presidents have had a minimum of two counselors, but circumstances have occasionally required more than two; for example, David O. McKay had five counselors during the final years of his presidency and at one point Brigham Young had eight. Counselors are usually chosen from the among the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, although there have been a number of exceptions where members of the church's Presiding Bishopric or persons from the church at large were called to be counselors. Any high priest of the church is eligible to be called as a counselor in the First Presidency. There have also been a few cases where counselors have been ordained to the priesthood office of apostle and became members of the Quorum of the Twelve after already being chosen as counselors in the First Presidency (e.g., J. Reuben Clark). There have been other cases where counselors have been ordained to the office of apostle but not set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve (e.g., Alvin R. Dyer). Other counselors in the First Presidency were never ordained to the office of apostle (e.g., Charles W. Nibley; John R. Winder). Whether or not a counselor in the First Presidency is an ordained apostle, he is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator.
Counselors are formally designated as "First Counselor in the First Presidency" and "Second Counselor in the First Presidency" based on the order they were selected by the president. Additional counselors have been designated in different ways, including "Third Counselor in the First Presidency" (e.g., Hugh B. Brown), "Assistant Counselor to the President" (e.g., John Willard Young), and simply "Counselor in the First Presidency" (e.g., Thorpe B. Isaacson). The president and all his counselors constitute the First Presidency, which is the presiding quorum of the church. The next senior apostle to the president of the church is set apart by the president to be the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
[edit] Succession to the presidency
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when a president of the church dies, the First Presidency is dissolved and the members of the First Presidency who were formerly members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles return as members of that quorum. The Quorum of the Twelve then becomes the presiding council of the church, with the senior apostle as its president.[21] During this period of time, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve is the highest ranking official in the church. Traditionally, and so far without exception, this apostle becomes the next church president.[22] This appointment is made official when the Quorum of the Twelve meets and selects their president as the next president of the church.
In modern times, the Quorum of the Twelve has typically moved quickly to reconstitute the First Presidency by setting apart the President of the Quorum of the Twelve as the president of the church within days or weeks of the late church president's death. However, Brigham Young presided over the church for three years as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve before the First Presidency was reconstituted after the death of Joseph Smith. The tradition of waiting for two to three years before selecting a new president continued until the death of the fourth president of the church, Wilford Woodruff, in 1898.
[edit] Seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is important, in that the senior apostle becomes the president of the church upon the current president's passing. Specific rules have applied to special situations that have come up over time.
For instance, there have been cases where an apostle has been excommunicated or disfellowshipped, then later restored to the quorum. It was decided that in these cases, the excommunicated or disfellowshipped apostle loses his seniority in the quorum. For example, Brigham Young decided that John Taylor was to be President of the Twelve and Wilford Woodruff follow him in seniority due to the readmission to the quorum of Orson Hyde, who had been disfellowshipped in 1846, and Orson Pratt, who had been excommunicated in 1842. Young ruled in 1875 that when Hyde and Pratt rejoined the quorum, they became the newest junior members of the quorum and their previous service did not "count" when calculating quorum seniority.
In another instance, Ezra Taft Benson left active status in the quorum for a time when he was serving as the United States Secretary of Agriculture in the Eisenhower administration. In this case, Benson did not lose seniority in the quorum and he became the president of the church upon the passing of Spencer W. Kimball.
If the President of the Quorum of the Twelve has been called to be a counselor in the First Presidency, the most senior apostle not called to the First Presidency is set apart and referred to as the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. At the death of the president of the church, the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve retains his position in the quorum's membership and the President of the Quorum of the Twelve takes his role as president of the quorum.
[edit] Removal
Though there has never been a popular movement in the church to have a President removed or punished, he could theoretically be removed from his position or otherwise disciplined by the Common Council of the Church.
[edit] List of Presidents of the LDS Church
[edit] Presidents of the Community of Christ
In the Community of Christ, the president of the church's formal title is the Prophet–President. The Prophet–President is the highest priesthood leader of this denomination of Latter Day Saints. The position is composed of several roles: (1) President of the Church, (2) President of the High Priesthood and (3) Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the church.
As President of the Church, the Prophet–President is the church's chief executive and is the leader of the First Presidency, the church's chief executive council. As President of the High Priesthood, the Prophet–President is the church's leading priesthood official. (Since the initiation of the ordination of women in 1985, it is now possible for this position to be filled by a woman though all Prophet–Presidents to date have been men.) As Prophet, Seer and Revelator, the Prophet–President is the Community of Christ's spiritual leader and can present revelations to the church to be added to the Doctrine and Covenants — an open canon of scripture, which stands with the Bible and the Book of Mormon as sacred text. Only the Prophet-President is considered to be a prophet, seer and revealator.
[edit] Succession to the Presidency
Generally, the Prophet–President will name or ordain a successor prior to his death. Prior to 1995 these successors have been chosen according to the principle of lineal succession. Accordingly, the first six Prophet–Presidents following movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr. were his direct descendants.
In 1995, Wallace B. Smith broke with the precedent of lineal succession by naming W. Grant McMurray as his successor. In November 2004, McMurray resigned from the office of Prophet–President without naming a successor, citing medical and personal issues. The First Presidency, composed of McMurray's two counselors, continued to function as the church's chief executive council. A Joint Council of church leaders led by the Council of Twelve Apostles announced in March 2005 that Stephen M. Veazey would be Prophet–President designate. Veazey had been serving as president of the Council of Twelve. Delegates elected to a special World Conference of the church approved Veazey and he was ordained as the Prophet–President on June 3, 2005.
[edit] List of Presidents of the Community of Christ
| President | Birth | Service | Death | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Smith, Jr. | December 23 1805 | April 6 1830 – 1844 | June 27 1844 | 14 years |
| 2 | Joseph Smith III | November 6 1832 | April 6 1860 – 1914 | December 10 1914 | 54 years |
| 3 | Frederick M. Smith | January 21 1872 | May 15 1915 – 1946 | March 20 1946 | 32 years |
| 4 | Israel A. Smith | February 2 1876 | April 6 1946 – 1958 | June 14 1958 | 12 years |
| 5 | W. Wallace Smith | November 18 1900 | October 6 1958 – 1978 | August 4 1989 | 20 years |
| 6 | Wallace B. Smith | July 29 1929 | April 5 1978 – 1996 | living | 18 years[23] |
| 7 | W. Grant McMurray | June 12 1947 | April 15 1996 – 2004 | living | 8 years[24] |
| 8 | Stephen M. Veazey | May 3 1957 | June 3 2005 – | living | current |
[edit] Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ
In The Church of Jesus Christ, the President of the General Church is also a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.
[edit] List of Presidents
| # | Picture | President | Life | Service | Length |
| 1 | Image:Ovalportrait-josephsmith-Carter.jpg | Joseph Smith, Jr. | December 23 1805 – June 27 1844 | April 61830–1844 | 14 years |
| 2 | Image:SidneyRigdon.jpg | Sidney Rigdon | 19 February 1793 – 14 July 1876 | April 61845–1847 | 3 years |
| 3 | William Bickerton | January 15, 1815 – February 17, 1905 | July 1862– July 1880 | 18 years | |
| 4 | William Cadman | April 1834 - November 6, 1905 | July 1880– November 6, 1905 | 15 years | |
| 5 | Alexander Cherry | ??? - August 31, 1921 | July 1906– August 31, 1921 | 14 years | |
| 6 | William H. Cadman | December 19, 1876 - April 15, 1963 | July 1922 – April 15, 1963 | 41 years | |
| 7 | Thurman Furnier | April 21, 1888 - 1972 | April 1963 - April 1965 | 2 years | |
| 8 | Gorie Ciaravino | August 5, 1911 - April 7, 1995 | April 1965 - April 1974 | 9 years | |
| 9 | Image:Dthomas.jpeg | Dominic R. Thomas | September 11, 1924 - 2005 | 1974 – 2005 | 31 years |
| 10 | Image:Apostle PP.jpeg | Paul Palmieri | April 9, 1933 - living | 2005- present | Current |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
- ^ Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ, June 9, 1830.
- ^ LDS Church D&C 28:2
- ^ Different accounts of this meeting give the date as June 3, 4, or 6. Bushman considers June 3 to be the "best guess" for the date.
- ^ Minutes of June [3-6], 1831. Saints Without Halos. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
- ^ Bushman, Richard Lyman (2007). Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New York: Vintage Books, 156-157, 595. ISBN 978-1-4000-7753-3.
- ^ Kirtland Revelation Book, p. 84,68; LDS Church D&C 107:64-65, 91-92
- ^ Bushman, Richard Lyman (2007). Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New York: Vintage Books, 202. ISBN 978-1-4000-7753-3.
- ^ Prophet Seer, and Revelator: Like Unto Moses. Joseph Smith: Life of the Prophet. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
- ^ LDS Church D&C 20:2
- ^ LDS Church D&C 20:67
- ^ See, for example, LDS Church D&C 28:2, 6-7.
- ^ Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:265
- ^ Harold B. Lee, The First Area General Conference for Germany, Austria, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Spain of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held in Munich Germany, August 24–26, 1973, with Reports and Discourses, 69. See also "no member of the Church has the right to publish any doctrines, as the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, without first submitting them for examination and approval to the First Presidency and the Twelve" (Proclamation of the First Presidency and Twelve, dated 21 October 1865, re: The Seer. Printed in Messages of the First Presidency, edited by James R. Clark, Vol. 2, (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965), 238–39)
- ^ "The rule in that respect is—What God has spoken, and what has been accepted by the Church as the word of God, by that, and that only, are we bound in doctrine." : B. H. Roberts, Deseret News (23 July 1921) sec. 4:7).
- ^ President Harold B Lee taught that "if he says something that contradicts what is found in the standard works (I think that is why we call them "standard"—it is the standard measure of all that men teach), you may know by that same token that it is false; regardless of the position of the man who says it.(Harold B. Lee, "The Place of the Living Prophet, Seer, and Revelator," Address to Seminary and Institute of Religion Faculty, BYU, 8 July 1964)
- ^ "The position is not assumed that the men of the New Dispensation —its prophets, apostles, presidencies, and other leaders—are without faults or infallible, rather they are treated as men of like passions with their fellow men." (James R. Clark, quoting B. H. Roberts, Messages of the First Presidency, edited by James R. Clark, Vol. 4, (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1970), p. xiv–xv.)
- ^ Wilford Woodruff, The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff (G. Homer Durham, ed.), Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1946, pp. 212-213.
- ^ Ezra Taft Benson, "Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet", 1980-02-26.
- ^ See, e.g., Gordon B. Hinckley, “War and Peace”, Ensign, May 2003, 78, where church president Gordon B. Hinckley indicated that he was expressing his "personal feelings" and "personal loyalties" on the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
- ^ Seniority is determined by elapsed time since joining the Quorum, not by age.
- ^ Brent L. Top and Lawrence R. Flake, [1] “ ‘The Kingdom of God Will Roll On’: Succession in the Presidency”], Ensign, Aug. 1996, 22.
- ^ In 1995, Wallace B. Smith named his successor and retired to emeritus status in 1996
- ^ On 29 November 2004, McMurray resigned as President of the Church. In March 2005, a joint council of church leaders led by the Council of Twelve Apostles announced Stephen M. Veazey as Prophet-President designate
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Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since August 2007 | Ecclesiastical titles | Latter Day Saint hierarchy | Leadership positions in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Leadership positions in The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) | Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Prophet–Presidents of the Community of Christ
