President of the Church (Latter Day Saints)
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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, 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", "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.
A succession crisis followed Smith's martyrdom in 1844. Different successors organized church hierarchies, making use of some or all of these titles and functions. Today, the largest denomination is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the office of president of the church has evolved distinctly in many other, smaller Latter Day Saint traditions.
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[edit] Joseph Smith as the President of the Church
The concept that the Church of Christ would have a president over the entire church 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." (Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ, June 9, 1830). However, there were several other apostles and elders, including Oliver Cowdery, all of whom were formally co-equal.
In September 1830, after Hiram Page, a rival of Joseph Smith, attempted to receive revelations for the church, a revelation through Joseph 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." (LDS D&C 28). Thus, although Smith had no formal leadership position in the church at that time, he took the position as the only Elder with the gift of revelation for the entire church.
On June 3, 1831, Joseph Smith was ordained, along with Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith, and later Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Frederick G. Williams, to the "high priesthood". As a "High Priest", these men held a higher position than that of Elder. However, Smith's position was formally the same as the other five members of the high priesthood.
On November 11, 1831, however, a revelation by Joseph 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." (Kirtland Revelation Book, p. 84,68, LDS D&C 107: 64-65, 91-92.) Smith was ordained to this position on January 25, 1832.
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." (LDS D&C 20:2) Thus, Smith was subsequently to 1835 sometimes referred to as the First Elder. The 1835 revision also added a verse referring to the office of "president of the high priesthood (or presiding elder)" (LDS D&C 20:67), which had been added to the church hierarchy in 1831.
[edit] Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement is the church's leader and the head of the First Presidency, the church's highest governing body. Latter-day Saints consider him 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 "mouthpiece" for the entire world. He is considered to be the highest priesthood authority on Earth, and the right to receive revelations. 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.
[edit] Infallibility versus Opinion
According to the Doctrine and Covenants, which includes information on the offices and policies of the church, the president of the church is the only man empowered to receive revelation for the entire church and to change or clarify doctrine. The church teaches that the president will never be allowed 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. As such, when speaking as president, the words of the president of the church are "infallible," meaning they are correct and binding on those who live under his administration. By following the president's teachings, members of the church are told that they are justified in their actions.
This distinction is important: when he "speaks as the president of the church," his words are infallible. Often when the president speaks, it is not as the president of the church. At these times, the president may offer opinion and conjecture about non-spiritual topics which may or may not be correct.
[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 to that quorum. The Quorum of the Twelve then becomes the presiding council of the church, with the senior (with the most time in this quorum) apostle as its president. At this 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. [1] This appointment is made official when the Quorum of the Twelve meets and confirms the President of the Quorum as the President of the Church.
In modern times the Quorum of the Twelve has moved quickly to reconstitute the First Presidency by setting apart the President of the Quorum of the Twelve as the President of the Church. 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 2-3 years before confirming a new president continued until the death of the fourth President, Wilford Woodruff, in 1898.
[edit] Counselors in the Presidency
When a new President of the Church is called, he calls counselors. Most presidents have had two counselors, but circumstances have occasionally required additional ones (David O. McKay had five during the final years of his presidency). Counselors are historically chosen from the Quorum of the Twelve, although there have been 9 exceptions where members of the Presiding Bishopric or the Church at large were called to be counselors. There have also been a few cases where Counselors have been ordained apostles and members of the Quorum of the Twelve after already being set apart as counselors in the First Presidency. There have been other cases where counselors have been ordained apostles but not set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Counselors are formally designated as First Counselor in the First Presidency, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and so forth based on the order they were selected by the prophet. The President and his counselors constitute the First Presidency, the presiding council of the church. The next senior apostle to the President of the Church is set apart by the prophet to be the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
[edit] Seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve
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, then later restored to the Quorum. It was decided that in these cases, the Apostles lost their previous seniority. In these cases, Brigham Young revealed that John Taylor was to be President of the Twelve and Wilford Woodruff to follow him in seniority due to Orson Hyde and Orson Pratt's disaffection in the early 1840s, thus starting their time of service in the twelve over from the time of their readmission to the twelve.
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 under the Eisenhower administration. In this case Benson did not lose seniority in the Quorum, as he never lost the title of "Apostle," 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. 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] List of Presidents of the Church
[edit] Presidents of the Community of Christ
In the Community of Christ, the president of the church is often referred to as 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.
[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 the name of Stephen M Veazey as 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 president of the High Priesthood, Prophet, and President of the Church 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[1] |
| 7 | W. Grant McMurray | June 12, 1947 | April 15, 1996 – 2004 | living | 8 years[2] |
| 8 | Stephen M. Veazey | May 3, 1957 | June 3, 2005 – | living | current |
- ^ 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
[edit] Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite)
In the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), the President of the General Church is also a member of and the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
[edit] List of Presidents
| # | President | Life | Served | Length | Ordination |
| 1 | Joseph Smith, Jr. | December 23, 1805 – June 27, 1844 | 1830–1844 | 14 years | April 6, 1830 |
| 2 | Sidney Rigdon | 19 February 1793 – 14 July 1876 | 1844–1847 | 3 years | ? |
| 3 | William Bickerton | ? | 1862–1866 | 4 years | ? |
| 4 | William Cadman | ? | 1876–1907 | ? | ? |
| 5 | Alexander Cherry | ? | 1907–1921 | ? | ? |
| 6 | William H. Cadman | ? | 1921–? | ? | ? |
| 7 | Dominic R. Thomas | ? | 1974– 2005 | ? | ? |
| 8 | Paul Palmieri | ? | 2005 - [present] | ? | ? |
