Quorums of the Seventy
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In Mormonism, a Quorum of the Seventy is one of a group of up to seventy "traveling ministers" charged with the mission of preaching to the entire world, under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The office is based on the Seventy mentioned in the Gospel of Luke 10:1-2. Members of the Seventy are commonly referred to as seventies.
As originally envisioned by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the 1830s, the Seventy were to be a body composed of several separate quorums, and led by a group of seven presidents, of whom one of the seven presidents is the leader. These presidents, chosen from the first quorum, would appoint and direct the other quorums of seventy. (The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 107:27)
Administratively, the Seventy are directed and supervised hierarchically by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who are in turn directed by the First Presidency. As introduced by Joseph Smith, the Apostles and the Seventy had authority only outside the main body of Latter Day Saints in Zion and in the outlying stakes. Members in Zion and the stakes were led by the High Council of Zion (under the direction of the First Presidency) and stake high councils.
As a body, the Seventy are considered to be equal in priesthood authority with the Apostles. This presumably means that if the Apostles were killed or incapacitated, the Seventy could take over the function of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. However, in such circumstances, the Seventy would have to act unanimously. (The Doctrine and Covenants, Covenant 107:27)
[edit] Early Latter Day Saint Quorums of the Seventy
Historically, the First Quorum of the Seventy came into being in 1835 when seven men were set apart as the First Seven Presidents of the Seventy. These men held the priestly order of seventy (see Priesthood (Mormonism)). In 1837 the six men other than Joseph Young (1797-1881), older brother of Brigham Young, were released to become High Priests and replaced by others, though as Levi Ward Hancock was not in fact ordained a high priest he returned to his office among the Seven Presidents of the Seventy. Joseph Young remained Presiding President of the First Seven Presidents for the rest of his life.
[edit] Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest denomination of the Mormonism, the members of the First and the Second Quorums of the Seventy (are General Authorities of the church, with responsibilities covering the church as a whole, including areas of the church where stakes are established. This result came about after Brigham Young disbanded the High Council in Zion (then in Nauvoo) and led his followers west to present-day Utah. Subsequent stakes in Utah were organized under the direction of the Apostles and the Seventy, rather than under the direction of a new High Council in Zion, as was the previous practice.
Members of the additional Quorums of the Seventy (currently 3-8) serve as "Area Authority Seventy" which gives those chosen to serve the office of Seventy, but not the status of General Authority.
[edit] Expanding membership
By the time Joseph Smith was martyred, he had already organized 3 1/2 quorums of seventy. By 1845, there were ten quorums of seventy, including the First Quorum of the Seventy. The seventies in the first quorum became the seven presidents for each of the other quorums. That is, there were 63 presidents, 7 for each of the 9 other quorums. The seven remaining members were the presidency of the first quorum. The members of the first quorum were thus spread out across the church, making meetings of the first quorum rare.
Elders were often ordained a seventy before their missions. Quorums were not restricted to geography, so individual quorums would be scattered all over the world.
In 1883, President John Taylor localized the quorums. Each stake had a quorum of the seventy, and seventies in that stake would belong to that quorum. He also prescribed that the senior president of the first 63 quorums could meet with the seven presidents of the first quorum and that would constitute a meeting of the first quorum. This never happened, however. This organization continued until President Spencer W. Kimball's reorganization in 1976.
Though the number of Seventies in the church grew, the number of Presidents remained at seven. In the 1930s the First Seven Presidents were renamed the First Council of the Seventy.
Eventually, the stake quorums of seventy were no longer numbered and they were put under the local responsibility of Stake Presidents in 1936. This rendered them an anomaly, and subsequently, in 1961, Church President David O. McKay ordained those of the First Council of the Seventy who wished it as high priests. (The then Presiding President Levi Edgar Young (1874-1963), grandson of Joseph Young, did not).
[edit] First Quorum of the Seventy formed
In 1975, under the direction of President Spencer W. Kimball, as the growth of the Church necessitated more General Authorities, the First Quorum of the Seventy was reconstituted with new members alongside the First Council of the Seventy. And in 1976, the First Council of the Seventy, the First Quorum of the Seventy, and the Assistants to the Twelve (a body of General Authorities created in 1941) were all merged into a new First Quorum of the Seventy under a seven-member Presidency of the Seventy. While members of each body served for life and ranked by seniority, the opportunity was taken to name as members of the Presidency, whose membership rotated, men younger and more active than the senior members of the old Assistants and Council. In 1978, some of the older members were retired as the first Emeritus General Authorities. However, members appointed through 1981 were still granted life tenure.
[edit] Second Quorum of the Seventy
In 1984, the next step in reforming the Quorums of the Seventy was taken when for the first time members were appointed to the First Quorum of the Seventy who were not to serve for life, but for terms of several years. In 1989, these members were set aside as the Second Quorum of the Seventy (all other Quorums of Seventy having been discontinued in 1986). At the same time, the practice was instituted of retiring all members of the First Quorum at the October General Conference following their 70th birthdays, or earlier in the case of serious health problems.
Since then, the First Quorum, usually serving to age 70, and the Second Quorum, whose members generally serve five and a half years (most often appointed at an April General Conference and retiring at an October General Conference) have continued as General Authorities of the Church. Sometimes members are called from the Second Quorum to the First Quorum, and Seventies are the most usual candidates to become members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Some flexibility on the terms of service has emerged in recent years.
[edit] Additional Quorums of Seventy
In the 1990s, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the creation of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Quorums of the Seventy, who would serve as Area Authorities replacing the former Regional representatives of the Quorum of the Twelve who had served as an echelon of leadership above the local stake presidents. The Area Authority Seventies serve in the various Areas in which the Church is governed by Area Presidencies composed of members of the First and Second Quorums of the Seventy. (In exceptional cases, Area Authority Seventies may be called as Counselors to an Area President; by reverse exception, Elders Dallin H. Oaks and Jeffrey R. Holland of the Twelve Apostles have recently personally served as Area Presidents, rather than only supervising Area Presidents; in 2004 they returned to the United States while Apostle L. Tom Perry became Area President for Central Europe returning in 2005). In 2004, the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy was divided to create the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy.
The members of the Presidency of the Seventy serve as heads of important church departments, and lately one is always General President of the Sunday School. They are always members of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Members of the First Quorum are Emeritus General Authorities after their retirement while those in the other Quorums are unconditionally released from being General Authorities when they leave those Quorums.
In 2004 the Presidency of the Seventy were placed over the area presidencies in the United States, which had previously reported directly to the Twelve Apostles.
In May 2005, the Seventh and Eighth Quorums of the Seventy were created. The Fourth Quorum which had served Mexico, Central and South America had grown to 72 members, and was split into the Fourth and Seventh Quorums. The Eighth Quorum was created to allow better geographic organization of the Third Quorum (not because the number of members exceeded seventy). The Third Quorum previously covered all of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the western islands of the Pacific. The new Eighth Quorum serves Southern Asia, Australia and the western islands of the Pacific. The Third Quorum continued to serve Africa, northern Asia and Europe. [1]
[edit] Current Organization
As of 2005, the Quorums of the Seventy are organized into eight quorums with a presidency of seven. The seventy fill an important role as emissaries of the twelve apostles and presidency of the church, allowing the group of 15 apostles to efficiently organize, train, proselyte, and administer to hundreds of millions of people scattered all across the globe. They are the layer between local church administration and general church administration.
In general, seventies must be elders in the Melchizedek Priesthood, but are usually high priests. Seventies organize and act in the place of apostles, but do not hold apostolic authority. This means that they may have the power to do anything that is required to organize and administer the church, as long as they are under the direction of an apostle.
Today, with more than twelve million members in the church, most members will not be able to have face-to-face contact with an apostle, or even sit in the same room with one, with any regularity. However, the seventies are able to meet and greet members throughout the world, and thus they become the personal face of the general church administration to many members across the world.
[edit] The Presidency of the Seventy
Historically, seven members of the First Quorum of the Seventy are called to serve as the Presidency of the Seventy. This precedent was broken, however, when Elder Robert C. Oaks of the Second Quorum of the Seventy was sustained to the Presidency to fill the vacancy created by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
They provide direction for the seventies and serve the apostles and president of the chuch. The Presidency of the Seventy is unique in that not only are there seven members but all seven hold the keys of presidency. The man with the longest tenure of uninterrupted service is called to preside over the other six.
With the release of all area presidencies in North America, the Presidency of the Seventy are now directly responsible for supervising the Church in North America. The current Presidency (as of the October 2005 General Conference) consists of:
- Earl C. Tingey
- D. Todd Christofferson
- Charles Didier
- Merrill J. Bateman
- Robert C. Oaks
- Neil L. Andersen
- Ronald A. Rasband
[edit] First Quorum of the Seventy
The First Quorum of the Seventy are general authorities, meaning they have authority throughout the church. They are called and generally serve until their 70th birthday, or until their health fails them, at which time they are given emeritus status and released from active service as General Authorities. Emeritus General Authorities may, however, be asked to be temple presidents or mission presidents. Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy serve under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve and the Presidency of the Seventy. They do not visit except under their explicit direction, and they do not teach or give talks except with permission. Oftentimes, members of the seventy will accompany the twelve on their visits to missions and stakes throughout the church. Other times, they will be sent to act in behalf of the Quorum of the Twelve to stake conferences and to provide training and support to stakes, missions, areas, and temples.
[edit] Second Quorum of the Seventy
Members of the Second Quorum of the Seventy serve a similar role to that of the First Quorum. They are general authorities, which means they have authority throughout the church. They are called for approximately 6 years instead of until they turn 70.
[edit] Third to Eighth Quorums of the Seventy
Members of the Third - Eighth Quorums of the Seventy are not general authorities, and generally maintain their temporal vocations. Members of these quorums are called Area Seventies. They are called to preach the gospel and to bear testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. As assigned, they train stake presidencies, serve in Area Presidencies, tour missions, train mission presidents, and complete other assigned duties.
- Third Quorum of the Seventy
- The Third Quorum members live and serve in Africa, Europe, and northern Asia.
- Fourth Quorum of the Seventy
- The Fourth Quorum members live and serve in Mexico, Central America, and the northern and western portions of South America.
- Fifth Quorum of the Seventy
- The Fifth Quorum members live and serve in the North America Northwest, North America West, Idaho, Utah North, Utah Salt Lake City, and Utah South Areas.
- Sixth Quorum of the Seventy
- The Sixth Quorum members live and serve in North America Central, North America East, North America Northeast, North America Southeast, and North America Southwest Areas.
- Seventh Quorum of the Seventy
- Members of the Seventh Quorum are drawn from the Brazil North, Brazil South, Chile, and South America South Areas.
- Eighth Quorum of the Seventy
- The Eighth Quorum of the Seventy is composed of Area Seventies from the Asia, Asia North, Australia, New Zealand/Pacific islands, and Philippines Areas.
[edit] Noteworthy Members of the First and Second Quorums of The Seventy
(This list is far from complete. Those who were later called to The Quorum of The Twelve Apostles have been omitted)
- Brigham H. Roberts
- John Van Cott
- J. Golden Kimball
- Zera Pulsipher
[edit] Apostolic United Brethren
There is currently only one functioning quorum of Seventy in the Apostolic United Brethren, which is geographically split between different congregations. All men ordained to this office are called for life, as was the case in the LDS church prior to 1986.
[edit] The Community of Christ
Within the Community of Christ a Seventy is also considered to be an Elder. Part of function of the Seventy is a missionary role and they work closely with the Apostle in charge of the field they are in. They are organized into seven quorums, each quorum is presided over by a president. These presidents make up the Council of Presidents of Seventy, and are collectively led by the "President of the Presidents of Seventy."
[edit] Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
The Seventy in this church are called the Seventy Evangelists and strictly limited to that number. Missionary work is the focus of this calling in Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite).
