Gospel & Doctrine

In an earlier post I explained that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes the highest body of leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as “the Mormons”) upon the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley and the subsequent dissolving of the First Presidency. A question that many people may have involves priesthood authority.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to have priesthood authority from Jesus Christ Himself. According to www.lds.org:

The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood God created and governs the heavens and the earth. Through this power He redeems and exalts His children, bringing to pass "the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). God gives priesthood authority to worthy male members of the Church so they can act in His name for the salvation of His children. Priesthood holders can be authorized to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and govern the kingdom of God on the earth.

So, if a prophet has special priesthood authority that allows him to act as the prophet, what happens to that authority when he dies? How does the next prophet receive that authority if the last prophet has already died?

President Gordon B. Hinckley, who had been serving as our prophet and as the President of the Church at the time of his death on January 27, explained how this works in an address he gave in 1992:

When a man is ordained to the apostleship and set apart as a member of the Council of the Twelve, he is given the keys of the priesthood of God. Each of the fifteen living men so ordained holds these keys. However, only the President of the Church has the right to exercise them in their fulness. He may delegate the exercise of various of them to one or more of his Brethren. Each has the keys but is authorized to use them only to the degree granted him by the prophet of the Lord. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Church Is on Course,” Ensign, Nov 1992, 53)

So each of the Apostles holds all of the priesthood keys. This was also true in Joseph Smith’s day, Brigham Young’s day, and so on. When the current prophet dies, the Twelve Apostles hold those priesthood keys necessary to administer the activities of the Church.

President Hinckley’s reference to “fifteen living men so ordained” refers to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, plus three members of the First Presidency (the living prophet with his two counselors). At the time of this writing, after the death of President Hinckley but before the reorganization of the First Presidency, there are fourteen ordained apostles. For more information on how this works, see my earlier post entitled "Who Stands at the Head of the Mormon Church?"

President Hinckley continued:

My Brethren of whom I have spoken are Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I bear witness of their integrity. I bear witness of their faith. I bear witness of the voice of inspiration and revelation in their calls. Every one is a man of tested strength. But the greatest of these strengths lies in the acknowledgment that he must have divinely given direction and blessing if he is to perform acceptably.
Now, in conclusion, do you believe this body of men would ever lead this Church astray? Remember whose church this is. It carries the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who stands as its head. His is the power to remove any found remiss in his duty or who is teaching that which is not in harmony with His divine will. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Church Is on Course,” Ensign, Nov 1992, 53)

It is important to remember that the Lord alone has power over life and death. Furthermore, as President Hinckley testified, each of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve has proven to be faithful to the Lord and has tremendous experience in Church leadership. While I am confident that any one of them is capable of leading the Church under the direction of the Lord, the Lord Himself chooses who acts as His prophet on earth at any given time. And Jesus Christ Himself stands at the head of the Church.

Who stands at the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormons? This almost seems like a trick question right now, but the answer is actually quite simple.

Our beloved prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, who passed from this life on January 27, previously explained the answer to us:

"The head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His Church. But the earthly head is our prophet. Prophets are men who are endowed with a divine calling. Notwithstanding the divinity of that calling, they are human. They are subject to the problems of mortality." (Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Church Is on Course," Ensign, Nov 1992, 53)

And so it was with President Hinckley and our other beloved prophets who have gone on before him. Prophets are human, subject to illness and death. But the Lord Jesus Christ stands at the head of the Church.

Now the question that many people will have right now, after the passing of President Hinckley and before the sustaining of a new prophet, is there a mortal leader of the Mormon Church right now?

The answer is yes.

While there is a man serving as the prophet of the Church, he typically has two counselors that serve with him in what is called the First Presidency. The body of leadership directly under them is the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Just as they were in Christ's day, these men are special witnesses of Jesus Christ and they hold the keys of the priesthood. The senior member of the Twelve is set apart as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve. Members of the First Presidency usually come from the Quorum of the Twelve and hold the same keys of authority.

This next part may seem confusing. But the Lord's house is a house of order, and there is a very orderly way that Church leadership functions upon the death of the prophet.

When the man who is the prophet dies, the First Presidency is dissolved. Those who had been serving as his counselors return to their original positions of seniority within the Quorum of the Twelve. These positions are determined by the dates that they were formally called into the Quorum. If two apostles join the quorum on the same day, the older one has seniority over the younger one.

The counselors to President Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson and Henry B. Eyring, have returned to their positions in the Twelve. President Monson, having been called as an apostle in 1963, is the senior member of the Twelve. In fact, throughout President Hinckley's service as the prophet, President Monson has been the President of the Quorum of the Twelve. However, due to his status as a counselor in the First Presidency, the apostle next in line has been serving as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve. This is Boyd K. Packer, who was ordained in 1970.

President Eyring was called to the Twelve in 1995, and his position of seniority is directly after Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Upon the passing of any member of the Twelve, when a new apostle is called he takes his place last in line and the others "move up" in position. The Quorum of the Twelve, then, currently stands as follows:

Thomas S. Monson
Boyd K. Packer
L. Tom Perry
Russell M. Nelson
Dallin H. Oaks
M. Russell Ballard
Joseph B. Wirthlin
Richard G. Scott
Robert D. Hales
Jeffrey R. Holland
Henry B. Eyring
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
David A. Bednar
Quentin L. Cook

Now upon the passing of the prophet and the dissolving of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve is the presiding body of the Church. The senior apostle of that quorum, then, in a very real sense, is the presiding officer of the Church. And that individual right now is Thomas S. Monson.

Following the funeral services for President Hinckley, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (currently with fourteen members) will meet together, pray for guidance, and make a unanimous decision whether to sustain a new prophet and reorganize the First Presidency, or to do so at a later time. It is expected that President Monson will be sustained as the new prophet and a new First Presidency will be organized soon.

But as members of the Church, we do not need to fear during this time without a formally sustained prophet. For, whether the First Presidency is formally organized or not, Christ stands at the head of the Church and the Quorum of the Twelve holds all the keys and authority necessary to lead the Church on the earth.